Areopaguristes tudgei. That's the name of a new species of hermit crab recently discovered on the barrier reef off the coast of Belize by Christopher Tudge, a biology professor at American University in Washington, D.C.
http://phys.org/news273167907.html
BOOKS - How do you save a struggling bookstore? Ask HackerNews
Lorem Ipsum Books, an independent used bookstore in Cambridge, Mass., faces declining sales and its founder, MIT Media Lab graduate Matt Mankins, now lives in New York. Over the weekend, Mankins went to HackerNews - a website about startups and computer hacking run by startup incubator Y Combinator - to ask, "Know of a hacker in Cambridge or Boston who wants a bookstore?" The post has received 86 responses so far - not just from people who want to buy Lorem Ipsum but also from those who have ideas on how to save a struggling indie bookstore.
Mankins tells the Boston Globe, "Ideally I'd find an innovator who enjoys reading, understands the community benefits that bookstores provide, and isn't afraid to do things differently to nudge the store and the industry in different directions."
A few HackerNews users expressed interest in possibly buying the store; plenty of others offered ideas to save it. Here are a few of the suggestions:
- Lease the Espresso Book Machine, which prints out-of-print and self-published titles on demand. (Several independent bookstores, like the Harvard Book Store in Cambridge and McNally Robinson in New York, lease them.) "The machine is so expensive. The lease on it is more than our rent," Mankins responded, but notes a future owner might be able to rig a cheaper POD machine using laser printers and binding tools.
- Open a members-only bookstore/coffee shop: "I've always dreamed of hybrid book store/coffee shops. Perhaps ones that sell subscription access, becoming for-pay lending libraries with a book inventory that adjusts to patron demands. That way you have recurring revenue off each customer, and you can hope people sign up for it like they do for gym memberships and then don't show."
- Offer coworking space. "I would kill for a bookstore environment with coffee and decent chairs. As it is, I do most of my work in a Barnes and Noble, and my back hates me for it," one user wrote. Another: "Become a hacker/student-centric coffee shop that enables freelancers, et al, to work in a less frenetic environment than Starbucks."
- Buy a MakerBot 3D printer and charge people to use it.
- Just get referral fees from Amazon. "I tend to walk into (South African) bookstores to buy Wired's UK edition and browse books for a while until I know what else I'd like to read. At that point I write down the book's title and later download it for my Kindle. I've often thought that bookstores should have QR-codes with amazon referral links that make my purchases easier."
CLIMATE - Most Important Pie Chart You'll See Today: 13,950 Peer-Reviewed Scientific Articles on Earth's Climate
Is there still a scientific consensus on global warming? What happens if you do a meta-study of the past 21 years?
http://www.treehugger.com/climate-change/pie-chart-13950-peer-reviewed-scientific-articles-earths-climate-finds-24-rejecting-global-warming.html
CLIMATE - The COP18 UN Climate Conference Is On!
TreeHugger rounds up the best reporting, commentary, and social media reaction to this year's version of the annual UN climate talks.
http://www.treehugger.com/environmental-policy/cop18-united-nations-climate-conference-treehugger-storify.html
ECONOMICS - Amazon enjoys big etail lead as Cyber Monday hits
Just in time for Cyber Monday, Deepfield released new numbers ranking online retail sites based on their traffic. Some of the results are surprising (Shopify, which offers an ecommerce platform for e-commerce sites, shows pretty good numbers); some less so (Amazon remains by far the largest and busiest site).
Deepfield, which offers services to build, manage and optimize network infrastructure, studied online shopping infrastructure by sampling internet backbone traffic across a "large cross section of North America and multiple collaborating infrastructure and internet providers." The goal: To estimate how many users hit these sites daily and determine market share of the sites based on those numbers.
According to Deepfield's results:
"What is truly impressive is how much larger Amazon shopping is compared to any other online site. Amazon is almost double the next largest shopping competitor, eBay, which enjoys 8.8% of daily Internet users."With Amazon, Deepfield includes a raft of smaller Amazon-owned sub-sites like MyHabit, although Zappos, which Amazon bought two years ago, was counted separately.
Deepfield included e-commerce hosting sites - including Shopify - to show how vibrant this market is. Shopify, which offers a web storefront that is used by more than 30,000 sites, garnered 5.4 percent market share among daily users. Quidsi, the company behind diapers.com, soap.com and other sites, also got a healthy 3.1 percent of daily visitors, and was also bought by Amazon in 2010.
The results are summarized in the Deepfield chart below:
Feature photo courtesy of Flickr user Shlomi Fish
ECONOMICS - Apple Bought Rights To Use "Lightning" Trademark from Harley-Davidson
Usually, when tech pundits talk about patents and trademarks, it is usually in the context of companies ducking it out in the courtrooms (just like Apple and Samsung are doing), but here's a story that shows that companies can indeed play fair.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/adriankingsleyhughes/2012/11/26/apple-bought-rights-to-use-lightning-trademark-from-harley-davidson/
ECONOMICS - GE says 'Industrial Internet' could be worth trillions
Connecting industrial operations to the Internet could lead to significant gains in productivity, potentially worth $10 trillion to $15 trillion globally, a study by General Electric said Monday.
http://phys.org/news273169182.html
ECONOMICS - Ignore This Wake-Up Call At Your Peril
I'm sorry to be a downer, but I recommend that you get a copy of "On the Road to Zero Growth" by Jeremy Grantham, the founder of GMO, the highly reputed often insightful Boston investment management firm. I had to read it twice to absorb the full wake-up call it represents. It has serious repercussions for everyone's investment portfolio, and for the future mobility of our children and grandchildren. It must be read. Prepare for unpleasantness.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/robertlenzner/2012/11/24/ignore-this-wake-up-call-at-your-peril/
ECONOMICS - Is Microsoft On The Verge Of A Sudden Collapse Predicted By Catastrophe Theory?
