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The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster was the largest nuclear disaster since Chernobyl. It was a series of nuclear meltdowns and releases of nuclear material that occurred after an earthquake and tsunami hit Japan on March 11, 2011. While only 38 people were injured and no one died (though some died as a result of the earthquake itself), it left many with deadly amounts of radiation, an area of land that would take decades to clean up, and a renewed fear of nuclear energy as a viable power source. When the earthquake and tsunami hit, this caused the beginnings of a meltdown to occur in many of the reactors used in the facility. These reactors heated up to unbelievable temperatures that required the Japanese to flood the reactors with seawater in an attempt to cool them down. But the attempt was in vain, because it was already too late to prevent the meltdowns of reactors 1,2, and 3 for occurring. Some of the reactors were able to be cooled when the electricity was reestablished so they did not meltdown. These problems were further exacerbated by poor planning and communication issues, like the failure to keep accurate reports of key meetings during the crisis, something which is considered very important in crisis management. And while no one saw this tragedy coming, there were signs that it very well could happen. The reactors of the facility were of an older design that most modern reactors, leading to an antiquated defense against meltdowns.

While low on actual death tolls, this event was truly a horrific thing. Thousands of people had to evacuate their homes to avoid radiation. Many people have received doses of radiation that will surely kill them in the future, as many as 1,000. The workers cleaning up after the disaster face some of the worst conditions imaginable, two of which have already died. It is also possible that there could be a very large radiation leak from the reactors, but that is yet to be seen. If the disaster should teach us anything, it should be that nuclear energy is a very powerful and dangerous technology, but when used safely and properly, can be well contained.

Sources:
http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/06/06/japan.nuclear.meltdown/index.html?iref=NS1
http://www.hyer.eu/news/regional-news/hydrogen-in-nuclear-accidents-what-is-the-role-of-the-gas-in-fukushima

http://wayback.archive.org/web/jsp/Interstitial.jsp?seconds=5&date=1305772089000&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww3.nhk.or.jp%2Fdaily%2Fenglish%2F13_03.html&target=http%3A%2F%2Fweb.archive.org%2Fweb%2F20110519022809%2Fhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww3.nhk.or.jp%2Fdaily%2Fenglish%2F13_03.html

Hydrofracking, or hydraulic  fracturing, is the use of pressurized water to fracture rocks, typically below the Earth’s surface. This is typically used to access pockets of natural gas tucked away under rock. It works by basically putting so much pressure into the cracks of a rock, that those cracks spiderweb further through it, eventually compromising the integrity of the rock and reducing it to much smaller, and manageable pieces. This is a highly controlled and calculated process, because if done improperly, can cause a variety of problems that negatively affect the Earth’s atmosphere.

Hydrofracking is a technique that has been around for quite some time but has only been used commercially very recently. The first use of hydrofracking was in 1947, but the technology had to modernize before it was ready to be used industrially in 1998 in order to obtain natural gases. Since then it has been a rather controversial technology as it has been known to contaminate nearby water and release harmful chemicals into the atmosphere. It is seen as a destructive technology to the environment (on top of the product it delivers already) and has been outright banned in France and other countries. It has also been found to be harmful to those who work with the hydrofracking equipment as it releases crystalline silica, which makes the practice under fire by the  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. All in all, hydrofracking is a complex technology based on a simple idea, that, while providing and economically viable way to obtain petroleum and natural gases, is ultimately an environmental and health concern that should really be dealt with.

Sources:
http://www.epa.gov/hydraulicfracturing/
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/shale-gas
http://blogs.cdc.gov/niosh-science-blog/2012/05/silica-fracking/

Gas mileage is something that is on many people’s minds these days. With gas prices at all time highs and the economy in a recession, people are looking to get more bang for their buck when it comes to their transportation. This, and attempts to reduce the consumption of natural gas and lessen the accumulation of greenhouse gases has caused many in the auto industry to look for new technologies and methods to increase gas mileage.
Some of these methods are rather simple, such as simply making a car’s frame more aerodynamic. A recent improvement is having the fuel supply to the engine shut off when decelerating, thereby reducing the fuel wasted needlessly. In many Hybrid vehicles (which will be detailed later) and other cars, their exists a feature that stops a car when it’s idling, reducing the fuel wasted by breaking a slightly moving car every time you reach a stop light or traffic. Nissan has recently been a big proponent of “Continuously Variable Transmission” which eliminates gears and uses a pulley system instead, which allows any speed to be a good speed for fuel efficiency. Also, things like steering and air conditioning have been altered to draw upon electric power rather than the engine (which generates the electricity intrinsically) so less fuel is used on anything other than moving.

