That is really cool!!!
A new device uses sunlight to make safe drinking water even from the Dead Sea! You can read about it here:
https://www.sciencealert.com/breakthrough-water-filtering-device-purifies-dead-sea-salty-water
Fabrics are being made from sustainable wood. Read about it here.
Read more :
https://www.sciencealert.com/sciencealert-deal-tomorrow-s-shirts-are-being-made-with-wood-here-s-why
Hope for the environment as far as cleaning up our horrific problem with garbage through science and technology by using an innovative ocean cleanup system.
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is the world's largest collection of floating trash lying between between Hawaii and California. The Ocean Cleanup, a cleanup campaign created by Dutch teenager, Boyan Slat, has now been launched with the use of its first vessel to rid more than 50% of the trash in this location, which is often described as "larger than Texas.
The system consists of a 600-meter-long floater that sits at the surface of the water and a tapered 3-meter-deep skirt attached below. The floater provides buoyancy to the system and prevents plastic from flowing over it, while the skirt stops debris from escaping underneath.
A very good environmental news story.
A new weather model suggests that we can greatly enhance our ability to predict thunderstorms capable of producing tornadoes.
This could significantly help prepare people because it captures the storm environment and conditions and BEFORE the storm totally forms.
Read more at: https://phys.org/news/2018-10-weather-tornado-warning.html#jCp https://phys.org/news/2018-10-weather-tornado-warning.html?utm_source=menu&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=item-menu
Here's another nice environmental story about cleaning up ocean-bound trash and recycling it for fuel. https://www.cnn.com/2018/09/10/health/ocean-cleanup-test-trnd/index.html?no-st=1539316129
I love the amazing youth of the world and their amazing gifts in do many arenas thst are enriching our world.
This link is to a story about a 13-year-old boy who has contributed to the treatment of pancreatic cancer.
Good News!: The price of electric cars is coming down. https://electrek.co/2018/10/26/vw-ceo-electric-vehicle-tesla-half-price-2020/
I have been expecting new advancements in electrical energy storage for about 10 years. There have been a number of companies recently reporting on new technologies that will make major advancements to alternative energy storage such as for wind and solar. NextEra Energy, PhaseStor Thermal Storage, GTM Research, ABB, AES Energy Storage, Convergent Energy & Power, and Volkswagen are all announcing new developments that will surpass lithium-ion battery capabilities. It remains to be seen when these companies will announce presentations on their technologies and deployments to the market.
One company has reported production test results of their technology by third party companies. The name is EEStor and the latest tests were carried out between August and September of 2018 by Radiant, MRA and Intertek. They verified EEStor’s technology through their extensive performance testing. The results were reported on 10 removed link EEStor is expecting to deliver their systems to companies that have received licenses for production of their energy units by the end of this year.
Welcome Doug NW
That's wonderful news! Not sure why all your links were removed but I did a search and found one that you might have used:
Doug, welcome to our community and thank you for giving us some hope of a sustainability breakthrough.
Help me put this information in language my low tech mind can understand.
I understand that the key to instant sustainability in energy is (1) a new better battery that can store more energy longer and more densely than current batteries. (2) if we have a better battery then we would be able to store more of the solar and wind energy we create because right now we lose a lot of the energy we create; and (3) Also we need a battery that is not so dependent on lithium as our current technology is because lithium is expensive and a finite mineral.
So in lay terms ( like you are talking to a twelve year old) what is this new breakthrough? Are they saying they have a way to store 20 times the energy in a much smaller battery? In other words a denser storage ability?
Does this mean more affordable electric cars that would enable us to fossil free cars by 2020? Battery operated airplanes? Homes heated by batteries?
Jeanne,
Good catch on the Prediction on more sustainable batteries!
I think it was from August 29th Predictions.
(Other visions for May – December 2018)
Thanks for the welcome Michele and Jeanne!
These people have envisioned advancement to electrical energy storage for quite some time. With better ways to store energy many improvements can be made to stabilize the national grid using alternative energy as in solar and wind, cars being able to travel much longer without recharging, able to charge “batteries” rapidly, fly nonstop around the world, and lessen carbon in our atmosphere, to mention just a few benefits. People wishing to live off the grid will be able to do so.
