_kt75 | mirror

-- a _kt75 | reprint     Tweet The cornerstones of Germany's energy turn-around can be admired in a hall in the northern port city of Bremerhaven. Standing on three rust-brown feet apiece, each of these immense, yellow-painted trunks weighs as much as 900 elephants. Soon, special ships will come and sink these steel monsters into the seabed, where they will support the wind turbines that are supposed to supply the country with green electricity. Before they do, Environment Minister Peter Altmaier will go to Bremerhaven to inspect the work of Weser Wind and Areva Wind, the companies building them. Areva calls these wind-turbine supports "tripods." Peter Altmeier has a more poetic term, dubbing them "cathedrals to industrial culture." This last week, there was a strict division of labor at several locations around the country. From Monday to Wednesday, the environment minister went on a whirlwind tour of Germa...

-- a _kt75 | note     Tweet Renewable (Alternative) Energy Carriers: Hydro, Solar, Wind Power, etc. Non-Renewable (Conventional) Energy Carriers: Nuclear, Coal, Gas, Oil Power, etc. Pros: Pros: + Zero GHG emissions: true -except in case of water dams- but excludes indirect GHG emissions, e.g. from upstream production/assembly processes + Stable energy supply + Little waste problem: basically true -except in case of solar modules (PV) + Efficient + endless availability: true -but energy generation fluctuates depending upon carrier presence (e.g. calm winds, droughts, sun shine, etc.) + Less costly than renewable energy ... ... Cons: Cons: - Contribution to GHG emissions: water dams -> read more - Seriously impact the climate (global warming, climate change): fossil fuels like coal and gas - Impact on land scape: water dams, wind and solar parks - Serious EoL problem: nuclear waste - Technological immaturity: low efficiency of e.g. solar panels - Non-renewa...

-- a _kt75 | reprint compilation   Tweet Reprint: Large dams have long been promoted as providing "cheap" hydropower and water supply. Today, we know better. The  costs and poor performance of large dams were in the past largely concealed by the public agencies that built and operated the projects. Dams consistently cost more and take longer to build than projected. In general, the larger a hydro project is, the larger its construction cost overrun in percentage terms. The true risks and costs of dams are being forced into the open due to increasing public scrutiny and attempts to attract private investors to existing and new projects. The World Commission on Dams found that on average, large dams have been at best only marginally economically viable. The average cost overrun of dams is 56%. This means that when a dam is predicted to cost $1 billion, it ends up costing $1.56 billion. In too many cases, the burden of uneconomic dams is...

-- a _kt75 | reprint   Tweet Since long before the Pyramids towered above the rich soil of this riverside town, Egyptians have given thanks to the muddy waters of the Nile. "Plants, animals, humans," said Ibrahim Abdel Aziz, a 45-year-old farmer, "we all come from this river." Trace the Nile about 2,250km upstream and there's a rising colossus that threatens to upset a millennia-old balance. There, in the Ethiopian highlands, one of the world's largest dams is taking shape. For Ethiopia , the dam promises abundant energy and an escape from a seemingly permanent spot in the lowest rungs of the world's human development index. But for Egypt , the consequences could be dire: a nationwide water shortage in as little as two years that causes crop failures, power cuts and instability resonating far beyond even the tumult of the recent past. For a country facing daily domestic crises in the aftermath of its 2011 revolution,...

-- a _kt75 | reprint compilation   Tweet news reprint : International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) director general Yukiya Amano said that nuclear power will make a significant and growing contribution to sustainable development in the coming decades. Amano made the comments at the International Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Power in the 21st Century, which was held between 27 June to 29 June in St. Petersburg. IAEA organized the conference in cooperation with the Nuclear Energy Agency of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and hosted by the Government of the Russian Federation through the State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom. About 500 participants, including 38 ministers, representing 89 countries and 7 international organizations attended the conference. Participants in the conference agreed that each country had a responsibility to establish an appropriate and adequate legal framework, and to fulfil its obligations in nuclear ...

-- a _kt75 | reprint   Tweet How can you design a city by designing a car? Today’s automobiles are driven by an increasing number of users who live in cities. The United Nations reported in 2007 that migration patterns and population growth have created an equal split between inhabitants of cities and rural areas for the first time in human history. This general trend will continue for the next several decades and will produce a very urbanized world. In 1950, New York City was the only megacity on the planet, with 10 million occupants. Today, there are 25 megacities that are mostly in developing countries. To verify this trend, we need only to look at the rapid urbanization in China to see the mass migration of the rural poor to urban areas for economic opportunity. Population experts project that most of the urban growth will occur in Asia and Africa for the next several decades. Simultaneously, humanity’s thirst for personal mobility wil...