Tag Archive

Mile-High Mega Kites Could Pull Giant, Floating Power Plants

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Take a huge oceanic catamaran, stick a hydroelectric turbine underneath it, and hitch it to a 6.5 million-square-foot parafoil flying nearly a mile in the air. That’s a Korean research team’s new proposal for generating gigawatts of clean energy.
As the parafoil pulls the boat, seawater would be forced through the [...]

Watching China Run

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It was primarily a symbolic gesture.
Way back in 1979, in the midst of an energy crisis, Jimmy Carter had solar panels installed on the roof of the White House. They were used to heat water for some White House staffers.
“A generation from now,” said Mr. Carter, “this solar heater can [...]

Zoning for Oceans: Balancing Our Competing Needs in the Seas

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The time when we could do anything we want anywhere we want in the oceans is over
For decades the seas off U.S. shores have been roiled by controversies over where to drill for oil, how to reel in overfishing, and whom to blame for toxic streams of continental runoff. A failure to manage [...]

Energy Out of the Blue: Generating Electric Power from the Clash of River and Sea Water

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Two pilot projects are testing the potential of “salt power,” a renewable energy that relies on the differing salinities at river mouths to make watts
In the hunt for alternatives to polluting and climate-warming fossil fuels, attention has turned to where rivers meet the sea. Here, freshwater and saltwater naturally settle their salinity difference, [...]

It’s Easy Being Green

So, have you enjoyed the debate over health care reform? Have you been impressed by the civility of the discussion and the intellectual honesty of reform opponents?