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Total number of posts: 23693
The hidden world of soil under our feet
A teaspoon of soil may have billions of microbes divided among 5,000 different types, thousands of species of fungi and protozoa, nematodes, mites and a couple of termite species. How these and other pieces all fit together is still largely a mystery. “There’s a teeming organization Read More...
Can wind and solar fuel Africa's future?
At the threshold of the Sahara Desert near Ouarzazate, Morocco, some 500,000 parabolic mirrors run in neat rows across a valley, moving slowly in unison as the Sun sweeps overhead. This US$660-million solar-energy facility opened in February and will soon have company. Morocco has committed to Read More...
6 ways you can tell the global shift to renewable energy has arrived
We've said it before but it bears repeating: the global shift to clean energy is on today. Not 10 years from now. Not 50 years from now. Today. We're already seeing the benefits too in a whole host of sectors. And those below are just for starters. Which highlights why—with the Paris Read More...
SolarAid launches "the world's most affordable solar light" for just $5
UK charity SolarAid and solar panel manufacturer Yingli Solar just launched “the world’s most affordable solar light.” Sold by SolarAid’s social enterprise SunnyMoney in Africa, the SM100 solar light costs only $5. People in the UK can buy one of the lights for 10 pounds, Read More...
Central banks explore blockchain to create digital currencies
“If you can’t beat them, join them,” could well be the mantra for the world’s central bankers. Having watched as bitcoin went from obscure experiment in digital money to a currency with a market value of almost $10bn, they themselves are now experimenting with digital Read More...
Venezuelans are turning to bitcoin as the bolívar crumbles
Venezuela’s currency has lost so much of its value that people have given up on counting the notes—they just weigh piles of cash. So far this year, the bolívar has lost nearly half its value compared to the dollar, while inflation has shot up as much as 15 times. That’s Read More...
After decades of terrible pollution, a dirty coal plant turns into a solar farm
We will see this kind of news more and more. Last week the Danish state energy company announced it was divesting its oil and gas assets to invest in wind energy. Now, at the site where a polluting coal-fired power plant was closed in 2014, ground was broken on a 5.76-megawatt solar array—enough Read More...
U.S. is exploring burning trash to generate electricity
Burning waste to generate energy is a common practice in European countries. In the U.S, with its vast amounts of land space, the process is not very familiar as most waste—if it’s not recycled—goes into landfills. However, landfills are at odds with the protection of the environment and Read More...
The Second Law of Thermodynamics may not work always, and that’s important
This is not easy, but it is important. According to the Second Law of Thermodynamics entropy in the universe must always increase. That is: A fried egg will never become an egg again and free energy or perpetual motion is impossible. And, yet, we live in an endless universe where energy Read More...
Santa Monica, as first city in the world, requires net-zero new homes from 2017
It’s not easy to understand why city governments don't already require that all new commercial buildings need to have solar panels on their roofs. That seems a simple measure that will generate a lot of clean, renewable energy. Ideally, such a measure would apply to all new buildings including Read More...