Marcus Wilson • Oct 31, 2019 •
I’ve been reading Jules Verne’s novel Twenty thousand leagues under the sea, considered as one of the very earliest science fiction stories. In brief, Monsieur Aronnax and a couple of sidekicks are taken prisoner by Captain Nemo and his mysterious crew and treated to an underwater voyage around the world on the truly expansive submarine, Nautilus. They get to visit … Read More
Marcus Wilson • Aug 20, 2019 •
This morning we woke up to discover a power cut. This meant: No electric kettle. We do have a gas stove, however, which we could light with the help of matches (the automatic ignition relies on mains power.) So we did eventually get some hot drinks. No toaster. No microwave. No hot toast, no porridge. Back to the Weetbix. No … Read More
Robert McLachlan • May 26, 2019 •
Stop flying, cut out red meat, switch to an electric car or, better yet, a bike. Newspapers and websites are full of stories of people who have made the switch to a low-emission lifestyle. The stories are inspiring, to me anyway, and they are definitely newsworthy. But, at least judging from the online comments (‘Not gonna happen!’), they can be … Read More
Robert Hickson • Apr 09, 2018 •
We are starting to see more scenarios about getting to a “decarbonised” future. One where greenhouse gas emissions are no longer a problem. Many scenarios are forgettable. The good ones have the power to create the change. Shell has added a new futures scenario, called Sky, to its New Lens scenario set. I think … Read More
Guest Author • Jan 08, 2018 •
Richard Gunderman, Indiana University. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. Match the following figures – Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison, Guglielmo Marconi, Alfred Nobel and Nikola Tesla – with these biographical facts: Spoke eight languages Produced the first motor that ran on AC current Developed the underlying technology for wireless communication … Read More
Guest Author • Aug 03, 2017 •
By Andrew Blakers, Australian National University Solar has become the world’s favourite new type of electricity generation, according to global data showing that more solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity is being installed than any other generation technology. Worldwide, some 73 gigawatts of net new solar PV capacity was installed in 2016. Wind energy came in second place (55GW), … Read More
Guest Author • Jul 04, 2017 •
By George Jones Whenever electricity is taken from one place to another, some of it is lost, ultimately as heat. In New Zealand, this waste electricity constitutes about 6 or 7 percent of the electricity generated; enough to power the entire Greater Wellington area. In other countries it is usually larger, up to three or four times NZ’s percentage. The industry … Read More
Guest Author • Dec 28, 2016 •
When Tony Bromley heads to the hills in January he’s taking along a bag of party balloons and some cardboard coffee cups to help him with some complex measurements involving power lines along the National Grid. The NIWA atmospheric technician is aiming “to define the sag”. “Power lines expand with heat and the more power that goes down the line … Read More
Guest Author • Dec 01, 2016 •
By Stewart Prager, Princeton University and Michael C. Zarnstorff, Princeton University For centuries, humans have dreamed of harnessing the power of the sun to energize our lives here on Earth. But we want to go beyond collecting solar energy, and one day generate our own from a mini-sun. If we’re able to solve an extremely … Read More
Guest Author • Oct 30, 2016 •
By Pete Rowley, University of Portsmouth Iceland is about to tap into water as hot as lava. Several kilometres below ground, a drilling rig named Thor will soon penetrate the area around a magma chamber, where molten rock from the inner Earth heats up water that has seeped through the seafloor. This water – up to 1,000°C and … Read More