The departure of Steve Sinofsky so soon after the launch of Windows 8 was not a vote of confidence by the maker of the world's largest operating system. But is it a sign of Microsoft's imminent collapse?
http://www.forbes.com/sites/anthonykosner/2012/11/26/is-microsoft-on-the-verge-of-a-sudden-collapse-predicted-by-catastrophe-theory/
ECONOMICS - Online Advertising, Coming Soon To A Neighborhood Near You
Remember Tom Cruise walking through a mall in Minority Report. Cameras mounted in strategic locations zeroed in on his eyes, did a quick retina scan to identify him as John Anderson, and transmitted this information real-time to talking Billboards. ?John Anderson, you could use a Guinness right about now!? The film is only ten years old but already seems quaint by today?s standards. Most people are already walking around with a portable personal billboard that also texts and if they are really retro, can be used for phone calls.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/alanmcglade/2012/11/26/online-advertising-coming-soon-to-a-neighborhood-near-you/
ECONOMICS - Patagonia Reminds Us: Don't Buy What You Don't Need
Here's a friendly Cyber Monday reminder from our friends at Patagonia. Stand with them and take their Common Threads Initiative pledge!
http://www.treehugger.com/corporate-responsibility/patagonia-reminds-us-dont-buy-what-you-dont-need.html
ECONOMICS - Tesla Motors And The Dealers: What's Wrong With The American Economy
There's a standard assumption within economics that rent seeking is a bad thing. Making a profit because you're providing what the consumer wants at a price the consumer is willing to pay is just great. But manipulating either the market or the legal system to ensure that you've got a guaranteed stream of profits is not a good thing. Indeed, it's a very bad thing for the general wealth of the nation even if it's just dandy for those collecting the rent profits.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2012/11/26/tesla-motors-and-the-dealers-whats-wrong-with-the-american-economy/
EDUCATION - McGraw-Hill sells off education unit for $2.5B
McGraw-Hill, the longtime education textbook publishing giant, announced Monday that it will sell its education unit to private equity firm Apollo Global Management for $2.5 billion.
The news wasn't surprising as the company said in September 2011 that it planned to split its more profitable financial services division from its education arm. And earlier this month, the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and others reported that a deal with Apollo was in the works. According to McGraw-Hill, the deal is expected to close in late 2012 or early 2013.
As the rise of digital content disrupts the publishing business, McGraw-Hill Education has attempted to keep pace with new products like its adaptive learning platform LearnSmart and partnerships with digital distributors like Apple, as well as startups Kno, Benchprep and others. Despite its efforts, the company's education unit has lagged behind its financial services division. In the last quarter, for example, revenue for the unit fell 11 percent to $836 million. In its quarterly report, the company said the growth in sales of digital products across all product lines and the migration to more subscription-based business models impacted revenue.
Wall Street responded favorably to the news - after the announcement of the sale, shares in McGraw-Hill climbed about 2.35 percent to $52.90. Once the deal is closed, McGraw-Hill will be renamed McGraw Hill Financial.
As Bloomberg notes, McGraw-Hill Education's sale isn't the first time private equity has dabbled in education. In 2007, London-based Apax Partners led a $7.75 billion purchase of Cengage Learning Inc. from Thompson Reuters Corp, the financial news outlet reported.
As we and others have reported, tablets and other digital devices, along with the growth in open content initiatives and other textbook creation tools, are dramatically changing the landscape for traditional textbook publishers.
This summer, in a conversation with reporters, Jay Chakrapani, vice president and general manager of digital at McGraw-Hill Higher Education, said that the company wants to be the "Netflix of education."
Through its digital products, LearnSmart, especially, he said, the company gathers increasing data about its students, enabling them to personalize learning experiences much like Netflix personalizes recommendations over time. Going forward, it will be interesting to see if Apollo takes a similar view on the future of McGraw-Hill Education.
EDUCATION - Online learning strategies of male and female students
Researchers have determined the online learning strategies of male and female students in an English language course.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121124183745.htm
EDUCATION - Solar-Powered Floating Schools Allow Bangladeshi Kids To Learn During Monsoon Season
During monsoon season in Bangladesh, the very severe onslaught of torrential (extremely heavy) rain is such a frequent problem that hundreds of schools have to shut down periodically because of it.
Shidhulai Swanirvar Sangstha, a non-profit organization in the area, has started building solar-powered schools which float like boats (they technically are boats) to help address the problem.
They enable schools to continue operation even on floodwater, and into the night, unlike non-solar-powered, grid-connected schools, which end up in the darkness if there is a flood or if it is too stormy.
Source: Inhabitat
Image Credits: Shidhulai Swanirvar Sangstha
ENERGY - Concentrated Photovoltaics (CPV) That Can Deliver $60/MWh?!
This article has been reposted from Renew Economy (image added).
A new Australian solar start-up predicts that its concentrated solar photovoltaic technology (CPV) will undercut both conventional flat plate solar PV technologies and fossil fuel technologies.
The Melbourne-based RayGen Resources has raised $1.6 million in a funding round from private investors, including software entrepreneur Craig Winkler, which will allow it to match grants from the Victorian government and the Australian Solar Institute (totalling $2.75 million).
This money will be used to build a 2kW prototype and then a 200kW pilot plant - touted to be the first commercial design in the world to combine high efficiency solar cells with a low cost heliostat collector systems. It predicts that it can bring costs from CSP to $60 a megawatt hour and below.
The ASI, which is contributing $1.75 million of the $3.6 million pilot project cost, said RayGen's C2PV technology opens up an "immediate opportunity" for a "step reduction" in the cost of large scale solar energy.
By deploying large arrays of relatively inexpensive mirrors, the ASI believes that Raygen can side-step some of the cost issues facing other solar technologies, including concentrated solar thermal (which focuses energy onto one spot so that steam can be generated to drive a turbine).
The attraction of CPV is that it can focus more energy onto highly efficient solar cells, which have an efficiency rating double that of conventional flat panel PV. It means that while cells are expensive, the small amount needed results in reduced systems costs and the long-run cost of energy (LCOE) could be around 30 per cent below that of flat panel PV by 2016, according to a report released by IMS Research last week.
The global CPV industry is said to be led by US companies Solar Junction and Amonix, and a 44MW CPV plant is about to be built in South Africa. But Australia has its own CPV technology companies which are competing for global leadership in the area, and has had numerous prototypes installed and operating in the remote areas in northern Australia. Surprisingly, CPV was not included in the recent assessment of 40 energy technologies conducted by the Bureau of Resource and Energy Economics.
Solar Systems, now owned by the listed Silex Systems, has a 600kW pilot plant operating in Victoria, has broken ground on a separate 2MW demonstration plant - a forerunner to a 100MW plant in Mildura, and has also signed agreements to build 1MW demonstration plants in Saudi Arabia and California.
