Sci/tech tidbits in and around New Hampshire
New England power grid says “we’re good, thanks”
New England faces no obvious power problems this winter, according to an annual forecast from the group that runs the six-state electricity grid, although extreme conditions might produce requests for conservation. The group, ISO-New England, said Monday that it does...
Vermont studies whether ridgeline wind farms affect black bears
The state commissioned a study on black bears and the Deerfield wind development built in 2017 in Readsboro and Searsburg. It looked at how the bears interacted with the different phases of the development from baseline studies through the construction of the 15...
N.H. patents through Dec. 4
The US Patent Service has changed the way it reports patents and we can no longer include direct links to each patent. You can find them here, using the patent number. By Targeted News Service WASHINGTON – The following federal patents were assigned in New Hampshire...
Forget self-driving cars – concentrate on AM radio
Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey wrote more than 20 car manufacturers, asking them to continue to have AM radios in future models, including electric vehicles. “Broadcast AM radio remains a crucial, cost-free source of news, sports, and weather, and, more importantly, is...
Mobile EV charging for AAA members in parts of Mass.
The Massachusetts cities of Avon, Peabody and West Springfield will be home to AAA's expansion of its mobile EV charging service, reports Green Car Reports. AAA first added EV charging to its map services in 2012.
A Quebec-to-US hydropower line is actually getting built, but it goes to New York
Construction has begun on the 339-mile Champlain Hudson Power Express, which will deliver Canadian hydropower to New York City, reports Canary Media (here). It won't benefit us in New England, unlike the power that would have come down through defunct Northern Pass in...

HydroQuebec power link in Maine inches ahead
AP - Maine’s highest court on Tuesday upheld the lease for a small section of state land for a $1 billion electric transmission corridor, a victory for developers who hope to complete the project. (Note: this is the project that was launched after New Hampshire...
‘Age-friendly’ development might defuse old-timers’ NIMBY reflex
Seniors - people in my age group - are often an obstacle to intelligent town planning. We don't like change and we're afraid that weird things like bike lanes and housing that's different than single-family homes on big lots will "ruin the neighborhood character" and...
Climate Change Makes Things Worse, Part MCXLVII: The avalanche edition
If there’s one thing you want when heading into the backcountry in winter, it’s predictability. But that one thing is becoming harder to get. “We’re finding in the last five years that (it is) much harder to get accurate longer-range forecasts due to the weather...
NH patents through Nov. 27
The US Patent Service has changed the way it reports patents and we can no longer include direct links to each patent. You can find them here, using the patent number. By Targeted News Service WASHINGTON – The following federal patents were assigned in New Hampshire...