#energy

AI in Action : #mining & #energy
▻https://hackernoon.com/ai-in-action-mining-energy-940a42c5cb0a?source=rss----3a8144eabfe3---4

https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/1*ikVpuyYyg8oBxaS7p_TcOA.jpeg

This is the fifth in a series of articles highlighting the many applications of Artificial Intelligence.The “extractive industries” as they’re sometimes called, Mining and Energy, were the first truly global vertical, and continue to span the globe in the pursuit of access to natural resources. AI can be of great service in innumerable ways in this field. Here’s a few examples:Risk ManagementI was talking to a pipeline company last year about risk management. At the time I was selling a tablet-based inspection system. “Data collection is not our problem” I was told. “we have lots of data automatically collected via SCADA — our need is to interpret this data effectively.” They had a great deal of data being collected along the hundreds of miles of pipeline, but were having trouble processing it (...)

#neural-networks #artificial-intelligence #oil-and-gas

The dangers of Li-ion batteries you might not be aware of
▻https://hackernoon.com/dangers-li-ion-batteries-might-aware-4960f2f75ae7?source=rss----3a8144ea

https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/1*tx8TWfPAG5-6yW5O907V8A.jpeg

Since their first introduction in 1991 by Sony, Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries have become an integral part of our daily lives. Their rechargeable properties make them ideal for an array of devices, including the smartphones and laptops we use every day. Despite this, Li-ion batteries are still criticized because of the potential safety concerns that they pose.According to #battery University, there was a huge recall of rechargeable Li-ion batteries in 1991. The inherent instabilities of lithium metal, particularly during charging, created early problems. In some cases, batteries would release hot gases, which were enough to cause burns. In order to combat the problem manufacturers developed Li-ion batteries without any metallic properties, making them far safer to use.This has not (...)

#li-ion-battery #samsung #energy #li-ion-batteries-dangers

Bitcoin’s energy use got studied, and you libertarian nerds look ev...
▻https://diasp.eu/p/7175905

Bitcoin’s energy use got studied, and you libertarian nerds look even worse than usual | #energy #bitcoin

How Blockchain Is Solving the #energy Crisis in Developing Nations
▻https://hackernoon.com/how-blockchain-is-solving-the-energy-crisis-in-developing-nations-440f5b

https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/1*Z68F4SMRusBjJ7Q8ox4Waw.jpeg

This paid story is brought to you by ImpactPPABasic electricity access is taken for granted in the tech and cryptocurrency worlds, but many people across the globe lack this basic commodity. 1.1 billion people globally lack energy access; many more communities have inconsistent or prohibitively expensive electricity.Electricity poverty has serious ramifications for quality of life in communities experiencing it. Without electricity, many modern medical procedures are impossible to do safely. Well water can’t be drawn with electric-powered pumps, lighting and climate control can’t provide basic comforts to students studying for exams or government workers carrying out important administrative tasks. Many communication tools, such as internet access or even computers themselves, are (...)

#blockchain-technology #paid-story #developing-nations #blockchain-startup

Are the smart contracts going to replace lawyers?
▻https://hackernoon.com/are-the-smart-contracts-going-to-replace-lawyers-c2d68840cb81?source=rss

https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/678/1*aExoVMJahjEgmPNpeV4VoQ.jpeg

Blockchain technology is certainly a very creative and ingenious invention that has transformed the digital world. As a world’s leading software platform, #blockchain allows cryptocurrencies to expand without need of a bank or a government, and it also saves you time.Blockchain — it is a great innovation, a decentralized system that exist between all parties and there is no need of a “middle men”. Of course that there could be some problems sometimes, but the blockchain technology resolves them in a cheaper, faster, and more secure way, which is why many banks are turning to it instead of using the traditional systems.In 1994, Nick Szabo, a cryptographer, was interested in this area and came up with an idea that the decentralized ledger can be used for smart contracts, also called as (...)