RayGen brings together two people who have played a leading role in CPV - co-founder John Lasich was also a founder of Solar Systems, while Bob Cart was the founder and former CEO and chairman of Californian CPV start-up GreenVolts,
The RayGen technology is based on a similar principle to that of Solar Systems, where the latter is using big dishes to focus the power of the sun on a receiver, RayGen proposes to use heliostats (or mirrors) to direct the sunlight. Cart says this delivers a 50 per cent reduction in the mass versus competing technologies and should give it a manufacturing cost of less than $1 a watt. He says this will translate into an LCOE of $50-$60/MWh.
"I am convinced that is the way to get cost down in solar," Cart told RenewEconomy in an interview. "Our focus is to develop a technology that will not need a subsidy. So the choice will be, do you want coal, gas or solar? Our driving message is that for solar to be successful and broadly adopted, it needs to be on the same bar as fossil fuel."
Cart says the company's first target markets will be in Australia's off-grid and mining sectors. "There is real opportunity for us to compete in regional areas and reduce the cost of diesel," he said, noting that Lasich already had experience with this through the series of pilot plants installed in northern Australia with Solar Systems.
The company has recently moved to a factory east of Melbourne where it is working on its system prototypes. Cart says there is an opportunity for Australian manufacturing capabilities - not in the large, relatively inexpensive materials that will make up the bulk of the plant, but in the high-value solar cell modules and the management and control systems.
Cart, who was involved in the Sunshot campaign by the US Department of Energy - which aims to bring solar down to the cost of fossil fuels by the ends of the decade, says the company was going to be based in the US, but Australia was now an attractive proposition. "The opportunity for innovation and solar, the best place in the world is Australia," he said.
The IMS report predicted that advances in CPV technology would drive down costs by 16 per cent annually, prompting an increase in installations from today's cumulative total of around 160MW to 3GW by 2016. The authors said that with efficiency records of 34.2 per cent for commercial modules, acceptance of CPV as a utility-scale generation method is predicted to accelerate, even though its up-front costs will be higher than conventional PV.
It predicted that CPV systems are capable of achieving up to 12% lower LCOE compared to PV, but that gap could grow to 30 per cent by 2016, IMS said.
ENERGY - GE's industrial internet is really (mostly) about energy efficiency
GE put out a substantial report this morning on what it thinks are the opportunities for the industrial internet, which will be followed up by an event on the same subject in San Francisco later this week. As my colleague Barb Darrow wrote, it's not a big shocker, and the move is really a rebranding effort for a few sectors that GE has long been working on, including smart grid technology, the internet of things, and smart transportation. But the major driving force at the heart of the movement is using digital technology to enable industry to reduce energy consumption and better manage resources.
Most of the sectors that GE's newly coined effort covers - transportation, aviation, locomotives, power generation, power distribution, oil and gas development, and industrial processes - are highly energy-reliant (if not all about energy) and the use of digital technologies in these sectors is meant to enable the use of energy (electricity and fuel) as efficiently as possible. That's where a lot of the cost savings lie. The one exception in the mix is GE's attention on digital health care.
GE says that with digital and sensor technologies, the commercial aviation industry could reduce fuel use by one percent, which is a savings of $30 billion over 15 years. A one percent efficiency gain for gas-fired power plants globally could deliver $66 billion in fuel savings. A one percent gain in efficiency for the world's rail networks could lead to $27 billion in fuel savings. The list goes on - and it's filled with energy efficiency measures, which equals cost savings.
GE has been classifying a lot of this technology under its Ecomagination brand, and it'll probably continue to do so well into the future. Saving energy - electricity use and fuel - is clearly in the best interest of the planet. Burning fossil fuels for transportation and electricity is a major cause of climate change.
But GE's CEO Jeff Immelt has said before that he regrets spending so much time over the past four years focused on how green GE's technologies are. In the Spring of 2011, Immelt said at an event at MIT (reported by Reuters):
"If I had one thing to do over again I would not have talked so much about green. . . Even though I believe in global warming and I believe in the science ... it just took on a connotation that was too elitist; it was too precious and it let opponents think that if you had a green initiative, you didn't care about jobs. I'm a businessman. That's all I care about, is jobs."The re-branding of green technologies - and the clean tech sector - is happening across the board. The term cleantech (and green for that matter) have been deeply politicized in the U.S., and have become a dirty word in some post-Solyndra circles. From a startup perspective, venture capitalists and entrepreneurs have had a harder time making money in "cleantech" than in mobile and web ventures.
As a result some investors - and some innovators - have moved away from so-called cleantech. The term "smart grid," too, has been a bit tainted as consumers have pushed back on smart meters in certain regions. Smart grid returns for investors and startups have also been scarce. Investor groups looking to rebrand cleantech have been emphasizing terms like Clean Web, digital green and the intersection of cleantech and IT.
But as I reported recently, the trends behind the cleantech movement (and the smart grid) are still in place: there will be 9 billion people by 2050, which will lead to resource constraints, and a need for the better management of resources (energy being a major one). GE seems to be at the forefront of trying to rebrand this trend with this Industrial Internet moniker - and I applaud that.
ENERGY - Geothermal Heat Pumps: How They Work & How To Get One
This is a good guest post one of our regular readers passed along to me. Good explanation of how geothermal heat pumps work (briefly) and how to go about getting one. Full repost below:
(NAPSI)-Homeowners who are planning to replace a worn-out, inefficient heating and cooling system may want to consider installing a new geothermal system. According to the experts at WaterFurnace, most geothermal units are easy to install, especially when they are replacing another forced-air system. And in many cases, the monthly savings that an energy-efficient geothermal system offers will be greater than any payments associated with the installation of the new system.
During the heating cycle, a geothermal heat pump uses a series of pipes (an earth loop) buried in the ground to extract heat from the ground. As the system pulls heat from the loop, it distributes it as warm air through the home using a conventional duct system. The same heat energy can also be used for a radiant floor system or domestic hot water heating. In the cooling mode, the heating process is reversed-heat is extracted from the air in the home and either moved back into the earth loop or used to preheat the water in a hot water tank.
Installation of a geothermal system begins with a visit from your local geothermal dealer. The dealer will measure your house, calculate your heating and cooling requirements and examine your property to determine the best loop system for your location. If you own a home that does not have an existing duct system, your geothermal dealer can easily retrofit your home to include one.
Geothermal systems can also be installed in areas that are unsuitable for fossil fuel furnaces, because there is no combustion and therefore no need to vent exhaust gases. These systems do particularly well when replacing propane or fuel oil systems. And because a geothermal system uses no fossil fuel and emits no greenhouse gases, homeowners can reduce their carbon footprints, add comfort, and improve indoor air quality with less noise.
