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Electricity utilities need to understand Smart Grids and Renewable Energy

the technology enables utilities to integrate renewable energies, such as wind, water and solar, into the grid…… Smart grids enable the power gathered from the solar source to be retained in energy storage systems which can then feed into the grid during periods of peak demand, or when other renewable energy sources are low….the vast majority of utilities do not realise the full capabilities it delivers……


The Last Word: Developing the Smart Grid | Renewable Energy World, Bastian Fischer, December 29, 2010 “……….There is undoubtedly increasing pressure on organisations and countries to become greener. One of the biggest contributors to CO² emissions is the electric utility industry, accounting for a quarter of all carbon dioxide emissions worldwide, the largest share amongst all industries. Continue reading →

December 30, 2010 Posted by | EUROPE, renewable, technology | 2 Comments

Let us rejoice in the noble Stuxnet anti nuclear computer virus

The virus was set off against the Iranian nuclear threat mostly to ensure Israel’s safety and survival – but also that of all the other countries in the region

My New Friend is a Virus: Stuxnet, Philadelphia Jewish Voice,– by Annette H. Sabbah, 26 Dec 10, No, no, no… not the kind that makes us humans sick. This one is neither airborne nor contagious. Nor is it contingent on human proximity to insure high volume spreading capacity. This is one neither you nor I should fear – but rather rejoice in. Continue reading →

December 28, 2010 Posted by | Israel, technology | Leave a comment

Explaining uranium enrichment

What is uranium enrichment?, Factbox, by David Cutler, 27 Dec 10, “…….WHAT IS ENRICHMENT:-– Enrichment is a process of increasing the proportion of fissile isotope found in uranium ore (represented by the symbol ‘U’) to make it usable as nuclear fuel or the compressed, explosive core of nuclear weapons.
* WHY URANIUM MUST BE ENRICHED: Continue reading →

December 27, 2010 Posted by | Iran, technology | Leave a comment

Evidence of radiation effects in humans from atomic tests and nuclear reactors

Radiation and Public Health Project (RPHP), a case-control study, is the first evidence that bomb tests harmed Americans using actual levels of fallout in human bodies………..has much current relevance……….The RPHP study of baby teeth showed that Sr-90 levels in children near reactors were 30-50 percent greater than children in distant areas, and that levels were rising sharply over time, as aging reactors corrode.

Did the Atom Bomb Test Fallout Cause Cancer?, THE HUFFINGTON POST, Samuel S. Epstein, 23 Dec 10, The huge mushroom clouds from atom bomb tests of the 1950s and 1960s are an unforgettable part of the American saga. The tests were cloaked in rhetoric typical of the Cold War, i.e. they were needed to achieve “superiority” over the Soviets in the event of a nuclear war.But all the patriotic nuclear talk couldn’t prevent widespread concern that nuclear war would kill tens of millions. But many were also troubled by fallout in the mushroom clouds, which contained huge amounts of over 100 deadly radioactive chemicals that traveled through the air across the continental U.S. Precipitation brought this fallout back to earth — and into the food chain and human bodies……. Continue reading →

December 24, 2010 Posted by | health, technology, USA | 1 Comment

Why use X ray airport screening, and why no checking of the system?

Or better yet, why not just use an alternative passenger screener that doesn’t use x-rays at all? As we discussed on Science Friday on November, 2010 these scanners are certainly available and would be a viable, easy option and not expose passengers, pilots, crew, or TSA employees to x-rays

Airport X-ray Screeners: Who’s Checking The Machines? Science Friday December 21, 2010 by Ira Flatow A few weeks ago, I blogged about my experiences with airport luggage screeners who wanted to wear radiation badges but were discouraged from doing so. It’s really the only way of knowing just how much cumulative radiation a person is exposed to during a day, a week, a month. Continue reading →

December 22, 2010 Posted by | health, technology, USA | Leave a comment

Attack on a UK nuclear train would be a terrorist coup

particularly concerned about the possibility of an attack on the nuclear trains that go through the main Olympic site in east London, since a successful attack on one of them in its vicinity, whether during or in the lead-up to the Games, would be a terrorist media spectacular.

Video of UK protest Guest post: The Nuclear trains that threaten our safety | The Olympic Borough

The Nuclear trains that threaten our safety, The Olympic Borough, Dec 20th, 2010 by Dave.Anyone who uses Stratford station on a regular basis may have encountered this lot, the Nuclear Trains Action Group (NTAG), doing their best to raise awareness about what they believe is a serious threat to our safety and security. Continue reading →

December 21, 2010 Posted by | technology, UK, wastes | Leave a comment

Stuxnet a more effective weapon than a military strike on nuclear plants

If the damage to the Iranian nuclear program is genuine, this makes Stuxnet something of a landmark in cyberwar history….Stuxnet-like attacks have the potential to set back their victims by many years.

