Category Archives: Energy

Skysails

Posted on Tue, 2012-11-27 by gravityloss

These ram air kites by Skysails power flying in a figure eight circuit can develop power and also work as ship propulsion. Ideas like this have probably been toyed by many, it’s nice to see some execution. The biggest current product is … Continue reading →

Posted in airplane, Energy, Transportation | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

How are we going to heat our cities in the future?

Posted on Mon, 2012-01-30 by gravityloss

Changed the title picture again. Air happened to be in such a configuration that the smoke from the hood district heating plant travelled horizontally. It uses fuel oil and isn’t in use most days. Only when it’s quite cold like … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Energy | 3 Comments

Three kinds of hybrids

Posted on Tue, 2011-05-24 by gravityloss

The next fifteen years. Pure Electric – will be marginal Battery energy density will probably be lousy and they will be expensive so that pure electric cars can’t fill that many needs in the next fifteen years. What kind of … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate, Design, Energy, engines, industry, Motivation, Thorium, Transportation, Uncategorized | 6 Comments

Fukushima, Japan, Information

Posted on Mon, 2011-03-14 by gravityloss

Status of the reactors: JAIF, Japanese Atomic Industrial Forum: http://www.jaif.or.jp/english/ Radiation status in Japan: http://www.bousai.ne.jp/eng/speedi/pref.php?id=08 Radiation status in Finland: http://www.yle.fi/tekstitv/images/P867_02.gif Radiation units: Becquerel is counts per second (particles/photons) A 1 GW coal plant releases radioactive stuff in a year that produce … Continue reading →

Posted in Energy, industry, Thorium, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Have a good 2011!

Posted on Fri, 2010-12-31 by gravityloss

Greetings from wintry Helsinki! It’s the second snow-laden winter in a row. It’s manageable as we have the equipment and attitude for it. That also means it costs a lot as most of the snow needs to be plowed away … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate, Energy, meta, Transportation | Leave a comment

Why precool but not liquify – Skylon and SABRE

Posted on Fri, 2010-10-29 by gravityloss

Well, I thought maybe I could add some content. Everybody’s heard about the British Hotol follower Skylon and its airbreathing SABRE engines. What’s special about them? My understandin’s based on this excellent document from Reaction Engines explaining why the system … Continue reading →

Posted in airplane, Architecture, Design, Energy, engines, ESA, industry, Launchers, RLV:s, Suborbital, Transportation, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Gravity Assist Competition

Posted on Wed, 2010-10-06 by gravityloss

Or The Space Game, by ESA. This is a nice javascript webpage where a probe is shot from Earth to Jupiter with gravity assists at Venus (twice), Earth and Mars. You try to achieve the lowest propulsive delta vee. You … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Astronomy, Depot, Design, Energy, ESA, Homebuilt, industry, Launchers, Lunar, Models, Motivation, Science Links, Spacecraft | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Automotive X-Prize Winners

Posted on Sat, 2010-09-18 by gravityloss

Huh, it always takes a long time to find anything on web pages that are so cluttered up. Here. No idea what the MPGe or miles per gallon equivalent is. EDIT: Here’s ERA’s video (they didn’t win, although they were … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Art, Climate, Design, Energy, engines, Homebuilt, industry, RLV:s | Leave a comment

New Energy Production Processes – A Technical Lecture Series

Posted on Wed, 2010-09-15 by gravityloss

There’s a free lecture series (it’s also a course but attendance is open) at HUT Aalto University about new energy technologies, organized by a friend of mine who works at the lab there. Here’s the lecture program (they will be … Continue reading →

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The Swiss Monotracer Two-Wheel Car

Posted on Wed, 2010-08-11 by gravityloss

If you speak german, this video is nice. They show it driving, in construction and design. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=v9-hMlN19NE&feature=related] Though it is complex, heavy at 450 kg and expensive at 62,000 euros. Uses a BMW motorcycle engine and sits two people in … Continue reading →

Posted in airplane, Energy, Motivation, Transportation | Tagged , , | Leave a comment