The Week: Most Recent energy

Has mankind outgrown Earth?

The Week — Thu, 17 May 2012 07:43:00 -0500

We're gobbling up the planet's resources at such an alarming rate that by 2030, even a second Earth wouldn't be enough to sustain us, claims the World Wildlife Fund's (WWF) 2012 Living Planet Report. The research will be presented next month at a United Nations conference in Rio de Janero, where world leaders will walk the delicate tightrope of trying to figure out how to help the world's poorest countries without doing further damage to the environment. Here's what you should know about the eye-opening study:

Which resources are we depleting?
Renewables like fish, water, timber, and food are being...

The green laser that can erase printer ink

The Week — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 07:00:00 -0500

The recycling industry's goal is to make the world a greener place, but the actual process comes at a price — namely in gas and carbon dioxide emissions. But a promising new technology from the University of Cambridge aims to cut down on excessive energy use by employing lasers to remove ink from used paper, allowing it to be reused. Here, a quick guide to this experimental concept:

What is this new device, exactly?
Its creators are calling it a "laser unprinter," and it works by vaporizing the toner from traditional printers without damaging or discoloring the paper underneath. The device...

When the winter cold kills

The Week — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 11:54:00 -0600

WITH THE DARKENING approach of another ice-hard Saturday night in western Maine, the man on the telephone was pleading for help, again. His tank was nearly dry, and he and his disabled wife needed precious heating oil to keep warm. Could Ike help out? Again?

Ike Libby, the co-owner of a small oil company called Hometown Energy, ached for his customer, Robert Hartford. He knew what winter in Maine meant, especially for a retired couple living in a wood-frame house built in the 19th century. But he also knew that the Hartfords already owed him more than $700 for two earlier deliveries.

The oil...

The mutant bacteria that turns seaweed into fuel

The Week — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 13:01:00 -0600

Experts have long hoped that the ocean's plentiful stores of seaweed could be turned into renewable biofuels. Now that goal is one step closer: Scientists have engineered a special bacteria to break down the previously inaccessible sugar in seaweed, which can then be transformed into biofuels similar to ethanol. Here's how they did it:

First off: Why seaweed?
Kelp is appealing as a fuel alternative for several reasons. Environmentally sustainable, it doesn't require farmland or freshwater to grow and it boasts a naturally high sugar content, says Wendy Koch at USA Today. And harvesting the...

The clothes that clean themselves in sunlight

The Week — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 14:20:00 -0600

Hate doing laundry? Here's some good news: A team of Chinese scientists from Donghua University has developed a special fabric that rids itself of dirt and germs when exposed to sunlight. Gross? Or a good idea? Here, a brief guide to this potentially time-saving breakthrough:

What's the secret?
The key is a compound called titanium dioxide — "the white material used in everything from white paints to foods to sunscreens," says PhysOrg. When exposed to certain types of light, like ultraviolet rays, it kills microbes and breaks down dirt. The compound is already used in a number of self-cleaning...

Get ready for... poo-powered lights?

The Week — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 15:32:00 -0600

The hunt for the most eco-friendly way to light your home didn't end with the creation of compact fluorescent bulbs and LED lights. Dutch electronics giant Philips has developed a lighting system that follows the example of the humble firefly, producing a green glow that uses no electricity at all. The fuel source? In part, human waste. Here, a guide to this new "bio-light" technology:

How does this light work?
Philips harnessed the same source of illumination that makes fireflies and certain algae glow at night. The company's Microbial Home system creates light by putting bioluminescent bacteria...

The furnace of the future: Computer servers?

The Week — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 13:05:00 -0600

As we do more and more of our computing online and in the cloud, we're requiring more and more server space to keep our Netflix streaming and our iPhones' Siri assistants obeying our every command. As a result, computer data centers are increasingly gobbling energy — both to keep them powered up, and to keep them cool. Some researchers have proposed an interesting scheme to take advantage of all the warmth that servers generate: Why not use it to heat people's homes? Here, a brief instant guide:

What is this computer-server heater?
Four researchers from Microsoft Research and two from the...

Can fracking cause earthquakes?

The Week — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 08:30:00 -0600

On Nov. 5, a 5.6-magnitude tremor rattled Oklahoma — one of the strongest to ever hit the state. Oklahoma is typically seismically stable with about 50 small quakes a year. But in 2009, that number jumped up to more than 1,000. Some people say the increasingly common use of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking — the controversial practice of blasting underground rock formations with high-pressure water, sand, and chemicals to extract natural gas — may have put stress on fault lines. Can human activity really cause the earth to move? Here, a brief guide:

So humans can cause earthquakes...