Stuxnet apparently as effective as a military strike, Ars Technica By Peter Bright 17 Dec 10, Damage from the Stuxnet virus has apparently set back the Iranian nuclear program by as much as two years, according to a German security expert talking to the Jerusalem Post. This makes the virus as effective as a military strike—but without loss of life or risk of full-blown war. Continue reading →

December 17, 2010 Posted by | 2 WORLD, technology | Leave a comment

Stuxnet computer virus a better idea than Israel attacking Iran’s nukes

whomever pulled the attack created the perfect storm without getting their hands dirty.

Stuxnet Saves Israel Trouble of Iran Strike,  Liveshots, December 15, 2010  by: Leland Vittert It appears the Stuxnet computer virus may have done more harm to Iran’s nuclear program than even the most savage of air strikes could have. Continue reading →

December 16, 2010 Posted by | Israel, technology | Leave a comment

Chaos continuing in Iran’s nuclear facilities, due to Stuxnet computer worm

the worm continues to infect the computers at Iran’s two nuclear sites.

Stuxnet Worm Still Out of Control at Iran’s Nuclear Sites, Experts Say By Ed Barnes December 09, 2010| FoxNews.com Iran’s nuclear program is still in chaos despite its leaders’ adamant claim that they have contained the computer worm that attacked their facilities, cybersecurity experts in the United States and Europe say. Continue reading →

December 10, 2010 Posted by | Iran, technology | Leave a comment

Facts on airport radiation scanners

November 30, 2010 Posted by | technology, USA | , , | 1 Comment

Facts on the two types of airport Whole Body Imaging

Rafi Sala, an Israeli airport security expert who helped design security at Ben Gurion International Airport: “I don”t know why everybody is running to buy these expensive and useless machines. I can overcome the body scanners with enough explosives to bring down a Boeing 747. … That’s why we haven’t put them in our airport.”

Peek-a-Boo, I C U – Living Lake Country, By Al Neuhauser Nov. 25, 2010 “……….There are two types of Whole Body Imaging (WBI) technologies in place. They are backscatter and millimeter-wave. The first uses low-level X-rays to image the body. This passes through clothing and into you, but a portion reflects off of your skin, or “backscatters”, technically called “Compton scattering.” This radiation does penetrate, but a small amount reflects and is detected by a bank of detectors. Continue reading →

November 26, 2010 Posted by | health, technology, USA | , , , | Leave a comment

Stuxnet computer worm still stalling Iran’s uranium enrichment

Iran’s nuclear program reportedly struggling Network News By Glenn Kessler, Washington Post, November 22, 2010; Iran’s nuclear program has experienced serious problems, including unexplained fluctuations in the performance of the thousands of centrifuges enriching uranium, leading to a rare but temporary shutdown, international inspectors are expected to reveal Tuesday. Continue reading →

November 26, 2010 Posted by | Iran, technology, Uranium | , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Russia planning nuclear powered space engines and nuclear plants on Mars

The Russian space agency also expressed its willingness to design a space-based nuclear power station, which can be deployed on the Mars or the moon for 10-15 years.

Russia To Start Developing Nuclear Space Engines | AHN, 23 Nov 10, Moscow, Russian Federation (AHN) – Russia is considering developing nuclear-powered space engines. Continue reading →

November 24, 2010 Posted by | Russia, technology | , , , , | Leave a comment

Nuclear plants can get double whammy from Stuxnet computer worm

“It appears that warhead one and warhead two were deployed in combination as an all-out cyberstrike against the Iranian nuclear program,”….

Worm Can Deal Double Blow to Nuclear Program, New York Times, By JOHN MARKOFF, November 19, 2010 The German software engineer who in September was the first to report that a computer worm was apparently designed to sabotage targets in Iran said Friday that the program contained two separate “digital warheads.” Continue reading →

November 21, 2010 Posted by | technology | , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Airline travellers’ choice between ionising radiation and ‘pat-down’

the relationship between ionizing radiation  is  cumulative. The time you spend on an airplane + the time you spend getting dental or medical x-rays……….accumulates, every hour of it increasing the probability of tumor formation.

What full body scanner radiation means to you –  Examiner.com, 20 Nov 10, “………..The equipment creates images of your body by scanning a narrow beam of x-rays across your body. The x-rays either penetrate your skin and propagate through your body, the same way as hospital or dental x-rays, or are bounce off your skin, back toward a detector. These back-scattered x-rays are the ones from which the image is built. Continue reading →

November 21, 2010 Posted by | technology, USA | , , , , , | Leave a comment