Electrical power

What Causes Cascading Power Grid Failures – IEEE Spectrum

https://spectrum.ieee.org/energywise/energy/the-smarter-grid/what-causes-cascading-power-grid-failures Scientists have pinpointed vulnerable transmission lines in the North American grid that could lead to massive blackouts, helping prevent them in the future. “In the North American power grid, the set of power lines that are susceptible to failures were found to represent a surprisingly small fraction of the whole network

One Bitcoin Transaction Now Uses As Much Energy As Your House In a Week – Slashdot

https://m.slashdot.org/story/333535 It look like Bitcoin is not very “clean” technology: Bitcoin’s incredible price run to break over $7,000 this year has sent its overall electricity consumption soaring, as people worldwide bring more energy-hungry computers online to mine the digital currency.  Bitcoin miners burn through over 24 terawatt-hours of electricity annually. This averages out to a shocking 215

EMF meter GM3120

Have you ever wondered about how safe your place or position is regarding electromagnetic and magnetic fields? Then here is your chance to find out. Everyone is exposed to a complex mix of weak electric and magnetic fields, both at home and at work, from the generation and transmission of electricity, domestic appliances and industrial

Why Solar Microgrids May Fall Short in Replacing the Caribbean’s Devastated Power Systems – IEEE Spectrum

https://spectrum.ieee.org/energywise/energy/the-smarter-grid/should-a-devastated-caribbean-leap-forward-to-renewable-power-and-microgrids  After the destruction inflicted across the Caribbean by hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria, renewable energy advocates are calling for a rethink of the region’s devastated power systems. Renewables advocates argue that the island grids should leapfrog into the future by interconnecting hundreds or thousands of self-sufficient solar microgrids. Some power system experts, however, say the solar-plus-batteries

Securing smart grid and advanced metering infrastructure

http://securityaffairs.co/wordpress/63902/security/securing-smart-grid.html  During the recent years, there have been two cyber-attacks on power plants in Ukraine, which for the first time in the history succeeded to disrupted and cut power in a country.  An analysis of the events in Ukraine indicates that in order for a cyber-attack to materialize, three conditions must exist: opportunity, ability, and motivation.

The new electric utilities | TechCrunch

https://techcrunch.com/2017/10/05/the-new-electric-utilities/?ncid=rss&utm_source=tcfbpage&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Techcrunch+%28TechCrunch%29&utm_content=FaceBook&sr_share=facebook New utilities are enabled by new technologies and business models, not fuels. Almost two-thirds of Americans want renewables to be prioritized. This desire transcends party politics and climate denial. But this doesn’t mean consumers want to pay more.   Solar (and wind) power have made rapid progress against other energy options. Solar, and to a lesser extent,

The first thorium salt reactors in over 40 years were just switched on in Europe – ScienceAlert

http://www.sciencealert.com/researchers-have-conducted-the-first-thorium-salt-experiments-in-over-40-years#.WaUkb5ppSUB.facebook Netherlands-based nuclear power provider, NRG, are taking a gamble. They’re conducting experiments that could see a shift from uranium-based nuclear power to thorium. There has been the historical battle between using uranium or thorium as a nuclear fuel. Uranium provided a potential source of weapons-grade plutonium. A significant advantage of using thorium over uranium is it doesn’t

People Are Using Old Laptop Batteries to Build Their Own Versions of Tesla’s Powerwall

https://futurism.com/people-are-using-old-laptop-batteries-to-build-their-own-versions-of-teslas-powerwall/ Tesla’s Powerwall was intended to provide a convenient way for homeowners to store electricity for future use, such as when the power goes out. But with a $5,500 price tag, they haven’t been affordable for many consumers.  Some who had been interested in the tech, however, decided to try to make their own: constructed their own powerwalls by utilizing