Lifeboat Foundation

China’s economy — the 2nd-largest in the world — is teetering on the brink of disaster.

Since this spring, Beijing has canceled initial public offerings, fined tech companies billions for antitrust violations, forcibly shut down China’s entire for-profit education industry, and sent CEOs running for the exits to avoid the government’s ire. Even more dire, the Chinese megadeveloper Evergrande recently started missing payments on its more than $300 billion in debt, shaking global markets. The convulsions have woken the world up to a startling new possibility — that Beijing may be willing to allow some of its private corporate behemoths to collapse in a bid to reshape the economic model that made China a superpower.

Continue reading “If China’s economy keeps stumbling, it won’t just take down Beijing — the whole world will collapse with it” »

We have developed an absolute radiometer to measure laser power by means of radiation pressure in a closed control-loop configuration using diamagnetically levitated pyrolytic graphite as the soft spring and gravity as a contactless restoring force. Our approach takes advantage of an extremely low spring stiffness (2.95 mN/m) afforded by diamagnetic levitation above a permanent magnet array and a lock-in amplifier in the feedback loop to attain a 30mWrms noise. A horizontally directed laser beam impinges on a highly reflective dielectric stack mirror mounted on the levitating pyrolytic graphite shuttle. The light’s momentum displaces the shuttle, and its position is restored by tilting the magnet array with a piezoelectric actuator. The closed-loop configuration avoids the need for accurate knowledge of the system spring stiffness or environmental dependencies of the diamagnetic levitation. Absolute laser power measured is traceable to the mass of the diamagnetically levitating shuttle system, the local gravitational acceleration, and the interferometrically measured tilt angle of the magnet array. The system is demonstrated with a laser power of 2.7 W, yielding a combined relative expanded uncertainty (k=2) of 1.9%. The upper limit of measurable power is determined by the range of the piezoelectric actuator, and the minimum power is currently limited by the noise floor that is constrained by air currents.

Scientists are experimenting with technologies for creating rocket fuel on Mars. The studies could also help combat greenhouse gas emissions on Earth.

Humanity’s quest to set foot on Mars is one of its most ambitious and complex endeavors. Yet, despite all the innovative ideas and intricate technology this goal requires, we may be able to achieve it by improving what we already know how to do. A number of research projects attempt to figure out how to we can utilize the exis… See more.

Dubbed GEH2, the hydrogen system has a size of 1,150×2,200x3350mm and weighs in at 3.5 tons. It features IP43 ingress protection and is able to operate at temperatures between-5 and 45 degrees Celsius. Its output voltage is between 230 and 400 V.

The generator has a power of 110 kVA and its lifetime is guaranteed for two years or 15,000 hours. Its autonomy at 50% of prime running power is around eight hours. It can be started instantaneously and also features a double adduction system that allows continuous operation.

The contract is aimed at design demonstration, says the awardee.

The U.S. Army has moved a step closer to a future where it uses directed energy weapons to counter its adversaries. The Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office (RCCTO) of the U.S. Army has awarded a contract to General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) and Boeing to develop a prototype of a 300kW-class laser weapon system, a press release said.

In its efforts to strengthen its Short-Range Air Defense (SHORAD), the U.S. military is using multiple approaches. Earlier this week, we reported that General Dynamics was teaming up with Epirus Inc., to deliver a directed energy weapon using high-power microwave technology. The weapon developed through this collaboration will find its way on the Stryker combat vehicles that General Dynamics makes for the U.S. Army.

In groundbreaking new research, scientists have made a structural battery 10 times better than in any previous experiment.

What’s a structural battery, and why is it such a big deal? The term refers to an energy storage device that can also bear weight as part of a structure—like if the studs in your home were all batteries, or if an electric fence also held up a wall.

Trees make everything better. Even EV batteries.

Trees provide the air we breathe, and now, in an interesting turn of events, they might also help to power our electronics. A team of researchers from Brown University and the University of Maryland developed a new material that can be used in solid-state batteries to improve the safety and power of traditional batteries by replacing the liquids typically used in lithium-ion cells, a press statement reveals.

The material in question is a kind of cellulose nanofibril, which takes the form of polymer nanotubes derived from wood. The researchers found that it could be combined with copper to produce a paper-thin material that has an ion conductivity between 10 and 100 times better than other polymer ion conductors.

Go to http://brilliant.org/Undecided to sign up for free. And also, the first 200 people will get 20% off their annual premium membership. While renewable energy sources like solar and wind have now become cheaper than fossil fuels, developing long-term energy storage is key to overcome their intermittency. Lithium-ion batteries are the state-of-the-art battery technology but they can only cost-effectively provide energy for about 6 hours. So, what if we could extend the battery duration to 100 hours… out of thin air … and rust? Literally!

Watch Perovskite Solar Cells Could Be the Future of Energy: https://youtu.be/YWU89g7sj7s?list=PLnTSM-ORSgi7sp17ey2ydGRGBTFijdYCh.

Continue reading “Why Rust Batteries May Be the Future of Energy — Iron Air Battery Technology” »

Good day to you all, Hertz have certainly smelt the coffee… will the rest of the world catch up? It is a fact. Clean energy already beats dirty energy and the gaps will only increase with time. It is also a fact that we will produce more than we need, and it will be much cheaper than it is today. Just imagine what global problems could be solved with cheap, clean, abundant energy! If you want more detail then in this video I look at where we are, how mis-pricing of legacy generation is making them appear less expensive than they really are, and how incorrect projections for solar, wind and batteries are giving decision makers flawed future projections, and how clean, renewable energy could help solve some of the greatest problems we face…quickly. Have an amazing day.

Clean energy future — cheap abundant energy will solve so many problems.

Continue reading “Clean Energy Future. Cheap Abundant Energy Will Solve So Many Problems” »