Energy Glance
With enough solar panels it is possible to cover all your electricity needs with PV, year round; the downside is that it requires a significant investment up front. Installing 8 square metres of PV panels, enough to sustain a family of four in the UK, plus storage batteries and accessories such as inverters to convert DC into alternating current, can cost tens of thousands of pounds and will take up more space than is available to most urban households. Until the cost comes down substantially, switching to a grid supplier that gets its energy from renewables may be a more realistic alternative - although it will not free you from the risk of supply interruptions.
How to unplug from the grid
Ocean currents can power the world, say scientists
A revolutionary device that can harness energy from slow-moving rivers and ocean currents could provide enough power for the entire world, scientists claim.
The technology can generate electricity in water flowing at a rate of less than one knot - about one mile an hour - meaning it could operate on most waterways and sea beds around the globe.
TVNL Reminder: 5 Electric Cars Already Making History, Not Hype
You hear about them every year: gee-whiz, plug-in, battery-powered vehicles poised to change the world. Granted, they’re tiny, or expensive, or both. And if they ever make it to the United States, they’ll be downgraded from electric vehicles (EVs) to neighborhood electric vehicles (NEVs)—glorified golf carts with a top speed of 25 mph. But overseas, where getting gouged at the pump is a fact of life, EVs are a growth market.
TVNL Comment: The reason the big 3 US automakers have not made thist type of vehicle available is bacuse they conspire with the oil companies to keep us dependent on oil.
L.A. Auto Show: Ford, now sane, delivers 700 miles per tank
With Ford's chief executive in Washington contending his company is nearly as bad off as General Motors and Chrysler, Ford's messaging might seem, well, a bit crazy. But if the Fusion is as good as Ford promises, it could very well be a step in the right direction. After all, the hybrid gets 39 mpg in the city, and, according to Fields, 700 miles on a tank of gas in city driving.
TVNL Comment: Didn't see a price......
Shell secures 25-year access to Iraq's oil, gas
A joint venture between Royal Dutch Shell and Iraq's state-owned South Gas Co. could give Shell a 25-year monopoly on production and exports of natural gas in much of southern Iraq - the biggest foreign role in Iraq's oil and gas sector in four decades.
The planned venture, spelled out in a 16-page document obtained by United Press International, goes well beyond descriptions provided by Iraqi and Shell officials on Sept. 22, when they held a public signing ceremony in Baghdad.
TVNL Comment: Saddam used the oil money to privide education and health care to the Iraqi people. You are wittnessing the theft of the people by the oil/war cartel.
Scientists discover Patagonian diesel that grows on trees
A tree fungus could provide green fuel that can be pumped directly into vehicle tanks, US scientists say. The organism, found in the Patagonian rainforest, naturally produces a mixture of chemicals that is remarkably similar to diesel.
"This is the only organism that has ever been shown to produce such an important combination of fuel substances," said Gary Strobel, a plant scientist from Montana State University, who led the work. "We were totally surprised to learn that it was making a plethora of hydrocarbons."
How Parked Cars Could Power the Future
Imagine running a parking meter backwards and actually being paid to park your car. Along those lines, electric vehicles might one day make money for their owners by providing electrical storage for the nation's power grid.
The concept, called vehicle to grid (V2G), is based on the fact that your car is typically not being used 90 percent of the time. "What if it could work for you while it sits there?" said Jeff Stein from the University of Michigan.
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