electricity

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New Power Source Catches a Wave: Ocean Tides

(Newser) - In the search for renewable energy, Europe and the US are turning to one of the earth’s most abundant resources—the tides, Bloomberg reports. Technology developed three decades ago to turn tidal energy into electricity in developing countries is finally finding traction in the West. The largest grid-connected turbine,...

Elderly Man Freezes to Death Over Unpaid Bill

Mich. neighbor finds 93-year-old in house after city cut power

(Newser) - A 93-year-old Michigan man who failed to pay his electricity bill froze to death in his home after the city cut his power supply, the Bay City Times reports. Marvin Schur suffered what a pathologist called "a slow painful death" from hypothermia several days after city workers installed a...

Silver Bits Boost Solar Power
 Silver Bits Boost Solar Power 
Jan 9, 2009 2:45 PM CST

Silver Bits Boost Solar Power

Particles allow cells to absorb more light, researchers say

(Newser) - Scientists believe they’ve found a way to make less expensive, more efficient solar cells: Just add silver, the Economist reports. Standard cells, which rely on a thick layer of pricey silicon, are costly. Problem is, thinner cells absorb less red light, reducing electricity output by 20%. Sprinkling a few...

Geothermal Energy Hopes Are Booming
Geothermal Energy Hopes Are Booming
Dec 31, 2008 9:15 PM CST

Geothermal Energy Hopes Are Booming

Subterranean rocks could supply 10% of power by 2050

(Newser) - Hot rocks beneath the Earth's surface hold much promise for the nation's energy needs, but it's going to take big money to make the science work, the Christian Science Monitor reports. With $1 billion investment over the next 15 years, experts say geothermal power could provide 10% of the nation's...

Mice Spark Blaze That Scorches 100 Cats

(Newser) - Mice started a fire in a Toronto animal shelter that killed 100 cats and three dogs, the Telegraph reports. The rodents likely sparked the blaze by chewing through electrical wires. Canadians nationwide have been donating money and offering temporary homes and meals for the few animal survivors. “People are...

Infrastructure Revitalization Is Right and Right

A conservative argues for investing in water, energy, transport

(Newser) - Conservatives who fear that investing in the nation’s infrastructure goes against core Reaganite values need to get over it. Our aging energy, water, and transportation systems are in dire need of corporate dollars and ingenuity, but “the private sector alone cannot handle the job—and the states are...

As Deadbeats Soar, Utilities Quick to Pull Plug

As the economy worsens, electric companies get tough on delinquent bills

(Newser) - Utilities are growing increasingly aggressive about shutting off the juice even as more customers struggle to pay their bills in a sinking economy, reports the Wall Street Journal. The trend has regulators and consumer advocates worried companies have become too focused on their bottom lines, but utilities say they’re...

Greenies Dim Bright Lights in Big City

Big city's bright lights must dim, many say

(Newser) - A dimmer switch looms over Manhattan's bright nighttime skyline, as concerns over conservation and energy costs have prompted skyscraper owners to abandon the practice of blazing all lights at all hours. New York scores a 9 out of 9 on a light pollution scale, and legislators are considering official incentives...

Oysters May Clean East Coast Waters

Electrified reefs could help restore the population

(Newser) - Oysters can be shocked into repopulating and cleaning up America's waterways, the Christian Science Monitor reports. A project in New York's East River is using metal reefs, powered by solar panels, to build up limestone and help oysters grow. The upside is that they filter water—up to 50 gallons...

Volt's Looks Kill Some GM Buzz
 Volt's Looks Kill Some GM Buzz 
Sep 16, 2008 1:58 PM CDT

Volt's Looks Kill Some GM Buzz

Plug-in electric car finally unveiled today; production model too ordinary for some fans

(Newser) - GM offered its first official look today at the plug-in Chevrolet Volt, CNNMoney reports, the electric car slated to go on sale in 2010. Its tame appearance drew the ire of gearheads hoping it would look more like the futuristic concept version. "A lot of people are saying they're...

