electricity

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Singapore Scientists Invent Remarkable Toilet

It uses 90% less water and turns your, ahem, No. 2 into electricity

(Newser) - Imagine if every time you went the bathroom you did a little good for the planet. That green dream could soon be entirely possible, thanks to a new invention out of Singapore: a toilet system that transforms human droppings into electricity and fertilizer and uses 90% less water per flush...

Scientists Invent Paint-On Batteries

Spray-painted power source is half a millimeter thick

(Newser) - If you tend to associate spray paint with nefarious behavior involving graffiti, prepare to have your mind blown. Scientists have invented batteries that can be spray painted onto any surface. Researchers at Rice University demoed the new technology by coating steel, glass, and a beer mug with painted-on batteries. "...

6 Things You Should Unplug to Cut Your Energy Bill

Weirdest entry on list: digital picture frames

(Newser) - You're probably spending $100 per year on energy costs for devices that are plugged in—even if they're switched off, an EPA spokesperson tells Mother Jones . She lists six of the worst offenders you should consider unplugging first if you want to save energy—and cash:
  • Cable boxes:
...

Sick? Next-Gen Generators Are Viruses
 Next-Gen 
 Generators 
 Are Viruses 
how sick
May 16, 2012 8:01 AM CDT

Next-Gen Generators Are Viruses

Device uses viruses to harvest electricity from movement

(Newser) - Scientists have unveiled what they say could be the forerunner of many virus-powered gadgets. A team at the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has created a tiny generator powered by a benign virus, reports the BBC . When a finger touches an electrode coated with viruses, they converted...

Weight of Electrons Running the Internet Estimated at 2 Ounces
 How Much Does 
 the Internet Weigh? 
Brainiacs ask
Nov 6, 2011 2:50 PM CST

How Much Does the Internet Weigh?

As much as a strawberry ... or just one grain of sand

(Newser) - How much does the Internet weigh? No, it's not a Zen koan. The answer is about 1.8 ounces, around the same as a single strawberry, reports the Telegraph . How did anyone figure this out? Well, the Internet runs on electricity, and electrons have a tiny amount of weight—...

New York Cuts Power in Zuccotti Park

Cops seize protesters' generators

(Newser) - Lights out at Zuccotti Park: New York officials seized generators and gas canisters from Occupy Wall Street protesters today, the New York Daily News reports. Police and firefighters arrived at the site this morning to ask protesters for the items, citing safety concerns. “They made an announcement on a...

Your Electric Bill Is Going Up

Utilities have to pay for needed upgrades: Daily Beast

(Newser) - The Daily Beast delivers some bad news after looking at the regulatory filings of utilities across the country: Electric rates are going up, and they won't be coming back down for a while. The problem is that the utilities have to make badly needed repairs to the nation's...

Odd Theft Leaves Village in the Dark

Repeated cable robberies halt trains in Britain

(Newser) - A rash of power line thefts is dogging Britain. An entire English village lost electricity for several hours on Friday after thieves stole some 3,000 feet of cable—and it’s the second such theft in that county alone since August, This Is Lincolnshire reports. It’s a running...

Worker 'Moving Equipment' Plunged 6M Into Darkness

But probers wonder how simple screw-up spread so far, so fast

(Newser) - Power company officials believe a worker moving a piece of monitoring equipment in an Arizona utility substation likely turned off the lights yesterday for a massive 6 million customers stretching through southern California and Mexico. "This was not a deliberate act. The employee was just switching out a piece...

Google Electricity Use: Enough for 200K Homes

Company consumed 2.3B kilowatt hours in 2010

(Newser) - So how much juice does it take for Google to power all its searches and servers, not to mention email and YouTube? Lots, as in 2.3 billion kilowatt hours of electricity in 2010, reports the San Jose Mercury News . That's enough for about 200,000 houses. The company...

Power Grid Experiment May Confuse Electric Clocks

Or not ... obscure test will soon find out

(Newser) - If electric clocks seem a little off later this year, there's good reason: A yearlong experiment conducted by the group that manages the nation's power grid is expected to begin, and it could theoretically make electric clocks run up to 20 minutes fast. It's also possible that...

20 Most Toxic States
 20 Most Toxic States 
Jul 21, 2011 3:40 PM CDT

20 Most Toxic States

Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Florida at the top

(Newser) - Ohio accounts for more air pollution than any other state, according to a new report from the Natural Resources Defense Council spotted by LiveScience . The state's power plants pumped out 44.5 million pounds of chemicals in 2009, or 12% of all US industrial air pollution. Overall, US power...

'Bio-Batteries:' Microbe Energy Comes Closer

Scientists move closer to harnessing bacteria's natural electricity

(Newser) - Microbe-powered devices could be just a decade away thanks to new findings about how the tiny organisms release natural electric charges, researchers say. Scientists have discovered atom-size "wires" sticking through the cell walls of bacteria. The finding will allow researchers to design electrodes that can pick up electrical charges...

New Nanotech Could Lead to Heart-Powered Phones

First commercially viable nanogenerators unveiled

(Newser) - Scientists say a big leap forward in nanotechnology has put them on the road to creating electronics that won't run out of juice until their owners do. Researchers say they have made the first commercially viable nanogenerators, which can use tiny movements like a pinch of a finger or even...

Mexico Helps Power Texas During Storm

It transmits electricity to help state get through crisis

(Newser) - Wintry storms this week have left Texas scrambling to conserve electricity to prevent widespread blackouts. Power companies are working quickly to restore power, says Gov. Rick Perry, but rolling blackouts swept the state yesterday to help balance the lack of energy. In an ironic turn of events, Mexico's state electricity...

Keep Cool in the Heat Wave
 Keep Cool in 
 the Heat Wave 
Jul 5, 2010 3:40 PM CDT

Keep Cool in the Heat Wave

Experts offer tips for saving money on air-conditioning

(Newser) - Almost one-fifth of Americans' spending on utilities goes toward keeping cool, but the total doesn't have to be that high, reports USA Today . With most of the US in the grip of a heat wave , some pointers for becoming less reliant on less air-conditioning and lowering your electric bill:
  • Get
...

Arizona Candidate: Cut Off Illegals' Electricity

Barry Wong insists he's serious

(Newser) - If you thought Arizona couldn't get any less hospitable to Hispanic people—er, illegal immigrants—think again. Barry Wong, who's running for the state's Corporation Commission, is pushing a plan to cut off electricity to any building suspected of harboring illegal immigrants. He'd have the power to do that, he...

LA to Arizona: Just Try to Cut Our Power

Officials say the state can't do it

(Newser) - Officials in LA are scoffing at an Arizona public utilities commissioner's threat to cut the city's power because of its decision not to do business with Arizona, pointing out that the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power owns a share of the Arizona power plants that supply juice to...

AZ Commish to LA Mayor: Put Up or Shut Up

Official wants to know if city no longer wants Arizona electricity

(Newser) - Arizona commissioner Gary Pierce has sent a letter to Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa wondering if the mayor feels so strongly about his city's boycott that he wants the electricity it gets from Arizona turned off as well. LA currently receives 25% of its power from the state, and the...

Earth Hour Under Way
 Earth Hour Under Way 
Mar 27, 2010 9:38 AM CDT

Earth Hour Under Way

Lights go out for an hour at 8:30pm

(Newser) - Earth Hour is under way, with cities in Australia and New Zealand being the first to turn off the lights in main buildings and landmarks at 8:30pm local time. About 4,000 cities in more than 120 countries are expected to participate in the fourth annual event, reports AP...

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