Energy Storage On The Bottom Of The Ocean — New Pumped Hydroelectric Power Storage Design

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Image Credit: Illustration by Knut Gangåssæter/Doghouse

Storing electricity at the bottom of the ocean? The idea may sound strange at first, but the new concept from the German engineer Rainer Schramm could be very effective — with an efficiency of around 80%, comparable to conventional energy storage systems. The energy storage system makes use of the pressure differential between the seafloor and the ocean surface. It’s not a new idea, either, with Lockheed Martin making use of temperature differences between ocean levels to create … Read More

Clean Energy = More Jobs

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nancy laplanca

In our continued efforts to support Nancy LaPlaca’s run for a position on the Arizona Corporation Commission (while also spreading good and important information), here’s another post written by Nancy. This one was originally published on the Arizona Capitol Times (with some minor changes). The Arizona Republican Party recently issued a press release stating that I want to “eliminate 1,000 coal jobs” on Navajo land. That statement is so far removed from reality that it warrants a direct response. The … Read More

Susan Osborne Explains Why Boulder Opted For A Clean Energy Takeover

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The process started in 2003 when Boulder resumed studying the option to create a municipal utility. With a climate-action plan already in place, and a local carbon tax already financing conservation and clean energy, the once nascent issue became a serious option in Boulder. Creating a municipal utility would allow for more control over the grid, reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, and an increase in clean energy production. As former Boulder mayor Susan Osborne described, Boulder … Read More

New Ecologically Friendly Way To Clean Up Oil Spills — Raw Unprocessed Cotton

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Image Credit: Cotton via Wikimedia Commons

What’s the best way to clean up an oil spill? Using raw, unprocessed cotton to sop it up, apparently. New research, just published in ACS journal Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, has found that unprocessed, raw cotton may be the ideal material for cleaning up oil spills — it has an amazing ability to soak up oil, is relatively ecologically friendly, and is economically viable. The new research has provided some of the very first … Read More

Solar Energy Industries Association Responds Regarding China Trade Dispute

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solar energy industry association

The solar trade dilemma seems far from over, but things are moving forward. The question remains exactly where they will move. Here’s an announcement put out by the Solar Energy Industries Association last night regarding what it and its allies have been doing: WASHINGTON, DC – Reacting to published reports that the United States and the European Union are trying to settle a lingering trade dispute with China over anti-dumping and anti-subsidy allegations, John Smirnow, vice … Read More

UK Solar Costs Pounded – Largest Solar Farm One Pound Or $1.59 Per Watt

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Wymeswold Solar Farm. Image Credit: LarkEnergy

Seventy years ago during World War II the Wymeswold airfield in Britain was used to help protect the free world from barbarism of a kind unseen in Europe since the middle ages and of a scale unprecedented in history. Never before was so much owed by so many to so few. And today, when we have the ability to damage our world’s environment on a scale never before seen, the old airbase is being used … Read More

ExxonMobil’s Excellent Algae Biofuel Adventure… Or Not

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Exxon co-funds algae biofuel research project

Not that ExxonMobil is going all soft on us, but the company once notorious for promoting bad information about the state of climate science has been quietly researching algae biofuel in partnership with California-based Synthetic Genomics Inc. (SGI) for the past four years, and it just announced a new co-funding agreement last week. This new phase of the partnership is significant because it enables SGI to focus on foundational research to develop enhanced strains of … Read More