Among the most revolutionary technologies are Hybrid Vehicles, which use a combination of internal combustion engines and electric motor(s) as opposed to just the former in most vehicles. Hybrid Vehicles are growing in popularity and come in all shapes and sizes, but they are universally more efficient than regular vehicles when it comes to gas mileage. Some have combustion engines that work in conjunction with the electric motor and others have a combustion engine that “kicks in” at a certain speed.  These engines rely on electricity gained from various sources, some of which you plug-in, and others that just have a fuel cell, but most also recapture energy that would be otherwise lost as heat. These vehicles are shown to be much more Earth-friendly than normal cars, but have a price tag too high for many people to afford, due to the advanced technologies and rare materials used in their production.
By and large, fuel efficiency has been improving in newer vehicles, as the cost and side effects of normal fuel is becoming a environmental and economic concern. I’m sure there will be many new innovations in the years to come and the use of these methods will become more and more commonplace.

References:
http://www.carpress.co.uk/automotive-news/green-car-news/
http://reviews.cnet.com/2300-10863_7-10009562.html
http://www.bankrate.com/finance/auto/hybrids-not-the-only-answer-1.aspx

The Trial <- Video of the the robot working. Albeit slowly.

 

 

The distance recorded by ruler is: 17.75 cm
The distance predicted by the program was: 18.09 cm
Due to technical difficulties and time constraints, we were unable to run another trial before class ended,but as it would seem from this trial, it’s rather accurate.  The robot didn’t go as far as it was supposed to go, but that could have easily had to do with the wire hanging from the back, dragging, or an error in a measurement somewhere down the line. But all in all, the calculation done by the program (under more optimal conditions) would probably yield the correct results.

The Germans have always been an industrious people. The better part of the past one hundred years has been focus on keeping the country fragmented and powerless due to their ability to become a political, economic, and military powerhouse within a small period of time. It has produced some of the world’s most renowned artists, writers, musicians, and scientists. The people of Germany have been crucial in the scientific development of the modern world, and one of the first to recognize the dangers of man-made climate change and to actually do something about it. In 2000, German Parliament passed the German Renewable Energy Act, an act that promised to provide tariff-incentives for each kilowatt-hour of renewable energy produced via renewable sources, and a way to provide incentives to new innovation by having the subsides lower each year for current renewable energy sources. All of this doesn’t cost the German people anything, because the subsides are not paid by the public, unlike laws that charge the producers for polluting, which is then reflected by a raise in prices which is ultimately paid by the consumer. So far, the act has gone very well, with the renewable sources actually providing a sizable profit, shifting the energy dependance of the country to renewable energy slowly, but surely, and creating many new jobs in the sector. As it stands right now, 25% of Germany’s total electricity is being produced by renewable energy and that number will only rise as time goes on. The energy produced in 2009 by various sources breaks down as follows.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ef/RE_Germany_2009_pie_chart.svg

The rising production and construction of infrastructure for renewable energy is a very exciting prospect when viewed at this point in the world. Since Germany has the 5^th largest economy in the world by GDP, the changing infrastructure and the economics of it provides a good model for how the United States could implement a similar system. Due to the fossil-fuel corporations that exist in the US however, this is likely not going to happen, at the very least not at the same rate of progress that the Germans have seen. But the German model really helps break down many of the attitudinal barriers surrounding the topic, as it wouldn’t hurt our economy at all, it would probably actually help it.

But alas, this probably won’t happen… And our arrogance and love of high profit-margins will ultimately doom our society to fail.

Oh well, good job Germany, your foresight and willingness to act is truly inspiring.

References:
http://www.erneuerbare-energien.de/files/english/pdf/application/pdf/broschuere_ee_zahlen_en_bf.pdf

http://www.spiegel.de/international/crossing-the-20-percent-mark-green-energy-use-jumps-in-germany-a-783314.html

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2011/03/new-record-for-german-renewable-energy-in-2010??cmpid=WNL-Wednesday-March30-2011