Sustainability – Lifeboat News: The Blog

This natural abundance has drawn high interest from the research community to chemically convert lignin into biofuels. And if plant life really does hold the building blocks for renewable fuels, it would seem that we are literally surrounded by potential energy sources everywhere green grows.

But untangling the complex chains of these polymers into components, which can be useful for liquid fuel and other applications ranging from pharmaceuticals to plastics, has presented an ongoing challenge to science and industry.

Scientists Have Drilled Into Earth’s Hidden 8th Continent

Posted by Shailesh Prasad in climatology, sustainability

Oct 6
2017

This Northern Hemisphere summer, researchers spent two months collecting samples from a submerged landmass known as Zealandia.

As a result, we could gain new insight into everything from ancient life forms to climate change.

Tens of millions of years ago, a landmass that’s being referred to as Zealandia was largely submerged beneath the Pacific Ocean. This summer, a team of scientists set out on an underwater expedition using an advanced research vessel, and the results might yield brand-new insight into Earth’s prehistory.

Scotland’s wind turbines are becoming increasingly efficient at meeting the nation’s power needs

Posted by Dan Kummer in business, sustainability

Oct 6
2017

Wind turbines produced double the amount of power required to meet Scotland’s electricity needs Monday, according to researchers.

Environmental group WWF Scotland said Friday that analysis of data provided by WeatherEnergy showed the country’s wind turbines sent 86,467 megawatt hours of electricity to the National Grid on Monday.

That day, total electricity consumption in Scotland – including homes, industry and businesses – was 41,866 megawatt hours, WWF Scotland said, meaning that wind power produced the equivalent of 206 percent of the nation’s needs.

Some Future 015

Posted by Zoltan Istvan in climatology, existential risks, sustainability, transhumanism

Oct 3
2017

New SomeFuture podcast out. My 45-min interview starts at 55 min and is on #transhumanism:

Introduction: (0:11–1:29)

Present Futures: Animal AND Human Extinction?: (1:30–12:51)

Present Futures: Technology to fix climate change: (12:52–26:53)

PaleoFutures- Philip K. Dick: (26:57–40:06)

Continue reading “Some Future 015” | >

Ikea has debuted an indoor farm that grows greens three times faster than a garden

Posted by Dan Kummer in food, habitats, sustainability

Oct 3
2017

Ikea is known for its flat-pack kitchen tables, islands, and cabinets.

Now the home furnishings retailer is experimenting with products that allow people to harvest food at home.

Space10, Ikea’s innovation lab, has designed a prototype of a mini-farm that can grow greens and herbs indoors.

Tesla says it’s halfway done building the world’s biggest battery

Posted by Dan Kummer in Elon Musk, energy, sustainability, transportation

Oct 3
2017

On Friday, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said that the company was halfway done building the battery bank that will become the world’s biggest battery once it’s complete. Musk made the announcement at a party overlooking the project’s construction, ABC News Australia reported.

Tesla is building the 129-MWh battery with French energy company Neoen. The battery will be draw energy from Neoen’s Hornsdale wind farm that’s 142 miles north of Adelaide. The electricity will be delivered to South Australians during peak grid times to reduce the number of blackouts in the area, which are frequent in summer months.

“The system is a big battery, a battery big enough to power 50,000 houses — the biggest in the world,” Neoen global COO Romain Desrousseaux previously told Business Insider.