Welcome ! As a young French Marketing professional with a Master's in International Management I have been selecting since January 2007 the latest headlines and best researches on sustainable development, climate change, cleantech and the world energy sector. Sounds great ? Don't hesitate to subscribe now !
Now having to commute by car to get to my new job I can’t wait for having an electric car. But current prices are way to high for me to afford one. Luckily, this might change quite quickly. To AutoBlog Green :
” U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu estimates that plug-in vehicle battery costs will have dropped 70 percent between 2008 and 2015 and will fall another 58 percent between 2015 and 2020 “
I have already stressed how electric vehicles are critical in our quest for energy efficiency and more sustainability as they consume five time less energy than their counterparts.
To Ecogeek : “ A team of engineers at the University of Illinois have figured out how to create self-healing circuits in electronics and batteries, a discovery that could lead to longer equipment life ”
” As electronics have become more complex, one small circuit failure can render a device useless, especially since it is hard or often impossible to diagnose where that failure occurred to fix it. “
As our smartphones and other computers seem to last less and less, this invention could sure help solving the issues revolving around e-waste.
I came across two news today that could revolutionize solar panels by drastically increasing their efficiency. Given the current potential of this energy source with today’s technology, tomorrow will be bright for solar !
To the MIT Technology Review :” Replacing flat panels with three dimensional structures (see left) can significantly change the economics of solar power generation, say engineers. “
The second news that came to me was from the University of Texas where a scientist found a way to increase the efficiency of solar cells to 66 percent, compared to around 20 % today. (via Grist)
To CleanTechies : ” The increased use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) in the production of refrigerators, air conditioners, and other products could play a significant role in accelerating global warming “
The United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) study notes that the projected emissions of HFCs by 2050 could equal nine billion tons of carbon dioxide — or about one-third of current CO2 emissions.
HFCs were introduced in the 1990s to replace chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which were a threat to the ozone layer. So, this was a good idea with a strong downside. Continue »
I was mentioning last week a documentary called The Thorium Dream, produced by Motherboard.tv. Lasting less than half an hour it is an absolute must-watch to grab the potential of this technology.
I know we shouldn’t cringe to just one solution. But I now believe that nuclear risk and waste free is one day possible. Thorium is already being used in India, and I believe it will be used more and more.
While we are waiting for thorium to be ready for commercialization and its mass use, we should work massively on efficiency and renewables. Continue »
The French magazine Science & Vie [Fr] published this month a lengthy series of articles on thorium-based nuclear, and how it could solve the various issues encountered with uranium-based energy generation.
Much more safer, without the need to be enriched, Thorium is also four times more abundant than Uranium. Molten salt reactors could also recycle the waste of current reactors.
In today’s post we will have a look at the various other advantages of this still not commercially developped technology. Continue »
I have been knowing it for years as I read Jean-Marc Jancovici‘s books : current technologies can solve our climate and energy issues. This is corroborated by a joint statement by eleven of the world’s largest engineering organisations.
To Climate Progress : “The technology needed to cut the world’s greenhouse gas emissions by 85% by 2050 already exists”. Such an effort would be needed to get back to 350 ppm, which is considered the safe quantity of CO2 in our atmosphere.
If this isn’t a technological issue, it is a political and a behavioral one. Our representatives around the world are just dragging their feet on the matters and we, the people, aren’t just that motivated either…
I would like to share with you some personal experience on energy efficiency and sobriety as I got back for a few days to visit my parents. I then noticed my dad has the bad habit of letting some CFLs on.
I told him that this really wasn’t good for their purse and our common planet. I also reminded him that leaving lights on in empty rooms is just pure waste since nobody benefits from them.
His answer was that since they consume very little energy and this is thus absolutely not a big deal. Is he right ? Or am I ? Continue »
A post from TreeHugger got me thinking : why wouldn’t I give some of my computer time to help advancing research ? I had written about this almost three years ago, and being looking for a job, I often have a computer running.
So, a month ago, on August 2nd, I started gathering information on The World Community Grid, how it works and how I can help. One of the thing that got me considered this was that IBM is sponsoring the project.
My two-year old computer (based on an Intel Core 2 Duo E8400) is now running calculations that will help finding better solar panels, better water filtration systems and fight cancers and AIDS. Continue »
To GOOD : ” One German physicist, Harald Haas, has come up with a solution he calls “data through illumination” (…) by sending data through an LED lightbulb that varies in intensity faster than the human eye can follow.”
” It’s the same idea behind infrared remote controls, but far more powerful. Haas says his invention, which he calls D-Light, can produce data rates faster than (…) your average broadband connection. ”
” He envisions a future where data for laptops and smartphones is transmitted through the light in a room. And security would be a snap—if you can’t see the light, you can’t access the data. “ Continue »
