http://www.iflscience.com/environment/over-95-percent-of-the-world-is-breathing-unsafe-air/ Seven billion people, over 95 percent of the world’s population, are breathing air that contains unhealthy levels of pollution. 60 percent of the world is living in areas that don’t even meet the most basic standards of air quality. The findings come from the State of Global Air 2018 (PDF), an annual assessment by →
https://www.pv-tech.org/editors-blog/five-key-considerations-for-east-west-solar-design Around the world solar developers are turning array designs on their head and choosing to go east-west instead of south- or north-facing like their traditional cousins. While east-west solar arrays may have a reduced total output, the value of the electricity they produce is inherently higher in most markets – They are generating more →
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/mar/02/first-sustainable-lego-pieces-to-go-on-sale The first Lego pieces made from plant-based plastic sourced go on sale this year, the company has announced. Production has begun on a range of Lego botanical elements or pieces such as leaves, bushes and trees, made entirely from polyethylene (made with ethanol extracted from sugar cane material). They will start appearing in Lego →
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesconca/2017/06/26/debunking-the-unscientific-fantasy-of-100-renewables/#611600d529f9 Mark Jacobson of Stanford said America could easily become 100% renewable by mid-century. Jacobson published a paper in 2015 that claimed we could get rid of all other energy sources except wind and solar, and a tiny bit of other renewables, by 2050, and that it would be easier and cheaper than any other alternative mix. Jacobson’s paper →
https://spectrum.ieee.org/computing/software/fuel-cells-poised-to-replace-indias-diesel-generators Diesel generators are widely used for decentralized power generation. These generators, although inexpensive, are inefficient and pose great environmental and health risks. Scientists are investigating cleaner, cost-effective, and more dependable technology for powering telecom towers and eventually buildings. A promising answer to the cost and pollution conundrum can be found in proton exchange membrane fuel →
https://m.slashdot.org/story/333535 It look like Bitcoin is not very “clean” technology: Bitcoin’s incredible price run to break over $7,000 this year has sent its overall electricity consumption soaring, as people worldwide bring more energy-hungry computers online to mine the digital currency. Bitcoin miners burn through over 24 terawatt-hours of electricity annually. This averages out to a shocking 215 →
http://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/9-million-deaths-per-year-makes-pollution-the-worlds-most-prolific-killer/ Pollution is killing up to 9 million people every single year across the planet. This unnatural phenomenon is responsible for one-in-6 deaths worldwide, more deadly than anything else, including natural disasters, famine, and war. Air pollution is the most serious issue: it accounted for two-thirds of all pollution-related deaths in 2015. Drinking water was second on the list. →
https://spectrum.ieee.org/energywise/energy/the-smarter-grid/should-a-devastated-caribbean-leap-forward-to-renewable-power-and-microgrids After the destruction inflicted across the Caribbean by hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria, renewable energy advocates are calling for a rethink of the region’s devastated power systems. Renewables advocates argue that the island grids should leapfrog into the future by interconnecting hundreds or thousands of self-sufficient solar microgrids. Some power system experts, however, say the solar-plus-batteries →
https://techcrunch.com/2017/10/05/the-new-electric-utilities/?ncid=rss&utm_source=tcfbpage&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Techcrunch+%28TechCrunch%29&utm_content=FaceBook&sr_share=facebook New utilities are enabled by new technologies and business models, not fuels. Almost two-thirds of Americans want renewables to be prioritized. This desire transcends party politics and climate denial. But this doesn’t mean consumers want to pay more. Solar (and wind) power have made rapid progress against other energy options. Solar, and to a lesser extent, →
http://www.iflscience.com/plants-and-animals/plasticeating-fungus-found-at-a-landfill-site-in-pakistan/ Researchers have found a species of fungus, known as Aspergillus tubingensis, that is able to feed off of plastic. In lab experiments, published in Environmental Pollution, scientists found that the mycelium of the fungus colonizes polyester polyurethane plastic, causing surface degradation and scarring. This is not the first time that organisms have been found to be able to feed →