Lower utility bills increase the list of benefits that a geothermal system offers the homeowner. In fact, a geothermal system delivers an astounding four units of energy for every one unit of electrical energy used. That translates to a 400 percent efficiency rating and savings of up to 70 percent for heating, cooling and hot water costs. Additionally, geothermal systems require less maintenance than conventional heating and cooling systems.
Homeowners who install a geothermal system prior to Dec. 31, 2016 can take advantage of a federal renewable energy tax credit that offers a tax incentive of 30 percent of the installed cost of the system. The credit can be used along with utility rebates and state tax incentives, where available, to make geothermal systems more affordable than ever.
To find a geothermal system that fits your needs, visit www.waterfurnace.com or talk to a WaterFurnace expert at (800) GEO-SAVE.
ENERGY - Going electric: Adding the 2013 Chevy Volt to a solar-powered home
After a full year of using solar electricity in our home, my family took the next step over the holiday weekend and bought a plug-in electric vehicle. While running errands, we passed a local dealer to test drive the only 2013 Chevrolet Volt on the lot and ended up driving it home a few hours later. Earlier this month, I noted that we were considering such a move since our 41 rooftop solar panels generated 6207 kWh of excess electricity.
My wife and I both work from home, so even though we can rack up miles on our vehicles, most travel is short-range. But we didn't want to go completely electric for our next car because we occasionally like to take trips to New York City, Baltimore and Washington, D.C.; all of which are 100 or more miles away.
How much was our Chevy Volt
I shared the details and costs of our solar panel project, so it makes sense to cover the Volt financials as well. The car still qualifies for a $7,500 federal tax credit, which can help offset some of the next cost. And that's good because the base 2013 Volt starts at $39,145. Our particular vehicle has a few options - alloy wheels, a rear camera, sensors for front parking assistance and a forward collision alert camera - bringing the MSRP to $41,935 with destination charge included.We actually opted to lease the vehicle for a few reasons, so we're not get the direct tax credit benefit. Instead, the dealer gets the credit and can apply some of it to reduce the leasing costs. Since the Volt doesn't have a long history of proven technology, we opted to work with the dealer on the lease and after applying some equity on our trade-in, our total payment including tax is $301 a month for 36 months. We also got a 4000W gas generator from the dealer, which was a Thanksgiving weekend perk, so now we're really ready for the next big storm!
Ultimately, we paid nothing out of pocket, as a result of our trade-in and various incentives that GM and Ally Bank are currently offering. We also opted for 15,000 miles per year - which raises the monthly cost - because the Volt will be our primary vehicle. Another $6 of the monthly payment extends the 36,000 mile warranty to our potential 45,000 miles. Bear in mind that any particular deal you work out on a Volt will likely vary from ours; I'm simply trying to provide an idea of what it might cost.
Is it efficient?
Obviously, it's too soon to say how efficient the car will be but so far I'm impressed. Here's a screen shot of the first 73.2 miles we drove, which used 0.4 gallons of gas after the battery was depleted. Note that this data is for two days and the battery was recharged once; GM says you should expect about 38 miles of driving on the battery before the gas generator kicks in.
So the 20.1 kWh used for our 73.2 mile drive would cost $1.81 on our electric bill. That works out to $3.41 for this driving session. Our old vehicle averaged 20 mpg and also used premium fuel, so the same 73.2 miles we covered would have cost $14.64 in gasoline. Note that there are many costs and benefits to look at, both short-term and long-term. The above exercise is just one example to view the cost to travel.
Better bring your smartphone!
Although we got a Volt to pair with our solar panels, I'm impressed with the MyLink system in the car, which is also available in other Chevy vehicles. MyLink is used on the 7-inch touchscreen - the same one that monitors energy usage above - through voice commands and GM's OnStar service.My wife and I both paired our smartphones with the MyLink system over Bluetooth, which lets us stream audio through the Pandora and Stitcher apps on our handsets. Both iOS and Android are supported and there's even a MyLink application for both platforms. With it we can remotely monitor, stop or start the battery charging process, check our fuel level, start the car and much more.
MyLink will also play music from a USB-connected iOS device or from a USB stick. The system integrates Gracenote's music database for audio file information such as title or artist and can display cover art as well. All of this music can also be controlled through voice. Say "Play artist" and the system will ask for an artist name. Speak it and the appropriate artist tunes start playing over Bluetooth audio or USB.
I like the idea that the car uses a smartphone for connectivity, mainly because I don't want my connected car to have an embedded connection of its own. That's just another potential data plan to pay for and there's no need for it when a smartphone can provide a 3G or 4G connection to the car. I expect more apps to be supported in MyLink as well, although I've already streamed music over Bluetooth from my Rdio app. GM is expected to soon add a connected map service called BringGo that stores maps on a connected smartphone and uses them on MyLink for in-dash navigation.
We're just starting down this road
Adding a Chevy Volt to our garage may make more sense for us than most others. We have excess electricity and we can go farther on that energy for less than the price of gasoline and with our driving habits we may not need to fill the gas tank for 6 weeks or more. I realize that not everyone fits into this category. But I think it's important to share the details of this experience to help those interested learn more about the pros and cons of electric vehicles... and solar electric energy too, for that matter.So as we do more traveling with the Volt, I'll periodically share more of the experience. Until then, leave any questions in the comments and I'll do my best to address them!
ENERGY - Is This the Bill Gates of Energy?: Meet Nuclear Entrepreneur Taylor Wilson (18)
Hosted by Canadian Defense Minister Peter MacKay, the recent Halifax International Security Forum brought together an impressive array of policymakers and thinkers from nearly forty nations. From the United States came Senators John McCain and Mark Udall, as well as such media luminaries as Gideon Rose of Foreign Affairs, Steve Clemons of the Atlantic, David Sanger of the New York Times, and former CNN White House correspondent Kathleen Koch. Germany was represented by Parliamentary State Secretary of Defense Christian Schmidt and Die Zeit publisher Josef Joffe; and a strong British contingent was led by former Defense Secretary Liam Fox and top diplomat Pauline Neville-Jones.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/eamonnfingleton/2012/11/26/is-this-the-bill-gates-of-energy-meet-nuclear-entrepreneur-taylor-wilson-18/
ENERGY - Most Powerful Blackouts in History
Here's an interesting look at an issue that can cause a lot of chaos. Notably, the increasing use and development of microgrids, which are a perfect fit with decentralized energy sources such as wind and solar, is one key solution to blackouts, as is the development of "smarter" grids.
