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Archive for the ‘sustainability’ category: Page 207

Oct 5, 2022

The “Pore Space” Race Has Begun

Posted by in categories: climatology, sustainability

The energy industry is looking to carbon capture and sequestration to mitigate climate change. That means finding lots of pore space.


They will need thousands of these underground sites to store tens of millions of tons of CO2 to help mitigate climate change.

Oct 5, 2022

As winters warm, nutrient pollution threatens 40 percent of US

Posted by in categories: climatology, sustainability

Scientists are ringing alarm bells about a significant new threat to U.S. water quality: as winters warm due to climate change, they are unleashing large amounts of nutrient pollution into lakes, rivers, and streams.

The first-of-its-kind national study finds that previously frozen nutrient pollution—unlocked by rising and rainfall—is putting at risk in 40% of the contiguous U.S., including over 40 states.

Nutrient runoff into rivers and lakes—from phosphorus and nitrogen in fertilizers, manure, , and more—has affected quality for decades. However, most research on nutrient runoff in snowy climates has focused on the growing season. Historically, and a continuous snowpack froze nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorous in place until the watershed thawed in the spring, when plants could help absorb excess nutrients.

Oct 4, 2022

Can hi-tech fish farming replace traditional agriculture?

Posted by in categories: food, sustainability

Biologist Roni Hochman Sussman explains how aquaculture could become the most sustainable and efficient way of feeding the globe’s rapidly increasing population.

Oct 4, 2022

Largest combined wind/solar/battery plant opens in U.S.

Posted by in categories: energy, sustainability

Portland General Electric (PGE), a public utility, has partnered with NextEra Energy Resources to create a 350 megawatt (MW) clean energy project that combines wind, solar, and battery storage. Wheatridge Renewable Energy Facility, located at the northern edge of Oregon, has the capacity to serve 100,000 homes.

Although great progress is being made with scaling up renewables, intermittency remains a significant issue – since wind does not always blow, and the Sun does not always shine. Falling costs and improvements in technology mean that batteries are increasingly a realistic option for utilities, but we are still a long way from such systems being able to fully handle the demands of national electrical grids.

The newly operational Wheatfield facility is among the most notable advances in battery storage to date in the U.S. It consists of 120 turbines (a mix of 2.3 MW and 2.5 MW machines) generating 300 MW, alongside a 50 MW photovoltaic solar array, for a total of 350 MW. An accompanying battery storage facility is charged using power from the grid and provides 30 MW of continuous power for four hours, i.e. 120 megawatt-hours (MWh). When combined, this is enough to supply nearly 60% of the power generated by the Boardman Coal Plant, which became the last coal-fired plant in Oregon before its demolition a few weeks ago.

Oct 4, 2022

Tesla now can produce cars with just a few massive parts with MIT’s innovative 3D-printed metal

Posted by in categories: sustainability, transportation

“Take Materials Science 101. You won’t regret it.”

Newly 3D printed metal could be used by Tesla to produce all-electric vehicles with just a few massive parts, thanks to two MIT students. Announced very recently.


PhonlamaiPhoto/iStock.

Continue reading “Tesla now can produce cars with just a few massive parts with MIT’s innovative 3D-printed metal” »

Oct 4, 2022

Tesla Has News That Will Delight Customers

Posted by in categories: sustainability, transportation

The leading maker of electric vehicles is trying to satisfy strong worldwide demand for its cars.

Oct 3, 2022

Tesla is finally going to expand Gigafactory Nevada

Posted by in categories: energy, sustainability, transportation

Tesla is finally planning to expand the Gigafactory Nevada building after years of being “stuck” at about “30% of its final size.”

Tesla Gigafactory Nevada was the first major step in Tesla’s effort to secure battery cell supply for its ambitious growth.

The automaker partnered with Panasonic to deploy new battery cell production capacity at the facility, and Tesla used those cells to build battery packs for its vehicles and energy storage products.

Oct 3, 2022

There Are Cheaper, More Sustainable Ways Than Desalination to Meet Our Water Needs

Posted by in categories: energy, sustainability

Desalination plants discharge brine and wastewater, which can also kill nearby aquatic life if the process is not done properly. And generating the large quantity of energy that the plants consume has its own environmental impacts until it can be done carbon-free, which is still years off in most cases.

Unaffordable Water From Costly Plants

Continue reading “There Are Cheaper, More Sustainable Ways Than Desalination to Meet Our Water Needs” »

Oct 3, 2022

MIT Engineers Build Wireless Underwater Camera That Doesn’t Need Batteries!

Posted by in categories: climatology, space, sustainability

New underwater camera could help scientists explore unknown regions of the ocean, track pollution, or monitor the effects of climate change.

More than 95 percent of Earth’s oceans have never been observed, according to estimates by scientists, which means we have seen less of our planet’s ocean than we have the far side of the moon or the surface of Mars.

Mars is the second smallest planet in our solar system and the fourth planet from the sun. It is a dusty, cold, desert world with a very thin atmosphere. Iron oxide is prevalent in Mars’ surface resulting in its reddish color and its nickname “The Red Planet.” Mars’ name comes from the Roman god of war.

Oct 3, 2022

Tesla Solar Roofs Stand Up To Hurricane Ian, Elon Musk Sending Starlink Satellites To Help Florida

Posted by in categories: climatology, Elon Musk, internet, satellites, sustainability

Known for its electric vehicles, Tesla Inc TSLA also has a solar power division. Customers who bought solar roofs in Florida might be thanking the company after the lingering damage of Hurricane Ian.

What Happened: Hurricane Ian hit landfall in Florida and has caused severe damage to the region. Benzinga previously reported the impact could be $258 billion in replacement costs in one region and another $149 billion in the area of Tampa Bay.

The impact could be hundreds of millions of dollars for insurance companies as well.