Tag Archives: space
In Focus: India’s Energy Ties with Iran
India’s relentless search for hydrocarbons to fuel its booming economy has managed the rather neat diplomatic trick of annoying Washington, delighting Tehran and intriguing Baghdad, all the while leaving the Indian Treasury fretting about how to pay for its oil imports, given tightening sanctions on fiscal dealings with Iran. On 7 June the US State [...]
Northwestern Students Test Solar Cell Behavior at High Altitudes
Four undergraduate students from Northwestern University’s McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science have taken photovoltaic cells somewhat closer to the energy source to find out how the proximity to the Sun affects their performance. The team, led by Mark Fischer, who will graduate in June with a B.S. in mechanical engineering, cheered as the [...]
Out of this World: International Space Station Solar
Chris Hadfield, commander of the International Space Station (ISS), is noted for sharing some spectacular pictures of the place we call home. Browsing through his pictures – you can follow him at @Cmdr_Hadfield – you wouldn’t be hard pressed to find one recurring subject in his album: solar panels. Once upon a time, space stations and [...]
NASA’s 13,000 Foot Solar Sail
NASA is preparing to test a massive solar sail called the Sunjammer in space. The sail, developed by California company L’Garde, will be launched into space folded up into a square the size of a dishwasher before unfurling to 13,000 square feet. “NASA has experimented with smaller solar sails in the past,” said spokesman David [...]
Solar Power Stars in Newest NASA Video
Today’s solar video gives a pretty awesome visual reminder of the immense energy produced by the sun. Watch for the scale-drawing of the earth appearing at 1:06. Eruptive events on the Sun can be wildly different. Some come just with a solar flare, some with an additional ejection of solar material called a coronal mass [...]
In Focus: Solar From Space
We shall draw solar energy from space, says association of Indian scientists WHILE FESTIVE rabies is coursing through the veins of the world’s Christian nations, the Indian Science Congress Association has gathered to find solutions to pressing matters such as energy. The ISCA event is dedicated to progressive thought, and is attended by science junkets [...]
Can Solar Solve India’s Energy Problems?
India recently grabbed international headlines as a series of power grid failures left roughly half the country’s population – living in 20 out of 28 Indian states – without electricity. As the Ministry of Power struggled to find a quick fix, the nation clamoured for answers. The blame is settling on certain states such as [...]
We Have to Fight to Win Our Future
A few months ago I was having a routine beer with my good friend Ken, who is the director of our local sustainable business network. He had met with one of the business people that belonged to his network earlier in the day and was caught off guard by a question. “What do we do [...]
Spraying Solar Reflective Chemicals From High Altitude Balloons
Engineers from Harvard University are planning to conduct tests to measure the effects and consequences of spraying solar-reflecting sulphates into the upper atmosphere from a balloon flying 24,000 metres above New Mexico. The geo-engineering experiment’s ultimate aim is to replicate the ‘volcano effect’ whereby sulphates are ‘naturally’ sprayed into the upper atmosphere during an eruption, [...]
NASA: Looking for New Solar Arrays to Power Spacecraft
Space was one of the first applicable uses for photovoltaics, but arrays have typically been small, enough to power the needs To meet the needs of future space travel NASA is looking to the sun. This week it released a request for proposals (RFP) for photovoltaic array systems that will enable space electric propulsion systems [...]
In Focus: Space Solar Power
We recently wrote about the feasibility of space solar power, which uses satellites in space to collect solar light and beam it to Earth. One of the advantages of space solar power is that it forgoes the day-night cycle and solar light capture is not hampered by clouds. Two recent deals seem to signal that [...]
In Focus: Green Space Tourism
Tourism that takes you to the edges of the planet is one thing, but taking you beyond the realms of Earth and into zero-gravity is a whole different proposition. Space tourism is a very lucrative arena, if you look at it from the outside. But, as thrilling and out of the world the idea sounds, [...]