Stricken Houston Lines Up for Food, Water

Residents scramble for survival basics in Ike's aftermath

(Newser) - Thousands of weary Houston residents joined lines that stretched for blocks yesterday to collect the basics they need to survive in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike. Emergency supplies are being strictly rationed and each family is allowed only two bags of ice, a case of bottled water and a 12-pack...

Crowded Northeast Looks Offshore for Wind

Short of energy and too crowded to add plants, US looks seaward for wind farms

(Newser) - The Northeast is the most promising region of the US for major development of wind power, the Wall Street Journal reports, with large coastal cities close to strong offshore winds and a shallow continental shelf good for erecting turbines. The federal government is getting ready to lease 10 tracts of...

Outdated Power Grid Blowing Wind Energy Hopes: Experts

Creaky infrastructure not able to deliver alternative energy to consumers

(Newser) - The nation's outdated and congested power grid is putting a damper on plans to expand renewable energy programs, the New York Times reports. Generating power from the wind and sun is becoming easier—but getting the power to consumers who live far from the country's windiest and sunniest places remains...

China's Wind Power Takes Off
 China's Wind Power Takes Off
Jul 27, 2008 6:09 AM CDT

China's Wind Power Takes Off

Could compete with coal by 2015

(Newser) - Although known for its monstrous appetite for coal, China has spent the last few years ramping up its wind-power capacity, the Guardian reports. The amount of wind power generated has grown over 100% a year since 2005, with enormous wind farms popping up across the country. "It is huge,...

Dolly Makes Texas Landfall
 Dolly Makes Texas Landfall 
UPDATED
Jul 23, 2008 2:06 PM CDT

Dolly Makes Texas Landfall

Rio Grande levees remain intact amid heavy rain, winds topping 100 mph

(Newser) - Hurricane Dolly has come ashore near South Padre Island, Texas, the AP reports, forcing thousands on both sides of the US-Mexico border to forsake their homes for shelters. Heavy winds and rains have already destroyed a building’s roof and cut power for thousands; authorities say levees along the Rio...

Texans Shocked by Spiking Power Bills

State not quite prepared for deregulation, and higher fuel costs don't help, either

(Newser) - As energy prices soar, many Texans are wishing they had added "regulation of electrical companies" to the list of things not to mess with. Authorities predicted competition would lower prices when they deregulated the industry in 1999, the Wall Street Journal reports, but inadequate infrastructure, rising fuel costs, and...

Uno: Cooler Than Segway
 Uno: Cooler Than Segway 
Jul 1, 2008 3:12 PM CDT

Uno: Cooler Than Segway

One-wheeled 'motorcycle' goes green with electricity—and stylish to boot

(Newser) - Looking like a tricked out motorbike, the Uno is electric personal transportation with style, the Chicago Tribune reports. Designed by 19-year-old inventor Ben Gulak, the device employs no throttle or brake, relying on its rider's leanings to guide it, and is so intuitive an 8-year-old picked it up instantly at...

EU Will Ban Incandescent Bulbs
 EU Will Ban Incandescent Bulbs 
Jun 19, 2008 2:07 PM CDT

EU Will Ban Incandescent Bulbs

Capacity might be only speed bump to quick switch to CFLs

(Newser) - The European Union is set to begin phasing out the incandescent light bulb in favor of compact fluorescent bulb, Der Spiegel reports. The highest-wattage bulbs will go next year; the transition to CFLs—using a fifth of the energy and lasting 10 times longer—should be complete in 2015. 

Brits March In With Foot-Generated Power

Basement sensors could power thousands of bulbs an hour

(Newser) - Crowds may soon be kicking up clean energy in England. Designed to generate power from footsteps, "heel strike" generators are ready to be installed in shopping malls and subways—and power thousands of light bulbs. "It works by using the pressure of feet on the floor to compress...

Alaskan City Goes Green—by Necessity

After avalanche, Juneau is forced to find ways to use less energy

(Newser) - An energy conservation effort born out of necessity has turned the residents of Juneau, Alaska, into poster children for the green movement, the New York Times reports. Electricity rates skyrocketed 400% after an avalanche knocked out several major transmission towers last month; the state capital has since lowered its electricity...

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