#ethereum #smart-contracts #energy #ico

New Release - #Energy #Transitions in the #Gulf: Key Questions on #Nuclear Power - Book Edited by Ali Ahmad
▻http://aub.bmetrack.com/c/v?e=C42219&c=33CE3&t=0&l=1181D762&email=SPojvuYjb%2FC2RIrz0o8eBqgp9yWU

Despite being among the world’s top oil producers, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Gulf’s largest economies, have ambitious plans to invest in nuclear power. As the interest in nuclear energy in the region grows, the need to better understand the underlying economic and security issues becomes a necessity.

In our new edited volume, “Energy Transitions in the Gulf: Key Questions on Nuclear Power” we examine the challenges and opportunities of nuclear power deployment in the Gulf and the wider Middle East region. The book is a result of a workshop held as part of the 2016 Gulf Research Meeting at the University of Cambridge, UK, under the auspices of the Gulf Research Center.

Content:
Introduction by Ali Ahmad
Download Introduction

Chapter 1: Economic Determinants of Nuclear Power in the Gulf by Omer Akkaya
Download Chapter 1

Chapter 2: Economics of Nuclear and Solar Desalination for the Middle East by Rami W. Bitar and Ali Ahmad
Download Chapter 2

Chapter 3: Requirements for High Solar Penetration in Electricity Production in Saudi Arabia by Philippe Chite and Ali Ahmad
Download Chapter 3

Chapter 4: Nuclear Energy for the Middle East: Technology Choices and Considerations by Abdalla Abou Jaoude and Anna Erickson
Download Chapter 4

Chapter 5: Iran, Uranium, and Future Proliferation Dynamics in the Middle East by Ryan Snyder
Download Chapter 5

Chapter 6: Confidence Today, Weapons of Mass Destruction Free Zone in the Middle East Tomorrow by Marianne Nari Fisher
Download Chapter 6
Download Entire Book ▻http://aub.bmetrack.com/c/l?u=785E5A1&e=C42219&c=33CE3&t=0&l=1181D762&email=SPojvuYjb%2FC2RIrz0o

Studie: Heranwachsende von der Schule gestresst (►http://www.zeit.d...
▻https://diasp.eu/p/5986643

Studie: Heranwachsende von der Schule gestresst

Kopfschmerzen, Rückenschmerzen, Schlafstörungen – Schüler leiden unter den Anforderungen des Alltags. Bereits Fünftklässler behelfen sich mit Energydrinks.

#schule #studie #heranwachsende #kopfschmerzen #rückenschmerzen #schlafstörungen #schüler #anforderungen #alltag #fünftklässler #energydrink #news #bot #rss

Alphabet’s company X works on project “Malta”, a low-cost energy storage solution using salt and antifreeze.

https://9to5google.files.wordpress.com/2017/07/x-malta-1.png

▻https://9to5google.com/2017/07/31/alphabet-x-malta-clean-energy-storage

Malta’s solution is to contain just captured electricity as thermal energy. The work behind it comes from Nobel prize-winning Stanford physics professor Robert Laughlin who created as “theoretical system that stores electricity as heat (in high temperature molten salt) and cold (in a low temperature liquid similar to the antifreeze you have in your car).”

▻https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-07-31/alphabet-wants-to-fix-renewable-energy-s-storage-problem-with-salt

#Alphabet #battery #energy

Climate change and the vulnerability of electricity generation to w...
▻https://diasp.eu/p/5793964

Climate change and the vulnerability of electricity generation to water stress in the EuropeanUnion #climate #electricity #energy #europeanunion #water

Leaked Documents Reveal Counterterrorism Tactics Used at Standing Rock to “Defeat Pipeline Insurgencies”
▻https://theintercept.com/2017/05/27/leaked-documents-reveal-security-firms-counterterrorism-tactics-at-sta

A shadowy international mercenary and security firm known as #TigerSwan targeted the movement opposed to the Dakota Access Pipeline with military-style #counterterrorism measures, collaborating closely with police in at least five states, according to internal documents obtained by The Intercept. The documents provide the first detailed picture of how TigerSwan, which originated as a U.S. military and State Department contractor helping to execute the global war on terror, worked at the behest of its client #Energy_Transfer_Partners, the company building the #Dakota_Access_Pipeline, to respond to the indigenous-led movement that sought to stop the project.

