When Sharp isn’t working on their latest LCD and LED televisions, they are actively looking to improve clean energy sources. The Japanese firm has just announced that they have developed the world’s most efficient solar panel, which converts an impressive 44.4 percent of incoming photons into electrical energy. … … Read More
Huge explosion in Westminster, Colorado, two homes destroyed
A further 7-8 homes were damaged in the explosion, and two are reportedly injured. The blast happened in the Westminster district of Denver. Whoa, an explosion leveled one or two homes in a Westminster, CO neighborhood. Photo @denverchannel’s live stream: twitter.com/corybe/status/… — Cory Bergman (@corybe) June 13, 2013 Firefighters are unsure if the explosion was started by natural gas or propane, according to the channel. They are sifting through the wreckage of the houses, searching for people that may have been trapped. Xcel Energy told 7NEWS it has turned off the gas in the area Copter4 shows one house blown to pieces, other homes damaged, looking for anyone trapped. #WestminsterExplosion. twitter.com/CBSDenver/stat… — CBSDenver (@CBSDenver) June 13, 2013 DETAILS TO FOLLOW … Read More
Microsoft exaggerates claims that IE10 is greener than Firefox and Chrome
Browser will save users just 15p a year on energy bills
… Read More
Global warming to cost coal-fired power generators $1.8tn – IAE
Last year carbon emissions from fossil fuels hit a record 31.6 bn tonnes, up 1.4%, according to the IEA’s World Energy Outlook report. That’s despite positive figures from the two largest green house gas emitters the US and China. American emissions of carbon dioxide from fossil fuels fell by 200 million tonnes to levels last seen in the mid-1990s due to a transition from coal power to natural gas and renewable energy, the Guardian reports. European emissions fell 50 million tonnes due to economic contraction and renewable energy growth, despite an increase in coal energy use. The Chinese growth of emissions by 300 million tonnes is the smallest over the past decade as China continues to invest into diversifying its energy sources and installing more renewables and more energy efficiency. The agency says the energy sector accounts for two-thirds of global CO2 emissions that are believed to fuel climate change. The IEA warns the world is on track for the temperature increase of up to 5.3 degrees Celsius by 2100 despite the UN target of no more than 2 degrees Celsius increase. The agency calls on countries to minimise carbon emissions, stop building coal power stations and increase energy efficiency to tame the global warming within the 2 degree increase. Under this scenario, the world will leave two thirds of its fossil fuel reserves untapped before 2050, the agency reports. “When the Stone Age came to an end, it wasn’t because there was no stones anymore, but because we had different technologies,” Bloomberg quotes Maria Van der Hoeven, the executive director of the IEA. “There’s no need to use coal for our energy supply if we have other options.” Revenues from nuclear power stations and alternative energy will increase leading coal power generators to lose up to $1.8tn in the next 20 years, the IEA reports. … Read More
India to launch nuke power plant despite protests
The largest power plant in India – and potentially the most powerful nuclear plant in the world – is due to launch the first of its two completed1000 megawatt reactors, a month after the country’s Supreme Court gave a final nod to their commissioning. The launch of the plant comes at a time when the country is struggling to meet the vast energy shortage, RT’s Maria Finoshina reports from Kudankulam. “There is a huge energy deficit in this particular part of the country, in the Tamil Nadu province, and across all of India. Industries are suffering. They are already queuing for energy – they need it. Of course the station will help boost things here!” Andrey Lebedev, the vice-president of the Atomenergoproekt told RT. The latest projections from the Central Electricity Authority of India show an average energy shortfall of 6.7 per cent on the countrywide scale. But for the Southern Region the power supply is more than 19 per cent behind what it actually needs. The power cuts are not uncommon in the country with coal-dependent energy sector, including major cities. In one of the largest of such cuts more than 600 million people had to do without electricity for two days last summer. While the Indian people for years have been taking to the streets to protest against the shortages and to demand an effective power management, some have also been protesting against government plans to reinforce the failing energy sector with nuclear power. The environmental protests, involving local thousands-large demonstrations and court appeals, are believed to have delayed the Kudankulam nuclear power plant opening for years, which by 2011 had already experienced a decade of delays. The protesters claimed the nuclear plant is “unsafe,” said it endangers environment in the region heavily reliant on fishing, and pointed at the 1 million population in the surrounding area, which would be “impossible” for the government to evacuate in case of emergency. However, the Supreme Court of India finally ruled that the plant is “safe and secure and it is necessary for