A yearlong experiment with the nation's electric grid could mess up traffic lights, security systems and some computers - and make plug-in clocks and appliances like programmable coffeemakers run up to 20 minutes fast.
Other
Jun 24, 2011
20
1
(PhysOrg.com) -- In Sept. 1859, on the eve of a below-average1 solar cycle, the sun unleashed one of the most powerful storms in centuries. The underlying flare was so unusual, researchers still aren't sure how to categorize ...
Space Exploration
Jun 22, 2011
14
0
How does the power output from solar panels fluctuate when the clouds roll in? And can researchers predict these fluctuations? UC San Diego Professor Jan Kleissl and Matthew Lave, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Mechanical ...
Energy & Green Tech
Jun 21, 2011
0
0
A Japanese company has come up with a new way to charge your mobile phone after a natural disaster or in the great outdoors -- by heating a pot of water over a campfire.
Energy & Green Tech
Jun 20, 2011
2
0
(PhysOrg.com) -- Since 1611, humans have recorded the comings and goings of black spots on the sun. The number of these sunspots waxes and wanes over approximately an 11-year cycle -- more sunspots generally mean more activity ...
Space Exploration
Jun 14, 2011
2
0
An unusual solar flare observed by a NASA space observatory (video) on Tuesday could cause some disruptions to satellite communications and power on Earth over the next day or so, officials said.
Space Exploration
Jun 7, 2011
2
0
(PhysOrg.com) -- Conversion to renewable energy sources like wind and sun is only a question of time. Because wind and solar radiation vary in strength, the increase in renewable energy sources will cause significant fluctuations ...
Nanomaterials
Jun 7, 2011
0
0
A radically new approach to the design of batteries, developed by researchers at MIT, could provide a lightweight and inexpensive alternative to existing batteries for electric vehicles and the power grid. The technology ...
Energy & Green Tech
Jun 6, 2011
10
0
As the nation's electrical power grid becomes more interconnected through the Internet -- from the nuclear power plant in California to transmission lines in Texas to the microwave in your kitchen -- the chances of cyber ...
Computer Sciences
May 30, 2011
6
0
(PhysOrg.com) -- The city of Plainville, Conn. got a brand new carport, and this one runs entirely on the power of the sun. The carport makes use of solar panels that have been mounted of the roof in order to power vehicle ...
