Sci/tech tidbits in and around New Hampshire
“HVDC light” – doesn’t taste great, but maybe less filling
I was writing about DC vs. AC power this weekend, getting myself into a bit of a kerfuffle (see self-flagellation in previous post), as part of an examination of the technology that has led more of the proposed Northern Pass project to be buried. The high-voltage DC...
Tesla vs. Edison … vs. me (guess who loses?)
Several readers politely pointed out that I was an idiot in an article about the high-voltage DC power lines proposed for Northern Pass, switching the positions of Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison in the AC-DC wars when the electricity industry was first getting...
Electric cars shipped to Iceland via Maine (?!?)
An Associated Press story about the status of New England's ports (summary: Not so hot, but working hard to be an effective minor league for the big ports) ended with this intriguing success story: "From Portland (Maine), electric cars are shipped to Iceland, where...
Mechanized pickers replace migrants in Maine’s blueberry harvest
Maine's blueberry harvest attracted more than 5,000 migrant farmers 10 years ago and it's down to about 1,500 today, said David Yarborough, a University of Maine professor of horticulture. That quote comes from this AP story about increasing mechanization of blueberry...
Architectural doo-dads make “thermal bridges” that increase heat loss
Simple shapes are easier to insulate, so a simply-shaped house (think Quaker rather than Gehry) will have less heat loss. That's what I learned, plus the term "thermal bridge," which is a place like a corner where you can't shove in insulation, from this short...
Chimpanzees don’t like spying drones any more than you do
The Royal Burgers Zoo in The Netherland used a drone to make cool video of their world-famous chimpanzee enclosure when one of the apes reacted like a number of humans have done. Watch the video right here.
Another thing El Nino does: Cuts US wind energy output
CNBC reports that "Electricity generated by US wind farms fell 6 per cent in the first half of the year even as the nation expanded wind generation capacity by 9 per cent, Energy Information Administration records show. The reason was some of the softest air currents...
Shoulder pain caused by vaccinations are a puzzling problem
The topic of vaccination has become so politicized that I find myself hesitating to spread any bad news about vaccines, for fear the anti-vax crowd will blow it out of proportion. Shame on me for thinking that way: If I support evidence-based medicine - as I do, of...
Pilgrim nuclear plant gets its safety rating downgraded
The Boston Globe reports (here) that Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Pilgrim, mass., has had its safety rating downgraded after several unplanned shutdowns. The plant is now one of just three nuclear power reactors nationwide ranked in the next to lowest performance...
IRS ruling gives tax boost to community solar
The IRS has ruled that a Vermont man who bought solar panels as part of a community solar project - a "solar farm" - can take the same tax credit that a person can have if they put the panels on their own roof. A story in the Burlington Free-Press (read it here) says...
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