If readers see 2GreenEnergy popping up with increasing frequency on social media, that’s not an accident. My friend and colleague Brian Bernhard of Blight Productions has been helping us become more active on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, as well as Instagram and all these new platforms that are so popular among young people. (more…)
I love media that makes its point in a fun, appealing way. This piece on climate change by cartoonist Mark Fiore is a work of art.
Note the naiveté of the little green man, and compare that to the guy asking Robin Williams about the invention of golf in this classic (pardon the foul language).
I thought I’d write a post for the sole purpose of calling readers’ attention to the work of 2GreenEnergy super-intern Fabio Porcu. Another interesting story here: Fabio hails from Sardinia and had just completed his master’s degree in energy and engineering when he decided to spend the entire autumn here working with me; next month he’ll be returning to Europe where he’ll be taking a job in Prague.
Over the years, we’ve had a dozen or so interns from all over the world, but I can’t think of one who’s been a greater joy to interact with than Fabio. There may be people on this planet who have better attitudes toward life, but I sure haven’t met any.
Here’s a link to Fabio’s work so far; note that it’s covered a wide gamut that ranges from articles on the pros and cons of various battery chemistries to public opinion on climate change mitigation. I’ll post another photo on Thanksgiving when he is up here having dinner with my family and me, joined by some local companions.
I’m very grateful to have made another life-long friend.
It’s so easy to be cynical about the prospects for justice in the world. Even here in the U.S., the land of the free and the home of the brave, our big corporations have taken near-complete control of our law-making process, in large part by virtue of the horrific Supreme Court decision in 2010 “Citizens United,” which grants corporate entities the right of free speech previous reserved for natural persons, and enables them to spend as much as they wish influencing our elections. The result: we now have a democracy in name only; the will of the people is all but irrelevant at this point. (more…)
Last Thursday was the birthday of feminist Elizabeth Cady Stanton (pictured), who said: “The moment we begin to fear the opinions of others and hesitate to tell the truth that is in us, and from motives of policy are silent when we should speak, the divine floods of light and life no longer flow into our souls.” (more…)
Though the concept of the conservation of matter had been around for millennia, it was 18th Century French chemist Antoine-Laurent de Lavoisier who nailed it down tight, while also suggesting that Earth was a closed system with respect to the “stuff” that we have all around us. And, of course, he was correct; with the exception of a few meteorites, the formation of the moon, and a tiny amount of radioactive decay, every atom of matter that was on Earth when it was formed 4.5 billion years ago is still here in one form or another. (more…)
From my feed on Quora.com, where I’ve volunteered to answer questions about renewable energy, a reader asks: Why don’t/can’t we put solar panels in the Sahara Desert as a source of electricity?
This is a strong ideal generally, since the value of that land is low, there’s plenty of sun, and it’s very close to Europe. But, off the top of my head: (more…)
As winter is rapidly approaching, the need to sink into a comfy sofa in front of a warm, inviting fireplace is rapidly increasing. However, opinions are somewhat divided, when it comes to choosing a type of a fireplace between those employing natural gas and the wood burning ones. From things as simple as physical outlook, to maintenance, convenience and environmental awareness, ideas differ from a homeowner to a homeowner. (more…)
The term “global warming” indicates the average increase in temperature of the Earth’s surface since the dawn of the Industrial Revolution. This change is attributed largely to the increasing amount of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere and other forms of human activity. In Earth’s history there have occurred many cyclical changes in the climate that caused several ice ages alternating with warmer periods. (more…)
Let us analyze now the accumulator (energy storage device) known as nickel-iron; this type of battery was invented by Thomas Edison and is composed of a positive electrode of nickel oxide and a negative electrode of powder iron. Both materials are pressed in a grid of steel, and the electrolyte consists of an aqueous solution of potassium hydroxide. This type of accumulator must be hermetically sealed, otherwise the conductivity of the electrolyte decreases, due to a carbonation reaction between the electrolyte and the surrounding air. (more…)