#USA #energy use in one #diagram
▻http://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2017/4/13/15268604/american-energy-one-diagram #visualisation #visualization #énergie

https://cdn2.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/8325955/lbnl_energy_spaghetti_2017.png

“Nothing like this will be built again”
▻http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/rants/nothing-like-this-will-be-buil.html #énergie #nucléaire #électricité #electricity #energy #nuclear

#Total : An Illusion of Climate Strategy
▻http://multinationales.org/Total-An-Illusion-of-Climate-Strategy

Total likes to present itself as a responsible business with a strategy for dealing with #climate_change. The French company even published its own climate strategy, explaining how it intends to contribute to the goal of keeping global warming below 2°C. But as 350.org France and Observatoire des multinationales reveal in this new report, Total’s actions and strategy are completely at odds with effective action to tackle the climate crisis. Total is facing pressure from some of its investors (...)

#Investigations

/ A la une, #Extractive_Industries, #Energy, Total, #Greenwashing, #Fossil_fuels, climate change, #shale_gas, #greenhouse_gas, #marketing, #energy, new (...)

#new_technologies
« ▻http://www.total.com/sites/default/files/atoms/files/integrating_climate_into_our_strategy_eng.pdf »
« ▻https://multinationales.org/IMG/pdf/en_total_report.pdf »
« ►https://multinationales.org/IMG/pdf/350-total.pdf »
▻http://multinationales.org/IMG/pdf/en_total_report.pdf

Great Barrier Reef and the Amazon Rainforest Among Outstanding Natural Sites Under Threat from French Multinationals
▻http://multinationales.org/Great-Barrier-Reef-and-the-Amazon-Rainforest-Among-Outstanding-Natu

Half of World Heritage sites are currently threatened by industrial development, and the oil and mining sectors pose a particular threat. So many invaluable sites and #biodiversity sanctuaries face being wiped off the map just because we are unable to do anything about our voracious model of development. Several French transnational corporations are among those involved in projects that could herald the end of these exceptional sites. Some of the sites facing destruction include national (...)

#Investigations

/ A la une, #Extractive_Industries, #Australia, #Brazil, #Canada, #Guatemala, #Guinea, #Indonesia, #Malaysia, #Netherlands, #Peru, #DR_Congo, São Tomé, #ArcelorMittal, #Areva, Bolloré, #EDF, Engie (ex GDF Suez), #Eramet, #Lafarge, #Maurel_et_Prom, #Perenco, #Total, #Socfin, (...)

#São_Tomé #Bolloré #Engie_ex_GDF_Suez_ #Energy #Extractive_Industries #environmental_impact #resource_overexploitation #extractive_industries
“▻https://www.bastamag.net/De-la-Grande-barriere-de-corail-a-l-Amazonie-ces-sites-naturels-d-exceptio”
“►http://www.wwf.fr/vous_informer/actualites/?7841/La-moitie-des-sites-du-Patrimoine-mondial-sont-menaces-par-des-activites-industr”
“►http://whc.unesco.org/fr/peril”
“►http://www.socfin.com/Files/media/News/2016-03-04---Menaces-sur-forets-africaines.pdf”
“►http://www.perenco.com”
“►http://e360.yale.edu/feature/how_nations_are_chipping_away_their_protected_lands/2989”
“►http://www.padddtracker.org”
“►http://marketforces.org.au/banks/map”
“►http://www.societegenerale.com/sites/default/files/documents/Document%20RSE/Finance%20responsable/Principes%20Generaux%20Environnementaux%20et%20Sociaux%20de%20nos%2”
“►https://www.societegenerale.com/sites/default/files/documents/Document%20RSE/Finance%20responsable/Politique%20Transversale%20Biodiversit%C3%A9.pdf”
“►http://blog.greenpeace.fr/bollore-zero-deforestation”
“►http://forets.greenpeace.fr/la-socfin-menace-toujours-les-forets-africaines”

À l’heure des data center détenus par la NSA ou les GAFAM, bref de la (re)concentration informatique, de l’hyper-concentration, l’argument des #bitcoin et #blockchain comme « #pair_à_pair » ou outils de désintermédiation laisse rêveur. On peut déjà noter que le bitcoin est une régression puisqu’il cherche à contourner la gestion politique de la #monnaie (alors que cela a toujours été le cas et qu’on en est de plus en plus conscient) en revalorisant d’une manière (néo)classique, ou plutôt capitaliste, la « preuve de travail » jugée sur le temps-énergie (#Proof_of_work).

