Hiware Bazar (Ahmednagar): Amid the desperate denizens scrounging for water in the drought-affected parts of Maharashtra stands a village which has not felt the need to call a single water tanker -in fact, it hasn't called for one since 1995. While other villages in the arid Ahmednagar district are digging borewells even up to 400 …
Harnessing the Power of the Tides
What is Tidal Power? Tidal power is a form of renewable energy that converts that natural ebb and flow of the Earth’s tides into electricity. Consider that the Earth’s tidal patterns are fairly regular, given normal weather. It would not be difficult to determine the locations most appropriate for the production of this type of …
Biodiesel: the afterlife of oil
Origins of Biodiesel: The concept of using vegetable oil as a fuel began in Germany with the invention of the engine by Rudolph Diesel. Rudolph Diesel developed the first engine to run on pure peanut oil back in the 1800's. He demonstrated its use at the Exhibition Fair in Paris, France in 1898. Rudolf Diesel …
The Arctic: Canary In The Coal Mine
The Arctic may seem like a frozen and desolate environment where nothing ever changes. But the climate of this unique and remote region can be both an early indicator of the climate of the rest of the Earth and a driver for weather patterns across the globe. William Chapman explains why scientists often describe the …
How Long Will Human Impacts Last?
Imagine aliens land on the planet a million years from now and look into the geologic record. What will these curious searchers find of us? They will find what geologists, scientists, and other experts are increasingly calling the Anthropocene or a new age of mankind. The impacts that we humans make have become so pervasive, …
How to beat pollution?
Pollution has enormous human costs. Particulate matter in the air we breathe, organic pollutants and heavy metals in our food supply and drinking water — all of these pollutants cut short millions of lives every year. How many people are dying from unhealthy environments? The World Health Organization says 12.6 million people died due to environmental …
Solar in Space: Powering the ISS
Since the earliest days of the space program, solar panels have been powering satellites, spacecraft and space stations. Today, the International Space Station relies on one of the most advanced solar arrays ever built to support life and to power research that will take humans to new heights. The International Space Station, or ISS, is …
Kauai Solar Farm
Islands in the Pacific Ocean are some of the most practical places to install solar panels. Since there’s no natural gas pipeline or rail line to haul in coal, islands like Kauai in Hawaii have traditionally generated electricity by shipping in many barrels of diesel fuel. These days, because so many residences and businesses have …
Floating Solar Farm
China has some of the worst air pollutions in the world. In several cities, thick layers of smog are common, resulting in thousands of deaths every year. According to a 2016 study, the top contributor of air pollution-related deaths in China is the burning of coal. The team of Chinese and American researchers behind the study said that pollution …
Iceland’s Sustainable Energy Story
In an era when climate change is making it necessary for countries around the world to implement sustainable energy solutions, Iceland presents a unique situation. Today, almost 100 percent of the electricity consumed in this small country of 330,000 people comes from renewable energy. In addition, 9 out of every 10 houses are heated directly …
Illuminating The Dark Fields 