Only six years ago humanity crossed a remarkable threshold: more than half of us live in cities for the first time in history. According to United Nations statistic, fifty years ago it was 30% and a century ago it was 10%. Urbanization as the central framework for human experience and work has been driven by… Keep reading →
There is still a very long way to go before a commercial reactor is built, but scientists at the National Ignition Facility succeeded in creating a reaction in which more energy came out than went in. “The real significance of this is, we’re now matching our models, we have our feet back on the ground… Keep reading →
As the sociopolitical situation in Egypt deteriorates, the country’s energy infrastructure is also suffering. Although winter blackouts currently frustrating the population are being blamed on seasonal maintenance, a tight natural gas supply situation could exacerbate matters this summer when air conditioning-demand peaks. In late January, BG Group was ordered to direct gas away from LNG… Keep reading →
This question has been dissected in many ways by analysts, politicians, business leaders and countless other stakeholders, with numerous conclusions drawn. Clearly the term “energy independence” can be defined many ways. In terms of power generation, the country already is energy independent. But US petroleum import volumes usually lie at the heart of this question… Keep reading →
As the dust settles from the weeklong for the Chinese New Year, complete with fireworks, here are some of the top environmental issues to watch in the Year of the Horse. Provincial leadership Local governments combating rising rates of pollution and a dissatisfied populace are not waiting for Beijing to take action. Provinces are limiting… Keep reading →
People who agree that climate change is a dire problem often disagree about how to solve it. In recent months, once-private disagreements have ballooned into a public spat between pro-nuclear and anti-nuclear climate activists. Depending on whom you ask, nuclear power is either “essential” or “ill-suited” to efforts aimed at staving off climate disaster. Nuclear… Keep reading →
The 2014 Sustainable Energy in America Factbook was produced for The Business Council for Sustainable Energy by Bloomberg New Energy Finance and “found that renewable energy, natural gas and energy efficiency advancements are leading a transformation of America’s energy,” according to a BNEF statement. This infographic highlights findings from the research that include the increasing… Keep reading →
The importance of energy to modern society cannot be overstated and energy-related products are virtually ubiquitous in our homes, workplaces and modes of transport. “Chemical engineering is a remarkable profession. It can take the smallest of discoveries in laboratories – from all fields of science and technology – and replicate them on a mass scale,… Keep reading →
A 30-megawatt offshore wind pilot project will use 5 floating turbines to generate electric power routed back to the mainland in Coos Bay, Oregon. “We’re not as anxious to commercialize it, but it’s still worth getting the projects into the water and testing them,” said Belinda Batten, director of the Northwest National Marine Renewable… Keep reading →
The launch of President Obama’s Power Africa campaign in mid-2013 pushed major generation projects back to the forefront of electricity planning in Africa, signalling for some a return to the era of the dramatic gesture, the big solution to a big problem. But, while this and other similar projects grab the headlines, CITAC argues that… Keep reading →
