There are two reasons to be excited about my most recent column in Sierra magazine. One has to do with the topic, which is farmers using cow patties to fuel small electric power plants. The other has to do with the graphic we used to tell this remarkable story. [...]
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One little-known problem with the giant hydroelectric dams of the Columbia River in the Pacific Northwest is that they kill salmon, millions each year. It’s not just the adult ones going upstream to spawn, which have gotten lots of attention; it’s the young ones heading downstream. As many as 10 percent of salmon smolt perish as they try to wriggle through the whirling blades of the hydroelectric turbines. A solution is on its way, and I wrote about it in a story for Popular Mechanics that was published yesterday. [...] Did you know that only three percent of dams in the United States create electricity? What a waste. I heard this factoid a few months ago and was curious if anyone was trying to capture all that unused power. Yesterday a story I wrote on the subject was published at Ecomagination. [...] For this month’s ‘Innovate’ column in Sierra magazine, I took a look at what’s being done to green the data center. [...] Geothermal energy — or drilling down to trap the earth’s internal heat — is an exciting source of clean power because it exists everywhere and could supply a steady and reliable source of energy. But what does it look like, that power under our feet? In order to create the idea behind the infographic for the latest “Innovate” column in Sierra magazine, I had to dig down and find my inner sketchist. [...] While in South India last month I had the chance to visit the charming offices of the Centre for Wind Energy Technology, the Indian government’s brain trust on wind power. [...] The ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit took place last week just outside Washington, D.C., and the show floor was filled with projects that promise to advance the United States as a force in clean energy. Most of the exhibiting companies were very young and in possession of early-stage technologies that are difficult to explain. But a [...] A thought experiment to help an American understand what it would be like to be an Indian, in terms of the energy we use. [...] Vortex induced vibration is a terrifically destructive force that that has just recently been tapped as a source of renewable energy, in the form of the VIVACE converter. One day this new type of generator might electrify entire cities. But the phenomenon of vortex induced vibration has intrigued and bedeviled engineers since the days of Leonardo da Vinci. [...] My latest “Innovate” column explores the mysteries of gathering electricity from the tides. [...] |
 David Ferris is a journalist who writes about eco-business and eco-technology for publications like Popular Mechanics, Sierra magazine and Forbes. Learn more. |
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