Energy

Whatever concerns energy and the ways to produce it goes here

Further to the Lyon renewable energies fair

I was on Thursday and Saturday at the renewable energies fair in Lyon. This was an excellent occasion to meet professionals in solar energies, wood energy and insulating materials. I was very pleased to note that many companies are currently hiring in France or in Europe. As a matter of fact, I wouldn’t be surprised …

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February 2009 solar news

News on solar photovoltaïc are numerous as many companies and labs are working in research and development to bring to market the best PV cells possible in terms of price and of efficiency. In the meantime, more and more large projects are being launched. Indeed, California announced a 1,300 MW project near Los Angeles and …

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Oil production peaked in non-OPEC countries

I was wondering in May 2008 if oil production already peaked. The Oil Drum brings us more data on peak oil as to their latest article non-OPEC countries’ oil production peaked in 2004. Indeed, Russia – the world’s second oil producer – saw its production peaked in 2008 and is due to decrease by 8 …

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America can cut its coal consumption by 62 %

According to a recent study carried out by the Rocky Mountain Institute, the United States could cut their consumption of coal by 62 % before as early as 2020. This would represent savings of 1.2m gigawatt-hours annually. The equivalent of 30 % of the US annual electricity use could be saved by increasing the energy …

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A climate change mitigation paradox

Thanks to Meryn I came across a most interesting piece of information. According to the Spiegel (the leading German magazine) wind turbines in Europe do nothing for emissions-reduction goals. Despite the billions spent every year in wind energy, solar and similar renewable energy sources, greenhouse gases emissions haven’t decreased. What looks like a strong contradiction …

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Home insulation gets the attention it deserves

I have been advocating for three years now the thermal insulation of buildings as one of the best ways to decrease our global fossil fuel consumption and greenhouse gases emissions. This week, the United Kingdom, Australia and the United States plan to insulate millions of buildings. These operations will be financed by the local governments …

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The end of nuclear waste ? Part II

Last week I wrote about a technology that decreases the amount of radioactive waste by hybridizing fission and fusion. Now comes another breakthrough as TerraPower prepares to launch reactors using depleted uranium. Such material would lead to lower risks of nuclear proliferation. Additionally, the amount of uranium on Earth could last centuries or even millennium …

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China will burn coal (a little) more efficiently

According to Clean Tech, China will close down 31 GW of inefficient coal-fired plants and will replace them by cleaner and more efficient ones. This has to be compared with the 792.5 GW of coal plants at the end of 2008 in the country. Previously applied, such measures enabled the country to decrease the amount …

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World’s latest news on wind power

According to the Global Wind Energy Council, global wind power capacity reached 120 GW in 2008. This represents an increase of 28.8 percent compared to 2007. All these installations totaled $47 billion. This is the occasion for me to present you the various news I came across on this topic in the past few weeks. …

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The end of nuclear waste ?

By reading Clean Technica I came across a news that might change the way many people consider nuclear energy. Indeed, one of the main issues of nuclear today is the waste produced by fission. But to researches carried out in the University of Texas at Austin a process called Compact Fusion Neutron Source (CFNS), combines …

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