Archive for the 'Ocean' Category
March 10th, 2010 by EBR_EBdaily
Most people associate the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) with space exploration, but it turns out the agency develops innovate technologies in other areas, including biofuel development. Who knew? NASA has invented an algae photo-bioreactor that grows algae in municipal wastewater to produce biofuel and a variety of other products. The NASA bioreactor is called an Offshore Membrane Enclosure for Growing Algae (OMEGA), and has the advantage of not competing with agriculture for land, fertilizer, or fresh water.
Continue reading ‘NASA Develops Algae Bioreactor as a Sustainable Energy Source’
March 5th, 2010 by EBR_EBdaily
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently released the Report to Congress on the Potential Environmental Effects of Marine and Hydrokinetic Energy Technologies. This report analyzes the potential environmental effects of technologies that capture energy from waves, tides, ocean currents, the natural flow of water in rivers, and marine thermal gradients. Since such marine and hydrokinetic technologies are not widely used at this point, their environmental effects are not well documented.
Continue reading ‘U.S. Department of Energy Reports on Environmental Effects of Hydropower’
February 26th, 2010 by EBR_EBdaily
New work from researchers at Denmark’s National Laboratory for Sustainable Energy, Risø DTU, is expected to bring smarter wind turbines to commercial wind farms in the near future. The research should allow for greater energy production from wind turbines using the new technology. The team has successfully integrated a laser-based anemometer into the spinner of a wind turbine system.
Continue reading ‘Wind Turbines Get Smarter’
February 25th, 2010 by EBR_EBdaily
Robert Kennedy Jr. won’t rest until his vision for a green economy is heard. He’s been visiting college campuses across the country speaking about the environment, energy, and the economy. “Sound economic and environmental policies are intrinsically tied, and energy providers should reward customers for conserving power rather than consuming it,” Kennedy recently told a college audience in Pennsylvania.
Continue reading ‘Robert Kennedy Jr: Green Visionary, Making the Case for Renewable Energy’
February 24th, 2010 by EBR_EBdaily
When it is said that United States is graduating towards a clean energy economy – it was meant that way only. The growing importance of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) within DOE is now more palpable than ever. The budget of FY 2011 testifies the same. It has been allocated a fund of 2.36 billion USD out of 28.4 billion USD budgets of DOE in FY 2011. President Barack Obama declared that on Feb 1st. The overall budget request for EERE has increased by 5% over FY2010. Of course, funds from American Recovery & Reinvestment Act are excluded from above. The various EERE programs which got the major fillip in the budget are as under:
Continue reading ‘Clean Energy Funding Increased in US Government Budget’
February 23rd, 2010 by EBR_EBdaily
A hurricane is a type of tropical cyclone, a low-pressure system that usually forms in the tropics and has winds that circulate counterclockwise near the earth’s surface. Storms are considered hurricanes when their wind speeds surpass 74 MPH. Every hurricane arises from the combination of warm water and moist warm air. Tropical thunderstorms drift out over warm ocean waters and encounter winds coming in from near the equator. The winds keep circling and accelerating to form a classic cyclone pattern.
Continue reading ‘Rise in Ocean Temperatures Causing Severe Hurricanes’
February 19th, 2010 by EBR_EBdaily
Antarctic marine biologist Jim McClintock, Ph.D., professor in the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Department of Biology says increasing acidity of the world’s oceans is a growing threat to marine species and is a definitive proof that the atmospheric carbon dioxide that is causing climate change is also negatively affecting the marine environment. The oceans are a sink for the carbon dioxide that is released into the atmosphere. “The ramifications for many of the organisms that call the water home are profound.”
Continue reading ‘Atmospheric CO2 Causing Impacts on the Marine Environment’
February 16th, 2010 by EBR_EBdaily
The EnergyBiz Leadership Forum engages thought leaders and policy makers in new and unique ways. The format, based on an interactive sharing of thoughts between participants and speakers, will serve as a springboard for the development of a sound, cohesive national energy policy. The event is highlighted by notable featured speakers, currently leading the charge for energy innovation and independence.
Continue reading ‘Register for EnergyBiz Leadership Forum and get Smart Grid Report’
February 8th, 2010 by EBR_EBdaily
Offshore wind generation and wave energy foundations can step-up local abundances of fish and crabs. The reef-like structures also favor for example blue mussels and barnacles. What’s more, it is possible to increase or diminish the abundance of various species by altering the geomorphological blueprint of foundation. This was demonstrated by Dan Wilhelmsson of the Department of Zoology, Stockholm University.
Continue reading ‘Artificial Reefs coming up from Offshore Wind Power and Wave Energy Devices’
February 5th, 2010 by EBR_EBdaily
A global team of researchers led by the University of East Anglia (UEA) has produced a new technique of assessing the absorption of CO2 by the oceans and mapped out for the first time CO2 uptake for the entire North Atlantic. The process could lead to the development of an ‘early-warning system’ to notice any weakening of the ocean sinks – seen by some scientists as the first signal of more marked global climate change.
Continue reading ‘Developing an Early Warning System for Climate Change’
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