Technology:
¶ A more energy-efficient and precise way to manufacture thin-film photovoltaic cells is to give up conventional heating systems for manufacture and use microwave ovens instead. [Nanotechnology News]
Japan:
¶ The Onagawa nuclear plant was much closer to the epicenter of the earthquake that caused the disaster than Fukushima Daiichi was. Even so, it did not have a meltdown. The person behind this is an engineer who believes that the three most important inventions in human history are alcohol, the board game “go”, and nuclear power, in that order. He prevented the meltdowns because he did not trust bureaucrats, and believed their safety standards are insufficient. [OregonLive.com]
World:
¶ Radiation from Fukushima could be deadly in Uganda. Used cars from the exclusion zone are being sold there. Radioactive material are said to be present in potentially lethal amounts on the dashboards and bodies. [Daily Monitor]
¶ Palestinians living on the West Bank are trying to break their dependence on Israel for energy. One result is a new solar-powered vehicle. [Arab American News]
¶ Conventional power generation, mostly coal and nuclear, has left 60,000 villages in India without electricity. Now, renewable sources can provide them with power more reliable than the grid, and they can do it at lower cost and faster. [Power Engineering]
US:
¶ The National Renewable Energy Laboratory is testing microgrids, which are being called the ultimate in energy democracy. [CleanTechnica]
¶ The most heavily discussed matter in the energy news right now is the question of whether ethanol should be added to gasoline, when it comes from food stocks and a drought is going on. The accompanying article is an example. [Baltimore Sun]
… But we must ask the question: How renewable is the gasoline/ethanol mix?
geoharvey 