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Aussie company in $20 million wave energy project for Maui
Australian specialist in wave energy to build three platforms off the coast of Maui; project aims to provide up to 2.7 megawatts
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U.K., U.S. in tighter collaboration on nuclear threats
United Kingdom invests an initial £2 million to secure high-risk nuclear and other radioactive materials and combat their illegal trafficking
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Connecting renewable energy sources to the national grid
Connecting different renewable energy sources to the national grid may be a costly proposition; new study aims to find community generation schemes which are able to connect to the grid without the need for expensive cable upgrades or digging up roads
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Uranium smugglers caught on India-Nepal border
Indian police arrests six individuals trying to smuggle low-grade uranium from India to Nepal;
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Number of U.S. nuclear smuggling experts to shrink
There are between 35 to 50 experts in the United States specializing in identifying smuggled nuclear materials and nuclear bomb components; trouble is, about half of them are set to retire in the next fifteen years, and the pipeline of young researchers who could replace them are nearly empty; scientific organizations call for action
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World solar-to-grid conversation efficiency record set
Sandia, SES achieve solar-to-grid conversion efficiency rate of 31.25 percent; increasing conversion rate, coupled with the rising price of oil and worries about the environment, make solar power more attractive
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King coal, III: DOE makes case for FutureGen restructuring
The Department of Energy restructures its approach to FutureGen — the ambitious plan to develop clean coal technology which produces hydrogen and electricity and mitigates greenhouse gas emissions
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No barriers to purchasing deadly chlorine
A 2007 UN report found that at least ten mass-casualty suicide attacks in Iraq involved explosives attached to chlorine canisters; undercover operation shows the ease with which terrorists can buy large quantities of chlorine in the United States
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Large mining concerns buys Verint solution
A major Latin American mining conglomerate buys a critical infrastructure monitoring solution from Verint; solution will enable security personnel to react more quickly to security breaches, unauthorized personnel or vehicles, or suspicious activity across their expansive mining infrastructure
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King coal, II: Administration restructures approach to clean coal funding
DOE restructures FutureGen approach; under the new plan, DOE’s investment would provide funding for no more than the carbon capture and storage (CCS) component of the power plant — not the entire plant construction; the original 2003 FutureGen concept called for the federal government to cover 74 percent of the cost of the entire project; DOE requests $648 million in FY2009 budget for coal research, development, and deployment
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Delta Scientific shows new truck barrier solution
As risk of suicide bombers driving explosive-laden trucks increase, interest in systems to stop such truck from reaching their target increases; Delta Scientific shows a new solution
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World’s first commercial-scale tidal stream
The tidal farm scheme would be capable of generating 10.5 MW of power drawn entirely from the sea’s major tidal currents; project will be built off the north-west coast of Anglesey, north Wales
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King coal, I: U.S. ends FutureGen funding; clean coal future unclear
The Bush administration, as part of a new approach to producing clean cole, has ended government participation in the FutureGen project; government says that the private sector can now pick up the tab; the administration unfolds new clean cole initiatives
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Life of U.K. project aiming to halve cost solar panels extended
U.K. government agency injects £6 million into research aiming to halve the cost of solar photovoltaic (PV) cells; in the first four years of the project, scientists created platform technologies in crystalline silicon, thin film silicon, thin film cadmium telluride, and thin film copper indium diselenide; now they will narrow down the research
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Airport security challenges // by Lynn Welch
TSA needs to formulate – and enforce — standards for perimeter defense
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The long view
Nuclear Has Changed. Will the U.S. Change with It?
Fueled by artificial intelligence, cloud service providers, and ambitious new climate regulations, U.S. demand for carbon-free electricity is on the rise. In response, analysts and lawmakers are taking a fresh look at a controversial energy source: nuclear power.
Water Is the Other U.S.-Mexico Border Crisis, and the Supply Crunch Is Getting Worse
The United States and Mexico are aware of the political and economic importance of the border region. But if water scarcity worsens, it could supplant other border priorities. The two countries should recognize that conditions are deteriorating and update the existing cross-border governance regime so that it reflects today’s new water realities.
Exploring the New Nuclear Energy Landscape
In the last few years, the U.S. has seen a resurgence of interest in nuclear energy and its potential for helping meet the nation’s growing demands for clean electricity and energy security. Meanwhile, nuclear energy technologies themselves have advanced, opening up new possibilities for their use.