Sweden, a recycling-happy land where a quarter of a million homes are powered by the incineration of waste, is facing a unique dilemma: The nation has run out of much-needed fuel.
Renewable sources such as solar, wind and hydropower could fulfill almost 80 percent of the world’s energy demand by 2050 with the right policies, according to U.N.
I am happy that we’re moving in that direction. I’m no expert though, but I feel like 2050 is just not soon enough. I hope that in the common core standards being developed, we are also including skills that will push our students to the level where they will be able to contribute to solving these kind of problems in the future.
Solar cells convert sunlight to electricity. But they don’t take advantage of all that solar heat, thereby missing out on the majority of the solar energy reaching the cell. The sun’s heat can be captured to warm up liquid that can then warm a building’s water, but those devices don’t generate electricity. Now, scientists have developed a single device to do both.
I had a student two years in a row at one of the schools I worked at in the past. He had aspergers, and was fascinated by how things work. He would ask the most interesting questions — high level questions on topics that his peers weren’t even aware of. I started following more science news, so that I could share different things I learned with him. It was an excellent way to challenge him, and build our relationship. This article is something that would have really excited him. I miss being his teacher.
