energy
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Why we should democratize the electricity system — part one
A serialized version of ILSR‘s new report, “Democratizing the Electricity System,” part one of five. The 20th century of electricity generation was characterized by ever larger and more distant central power plants. But a 21st century technological dynamic offers the possibility of a dramatically different electricity future: millions of widely dispersed renewable energy plants and […]
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Why Michele Bachmann thinks she can get gas under $2 a gallon
Michele Bachmann isn't crazy -- she's just horribly misinformed. At least in this particular instance: When Bachmann promised that if she became president, gas would be under $2 a gallon, her statement was entirely consistent with the voodoo alternate energy universe she and countless right-wing conspiracy theorists happen to inhabit.
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Infographic: What it would take to meet Obama's 2035 clean energy goals?
Obama wants 80 percent of America's energy to come from clean and renewable sources by 2035. But what would that really take? Mostly, it means replacing 2/3 of our coal-fired power plants with power sources that don't depend on fossil fuels. The scale of that ambition is difficult to comprehend — which is why it's […]
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Animated film from 1957 predicts explosion in energy use
The only thing about this 1950s educational cartoon that’s more remarkable than its stylishness is how badly it botches its core prediction. It projects that between 1957 and 1975, electricity use in the U.S. would increase four-fold. But America's electricity consumption didn't quadruple from 1950 levels until 1989. Cartoons, we trusted you! How could you get it so wrong?
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Overheated river hobbles nuclear power plants
The Tennessee Valley authority has shut down three of its nuclear power plants for the second summer in a row, thanks to unusually warm temperatures in the rivers into which they would normally discharge water.
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Sing along to this awesomely cheesy theme song for energy wasters
The musical "Seein' the Light" was written in 1978, but nothing has really changed: People still deny there's a fuel or climate crisis, and they still put on their Serious Thespian black turtlenecks and sing about it. The guy singing is kind of super-intense — he regularly goes 20 seconds or more between blinks — […]
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Want to save energy? Stop wasting water
Turns out one of the single biggest sources of energy use in your home doesn't even show up in the electricity section of your utility bill.
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Swede finds out why nuclear, unlike renewables, can never be DIY
Blog your experience building a nuclear reactor in your kitchen, go to jail. Them's the laws in Sweden, where the no nerd's supervillain-esque childhood fantasy fulfillment goes unpunished.
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Critical List: Debt deal cuts energy programs; solar-powered spacecraft goes to Jupiter
Is Congress passing a bill? Then you can bet it's bad for the environment. The debt deal is no exception.
We're almost out of time to start dealing with climate change, a new report says. Emissions would need to peak in 2020 in order for the planet to escape real damage. So … yeah.
Related: "Expectations are not high at the moment" for the Durban round of climate talks, according to a UN official.
Radiation levels in some parts of the Fukushima plant are still deadly.