With waning subsidies and other attractive markets, can Spain maintain its lead in solar tech? On the outskirts of Seville, Spain, 600 rotating mirrors send shafts of light to a collector atop a soaring 380-foot- (115-meter-) tall tower. Its scalding 480-degree-Fahrenheit (250-degree-Celsius) steam drives a turbine generating a peak capacity of 11 megawatts (MW) of electricity for the national grid. This ‘power tower’ is the first of nine to be built by Spanish engineering giant Abengoa Bioenergy, which all told will produce enough electricity for 153,000 homes by 2013. From power towers to parabolic trough plants and from photovoltaic farms to roof-mounted solar panels, solar energy is booming in Spain. This month, Europe’s first commercial solar-thermal parabolic trough plant-a 15-mile (24-kilometer) curved mirror complex dubbed Andasol that focuses light on collector tubes with synthetic oil bubbling to 750 degrees F (400 degrees C)-revs up in Andalusia. Vast acres of solar farms using photovoltaics made from semiconductors to convert sunlight to electricity now span southern Spain: Celebrated ground-mounted photovoltaic (PV) plants include La Magascona and Jumilla with their array of 120,000 modules on 120 single-axis ‘follow-the-sun’ trackers. Even carmakers want a piece of the Spanish sun. In July […]
Pope Benedict XVI’s decision to cancel a trip to Israel shines new light on a growing controversy over whether the late Pope Pius XII should be beatified. The current pope has voiced support for beatification, but has put that plan on hold since Pope Pius has come under heavy criticism for doing too little to save Jews during the second world war. A very direct charge against Pope Pius and his failure to aid the Jews is found in Israel’s Yad Vashem museum, which commemorates the Holocaust. The Vatican has expressed its displeasure about a particular exhibit in the museum, and a papal official says it was linked to the trip cancellation. Other Vatican officials say the matter is more complicated than a caption on a museum’s wall. Israel, which has noted Pope Pius’ ‘controversial historical role’ has urged Pope Benedict to visit despite the controversy. Emotions run deep on both sides of the issue. Pope Benedict has contended that Pope Pius helped Jews in the face of Nazi and Fascist threats in a ‘secret and silent way,’ in part to avoid making their situation worse. Pope Pius has other supporters as well. As The Times reported: […]
On Nov. 4, will white Americans vote for a non-white presidential candidate? Findings from the latest Baylor Religion Survey reveal that while 84 percent of white Americans said they would vote for a member of a racial minority for President, the voting decision was influenced by several factors, including most interestingly religious affiliation, view of the Bible and racial composition of congregations. On Nov. 4, American voters will cast their ballot in a presidential race that includes an African-American nominee for the first time. Undoubtedly, it is a watershed moment for racial and ethnic minority groups in the United States. But will whites support a non-white presidential candidate? Findings from 1,325 non-Hispanic whites sampled as a part of the 2008 Baylor Religion Survey – designed by Baylor’s Institute for Studies of Religion and conducted the Gallup Organization – reveal interesting patterns relevant to the historic presidential election. One of the questions on the 2007 survey asked: ‘If your party nominated a member of a racial minority for President, would you vote for him or her?’ Eighty-four percent of white Americans said they would, according to the survey. But this voting decision was influenced by religion, age, education, […]
The sun-that power plant in the sky-bathes Earth in ample energy to fulfill all the world’s power needs many times over. It doesn’t give off carbon dioxide emissions. It won’t run out. And it’s free. So how on Earth can people turn this bounty of sunbeams into useful electricity? The sun’s light (and all light) contains energy. Usually, when light hits an object the energy turns into heat, like the warmth you feel while sitting in the sun. But when light hits certain materials the energy turns into an electrical current instead, which we can then harness for power. Old-school solar technology uses large crystals made out of silicon, which produces an electrical current when struck by light. Silicon can do this because the electrons in the crystal get up and move when exposed to light instead of just jiggling in place to make heat. The silicon turns a good portion of light energy into electricity, but it is expensive because big crystals are hard to grow. Newer materials use smaller, cheaper crystals, such as copper-indium-gallium-selenide, that can be shaped into flexible films. This ‘thin-film’ solar technology, however, is not as good as silicon at turning […]
Providing toilets, safe water is top route to reducing world poverty: UN University Mapping vulnerable communities essential to global health and poverty Simply installing toilets where needed throughout the world and ensuring safe water supplies would do more to end crippling poverty and improve world health than any other possible measure, according to an analysis released today by the United Nations University. The analysis says better water and sanitation reduces poverty in three ways. * New service business opportunities are created for local entrepreneurs; * Significant savings are achieved in the public health sector; and * Individual productivity is greater in contributing to local and national economies. UNU also calls on the world’s research community to help fill major knowledge gaps that impede progress in addressing the twin global scourges of unsafe water and poor sanitation. Information gaps include such seemingly obvious measures as common definitions and worldwide maps to identify communities most vulnerable to health-related problems as a result of poor access to sanitation and safe water. UNU also calls for creation of a ‘tool-box’ to help policy-makers […]
Remote Viewing the Year 2060
