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Climate Disruption: What We Can Do Now

The Earth has warmed by almost two degrees Fahrenheit since 1880. This seemingly small increase in global warming explains why much of the land ice on the planet is starting to melt, the oceans are rising at an accelerating pace, and weather extremes are becoming common. Climate researchers have vetted the overwhelming science-based evidence and conclude that human activities associated with the release of greenhouse gases are the primary culprit. Continue reading “Climate Disruption: What We Can Do Now”

C2ST in the News

Searching for energy superhighway superconductor

By Bill Burton, UIC News

Originally published at: https://today.uic.edu/searching-for-energy-superhighway-superconductor

Theoretical physicist Dirk Morr ponders unusual condensed matter materials which scientists hope will one day yield a high-temperature superconductor that could be used in an “energy superhighway” to transfer energy in the form of electricity over great distances without any losses.

“Power must be generated near where it’s used,” says Morr, professor of physics. But renewable sources are often remote. Wind power, for example, would be much more feasible if the electricity generated on huge “farms” could be transferred to cities without loss of energy. Unfortunately, the highest-temperature superconductor yet known works only below a chilly minus-160 degrees Fahrenheit.

Continue reading “Searching for energy superhighway superconductor”

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The Future of Solar Energy

Solar energy holds the best potential for meeting humanity’s future long-term energy needs while cutting greenhouse gas emissions—but to realize this potential will require increased emphasis on developing lower-cost technologies and more effective deployment policy. This lecture presents results of a comprehensive study on The Future of Solar Energy by the MIT Energy Initiative (MITEI), which is part of a series of multidisciplinary reports that examine the role various energy sources could play in meeting future energy demand under carbon dioxide emission constraints. Continue reading “The Future of Solar Energy”