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POPSA Giant Solar Tower Could Power the Future On a sunny day, the air at the top of the tower would be 70 degrees Fahrenheit (20 degrees Celsius), whereas the air in the greenhouse could reach 160 degrees Fahrenheit (70 degrees Celsius). As this hot air escapes up the tower at 34 mph (15 meters per second), it spins 32 turbines that generate up to 200 megawatts of electricity. Even with all this power, the solar tower is less than one tenth as efficient as solar cells in converting the sun's energy into electricity. The advantage for a solar tower is that its materials are much less expensive.
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POPSWomen Thrive Worldwide caught my eye -- I'd like to see this organization and KIVA, my favorite social service organization, work to do more in the U.S. http://www.kiva.org/lender/deb4800
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POPSHow Parking Lots Can Beat the Heat & Gain Energy On hot, sunny days when air conditioners threaten to overload the power grid, solar power generation makes a lot of sense. Parking lots in asphalt-rich cities have great solar potential because the panels can be oriented to optimize power production during summer afternoons when electricity is most valuable. Google, for example, has installed solar canopies on its parking lots to satisfy 30 percent of its headquarters' power demand. Because the parking lots for most commercial buildings are bigger than the buildings themselves, economies of scale for large installations can further reduce the cost of the solar panels. We shouldn't wait until the next heat wave to think about getting solar power from our parking lots.
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POPSHey, it was legal! on admitting to govt sanctioned waterboarding- they won't be able to blame the "rogue" CIA this time!
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POPSBill Richardson on foreign policy since he may be Obama's VP, and this guy has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize 5 times, here's his bio http://www.governor.state.nm.us/governor.php
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POPSArctic Sea Ice images Arctic ice extent from satellite photos. The picture on the left was taken in September 1979; the picture on the right was taken on September 9, 2007--most of you have seen the news in 2008-we continue to have big break-offs of ice Go here for current projections of 2050 and 2100 http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2007/06/vanishing-sea-ice/sea-ice-interactive
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POPS10 reasons to avoid nuclear energy This issue is also related to water shortage and drought-read the article on this relationship. Already, wind energy can produce electricity for less than five cents per kWh, and concentrated solar power can produce energy for 11-12 cents per kWh—even at night—and these costs are decreasing. Alternatives do not produce nuclear waste, and they do not face the same extensive safety, regulatory, and construction costs and delays that nuclear does.