It’s difficult to say what company’s technology will win the race for the best electrical energy storage system. There are so many companies about to produce a solution I’m sure a major solution will be found soon. The company I mentioned above (EEstor) is well reported in Wikipedia. There have been many detractors and non-believers of that company for many years now saying their technology is faulty and will never work. However, the third party companies doing the tests don’t feel the technology is faulty. One major plus on the energy storage unit being used is low cost, abundance and non-toxicity of materials being used.
Here is the link to information about this new technology: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lV7idqmDWBY&feature=youtu.be
EEStor Reveals Results of Multilayer Ceramic Capacitor Tests - NASDAQ.com
Wikipedia - EEStor
Doug, I am so encouraged by this news. And I pray that this is the solution they think it is - something that can be turned into mass market products like cars and home heating & air conditioning within the next year or two.
This is a race against the clock. The latest climate news gives a small window left. We need a miracle that will (1) create immediate and nearly total sustainable energy, (2) a way to stop more methane gas from escaping into the atmosphere.
This technology could take care of #1. Then we need to tackle #2.
When I saw your post, I googled Elon Musk to see if he had responded to EEStor's announcement. He's been the goto guy in denser energy storage (improved batteries) as far as my limited knowledge of this field goes.
But I now understand that he is heavily invested in lithium-based batteries, which are (1) toxic for the environment and (2) expensive, because lithium is a finite mineral, and (3) eventually will run out, since the earth has a finite source of lithium.
So it looks like these guys have come up with a non toxic and plentiful, thus cheap, alternative to lithium. It also looks from my googling Musk, that he has nothing to say about this new announcement. I am encouraged to think that they could have something up and running in a few years that would enable the whole world to run on solar and wind. Am I being naive? We'd just have to put the government fossil fuel-enablers out of office.
Hi Jeanne, I definitely understand your concerns about this technology coming to light very soon. Our planet is in desperate need of it for life to survive here. We are running out of time. Hopefully angels will come to the rescue. I believe they will. If what Ian Clifford said on that YouTube video is absolute truth then we have a chance. I believe they have what they say they have and hopefully their product will be available by the end of this year and Musk will be forced out of business with his cars and gigafactories producing lots of toxic material polluting the Earth.
Jeanne, I understand how complex this subject is and am here to help decipher the language and gain understanding. The one thing about this company's technology that concerns me is its vulnerability to forces attempting to buy the company while keeping all it's research and patents for itself. There are so many entities that would suffer from a successful EEStor or other developer with a similar product. So far I have seen nothing from anyone else that compares or is as close to success, and I have been looking everywhere. EEStor's electrical energy storage unit (EESU) would be considered a disruptive technology and I doubt oil companies will be very happy about it.
In 1996 electric cars were seen on roads all over California, but they all disappeared after about 10 years. My understanding of what happened is NiCd rechargeable batteries were developed. At that time NiCad rechargeable batteries were the best option for powering electric cars. Apparently, Chevron gained control of the batteries and would not allow their use in electric cars.
Chevron and EVs – GM, Chevron and CARB killed the sole NiMH EV once, will do so again
<a href=" removed link "> removed link
DougNW,
You're a wonderful source of information on this. Please continue to keep us all aware and updated in the future.
We are all learning so much!
I believe that Jeanne is a Prius owner, as I am (we also have a tiny 2 seater 2001 Honda Insight that yes, we have gotten 90 m.p.g.) Catching drafts from semi-trucks in front of us is great fun in spite of simplistic dials and info indicators in 2001 Insight! And coasting downhill even more energetically exciting!
And much of this info can be complex, and like with Jeanne, I am grateful for your sharing and adding simpler explanations.
Thanks so much!
Michele,
Thanks for your kind words! I will continue to post on this subject as I come across new information. I feel a need to put a protective sprit bubble around this technology. If this isn't the technology that eventually replaces the lithium-ion battery I will want to protect the tech. that does. A replacement is so necessary for us to stop polluting our planet. Methane gas being released from the melting Arctic ice poses a huge danger to life on Earth. We can't continue to let corporations destroy the environment for profits.
I commend Jeanne's and your use of efficient ICE cars. As for myself and my wife, we aren't quite as honorable. We own a MINI and park it in a self-storage unit for 10 months out of the year while we fly all over the country. Hope to have a better choice to drive soon.