Modern Mysteries

Clean Energy

Oil Dispersants May Delay Recovery by Years… or Decades
September 2nd, 2010

The scientific evidence suggests that the dispersants used by BP will continue to kill marine life far into the future and is far worse than the oil alone.


A Power Generator Turns Falling Wastewater Into Electricity
September 1st, 2010

Here’s a novel way to get a little more out of the bathroom. An industrial design student at De Montfort University in Leicester, UK, has created a clever power generator that turns falling wastewater into electricity.


Scottish Scientists Turn Whisky Into Biofuel
September 1st, 2010

File this under news you can raise a glass to: Researchers at Edinburgh Napier University have figured out how to turn the leftovers from one of Scotland’s biggest exports into biofuel.


New Biofuel Cell Could Be Filled With Soft Drinks to Power Devices
September 1st, 2010

Researchers at the National Meeting of the American Chemical Society revealed a new breed of battery-like device that’s more like the mitochondria that fuel biological cells than the anode – cathode batteries.


Deep Water Sub To Search For Undersea Energy
September 1st, 2010

Based at a new multi-million-dollar energy research station, a Chinese deep-sea sub will search for new energy sources and rare-earth metals on the ocean floor, according to Chinese state-run media.


Finland Plans to Build the World’s First ‘Green Highway’
September 1st, 2010

Green cars require green roadways, and to that end Finland is planning the world’s first “green highway.”


Ryan Reynolds Thinks “We’re Acting Like Cavemen”
August 31st, 2010

We’ve evolved, but how come our sources of energy haven’t?


Electricity Pulled Out of Thin Air
August 31st, 2010

Powering homes with electricity collected from the air may be possible after scientists report solving a centuries old riddle about how moisture in the atmosphere becomes electrically charged.


Treasure Island is Planned Site for Turbine Test
August 31st, 2010

A low-lying island in the middle of the windswept Bay will be used as a wind-power testing ground.


Ocean Beach May Be Center of Harnessing Wave Power
August 31st, 2010

The view to the west from Ocean Beach could one day be cluttered with scores of spinning windmills, generating power.


How I (Almost) Saved the Earth
August 31st, 2010

No one said it would be easy to build the greenest house on the block. Scott Adams on perplexing energy bills, ugly lawns and the true meaning of ‘green’.


Air Force Base in AZ Will Run on 15 MW Sun Power
August 31st, 2010

SunPower has signed an agreement with Arizona Public Service to build a 15-megawatt photovoltaic solar power system at Luke Air Force Base in Glendale, Arizona.


Huge Solar Installation Powers Water Treatment Equipment
August 31st, 2010

A forty acre, six megawatt solar power plant is providing the energy to run a water treatment operation at a Superfund site in California.


Cars Cause Global Warming More than Planes, Study Finds
August 31st, 2010

It is rather well-known now that transportation is one of the leading causes of global warming pollution in the world. NASA reported in February that motor vehicles are the largest net contributor to global warming pollution.


Recycled Island: Plastic Fantastic?
August 26th, 2010

A floating city of half a million people on a vast plastic island. Does that sound like Waterworld? The vision could soon be a reality if Dutch conservationists have their way.


Rwanda Taps Volcanic Lake for Gas
August 22nd, 2010

With the help of western companies, Rwanda is generating power from gas trapped on the bottom of Lake Kivu.


More Polluting Coal Power Plants Being Built
August 17th, 2010

Utilities across the country are building dozens of highly polluting coal-fired power plants in an effort to further contaminate the planet with mecury and fuel climate change while cashing in on cheap dirty energy.


Study: Cars Cause Global Warming More than Planes
August 17th, 2010

NASA actually reported in February that motor vehicles are the largest net contributor to global warming pollution.


A Solar Salamander
August 11th, 2010

A researcher noticed that their bright green colour comes from within the embryos themselves, as well as from the jelly capsule that encases them.


Kerry Proposes Green Energy Legislation
August 10th, 2010

Sen. John Kerry is taking another whack at the pinata and has introduced a bill to spur clean energy production with tax incentives.


Chu Hands Out $1 Billion in Big Coal Welfare
August 10th, 2010

A check for nearly $1 billion to retrofit a decrepit old plant from Energy Secretary Steven Chu for FutureGen 2.0, our nation’s scandalous “clean coal” boondoggle.


Ocean Power Technologies, Closer to Utility-Scale Wave Power
August 10th, 2010

Ocean Power Technologies is a step closer today to building the country’s first utility-scale wave power project in Oregon.


Oregon Wind Farm Neighbors Offered $5K to Keep Their Silence
August 10th, 2010

Some residents near the Shepherd’s Flat wind farm in Oregon have been offered $5000 to not complain about the whooshing noise from the planned 338 wind turbines.


NY Fund Set to Announce New Biofuel, Biomass Investments
August 10th, 2010

A renewable energy-focused investment fund announced a $14.1 million loan to Aspen Power to complete construction of a 57 MW waste wood-fired biomass power plant.


Nearly 200 Gigawatts of US Energy is Wasted
August 10th, 2010

Heavy industries like steel mills, paper mills and cement mills have by far the largest untapped potential for energy generation in the wasted heat they generate but do not tap to make electricity.


CE Proponents Repeat Mistakes of Anti-Tobacco Movement
August 10th, 2010

Climate change affords us no such luxury of time. We do not learn from past strategic mistakes not only at our own peril, but to the entire planet’s.


80% Cheaper Solar Cells Switch Gold For Nickel
August 10th, 2010

Scientists at the University of Toronto in Canada have come up with a way to reduce colloidal quantum dot solar cell prices by up to 80%, by swapping out costly conductive gold for cheap nickel.


Where is Palestine’s Green Fund?
August 10th, 2010

Can you imagine defending your land and resisting occupation with windmills, solar panels, and recycled car tires?


U.S. Navy Gets Solar Power for Slow Moving Electric Vehicles
August 10th, 2010

Roaring into the sustainable future with test flights for a biofuel-powered fighter jet, the U.S. Navy will now have a fleet of solar powered vehicles in the “Slow Moving Vehicles” category.


BrightSource “Understands What It Takes” to Build Major Projects
August 10th, 2010

BrightSource Energy notched a big win this week when a California state regulator recommended approval of its 392-megawatt Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System in the Mojave Desert.