Ne faudrait-il pas plutôt parler de ré-intermédiation ? Une transformation du système d’intermédiaires, très certainement au bénéfice des propriétaires (de machines, d’énergie, de compétences logicielles, des terrains nécessaires à la production de machines mais aussi des capitaux nécessaires à enrôler-salarialiser les travailleurs indispensables).

#Bitcoin_Mining Farm Build Out in Iceland - Genesis #Mining
▻https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7A-mcSOGolM

Je me mets de coté toute une série de critiques qui pointent la consommation énergétique (la production d’ #énergie, encore une industrie connu pour son caractère #décentralisé et #désintermédié) et autres problèmes générés par ces technologies :

Consommation d’énergie (et de matière) :

▻http://seenthis.net/messages/131228

▻http://seenthis.net/messages/424376#message424451

▻http://seenthis.net/messages/355322#message355337

▻http://seenthis.net/messages/137297

►http://seenthis.net/messages/137297#message137543

éventuelles « solutions » à ce problème (ce sont plus des contournements) :

►http://seenthis.net/messages/280500

▻http://seenthis.net/messages/312332

Des critiques plus globales :

▻http://seenthis.net/messages/279395#message279408

▻http://seenthis.net/messages/135202

▻http://seenthis.net/messages/218268

▻http://seenthis.net/messages/468936

Pour se rendre compte de la désintermédiation et dé-concentration du Bitcoin ces vidéo sont sympas :

A LOOK INSIDE AMERICA’S LARGEST #BITCOIN_MINING_FARM
▻https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ihMqEDs4B8

Life Inside a Secret Chinese #Bitcoin_Mine
▻https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8kua5B5K3I

Et ces articles écrits à un moment où moins d’un millième des internautes utilisent le bitcoin ou une technologie similaire

▻http://www.e-ducat.fr/cop21-et-blockchain

Les participants à la Cop21 sont peut être majoritairement persuadés par le discours du lobby bancaire que le minage des bitcoins est un gaspillage énergétique.

Quand est il vraiment ?
La puissance de calcul totale du réseau est de 500 milliards de Mhash/sec (à la date d’aujourd’hui, 28 novembre 2015).
L’efficacité du matériel de minage peut être estimée autour de 2000 Mhash/J.
La #consommation_électrique totale du réseau bitcoin, disponible dans le monde entier, se situe donc autour de 250 MJ/sec = 250 MWatt, c’est à dire l’équivalent de 100 000 maisons aux Etats-Unis.

A titre de comparaison, il existe environ deux millions de distributeurs de billets de banque dans le monde, chacun consommant en moyenne 200 Watts, même si les modèles les plus récents affichent une consommation théorique de 70 Watts (source : diebold.com).
Au final, les seuls ATMs (sans compter les réseaux et data centers auxquels ils sont connectés) consomment donc 400 Mwatts.
Si l’ impression des billets de banque sur papier de haute qualité et leur transport en camions blindés sont pris en compte, l’adoption de masse de Bitcoin comme cash électronique permettrait de diviser l’empreinte carbone des systèmes de paiement par trois ou quatre.

Avec un coût moyen de l’ #électricité aux US de 10 cents par Kilowattheure en 2015, on obtient un coût de 25 000 US dollars pour 150 bitcoins générés par heure, soit un coût de “production” de 167 dollars par bitcoin (environ 157 €), environ la moitié du prix de marché des bitcoins à la même date. La différence correspond à la prime d’utilité, présente et future, attribuée aux bitcoins.

