
Geothermal Power Plants Face Rocky Starts
The technology that revitalized gas drilling could start an entirely new energy boom
David Biello is a contributing editor at Scientific American. Follow David Biello on Twitter @dbiello
The technology that revitalized gas drilling could start an entirely new energy boom
At some point cloaked in the (recent) mists of time, Elon Musk took over the mantle of leading U.S. visionary, as is the prerogative apparently of our technology billionaires.
The nation’s electrical system has undergone some revamping--maybe still not enough--since tens of millions in the Northeast experienced a prolonged outage 10 years ago
The flow of CO2 into and out of the vast northern forests has been increasing in recent years, thanks to climate change
A roboticist-neuroscientist explains
For the first time, the public has been treated to the spectacle of lab-grown meat cooked and eaten via live Webcast. Backed by Google billionaire Sergey Brin, Dutch tissue engineer Mark Post unveiled his “cultured beef” at a press event on August 5, answering the question posed by a 2011 Scientific American feature: “When Will [...]..
Farming is one of the few human activities that can pull CO2 from the atmosphere and store it safely
Why isn't there more use of geothermal energy for power plants?
Algal biofuels remain a distant prospect, but oil from algae might prove to be a more sustainable food
Former Secretary of State George Shultz, who helped stop ozone depletion, describes the importance of energy security and the environment
Why don't U.S. farmers believe in human-caused climate change?
A solar-powered airplane successfully flew across the U.S. this year in 65 days. Next up: around the world
New research shows how human activity deep underground combines with natural earthquakes far away to set off potent local temblors
The fate of the Alberta's tar sands mines—and the climate—may come down to the Keystone XL pipeline
The glut of new oil in North America has been accompanied by a boom in moving that petroleum by train. Railway traffic of crude oil in tankers has more than doubled in volume since 2011—and such transport led to tragedy in the early hours of July 6...
The oil derived from Canada's tar sands is more acidic than other forms of petroleum. So does this mean that diluted bitumen (or "dilbit") is more corrosive when flowing through a pipeline?...
On a sweltering day in Washington, D.C., President Barack Obama sweated as he laid out his new plan to combat climate change. In addition to the mandatory cuts in CO2 pollution from coal-fired power plants and the efforts to protect the country from the ravages of climate change highlighted by my colleague Mark Fischetti, Obama also found time to mention a little pipeline that would connect the tar sands in Alberta, Canada with refineries along the Gulf Coast in Texas...
Simply controlling where and when electric cars charge could go a long way to easing any spikes in electricity demand
Here's the scam. A Chinese company manufactures hydrofluorocarbons, the refrigerant gases partially responsible for climate change. The gases can efficiently be turned into cash, either by using them in products like refrigerators or air conditioners or, more lucratively, by destroying them...
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