Natural gas is “a bridge to a world with high CO2 Levels,” climatologist Ken Caldeira told me last year. A major new study in Geophysical Research Letters by 19 researchers — primarily from NOAA and the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) — suggests natural gas may be more of gangplank than a bridge. Scientists used a researchContinue reading “Bridge Or Gangplank?”

Bastian Schaefer is the Cabin and Cargo Innovation Manager at Airbus Operations — and leads a group of far-thinking engineers who are building out a concept plane. Previously at Airbus, he worked on the development of A380 stairs and components for in-flight entertainment. Between 2006 and 2011 Bastian worked at Bertrand Ingenieurbüro GmbH working on projectsContinue reading “A 3D-printed Jumbo Jet?”

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2013/07/chromecast-is-googles-miracle-device/?mbid=social10108534

THINNEST LIGHT ABSORBER PUSHES SOLAR ENERGY LIMITS Researchers at Stanford have developed the thinnest, most efficient solar cell yet. The wafer is dotted with trillions of round particles of gold, nanodots about 14 nanometers thick. A nanometer is a billionth of a meter. More info >> http://tinyurl.com/mp7xe84“Achieving complete absorption of visible light with a minimal amountContinue reading “Thinnest Solar Cell Yet!”

Down On The Farm, Clean Energy Requirements Are Opportunities, Not Burdens By Katie Valentine on Jul 18, 2013 at 3:23 pm   (Credit: AP/Ajit Solanki) American farmers aren’t usually seen as champions of climate causes — in fact, they’re often known for their climate change skepticism. But farmers across the country have begun standing up for clean energy mandatesContinue reading “Clean Energy”

You might be interested a team of Dutch students designed a family car that produces more solar energy than it uses. It feeds the rest back into the grid! SHARE this image if you want to see young engineers build cars that don’t need Arctic oil. https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/1005728_10151723921654684_2127340466_n.jpg

http://www.nads-sc.uiowa.edu/sim_nads2.php

Iowa City Press-Citizen: UI Teams Up with NASA to Better Predict Precipitation Via Satellites Thursday, June 13, 2013 A large crane drops the NASA Polarimetric antenna into place in Eastern Iowa near Waterloo for the Iowa Flood Studies campaign, which started May 1 and finishes Saturday. / Aneta Goska / Iowa Flood Center By TaraContinue reading “UI Teams Up with NASA to Better Predict Precipitation”

http://www.engineering.uiowa.edu/news/virtually-real. Still far from the Star Trek replicator materializing objects and edibles at voice command 3-D printing is becoming more and more accessible to the individual.  There are 3-D shops materializing around the country giving access to self doers and professionals that can make anywhere from cups to machines.  “This online ‘universe of things’ consistsContinue reading “From Bits To Atoms And Back-3D Printing”

Wind turbines withstand tornado with nearly 300-mph winds, June 6, 2013 http://aweablog.org/blog/post/wind-turbines-withstand-tornado-with-nearly-300mph-winds   Wind Energy Industry: Turbines Power Down Energy Prices September 26, 2012 DES MOINES, Iowa – Home and business energy costs have been falling in the Midwest – and the wind industry is claiming partial credit. While it’s a win for consumers, saysContinue reading “Wind turbines withstand tornado and power down energy prices”