Blackouts can affect millions of people. They can last for days or even weeks, causing chaos throughout cities and entire regions. They often occur following natural disasters, and can add to the damage caused by the original disaster.
Here is a look at some of the most powerful blackouts in history to learn from:
East Coast United States July 2012
This was the largest non-hurricane blackout in history for the United States. Caused by several violent storms, four states and the District of Columbia were affected. Call centres were out of commission for emergencies and petrol (gas) stations were closed down.The government requested that people conserve water due to sewage plants being out of operation. To make things even worse, many people had to suffer through a heatwave that followed the storms with no air conditioning. [Editor's note: one of our writers was in that boat! Not fun.]
India Blackout July 2012
July was a bad month for India as the country experienced its worst blackout in over a decade. The outdated electrical grid was blown due to the large number of people using air conditioners and other electrical appliances.The Metro shut down for several hours and people were forced to deal with the oppressive heat as the sun came up. It was restored quickly but a second outage soon followed and this was also widespread.
East United States October 2012
The East Coast of the United States got hit with a second outage, this time in New York and other areas that were affected by Hurricane Sandy. Millions were without power for days; over 250,000 homes were affected in New York City alone. For the entire state, over one million were without power, while 14 states had some outage of power from the storm.The state least affected was North Carolina, with 6,600 homes without power. Some homes were still without power two weeks after the storm, right when a large snowstorm hit the area, further complicating clean-up operations.
Brazil/Paraguay 2009
This blackout affected almost all of Brazil and practically the entire country of Paraguay. Passengers on metro trains were stranded and there were numerous car accidents due to the lack of street lighting.Buses had a difficult time handling the extra passengers and many people were left with no way to get home. Even though the blackout only lasted a few hours, over 60 million people were affected. Storms were responsible for the outage.
Conclusion
Blackouts can last from a few hours to over a week, depending on the cause and the infrastructure of the nation in question. Regardless of how long they last, the resulting damage can be widespread and severe. For more information on how to cope with a blackout by using emergency power, visit Mather and Stuart.ENERGY - RGGI Emission Auctions Create $617 Million In Clean Economy Investments
Fast on the heels of California's successful first emissions auction, the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative's (RGGI) 2011 Investment Report finds CO2 trading systems reducing emissions while powering a clean energy economy.
RGGI is the nation's first operational greenhouse gas emissions reduction program, and it applies to power sector emissions. The system held its first emissions auction in September 2008, and has sold more than 450 million CO2 allowances in 16 quarterly auctions across a price range of $3.51 to $1.86.
Investments Across The Clean Energy Economy
Auction proceeds have generated a wide range of environmental and economic benefits. RGGI estimates the overall investments will return $1.3 billion in energy bill savings, offset 27 million megawatt-hours (MWh) of electricity generation, and prevent 12 million tons of carbon emissions. In addition, an independent 2011 study found 16,000 new job-years created by the program.
Emissions fall, economy rises
Energy Efficiency And Utility Bill Assistance
Energy efficiency programs are the largest recipients of RGGI investments. 56 percent of 2011 investments, and 66 percent of cumulative investment to date has gone toward efficiency upgrades. Beyond lowering energy demand and preventing emissions, this funding is creating a robust energy efficiency economy across the region - six RGGI states were recently ranked among the top ten energy-efficiency markets nationwide by the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy.RGGI proceeds also directly help consumers manage their utility costs. 25 percent of 2011 investments, and 17 percent of cumulative investments to date have funded direct utility bill assistance programs to the tune of $107 million in bill credits for 2.3 million recipients. These credits often target low-income households and typically appear as a credit on the consumer utility bills.
Abatement, Adaptation, Renewables
Allowance revenue is also being directed toward emissions abatement and climate change adaptation. Nine percent of 2011 investments and five percent of cumulative investments have gone toward advanced transportation, industry emissions reduction, sustainable farming and land-use, and severe weather and sea level rise planning. Overall investment in this sector will prevent 2.3 million tons of CO2 pollution and save $690,000 in electricity costs.Last but not least, auction revenue is making the region's electricity portfolio cleaner by funding new renewable energy generation. Five percent of both 2011 investments and cumulative investments to date have paid for new clean energy capacity through grants or low-interest financing for on-site generation at homes, businesses, schools, and government facilities.
Boosting Economy By Cutting Emissions
Allocation of RGGI auction revenue is up to each individual state in order to address each state's policy needs and circumstances. For instance, Maine and New Hampshire both push over 90 percent of their revenue toward energy efficiency programs, while Maryland and Connecticut direct their revenue into clean energy investment funds.
RGGI investments by program and category
"RGGI investments have turned a triple-play that delivers significant economic, environmental, and consumer benefits to businesses and families in the region," said Collin O'Mara, Secretary of Delaware's Department of Natural Resources.
Top Image Credit: Carbon tax image via Shutterstock
ENERGY - The World's Biggest Oil Consumers
When it comes to using petroleum, there's the U.S. and then there's everyone else.
http://www.forbes.com/pictures/ehim45glih/1-united-states/
HOMES - 200,000 UK homes 'may become uninsurable' over flood risk
Some 200,000 British homes could become uninsurable from next year due to flood risks unless a deal is struck with the government, insurers said Monday, as yet more rain teemed down on much of the country.
http://phys.org/news273170004.html
HOMES - Bookworm Bookshelf Doubles As A Place To Read
A nice idea if you don't have a lot of books
http://www.treehugger.com/interior-design/bookworm-bookshelf-doubles-place-read.html
HOMES - Witold Rybczynski On The Housing Recovery in America
Will it be different this time, or will it be the same old suburban sprawl?
http://www.treehugger.com/urban-design/witold-rybczynski-housing-recovery-america.html
MOVIES - Battlestar Galactica flies again on YouTube, thanks to Machinima
The typical lifecycle of a television show goes like this: A pitch, then a script, then production of a pilot - which may or may not get picked up for a full series. Pilots which don't get picked are then usually buried in the archives, never to be seen by a mass audience. But more and more, this is another thing the Internet is changing.
The seminal sci-fi drama Battlestar Galactica put the SyFy channel on the map well before it became SyFy. So since the original series ended, efforts have been made to build on that pre-established brand, with the most recent effort, Battlestar Galactica: Blood and Chrome, taking the series back to its space-battle roots.
But while SyFy decided not to go forward with a full series of Blood and Chrome, the two-hour pilot is finding its way to Battlestar fans, beginning with YouTube network Machinima's exclusive online premiere, part of a three-tier distribution plan that could become a model for future projects.
