Electrical power

https://spectrum.ieee.org/computing/software/fuel-cells-poised-to-replace-indias-diesel-generators Diesel generators are widely used for decentralized power generation. These generators, although inexpensive, are inefficient and pose great environmental and health risks. Scientists are investigating cleaner, cost-effective, and more dependable technology for powering telecom towers and eventually buildings. A promising answer to the cost and pollution conundrum can be found in proton exchange membrane fuel →

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 →

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 →

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 →

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 →

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. →

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, →

What is inside this old mains power filter? →

Here is picture of huge electrical switching device I saw today. I believe it is going to be installed inside or next to a big data center. I belive that this is made for controlling several megawatts of three phase 110 kV power. It seems to be made by ABB. →

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 →