Sci/tech tidbits in and around New Hampshire
Take advantage of living on the edge of the grid
The nation’s power grid is a massive beast — by some definitions, it’s the biggest thing ever built by humans. But these days, its most interesting changes are happening as close as your garage. “It’s why I joined Eversource a year-and-a-half ago, because I was so...
NH patents through May 25
(Links to each patent can be found here, using the patent number or inventor’s name.) By Targeted News Service WASHINGTON – The following federal patents were assigned in New Hampshire through May 25. *** Medical Treatment System and Methods Using a Plurality of Fluid...
Does contaminated soil = contaminated syrup?
If maple trees are growing in contaminated soil do they have contaminated sap? And if so, what happens to that contamination when the sap is boiled into syrup? That is a question I hadn't thought of - but a Dartmouth Ph.D. student has, and is looking for the answer....
“Small modular” nuke plants get some love in NH
There's a segment of the New Hampshire legislature that loves the idea of "small modular" nuclear reactions - the dream of techbros who love silver bullet solutions to big problems as long as they're technically cutting edge and don't involve nasty things like social...
Forecast: Rooftop solar will continue growing in NH but large-scale solar, not so much
ISO-New England's forecast for future photovoltaic power in New England shows, not surprisingly, that New Hampshire will continue to be a laggard in large (over 1 MW) solar farms but rooftop solar, created by individual action rather than our always-feeble group...
Mow, mow, mow your lawn, gently down the clime
("Clime" is a perfectly acceptable synonym for "climate" and is not a word I made up to fit the silly headline. Honest.) This is the time of year when that defining outdoor chore of homeownership, mowing the lawn, becomes a bit problematic. The “No Mow May” campaign...
NH joins other states in saying: Since Congress won’t regulate A.I., we should
New Hampshire’s attorney general has joined his peers to tell Congress that they shouldn’t block state efforts to do what the federal government won’t do in terms of “protecting consumers from the harmful effects” of artificial intelligence. Attorney General John...
Patents in NH through May 18
(Links to each patent can be found here, using the patent number or inventor’s name.) By Targeted News Service WASHINGTON – The following federal patents were assigned in New Hampshire through May 18. *** System and Method for Clutter Suppression BAE SYSTEMS...
After 20 years of decline, electricity use is about to rise in New England
NOTE; Bad link fixed ISO-New England, which oversees the six-state power grid, has released a report talking about ways energy use is changing. From their point of view the big difference is that peak usage is going to happen in winter, when solar power is low, which...
There’s a very big battery in Moultonborough; we need more of them
Note: This is my column in this week's Monitor. A reader pointed me to a battery-storage system set up near hydropower on the Androscoggin river; part of it is in Maine, but it totals a whopping 30 MW so maybe this isn't the biggest in the state after all. Before we...
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