larger public interest and economic growth of the country,” adding that “India cannot afford to be a nuclear isolated nation,” and rejecting the protesters’ appeals. The Indian government also announced that several foreign NGOs were found to be funding local activists fuelling the protests, without specifying the countries they were based in. A number of them had their licenses revoked, and dozens more were put on a watch list. India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh later said he believes these NGOs were from the US and Scandinavian countries. Others blamed the foreign-funded “Christian” organizations in particular. While some opponents simply denounced the court’s decision, with a lawyer representing the protestors calling it “an unfortunate and a terrible judgement which shows the establishmentarian mindset of the Supreme Court judges,” others said there is evidence of the country’s Atomic Energy Regulatory Board’s (AERB) failure to enforce the necessary safety measures, which the court should have taken into account. A report by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) – the body mandated to “promote accountability, transparency and good governance” – said the AERB has a history of multiple failings to ensure the safety of nuclear installations in the country, and that it is effectively controlled by the department of atomic energy. National nuclear energy bodies of India had come under severe public criticism before, and another French-designed plant project Jaitapur, proposed to be built on the seismically active Western coast, is being debated and protested on various levels. But the Kudankulam plant’s designers have insisted that the Southern region station is built with the highest safety standards, and in a safe location with solid terrain, refuting Fukushima disaster-related fears. According to them, the plant’s 1.5-meter-thick protective concrete dome could withstand the impact of a large passenger jet. “Kudankulam is the only nuclear station in the world that not only has active security features, but also the most up-to-date safety systems which activate even if the electricity supply is cut or there’s no one to control them. A repeat of the Fukushima disaster is impossible here,” deputy head of the plant construction team Aleksandr Kvasha told RT. … Read More
Rosneft and Gazprom both awarded Arctic Shelf permits
In 2009, Rosneft agreed to pay 1.4 billion roubles ($450 million) and Gazprom 1.2 billion in a resolution passed by the state Duma, but the exact amount paid on Wednesday for the licenses is unknown. Russia has passed a law that only companies in which the state owns more than half and have at least 5 years of Arctic experience are eligible for permits Lukoil, the country’s second largest oil company, is publicly owned, and Sugtneftegas, known to have close ties with the Kremlin, is also publicly owned, and therefore not up for a permit. Tatneft is the country’s sixth largest and operates out of the Republic of Tatarstan, which is also the company’s primary shareholder. In March, it was reported the companies were in competition for the same areas of the shelf, but in late May, in a decree signed by Prime Minister Dimitry Medvedev, exploration and extraction rights have been awarded to Rosneft for two deposits in the Barents Sea, and three in the Kara Sea have been given to Gazprom. Earlier this year, the government approved bids by both companies for offshore fields and handed Gazprom licenses for 17 offshore sites and Rosneft 12. Another area in the East Siberian Sea is likely to be split equally between the two companies, Natural Resources Minister Sergey Donskoy said in May. The Russian government has urged the two energy giants to team up in a joint venture, in order to efficiently develop and explore the uncharted waters in the Siberian Sea. The two fields granted to Rosneft, the Albanovsky and Varneksky sections of the Arctic shelf, have a combined area of 64,329 square meters. An assessment in 2009 estimated that the Albanovsky section of the shelf contained 144.2 million tonnes of oil, 43.3 million which is extractable, and 1,254.4 billion cubic meters of gas. The deposits at Varnetsky are estimated to be 2,081 million tonnes, of which 542 million is extractable. The Maritime, Nyarmeisky and Skuratovsky deposits partitioned to Gazprom total 7,339 square kilometers. Gas deposits are pegged at 2,867 billion cubic meters. On Wednesday Gazprom held its annual shareholder’s meeting, as it celebrates its 20th anniversary. At the conference, management touted that Gazprom is the largest gas supplier to the domestic market, citing its 73.1 percent market share in 2012. Rosneft, fresh from its TNK-BP acquisition in March, is challenging Gazprom as largest producer, and hopes to seize at least 20 percent of the natural gas market by 2020, Bloomberg reports. Rosneft has already attracted a range of foreign partners in its offshore ventures, striking deals with Royal Dutch Shell, Italy’s Eni, Norway’s Statoil, and Japan’s Inpex. Gazprom is keen to retain its share of the Russian gas market and has attracted Shell as an offshore partner. … Read More
Jesse Ventura vs 911 Conspiracy Debunkers pt 1
http://www.youtube.com/v/6_1Axu_mfQY?version=3&f=videos&app=youtube_gdata Link: Jesse Ventura vs 911 Conspiracy Debunkers pt 1
