The twentieth century way of life has been made available, largely due to the miracle of cheap energy. The price of energy has been at record lows for the past century and a half.As oil becomes increasingly scarce, it is becoming obvious to everyone, that the rapid economic and industrial growth we have enjoyed for that time is not sustainable.Now, the hunt is on. For renewable sources of energy, for alternative sources of energy, for a way of life that is less dependent on cheap energy.Â
Swiss adventurer, Bertrand Piccard, has unveiled a solar powered plane in which he plans to cirumnavigate the globe. Built by Solar Impulse, the plane has a 63.4 metre wing, is built of light weight carbon fibre and carries enough batteries to keep it flying overnight. The wings have the span of a jumbo jet are Continue Reading →
Success at National Ignition Facility could pave the way for commercial laser fusion power stations and provide a solution to world energy crisis
National Ignition Facility will harness the power of lasers to turn hydrogen pellets into energy. Photograph: National Ignition Facility
A tentative first step towards an era of clean, almost limitless energy will take place today with the opening of a giant facility designed to recreate the power of the stars in an oversized warehouse in California.
The $3.5bn National Ignition Facility (NIF) sits in a 10-storey building covering three football fields and will harness the power of lasers to turn tiny pellets of hydrogen into thermonuclear energy.
If the machine works as planned, it will become the first to generate more energy than it consumes, a feat that could pave the way for commercial laser fusion power stations and an end to the world’s energy security problems.
Dr John Kaye is a Greens member of the Legislative Council of NSW and has family connections in the Northern Rivers. He visited last month to address the World Environment Day rally at Mur’bah and give a talk with Giovanni Ebono and Tom Tabart at the Mullumbimby Civic Hall. He spoke on the transition to a Green economy and highlighted our dependence on mining as a specific example of what has to change.
The conflict in areas such as the Liverpool Plains in NSW and Central Queensland between farmers and miners over water rights and land use means that we are at a critical point in our decision making. Premier Nathan Rees and Industry Minister Ian McDonald both gave “Let them eat coal” speeches last month suggesting that we must sacrifice prime farming land for coal mines because coal mines earn more export dollars than farms.
Mobile phones act as remote control for streetlights in scheme by German village to cut energy bills and emissions
It can be a music player, a camera, a navigator and now, in the spirit of saving the planet, the mobile phone has been turned into a remote control for street lights in a village in central Germany.
In an effort to cut energy bills, residents in Dörentrup , 60 miles from Hanover, have been given the ability to turn the village lamps on as and when they need them, just by making a call.
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The Federal Government has ended a renewable energy rebate two years early, in all states except Western Australia.
The rebate let people in regional communities claim up to $200,000 for stand-alone power supplies.
An Environment Department official says high demand means money budgeted for the rebate has already been spent.
The project will use electric car batteries to store excess energy and feed electricity back into the grid when the weather is calm
Cars could be the solution to the intermittent nature of wind power if a multimillion European project beginning on a Danish island proves successful.
The project on the holiday island of Bornholm will use the batteries of parked electric cars to store excess energy when the wind blows hard, and then feed electricity back into the grid when the weather is calm.