Electricity on EARTH Magazine

Why meteors snap, crackle and pop

Wed, 09 Aug 2017 16:40:02 -0400

A meteor streaks through the night sky over South Australia. Credit: C m handler, CC BY-SA 3.0.

Keen-eared observers sometimes report hearing popping, whistling or buzzing at the same time they see meteors pass far overhead, a perplexing phenomenon called the electrophonic effect. What causes the effect — or if it’s even real — has been discussed for centuries; famed astronomer Edmond Halley is said to have dismissed it as a figment of people’s imaginations. In a new study in Geophysical Research Letters, researchers suggest that not only is it real, but that it is caused by radio waves induced by meteors and converted to sound waves near Earth’s surface.

Electric fields lift dust into the air at massive scales

Mon, 17 Oct 2016 09:26:22 -0400

Francesca Esposito (third from right) and her research team measure dust and electric fields in the Sahara Desert. Credit: Francesca Esposito.

During the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, black blizzards of dust enveloped the Great Plains, destroying crops. When farmers heard a crackling sound over the radio, they often knew a dust storm was coming, as such storms carry an electric field that can disrupt electronic equipment. Scientists have known since the 1800s that these fields exist, but how they might affect the swirling dust around them has not been understood. In airborne dust over the Sahara Desert, scientists have now directly measured these electric fields for the first time and found that, if strong enough, the fields can lift vast amounts of dust into the air.

D.C. wastewater no longer going to waste

Thu, 14 Jan 2016 11:16:45 -0500

In 2015, D.C. Water, which treats wastewater from Washington, D.C., and the Maryland and Virginia suburbs, began using a thermal hydrolysis treatment system to convert sewage into electricity. Credit: D.C. Water.

D.C. Water & Sewer Authority, which treats sewage from Washington, D.C., as well as from the Maryland and Virginia suburbs ringing the city, is the biggest consumer of electricity in the U.S. capital. But last September, D.C. Water began creating its own power, becoming the first utility in the country to convert sewage into electricity.

Solar storms cause spike in electrical insurance claims

Thu, 02 Oct 2014 20:57:19 -0400

A new study suggests that solar storms correlate with upticks in business insurance claims for complications such as electrical surges, arcing and overheating. Credit: Kathleen Cantner, AGI.

On March 13, 1989, a geomagnetic storm spawned by a solar outburst struck Earth, triggering instabilities in the electric power grid that serves much of eastern Canada and the U.S. The storm led to blackouts for more than 6 million customers and caused tens of millions of dollars in damages and economic losses. More than 25 years later, the possibility of such a catastrophe still looms, and the day-to-day effects of space weather on electrical systems remain difficult to quantify. Now, a new study correlating electrical insurance claims with geomagnetic data suggests that even moderate space weather may play a significant role in destabilizing the power grid.

Energy storage brings a renewable energy future one step closer

Wed, 04 Sep 2013 11:28:57 -0400

The 20-megawatt Gemasolar concentrated solar power plant in Spain uses a "power tower" and is capable of storing 15 hours of solar power. Copyright Markel Redondo, Greenpeace

Renewable energy sources promise to address many of the energy challenges facing society: They derive power from inexhaustible supplies of sunlight and wind and have the capability to meet a substantial portion of global electricity demands without adding greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. However, renewable power supplies must first overcome one inherent drawback: variability. Humans can’t control when the sun shines or how much the wind blows — nor can society adjust its daily rhythms to use energy only when nature provides it — and that’s a fundamental problem for utilities seeking to incorporate renewable power sources into the existing energy infrastructure.

Why is the U.S. so insecure about its energy security? Measures of energy independence show it is increasing, not decreasing

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 10:03:43 -0400

The U.S. is the world's third-largest petroleum producer, second-largest coal producer and largest natural gas producer. Copyright Michael Collier, ESW Image Bank

The U.S. is the third-largest oil producer worldwide, but our demand far outstrips our production. ©porchlife, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic

The Keystone XL pipeline might resemble the TransAlaska Pipeline (above). Most of it would be aboveground and would carry oil from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. Copyright BP p.l.c.