▻http://www.latribune.fr/technos-medias/20131203trib000799051/bitcoins-une-vraie-planche-a-bruler-de-l-electricite.html

L’économiste nord-américain Alex Tabarrok signale sur le site Marginal Revolution qu’avec la flambée du cours du bitcoin, ces opérations coûtent en conséquence de plus en plus cher. Il rappelle ainsi :

« En avril, quand les bitcoins s’échangeaient environ 100 dollars, la consommation d’électricité des ’mineurs’ de bitcoins atteignait le niveau stupéfiant de 1000 mégawatts/heure par jour, assez pour fournir de assez pour fournir de l’énergie à 31.000 foyers américains. »

Cela représentait également 150.000 dollars par jour, en prenant en compte le tarif moyen de 15 cents par #kilowatt-heure et sur la base de 650 watts consommés par opération de minage.

Huit mois plus tard, suivant ces estimations, ce coût a été multiplié par… 100 ! Au 3 décembre 2013, le coût en électricité estimé par la plateforme précédemment citée Blockchain pour le minage est en effet de 15,3 millions de dollars au cours des 24 heures précédentes. Un coût global supporté par chaque internaute qui participe aux opérations de minage. Entre temps, le cours du Bitcoin a lui aussi explosé, dépassant la barre des 1.000 dollars fin novembre.

#capitalisme #travail #preuve_de_travail #PoW #cryptocurrency
#namecoin #Ethereum #économie #p2p #Proof_of_stake

Dans la série #son et #capitalisme, trois #innovations pour devenir sourd·e à tout sauf à ton smartphone et pour rentabiliser le son ambiant

« Se faire réveiller par des bouchons »
▻https://www.soonsoonsoon.com/se-faire-reveiller-par-ses-boules-quies

La startup californienne Hush considère que les bouchons d’oreilles manquent généralement d’intelligence. Une opinion qui n’engage que ses fondateurs. Ils ont mis au point des #bouchons_d'oreille intelligents qui vous protègent de tous les bruits environnants, mais qui laissent passer la douce mélopée de votre réveille-matin ou de votre téléphone.

« Utiliser le bruit ambiant pour s’authentifier »
▻https://www.soonsoonsoon.com/utiliser-le-bruit-ambiant-pour-sauthentifier

Des chercheurs suisses ont mis au point un système d’authentification en ligne qui repose uniquement sur le bruit d’ambiance dans lequel vous baignez. Pour en finir avec les codes de sécurité envoyés par SMS...

« Recharger son portable avec du bruit »
▻https://www.soonsoonsoon.com/recharger-son-portable-avec-du-bruit

Des universitaires londoniens et des chercheurs de Microsoft ont mis au point un nanogénérateur qui vous permet de recharger votre téléphone portable à l’aide du #bruit_ambiant.

#technologie #design_sonore

Sharing the Arctic
▻http://visionscarto.net/sharing-the-arctic

Title: Sharing the Arctic Keywords: #Arctic #Borders #United-States #Russia #Denmark #Norway #Transport #Maritime_transport #Natural_resources #Oil #Energy Published: in “La Cité” (Genève), 2015 and in various publications in 2007, 2008, 2009,2011 et 2013 Author: Philippe Rekacewicz Date: 2007, updated in 2015

#Collection_cartographique

Early #heart #pacemakers used Pu-238 as power source. After 35 years some were still running well
▻http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc072143
#plutonium #énergie #energy #nucléaire #nuclear #médecine #health

In Alberta and Downstream, the Heavy Toll of the Oil Sands Industry on #water and the Environment
▻http://multinationales.org/In-Alberta-and-downstream-the-heavy-toll-of-the-oil-sands-industry-

In Alberta, Canadian and international oil companies, including #Shell and #Total, develop oil sands deposits at a frantic pace. Despite the current oil price slump, they still hope to triple production by 2030. While there is much talk of its greenhouse gas emissions, the oil sands industry also has heavy, lesser-known impacts on water resources and #biodiversity. The consequences of excessive water extraction and pollution are beginning to be felt downstream, perhaps all the way to the (...)

