Tag: Power

5 ways data centers endanger their local communities and the country as a whole

Intersections

Neha Gour, George Mason University; Ed Maibach, George Mason University, and Luis Ortiz, George Mason University (from The Conversation) Every internet search, streamed video and AI-generated response depends on a data center somewhere. Driven by rapid growth in artificial intelligence, cloud computing and cryptocurrency, data centers have become the backbone of the modern digital economy. But though their key role is in enabling virtual and…

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Solar and wind: a much better deal than oil and gas (renewables beat fossil fuels hands down)

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Background: “Critics have long claimed that variable renewables are too unreliable: The wind doesn’t always blow, and the sun doesn’t always shine. But evidence shows that intermittency concerns are now generally unfounded. Ten proven carbon-free balancing methods already make high-renewable grids reliable and economic in many countries. One of those methods, batteries, costs 96% less today than it did in 2010. BloombergNEF finds that battery-firmed solar and…

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Corruption and power: the connection

Quick bibliographies

Was Lord Acton right? “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Or, is it more as John Steinbeck described “Power does not corrupt. Fear corrupts… perhaps the fear of a loss of power”? Is there a connection between having power (in politics, government, business, etc.) and becoming or being corrupt? There seem to be examples all around us and, yet, we also see…

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Knowledge and understanding can overcome fear and anxiety

Intersections

If you believe social media or follow certain politically-aligned media outlets, we live in a particularly scary and dark world. Yet, many people throughout history have felt the same at the times they lived. War, disease, natural disasters, famine, political upheaval, economic crashes, and on and on. It may seem to us that we are living in especially perilous times with the world literally at…

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Meet the power plant of the future: Solar + battery hybrids are poised for explosive growth

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Joachim Seel, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; Bentham Paulos, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and Will Gorman, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (from The Conversation) America’s electric power system is undergoing radical change as it transitions from fossil fuels to renewable energy. While the first decade of the 2000s saw huge growth in natural gas generation, and the 2010s were the decade of wind and solar, early signs…

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Knowledge and understanding can overcome fear and anxiety

Intersections

**See the updated version of this post (November 11, 2024)** Background: If you believe all of social media or follow politically-aligned media outlets, we live in a scary world. Yet, many people throughout history have felt the same at the times they lived. War, disease, natural disasters, famine, political upheaval, economic crashes, and on and on. It may seem to us that we are living…

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Water purification by solar power: an update

Featured Article

An update to the Solar-powered water harvesting and purification bibliography. The most current version of the bibliography can be seen here — https://sciencebibliographies.strategian.com/solar-powered-water-harvesting-and-purification/. Featured articles (these articles have been added to the Science Primary Literature database): *Fillet, R., Nicolas, V., Fierro, V., & Celzard, A. (2021). A review of natural materials for solar evaporation. Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, 219, 110814. [Cited by] “One…

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Corruption and power: the connection

Quick bibliographies

Was Lord Acton right? “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Or, is it more as John Steinbeck described “Power does not corrupt. Fear corrupts… perhaps the fear of a loss of power”? Is there a connection between having power (in politics, government, business, etc.) and becoming or being corrupt? There seem to be examples all around us and, yet, we also see…

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