The sharp increase in U.S. natural gas production, beginning in 2008, was driven by exploitation of shale gas formations such as the Bakken shale formation in North Dakota and Montana through the combined technologies of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing. Statoil

Author Fred Beach courtesy of Fred Beach

In recent years, every time an election has rolled around, politicians have espoused the necessity of energy independence and energy security. According to them, if we are to achieve the necessary level of energy security we need to “drill, baby, drill,” develop “clean coal,” install new pipelines, develop renewable energy, make sure our cars get better gas mileage, or [fill in another sound bite of your choosing here]. A listener could easily conclude that the U.S. lacks energy security. But what do the numbers tell us about our current state of independence? And is the political sloganeering grounded in fact, or does it ignore how much our situation has changed already?

The dangers of solar storms: That which gives power can also take it away

Wed, 02 Jan 2013 11:27:11 -0500

A powerful solar flare recorded on July 14, 2000, by the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) satellite. The bright spot near the center is a flare, which was classified an X-5, among the most powerful. X-class flares, the largest class, can trigger planet-wide radio blackouts and long-lasting radiation storms. SOHO (ESA & NASA)

Kathleen Cantner, AGI

Orange outlines highlight the areas in the U.S. that are most vulnerable to electrical outages due to a severe geomagnetic storm, according to a 2008 report from the National Research Council. Kathleen Cantner, AGI

The transmission of radio signals between Earth and GPS satellites, which are vital for transportation, can be disrupted by the ionizing effects of X-rays and extreme ultraviolet light emitted by solar flares. Kathleen Cantner, AGI

This image, taken Jan. 8, 2002, by the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory's (SOHO's) LASCO C2 instrument, shows a widely spreading coronal mass ejection blasting more than a billion tons of matter out into space at millions of kilometers per hour, with a superimposed image of the sun from SOHO's Extreme-ultraviolet Imaging Telescope. SOHO (ESA & NASA)

Global projections of ground-level magnetic field disturbances during the May 1921 (top) and March 1989 (bottom) geomagnetic storms. The 1989 event left 6 million people in Quebec without power. Courtesy of Storm Analysis Consultants

In last month’s issue of EARTH, we explored what is known about solar activity, the sun and its interaction with Earth. This month, we examine the possible effects of solar activity and the vulnerability of power grids and satellites, as well as what is being done to reduce that vulnerability.

Voices: Must we capture and store carbon from coal to meet emission-reduction targets?

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 03:51:09 -0500

Last Wednesday, Sens. John Kerry and Joe Lieberman unveiled a comprehensive energy bill (PDF) called the American Power Act. The central purpose of the proposed legislation (along with a similar bill passed by the House of Representatives in June 2009) is to significantly curb the nation’s carbon dioxide emissions.

Making electric grids smarter

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 06:41:58 -0500

Digital Vision

The Smart House: Xcel Energy's Smart House would include a smart meter, applicances, thermostat, high-speed connections and a plug-in for a hybrid electric car. Xcel Energy

SmartGridCity customers can view energy savings, calculate hours of backup power and adjust temperature settings online. Xcel Energy

Plug-in electric hybrids can add energy back to the grid by storing energy during braking. Xcel Energy

Smart meters allow power companies and consumers to better monitor electrical usage. Adrian Pritchett

General Electric advertised its involvement in smart grid technology during the Superbowl, with a take-off on 'If I Only Had a Brain' from 'The Wizard of Oz.' GE

How information technology will make America's electrical system cleaner, more efficient and more reliable.

Val and Bud Peterson are passionate about saving electricity — a seemingly hard thing to pull off given their lifestyle. The couple lives in a 650-square-meter (7,000-square-foot) two-story house in the mountains, provided by Bud’s job as chancellor of the University of Colorado at Boulder. They regularly entertain. But to save energy, Val and Bud don’t subject their guests to a low-set thermostat. And they don’t freeze themselves once the party’s over. In fact, they’re as comfortably warm as ever — yet, recently, their electric bill decreased.