#Investigations

/ A la une, #Extractive_Industries, #Canada, Shell, Total, #Extractive_Industries, #Fossil_fuels, biodiversity, #climate_change, #local_communities, water, #environmental_impact, #social_impact, #extractive_industries, #regulations_and_norms, #Environmental_Health, (...)

#energy

Cleaner Oil Sands? #Shell and Veolia’s Carmon Creek Project
▻http://multinationales.org/Cleaner-Oil-Sands-Shell-and-Veolia-s-Carmon-Creek-Project

Shell and Veolia, an oil and gas major and a #water company, have joined forces to design a new, ’ecological’ oil sands plant at Carmon Creek, on the Peace River in Alberta, #Canada. According to them, this new plant will have almost zero impact on water resources. But many experts are skeptical, and there is little detail about their exact plans. Meanwhile, the starting date for the plant seems to have been postponed until at least 2019. Second part of Edward Struzik’s report on oil sands and (...)

#Investigations

/ #Water_and_Sanitation, #Extractive_Industries, Canada, Shell, #Veolia_environnement, #Fossil_fuels, water, #shale_gas, #environmental_impact, #extractive_industries, #regulations_and_norms, #Environmental_Health, #transparency, (...)

#energy

Naomi Klein: “If you can marry an economic justice agenda with climate action, people will fight for that future”
▻http://multinationales.org/Naomi-Klein-If-you-can-marry-an-economic-justice-agenda-with-climat

Given the massive inequalities generated by capitalism and the ecological urgency of #climate_change, “everything can change”, Naomi Klein claims in a new book. Provided we do not “give in to despair”, because “too many lives are at stake”, and “fight for a more just economic system”. The Canadian anti-globalization activist and essayist is famous for her inspired criticism of capitalism: No Logo denounced the tyranny of global brands, and The Shock Doctrine the brutality of neoliberal (...)

#Investigations

/ #Extractive_Industries, #Energy, #Fossil_fuels, #trade_and_investment_agreements, #public_campaign, climate change, #greenhouse_gas, #social_impact, environmental (...)

#environmental_impact
“►https://vimeo.com/124380476

Using #renewable #energy sources as baseline electric production requires solving the problem of their intermittency. Grids are not there yet, but solutions exist in concept - what conversion to renewable energy now requires is political will to invest in engineering development.
▻http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intermittent_energy_source#Solving_intermittency
#electricity #power #wind #solar #geothermal #hydroelectric #HVDC #grid

800kV #HVDC #transformer - what the backbone #grid is about nowadays. This #Siemens model has been in production for three years - #ABB has had 1100kV stuff in testing.

http://i.imgur.com/jgSk4.jpg

Opposition mounts towards #shale_gas in Algeria
▻http://multinationales.org/Opposition-mounts-towards-shale

The Algerian Sahara has been in the grip of mobilisations against shale gas operations since 1 January 2015, when some 1500 people took to the streets of In Salah, 35 kilometres from the site where #Total and Algerian state-owned company #Sonatrach are conducting the country’s first shale drilling in the Ahnet Basin. This article was originally published in French mid-January 2015. Despite the Algerian government’s annoucement that it will temporarily suspend fracking plans, protests continue. (...)

#News

/ #Fossil_fuels, Total, Sonatrach, #Extractive_Industries, #Energy, shale gas, #water, #local_communities, #extractive_industries, #environmental_impact, workers’ (...)

#workers'_protest
« ▻http://www.equaltimes.org/opposition-mounts-to-shale-gas-in »
« ►http://www.elwatan.com »
« ▻http://www.eia.gov/countries/country-data.cfm?fips=ag »
« ►http://www.algeria-watch.org/pdf/pdf_fr/gdS-algerie.pdf »
« ►http://www.algeria-watch.org/fr/article/eco/gaz_schiste/craintes_agriculteurs.htm »

“About 32% of all #electricity delivered by City Power Johannesburg is lost to theft”
▻http://mybroadband.co.za/news/energy/116854-this-is-how-people-steal-electricity-in-south-africa.html
#électricité #fraude #energy #énergie #réseau #network #South_Africa

http://mybroadband.co.za/news/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Illegal-electricity-connections-in-South-Africa-photo-by-Eskom-3.jpg