Cleantech

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 →

http://www.sciencealert.com/researchers-have-conducted-the-first-thorium-salt-experiments-in-over-40-years#.WaUkb5ppSUB.facebook Netherlands-based nuclear power provider, NRG, are taking a gamble. They’re conducting experiments that could see a shift from uranium-based nuclear power to thorium. There has been the historical battle between using uranium or thorium as a nuclear fuel. Uranium provided a potential source of weapons-grade plutonium. A significant advantage of using thorium over uranium is it doesn’t →

https://futurism.com/people-are-using-old-laptop-batteries-to-build-their-own-versions-of-teslas-powerwall/ Tesla’s Powerwall was intended to provide a convenient way for homeowners to store electricity for future use, such as when the power goes out. But with a $5,500 price tag, they haven’t been affordable for many consumers.  Some who had been interested in the tech, however, decided to try to make their own: constructed their own powerwalls by utilizing →

https://cleantechnica.com/2017/08/16/morgan-stanley-predicts-market-grid-storage-will-explode-next-3-years/ A new report authored by Stephen Byrd, a utility and cleantech analyst at Morgan Stanley, and Adam Jonas, its auto analyst, shows that they are bullish on the market for grid storage products. “Demand for energy storage from the utility sector will grow more than the market anticipates by 2019–2020,” the pair says. They predict →

http://bigthink.com/philip-perry/green-energy-will-overtake-fossil-fuels-by-2020-morgan-stanley-analyst-states?utm_campaign=Echobox&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook#link_time=1501961581 According to leading global investment firm Morgan Stanley the continuous drop in costs and the benefits surrounding green energy make it a rapidly more appealing option than its carbon-emitting cousins. A top analyst at the firm says green energy will overtake fossil fuels by 2020. There was no clear answer what they ment by “overtake”, but →