Machinima began releasing Blood and Chrome in ten minute installments in November, months in advance of its SyFy television premiere, which is scheduled for February 2013. The first episode is currently at about two million views - subsequent episodes have trailed off, but according to Machinima Prime general manager Ian Moffitt, this is just one stage in the show's online life.
"We found with Halo: Forward Unto Dawn that once all the episodes are up in a playlist, a whole new audience comes to life," he said. "That's the beauty of this platform - we can market and remarket to the fanbase constantly."
Blood and Chrome, while produced on a TV-level budget, is surprisingly low-budget compared to, say, Machinima's last high-profiile release, the series Halo: Forward Unto Dawn: Blood and Chrome reportedly cost $2 million, whereas according to the L.A. Times, industry insiders put Forward Unto Dawn's budget in the $5-10 million range.
Forward Unto Dawn, of course, was financed by Microsoft and served as part of the lead-up to the release of the game Halo 4 (which made $220 million on its first day).
But Blood and Chrome's YouTube release also contains a promotional component, specifically for other iterations of the pilot: Episode end cards on YouTube contain heavy mention of the February SyFy premiere, as well as the upcoming, unrated Blu-ray edition. (On YouTube, Blood and Chrome cuts around potential nudity, and profanity is bleeped by clattering tools and lockers slamming shut.)
Even the original Galactica series's Google Play release gets a plug. "We consider ourselves not just a distributor but a promotional service - from our point of view, we're helping them promote the other windows," Moffitt said.
The series will remain on Machinima Prime until April 2013, but Moffitt said that continuing Blood and Chrome beyond the initial pilot is "definitely an option that everyone wants to believe is on the table. It's fundamentally down to the creative team, as well as their point of view on where does the story go."
Blood and Chrome isn't the first content originally produced for television to find new life online: Just one example from 2009 - the short-lived cable series Pilot Season, which was reborn on My Damn Channel. But it does speak to the potential that lies in adapting to, and not resisting, the new media world order.
PEOPLE - Forbes Life Elon Musk
At Home With The Bachelor Billionaire
http://www.forbes.com/pictures/ehim45gkml/elon-musk/
PLANTS - Stunning Time-lapse of Stormy and Starry Skies over Joshua Tree
A visit to this desert national park yeilded some amazing images, made into this breathtaking time lapse video.
http://www.treehugger.com/natural-sciences/stunning-new-time-lapse-storms-and-stars-joshua-tree.html
SCIENCE - Mathematical methods help explain why liquid metals have wildly different breaking points
Metallic glass alloys (or liquid metals) are three times stronger than the best industrial steel, but can be molded into complex shapes with the same ease as plastic. These materials are highly resistant to scratching, denting, shattering and corrosion. So far, they have been used in a variety of products from golf clubs to aircraft components. And, some smartphone manufacturers are even looking to cast their next-generation phone cases out of it.
http://phys.org/news273128045.html
SCIENCE - Metamaterials manipulate light on a microchip
Using a combination of the new tools of metamaterials and transformation optics, engineers have developed designs for miniaturized optical devices that can be used in chip-based optical integrated circuits.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121124090509.htm
SCIENCE - Researchers examine how we experience time
(Medical Xpress)-How people experience time may be affected by the way that they perceive cause and effect, new research by the University has shown.
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-researchers-examine-how-we-experience.html
SCIENCE - Scientists analyze millions of news articles
Researchers in the UK have used artificial intelligence algorithms to analyze 2.5 million articles from 498 different English-language online news outlets over ten months.
http://phys.org/news273152983.html
SOLAR - A Tour Of A Solar Energy Trade Show
Intersolar, one of the laregest solar trade shows in the U.S., takes place in San Francisco this week.
http://www.forbes.com/pictures/ehim45glgg/solar-powered-car/
SOLAR - A solar funnel that could lead to more efficient cells
The reality of solar panels is that those on the market today aren't very efficient - most of the solar cells, which make up an entire panel, convert less than a fifth of the sunlight into electricity. But researchers at MIT said on Monday they have come up with a funnel-like design that will manipulate the incoming electrons to engineer more efficient solar cells.
The research, just published in the journal, Nature Photonics, used computer modeling to look at how to stretch the semiconductor molybdenum disulfide to change its physical properties to make use of a broader spectrum of sunlight than what silicon, the most common solar cell material, can manage today. Whether the design will work as well in real life will require further research.
Improving cell efficiency is important for lowering the cost of producing solar electricity. One way to do that is to extract more energy from the same amount of materials. That also will reduce the amount of land needed to generate the same amount of electricity. As it stands, photovoltaic power plants are more land-intensive compared with fossil fuel power plants with a similar energy output. Building solar farms on large swath of land has prompted fierce debates over their environmental impact on wildlife and prompted developers to agree to set aside wildlife corridors in exchange for permits or to avoid lawsuits.
What some scientists have been working on is to manipulate the band gap in a material. A band gap describes the amount of energy that electrons need to move around and generate electricity. If you can manipulate band gaps, then you can control the amount of electricity produced. Band gap engineering is not a new concept and is already used by solar cell developers and academic researchers in their search for more efficient solar cell designs.
What the MIT researchers proposed is more novel: strain a material to create specific and varying band gaps within a single material to capture different portions of the light spectrum. They imagined creating that strain by using a microscopic needle to poke at the material down the center and create that funnel. The pressure on the needle would cause different degrees of strain and band gaps.
Knowing how to stretch a material is only part of the solution. Finding materials that can withstand the pressure is another hurdle. Conventional solar materials would break or warp undesirably under the straining process proposed by the research. But there is a more recently minted class of ultra-strength materials" that could be suitable. MIT researchers settled on molybdenum disulfide.
The research, which received support from U.S. and Chinese institutions, is only a start in exploring the idea of using ultra-strength materials to engineer more efficient solar cells. The MIT research team, which includes Ju Li, Xiaofeng Qian and Cheng-Wei Huang, hopes to conduct lab work to verify the results of their computer modeling. Ji Feng of Peking University in China rounds up the research team.
SOLAR - High Concentration Solar Power Gets Test Run At Edwards Air Force Base
First there was concentrated solar power, and now Semprius, Inc. is pushing the envelope with the introduction of high concentration photovoltaic (HCPV) technology. The company has just won a contract to provide the HCPV modules for a 200-kilowatt, $2.3 million demonstration project at Edwards Air Force Base in California, undertaken by Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne. If the installation proves cost-effective, it will set the stage for additional installations at other U.S. military bases, as well as applications in the civilian sector.