Could Mount Everest be the future of solar power?

The Week — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 15:17:00 -0500

Sun-baked deserts may seem like the obvious choice for harnessing solar power, but new research from Japan suggests quite the opposite: Cold, high-altitude destinations like Mount Everest have immense potential for capturing solar energy. The findings are set to be published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, and could have major implications for powering nearby regions in the future. Here's what you should know:

Why a location like Mount Everest?
Two factors are at play: First, the study found that, thanks to thinner atmospheric conditions, high elevations can provide more...

Coming soon: Solar cells you can wear?

The Week — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 12:48:00 -0500

Imagine: Shirts and jackets capable of harvesting solar power. Your iPhone might never run out of juice again (just plug it into your vest). Such scenarios might become reality sooner than you think. Researchers from Northwestern University have created a new type of solar cell capable of bending — and, conceivably, being integrated into fabric. Here's what you should know:

How do traditional solar panels work?
Light enters a transparent cell, and thanks to a complicated process in which the sun's photons travel through a semiconductor, electricity comes out. This photovoltaic cell technology...

BP's new oil spill in Alaska: 'Reckless'?

The Week — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 17:53:00 -0500

BP, the petroleum giant responsible for last year's massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, is under scrutiny for yet another spill, this time in Alaska. The latest mishap is one more stain on a company that's struggling to polish its reputation after the April 2010 disaster, which was the worst spill in U.S. history. Here, a brief guide to the latest spill:

What exactly happened in Alaska?
On Saturday, an 8-inch pipeline in BP's Lisburne oil field — near Alaska's Prudhoe Bay — was being pressure-tested when the pipe burst, releasing crude oil, methanol, and water across a gravel...

The new gas boom

The Week — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 12:07:00 -0500

How much gas is there?
About as much, in terms of available energy, as Saudi Arabia’s remaining oil reserves — enough to change America’s energy equation for decades. The largest deposit is in the Marcellus Shale, which extends from New York’s Finger Lakes region through Pennsylvania and as far south as Kentucky. The Marcellus Shale, a brittle layer of rock more than a mile underground, is the geological remnant of an ancient sea, and is laced with pockets of trapped gas, which is mostly methane. Penn State geologist Terry Engelder, a lifelong student of the Marcellus Shale...

Exxon's 'disastrous' Yellowstone oil spill

The Week — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 13:38:00 -0500

An Exxon Mobil pipeline ruptured Friday in Montana, spilling up to 1,000 barrels (42,000 gallons) of oil into the swollen Yellowstone River before the company could shut off the spigot. After initially saying the spill only sullied about 10 miles of the pristine waterway, about 100 miles downstream from Yellowstone National Park, Exxon on Monday acknowledged that the damage could be much more extensive. More than 280 people from Exxon, federal agencies, and the Clean Harbors environmental waste company are in Billings, Mont., to work on the cleanup effort. How bad will this "disastrous" spill be...

Can natural gas really prevent an 'energy nightmare'?

The Week — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 14:55:00 -0500

As gas flirts with the $4-a-gallon mark and Japan remains mired in a nuclear crisis, plenty of natural gas evangelists see their preferred fuel as a cheap, plentiful, and domestically available solution to America's vast energy needs. But not so fast. Environmental and safety concerns about hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking" — a buzzy process that uses high pressure liquid to extract gas from shale deep underground — persist. And now, The New York Times suggests that even industry insiders admit natural gas has been overhyped. Is it really the answer to our ongoing "energy nightmare...

Are electric cars actually bad for the environment?

The Week — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 10:30:00 -0500

Production of electric cars is speeding up, as Ford prepares to introduce its C-Max Energi next year to compete with General Motors' much-hyped Chevrolet Volt. But a new British study suggests that electric vehicles might not be as green as environmentalists think. Because of pollution from the factories that make batteries, an electric car has a bigger carbon footprint than a gas-burning vehicles until it's traveled 80,000 miles, according to the research, which was financed by the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership. Does this mean electric cars aren't good for the planet after all?

Yes,...

Natural gas: As bad for the environment as coal?

The Week — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 14:33:00 -0500

Natural gas has been widely hailed as a cleaner alternative to fossil fuels, but a new study by Cornell University researchers suggests it's not as green as many people think. Using hyped, unconventional sources of natural gas, such as that extracted from shale formations, say researchers, could do more to heat up the planet than mining and burning coal. Does natural gas really deserve its green reputation? A brief guide:

Doesn't natural gas burn cleaner than coal?
Absolutely. Researchers don't dispute that burning natural gas is cleaner than burning other fossil fuels. Natural gas emits 30 percent...