Could many hills in the UK become the batteries of tomorrow?

A new system can transform thousands of hills in the UK into large batteries. A team of engineers have developed a system which would allow Hydropower to store and release power within gently sloping hills and without the huge dams currently needed.

The idea of these small hydropower systems, is that we could build many of these tiny dams for far less than just a few large ones. More importantly, it would come with far less negative issues to those that come with historic large dams (for instance the proposed dam which threatens the future of 8th great ape species the Tapulani Orangutan).

Continue reading “Could many hills in the UK become the batteries of tomorrow?”

Paris agreement for nature?

At the beginning of January an new agreement was signed by 50 countries who pledged to protect 30% of the earths land and oceans. The intention of this agreement is to stem the flow of extinctions that human activity has been causing for the last few centuries.

The hope is that this agreement can form the basis of a larger agreement at the UN, building on the early commitments from nations such as Nigeria Pakistan Costa Rica Canada and many more.

Continue reading “Paris agreement for nature?”

HSBC is voting on stopping funding coal? about time, but not action for 19 years

Over the last few years it has become increasingly clear that conservationists approach to fossil fuel companies were not working.

The problem is that there is a great deal of money to be made from fossil fuels. Companies like tesla hint at a world where this ceases to be the case, and the speed that the electric car market is growing, is incredibly fast. Indeed many people have commented on the fact that the growth curve of electric cars is clearly following the curve of many other disruptions from computers to mobile phones.

Continue reading “HSBC is voting on stopping funding coal? about time, but not action for 19 years”

Synthetic palm oil brewed like beer? Bill Gates investing in the possibility

Palm oil is a wonder material. Being used in a vast range of different products, it is almost impossible to avoid it in the west. Why should we try? because it has been the cause of much of the rainforest destruction on Sumatra, Borneo and lately even in the last great rainforests of west Africa.

Could we have all the palm oil we want, while at the same time replanting the rainforests which were lost?
Continue reading “Synthetic palm oil brewed like beer? Bill Gates investing in the possibility”

Super enzyme that eats plastic, now 6 times faster

I have written in the past, about a discovery made on a Japanese dump back in 2016 of a plastic eating enzyme. By working in the lab, scientists have been able to speed this process up 6 times, such that full recycling is thought to be possible of plastics within 2 years.

Could the days of sites like this – legal or otherwise, potentially become a thing of the past?
Continue reading “Super enzyme that eats plastic, now 6 times faster”

The Daily Mail is claiming blue hydrogen is better fuel for cars: let’s see if it is (hint of course not)

As in the USA, some of the UK newspapers have an illogical hatred of electric cars. Perhaps chief amongst them, in the UK, is the Daily Mail. Now, I’m unsure what it’s problem is, but this article is littered with errors.

Continue reading “The Daily Mail is claiming blue hydrogen is better fuel for cars: let’s see if it is (hint of course not)”

Bio-fuels are necessary if humans are to stop burning fossil fuels so what’s wrong?

Battery power is great for cars and taxis. Recently Tesla has shown you can make a viable electric lorry – claims the range isn’t far enough are absurd. Name one country when a lorry driver is allowed to drive for more than 4 hours without break – modern chargers can give you 4 hours of range in 15 to 30 minutes (a Tesla 3 or Y can have 180 miles in 15 minutes).

However, there are areas where fuels will be used, like rocketry. Now it is true that no one has yet made a rocket fly on biofuels, but that’s a different problem.

Continue reading “Bio-fuels are necessary if humans are to stop burning fossil fuels so what’s wrong?”

Can bio-fuels help humanity save the planet from run away global warming? yes but…

Battery power is great for cars and taxis. Recently Tesla has shown you can make a viable lorry- claims the range isn’t far enough are absurd. Name one country when a lorry driver is allowed to drive for more than 4 hours without break- modern chargers can give you 4 hours of range in 15 to 30 minutes (a Tesla 3 or y can have 180 miles in 15 minutes).

Continue reading “Can bio-fuels help humanity save the planet from run away global warming? yes but…”
See Animals Wild

Read more news

Join as a wild member
to list your wild place & log in

Join as an ambassador supporter to
support this site, help save wildlife
and make friends & log in

Join as an Associate member
to assist as a writer, creator, lister etc & to log in

List a wild destination

List a destination in
the shadow of man

List a hide for animals more easily seen this way

Highlight some news
missed, or submit a
one-off article

Browse destinations for fun or future travel

Temporary membership
start here if in a hurry

Casual readers and watchers