Bumping up to High Concentration Photovoltaic Power
Concentrated photovoltaic power uses mirrors and other optical devices to focus more solar energy on a smaller surface. That reduces the amount of semiconductor needed to achieve the same result, and since semiconductors are expensive, that can reduce the overall cost of the solar installation.
Semprius stepped it up another level with a system that combines a high concentration factor with solar cells that reach the upper limits of verified efficiency. The system enables Semprius to use pinhead-sized solar cells, which greatly reduces costs.The cells are manufactured using a printing process called micro-transfer, which is based on chemical reactions.
The concentrating lenses are powerful but also low cost, and the system includes a precise tracking mechanism to keep the solar cells facing the best sun throughout the day.
According to Semprius, overall, its HCPV module has achieved world record efficiencies up to 33.9 percent, at least double the efficiency of several other modules.
As a further boost for the U.S., Semprius is manufacturing its innovative solar technology inside country borders (in Henderson, NC).
Edwards Air Force Base Goes Solar
If Edwards Air Force Base rings a bell, you might recall that it's been the testing ground for hundreds of breakthroughs in aviation tech, including the breaking of the sound barrier.Edwards is also the site of three new solar farms constructed and owned by Borrego Solar Systems. Under a power purchase agreement with the company, Edwards provided the land and will buy electricity from Borrego.
All together, the three solar farms have a capacity of three megawatts. That's just a small chunk of the base's 30-megawatt peak demand, but it could make a significant difference in the cost of electricity for the base.
Electricity from the farms will help reduce the daytime high-demand charges that Edwards pays for electricity from June to September. That could make a big dent in an electricity bill that ranges from $15 million to $18 million per year.
Image: Courtesy of Edwards Air Force Base
Follow me on Twitter: @TinaMCasey
SOLAR - Largest Solar Power Plant In World Nears Completion In Abu Dhabi
The largest single-unit solar power plant in the world is expected to be completed by the end of 2012 and officially open in the first quarter of 2013, solar power giant Masdar has announced. Shams 1 will have a generation capacity of over 100 MW of power, and was built with the stated purpose of providing 20,000 homes in the region with electricity. The project will be followed shortly thereafter by Shams 2 & 3, which are planned to generate similar levels of electricity.
Yousuf Al Ali, general manager of Shams Power Company, said: "Shams 1 is the largest concentrated solar power project in the world. Developing a project of this scale is a significant achievement for Abu Dhabi, Masdar and its partners, Total and Abengoa."
There are larger "solar power plants" or "solar power projects," but they include multiple solar plants of less than 100 MW. (For example, the Solnova Solar Power Station in Spain has five CSP plants of 50 MW each that make the overall project 250 MW in size, and the Gujarat Solar Park in India includes multiple solar PV projects that total 600 MW.)
Construction of the Shams 1 project began back in the third quarter of 2010, at a total cost of approximately $600 million dollars.
Al Ali continues: "Once completed, Shams 1 will be one of the largest concentrated solar power [CSP] plants in the world, extending over an area of 2.5 square kilometres with a capacity of approximately 100 MW." (You can see here that even Al Ali has switched from calling it the "largest" CSP plant to "one of the largest" CSP plants.)
Shams 1 is a joint venture that is 60% owned by Masdar, 20% by Total, and 20% by Abengoa.
The project was developed under a contract that ensures ownership and continued operation for 25 years. "Companies that took part in the development of the project offered unique technology to operate the system," he said.
Once finished, it will consist of 258,048 parabolic trough mirrors, 192 solar collector assembly loops with 8 solar collector assemblies per loop, 768 solar collector assembly units, and 27,648 absorber pipes.
"It uses the CSP technology and parabola shapes means that solar thermal electricity is generated by focusing sunlight, concentrated by mirrors, reflects to heat a coolant which then generates high-pressure steam to drive a steam turbine," Al Ali said.
"As one of Masdar's flagship projects, Shams 1 will directly contribute to Abu Dhabi's target of achieving 7 per cent renewable energy power generation capacity by the year 2020."
Source: Gulf News
Photos courtesy of Masdar
SOLAR - Sandy-Battered Neighborhood Gives Thanks For Solar (VIDEO)
In the Rockaways, Long Island, the Bell Harbour Yacht Club made it possible for a local relief effort to serve Thanksgiving dinner to the community that to solar power... they still didn't have electricity from the grid due to Hurricane Sandy.
This location became an important hub for supplies after Sandy, and the fact that their power wasn't reconnected quickly enough certainly didn't help. So, they started utilizing portable solar panels to provide electricity for lighting, some heating, etc.
I'm sure they were happy and thankful that their Thanksgiving wasn't ruined by darkness and cold weather.
Source: Grist
Video Credit: ClimateDesk on Youtube.
SOLAR - Saudi Arabia Investing $109 Billion Into Solar Energy, Wants 1/3 Of Electricity From Solar By 2032
This article has been reposted from Solar Love with full permission.
Saudi Arabia is planning to invest $109 billion into solar energy, looking to develop a solar industry that can provide 1/3 of its electricity by 2032.
Doing so will free up larger quantities of its reserves for international sales rather than for use domestically. With the price of oil expected to rise significantly in the coming decades, such a move makes sense from an economic standpoint.
Saudi Arabia's first solar farm is expected to begin operations by 2015, and its first nuclear plant by 2020, according to an official at the agency developing the country's renewable (and atomic) energy program.
Its first solar power plant is expected to begin construction in early 2013, and will take up to 2 years to complete.
Khalid Al-Suliman, vice president at the King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy, said that "the project will get underway once the government approves his agency's plan for renewable energy." He's expecting to officially receive approval by early 2013.
He says that they are currently targeting around "41,000 megawatts of solar capacity within two decades," 16,000 megawatt of which would be from photovoltaic panels, and the other 25,000 from solar thermal technology. The country currently has only around 3 megawatts of solar installations.
It is also still moving forward with its plan to build sixteen nuclear reactors by the year 2030, for a total nuclear capacity of 14,000 megawatts, which is projected to cost the country around $100 billion.
With how competetively priced the solar power is compared to nuclear, it kind of makes you wonder if they have any ulterior interests in nuclear.
