Energy, features and articles | Educational Science

Jan 24, 2014

When Winter Kills Power Plants, Clean Energy Can Help Pick Up the Slack (Op-Ed)

Peter Lehner is executive director of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). This Op-Ed was adapted from a post that appeared onthe NRDC blog Switchboard. Lehner contributed this article to LiveScience's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. When frigid temperatures recently caused the unexpected shutdown of two power plants in Texas,...

Jan 27, 2014

Fresh Magma Could Help Power Geothermal Plants

While drilling for sources of geothermal energy in northeastern Iceland in 2009, geologists unexpectedly hit fresh magma and went on to create the first-ever magma-enhanced geothermal energy system. Geothermal power plants generally gather heat from fissures in the Earth's solid crust, not directly from the molten rock below that produces...

Feb 5, 2014

How Can India Defeat its Debilitating Smog? (Op-Ed)

Anjali Jaiswal, director of the NRDC India Initiative, and Meredith Connolly, NRDC Energy Law and Policy Fellow, contributed this article to LiveScience's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. Last week as I was driving through Delhi, dense clouds obscured the roads, making me feel almost like I was home in foggy...

Feb 6, 2014

Drilling Surprise Opens Door to Volcano-Powered Electricity

This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. Can enormous heat deep in the earth be harnessed to provide energy for us on the surface? A promising report from a geothermal borehole project that accidentally struck magma...

Feb 7, 2014

Renewable Energy Rides the Rails to More Efficient Power Storage

What goes up must come down. Using that kernel of gravitational wisdom, solar and wind energy systems could provide power even when the wind is not blowing and the sun is not shining. The electric grid is best supplied with consistent energy that can be ramped up and down as...

Feb 17, 2014

Tomatoes Watered by the Sea: Sprouting a New Way of Farming (Op-Ed)

This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. Isn’t it remarkable that we recognise the fact that the world faces huge problems in terms of water, energy and food security – and yet we tend to tackle...

Feb 18, 2014

Cold Winters, High Bills, and a Need for Energy Efficiency (Op-Ed)

Peter Lehner is executive director of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). This Op-Ed will appear on the NRDC blog Switchboard. Lehner contributed this article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. In a brutal winter, high energy bills can feel like a slap in the face. One reason...

Feb 24, 2014

New Hyundai Vehicle Fueled By Poo

Poo power is ready to hit the streets. Hyundai recently announced plans to begin leasing a new vehicle this spring, and the fuel in the tank will come from processed sewage. Top 10 Fastest Electric Vehicles Last fall, Tesla’s Elon Musk was calling hydrogen fuel cell technology for vehicles “bullsh*t.”...

Feb 25, 2014

As Milkweed Disappears, Monarchs are Fading Away (Op-Ed)

Peter Lehner is executive director of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). This Op-Ed will appear onthe NRDC blog Switchboard. Lehner contributed this article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. Last week, at a coffee farm in Costa Rica, I stumbled upon hundreds of butterflies, probably some kind...

Feb 28, 2014

Could Sugar Power Cell Phones Of The Future?

Researchers are charged up about biobatteries, devices able to harness common biological processes to generate electricity. Most biobatteries are unable to generate large amounts of power, but researchers recently developed a prototype version that has the potential to be lighter and more powerful than the batteries typically found in today's...

Mar 11, 2014

Can Rich Forests Survive as Energy Booms? (Op-Ed)

Sean McKaughan has more than 20 years of experience in sustainable development and is Chairman of the Board for Fundación Avina, a Latin American philanthropic foundation that works on sustainability in 18 countries. This article is adapted from an article for the Skoll World Forum. This piece is written in...

Mar 28, 2014

Why Coastal Winds Could Power Every U.S. Home, and Car (Op-Ed)

Jeff Nesbit was the director of public affairs for two prominent federal science agencies. This article was adapted from one that first appeared in U.S. News & World Report. Nesbit contributed the article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. There is a massive, untapped energy reserve that could...

Apr 10, 2014

With Money to be Made, Wind Power Booms in Oil-Rich Texas (Op-Ed)

This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. Wind power is now big business in the US, and it is getting bigger. Last year, the US wind industry added 1,087MW of new wind power capacity, about the...

Apr 28, 2014

How Do Wind Turbines Work?

One of the fastest-growing sources of energy in the world, wind turbines generate electricity without emitting greenhouse gases into the environment (unlike fossil fuels). These modern-day windmills convert mechanical energy from the wind into electrical power. Most wind turbines have three main parts: the tower (the long stem that connects...

Apr 30, 2014

The Time for Wind and Solar Energy is Now (Op-Ed)

Elliott Negin is the director of news and commentary at the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS). UCS is a member of the Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families Coalition, which includes nearly 400 organizations and businesses. This article is adapted from a piece that appeared on the Huffington Post. Negin contributed this...