First new Nuclear Reactor in the US in 10 years is on track.

Posted on July 22, 2009 by Mark Urbin

The Tennessee Valley Authority is bringing a new Nuclear Reactor on line, on schedule and on budget, in order to provide clean, “carbon free”, electricity in useful quanties, to their customers. Clean and safe nuclear power is supported as the “green option” by serious leaders of the environmental movement, including Gaia theorist James Lovelock, Greenpeace [...]

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PG&E to get electricity from space!

Posted on April 14, 2009 by Mark Urbin

Pacific Gas & Electric is seeking approval from state regulators for an agreement to purchase power over a 15-year period from Solaren Corp., an 8-year-old company based in Manhattan Beach, CA. Their goal is start beaming down power in 2016. Solaren Corp. wants to build big solar panels in orbit and then beam the energy down [...]

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A Nuclear Power comeback

Posted on March 30, 2009 by Mark Urbin

Some good news from USA Today, utilities are starting the process to build twentysix new Nuclear Power plants here in the United States. A recent Gallup Poll shows a record 59% of Americans favor nuclear energy. Dr. Pournelle nailed the truth of Nuclear Engergy: I have to say it again: cheap energy will cause a [...]

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Biofuel from Coffee grounds

Posted on December 8, 2008 by Mark Urbin

Amazing stuff coffee. In addtion to it’s other amazing properties, including being good for the roses, the grounds can be used to produce biofuel. The estimates are the coffee ground biodiesel industry could generate as much as $8,000,000 in profits annually using waste from Starbucks stores here in the United States  alone.  Ok, probably less given falling crude [...]

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Green Crude

Posted on September 25, 2008 by Mark Urbin

Sapphire Energy, a San Diego based startup, has a process they claim can produce 91octane gasoline from “algae microorganisms, salt water, carbon dioxide and the power of the sun.” The interesting twist to their technology is that method doesn’t use a plant that people typically use for food (like corn, sugarcane or sugar beats).  So [...]

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Solar electric power has officially “arrived.”

Posted on September 24, 2008 by Mark Urbin

Electical solar power at the individual homeowner level is no longer the exclusive realm of the uber-ecowarrior or the Heinlein inspired individualist determined to live “off the grid.” It’s mainstream now.  The concrete proof of this has arrived.  Solar Power Panel Rustlers! Police departments in California — the biggest market for solar power, with more than [...]

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Even more American electric cars in the pipeline

Posted on September 24, 2008 by Mark Urbin

Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge are working to get electic cars to market.  It looks like Chevy is going to beat to the market with the Volt though. These new entries are still “Concept Cars,” so I’m taking their “late 2010″ release date with a chunk of salt. Keep in mind that introducing a lot of [...]

Filed under: alternate fuel cars, Energy, Nuclear Power, solar power | Tagged: , , , | 4 Comments »

Cheaper solar cells

Posted on September 23, 2008 by Mark Urbin

The MIT Tech Review has a story about an Atlanta, GA based start up named Suniva. What makes Sunvia’s product interesting is that they have made the manufacturing process cheaper.  They are squeezing a little more efficiency out of their cells (20%, which is up from the industry standard of 17%), but the cost reduction [...]

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Hydrocarbon biofuels

Posted on September 22, 2008 by Mark Urbin

The MIT Tech Review has a story about a new process for turning plant sugars into gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel. Another interesting aspect of this story that the byproducts of the process can be used to create other industrial chemicals and plastics.  This further reduces independence on fossil based oil products. The process under development will [...]

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A breakthrough in more efficient solar cells?

Posted on September 21, 2008 by Mark Urbin

It looks it could be.  12 year old William Yuan has a project entitled “A Highly-Efficient 3-Dimensional Nanotube Solar Cell for Visible and UV Light.”  The kicker here is that his system harnesses UV light as well as visible light. Current solar cells only work off the visible light.  The trick will be finding a partner [...]

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