Source: BloombergImage Credits: Solar Power via Wikimedia Commons
SPACE - Scientists test novel power system for space travel (w/ video)
(Phys.org)-A team of researchers, including engineers from Los Alamos National Laboratory, has demonstrated a new concept for a reliable nuclear reactor that could be used on space flights.
http://phys.org/news273159915.html
SPACE - U.S. Planned Cold War Mission To Blow Up The Moon? Is That Even Possible?
There's a couple of preposterous reports out today alleging that the United States considered blowing up the moon in order to freak out the Soviets during the Cold War. Apparently something called "A Study of Lunar Research Flights" seriously pondered a moon bombing, and scientists as notable as Carl Sagan were even involved in planning the lunar attack, which was to take place in 1959 -- before cooler heads prevailed.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/christopherhelman/2012/11/26/u-s-planned-cold-war-mission-to-blow-up-the-moon-is-that-even-possible/
SUSTAINABILITY - Shipping Container Disaster Dorms For The Next Sandy
Sea Boxes may do the job, but do they have to be so ugly?
http://www.treehugger.com/modular-design/shipping-container-disaster-dorms-next-sandy.html
TECH - Smartphones poised for PC replacement duty [video]
Smartphone performance is improving so quickly that the handheld devices are closer than ever to replacing a full personal computer for some. This isn't yet a practical solution for most people, but a demonstration video from a YouTuber named ColdFustion shows that the possibility is a reality thanks to high performing mobile chips, more internal memory in today's modern smartphones and software that adds PC-like multitasking options.
Watch as a Samsung Galaxy Note 2 is paired with an external monitor, wireless mouse and keyboard and a full sized-USB stick:
A few thoughts struck me as I watched this over the weekend after it surfaced on Chris Pirillo's Google+ stream. Although I've followed the computer industry from my early days growing up in the late 1970's, the video introduction reminds me how far we've come since then; especially in the last decade.
The computing power in our pocket is hundreds, if not thousands, of times greater than that of desktop computers from my teenage years. My Samsung Galaxy Note 2 has 2 GB of RAM, a 1.6 GHz quad-core chip and a 1280 x 720 screen, for example. Compare that to my Commodore 64 from 1983 (which I still have): a paltry 64 kB - 39 or so which was usable - a 1.023 MHz chip and 300 x 240 resolution on a computer monitor. Surprisingly, the price for both is roughly the same, not adjusted for inflation; the C64 cost around $600 or a little less than what I paid for my no-contract Galaxy Note 2!
While the Android mobile interface isn't optimized for a large external monitor, it appears easy enough to navigate and use on a bigger screen. And the right applications make all the difference. The ability to run multiple videos or browser tabs on a single screen while taking a Skype call, for example, is certainly something most would equate with a PC, not a smartphone. The gaming examples are PC-like as well. No, they don't provide a cutting-edge PC experience, but they're getting closer in many respects: graphics shading and texture, for example, as well as high frame rate support from today's mobile. Add in the ability to use a wireless game controller and the experience is even better.
Am I recommending that people trash their computers and replace them with a smartphone? Not at all. I'm simply noticing where the smartphone is at when it comes to this possibility. Although I will admit that after watching the video, I'm giving the $99 Samsung Smart Dock a second look for my own Galaxy Note 2. It's obviously not needed to use the handset in a PC setting, but with three USB ports and a full-sized HDMI interface, it makes it easier to take advantage of the smartphone hardware for computing use.
TECH - Spanish scientists design a revolutionary data storage device
University of Granada researchers have developed a revolutionary data storage device in collaboration with the CEA-LETI lab at Grenoble (France), an institution of the Campus of International Excellence CEI BioTic. The researchers have designed one of the most advanced data storage devices in the world. The invention is protected with ten international patents including Japan, USA, Corea and the European Union. Important companies such as Samsung and Hynix (Corea) and Micron (USA) have shown interest in this innovative data storage device.
http://phys.org/news273145293.html
TECH - Top 10 Strategic Technology Trends For 2013
Gartner's list of the top tech trends of next year.
http://www.forbes.com/pictures/egmm45jdem/mobile-device-battles/
URBAN - Edouard François Builds An Urban Collage
Our favourite French architect is at it again in a new social housing project
http://www.treehugger.com/green-architecture/edouard-francois-builds-urban-collage.html
WIND - Russian Wind Powering Europe? IFC Explores The Possibility
There's reportedly a plan to construct large wind farms in an arctic region in northwestern Russia. The plan was inspired by the Desertec initiative. The plan, which is called RUSTEC, involves building dozens of wind farms, which would then export the wind energy to Europe through Norway and Finland.
This may help European countries to meet their renewable energy goals. They need the cheapest renewable energy they can get, and RUSTEC might be able to provide that.
The project was called the "brainchild" of the International Finance Organization (IFC).
Due to the fact that the region in the plan is unusually windy, it is expected to generate electricity more cheaply than offshore European plants (offshore wind power is still considerably more expensive than onshore wind). As wind speeds increase, the ratio of electricity generated to the cost of wind turbines increases, decreasing the cost of wind power.
The cost of wind power is calculated using that ratio, but O&M (operation and maintenance) costs for wind are also factored in, and affect the cost, although very marginally compared to wind speed.
"I was inspired by DESERTEC - the plan to build solar stations in the Sahara desert in northwest Africa and transmit electricity to Southern Europe. I thought, why solar power from Africa, why not wind power in Russia?" said Patrick Willems, the project manager of the IFC's program to develop renewable energy in Russia.
Offshore wind farms normally generate more electricity than onshore ones in general because it is usually windier offshore, but, particularly windy locations inland could exceed that.
Also, offshore wind farms normally generate more expensive electricity than land ones, as noted above, despite their superior performance, partly due to the relatively high maintenance cost of offshore wind farms.
Russian wind farms are uncommon, and there are multiple reasons for that. That is not necessarily because Russia is a major oil and gas producer - Saudi Arabia is one of the biggest oil producers in the world is so ambitiously pursuing renewable energy.
This may kick-start the Russian wind industry.
Source: The Moscow Times
WORK - Amazon announces investment in France, sees 2,500 jobs
The US Internet giant Amazon said on Monday that it would open a fourth despatch centre in France with the likely creation of 2,500 jobs, as it negotiates a tax dispute with the French government.
http://phys.org/news273169300.html
WORK - Aspen Institute's Mission to Spark a Job Revolution
SPARKING A JOB REVOLUTION
http://www.forbes.com/sites/michaellindenmayer/2012/11/26/aspen-institutes-mission-to-spark-a-job-revolution/
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