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Cleaner water through nanotechnology
As global warming causes more and more countries to have less and less fresh water for human consumption and irrigation, the purification and re-use of contaminated water becomes more urgent; Aussie researchers offer a nanotechnology-based method to purify water which is more effective and cheaper than conventional water purification methods
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Utility plans first U.S. coal-fired plant to capture CO2
Tenaska proposes a new 600-megawatt, coal-fired power plant in Texas which would be the first to capture and store carbon dioxide emissions underground
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U.K. energy company to demonstrate its oxyfuel technology
Oxyfuel combustion is the process of firing a fossil-fueled power plant with an oxygen-enriched gas mix instead of air; oxyfuel combustion produces a CO2-rich flue gas ready for sequestration
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Graduate student invents gravity lamp
Virginia Tech engineering student wins second place in a Greener Gadgets Conference competition for inventing a floor lamp powered by gravity; lamp can last 200 years
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World's biggest wind energy farms to be built off the Dutch coast
Two wind farms to be built sixty km off the shore of the Netherlands will generate 2,000 MW; Dutch government’s goal is to generate 6,000 MW by 2020
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$1.6 trillion needed to shore up U.S. failing infrastructure
Experts say that the U.S. needs to invest $1.6 trillion over five years to shore up the country’s crumbling infrastructure; estimates show that each billion dollars invested in infrastructure creates between 40,000 and 50,000 new jobs, and that every $1 billion invested in transportation infrastructure generates $2 billion in economic activity throughout our economy
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Indian high-tech companies tighten security procedures
Indian high-tech and software companies, with their constant need for new employees, are easy targets for terrorist infiltration; these companies now take much tougher approach to vetting — and continuously checking — employees
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Bain's effort to acquire 3Com on verge of collapse
Bain Capital and a Chinese partner wanted to buy 3Com for $2.2 billion; 3Com’s TippingPoint unit sells security software used by U.S. government agencies, and persistent questions were raised over the national security ramifications of the deal; Bain and Huawei Technologies have now withdrawn their application to CFIUS
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New malware capture method
A DHS-funded project promises to give security researchers a new way to kill botnets and targeted malware attacks before they infect computers
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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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The long view
America Is Losing Its War Against Wildfire
Over the past decade, so-called megafires — characterized not only by their size, often bigger than 100,000 acres, but by their severity, speed, and impact — have become more common. Wildland firefighting is increasingly facing an intractable reality: We’re stuck in a vicious cycle. A doom loop.
Why Nuclear Energy Is Making a Global Comeback
Nuclear energy is gaining momentum as countries seek reliable, low-emission power sources to meet increasing electricity demand and climate goals amid uncertainty in fossil fuel markets. Its revival renews long-standing debates over safety and nuclear proliferation.
Protecting the Grid from Wildfires
As devastating wildfires continue to burn across the western U.S. and Canada this summer, they’re taking a serious toll on the electrical grid. Every year, wildfires, some sparked by birds or even high winds, cause significant damage to grid infrastructure.