Shell puts unique twist on a classic with the 'Sounds of Energy'

With the world's climate continuing to change and the demand for energy of all kinds spiraling ever-upward, Shell is seeking to make consumers more mindful of both their energy options and their power usage. This week the global energy giant unveils a new -- and fun -- turn on those efforts with its "Sounds of Energy" campaign. The short clip features Edvard Grieg’s familiar “In the Hall of the Mountain King” augmented by an array of energy-related instruments -- everything from a solar panel to jars of bio-fuel to light switches. All of this, of course is to underscore Shell's commitment to alternative and traditional sources of energy for use in both the developed world and emerging economies. Shell plans to spend

At Shell, technology and innovation are seen as critical to producing enough energy to meet customer needs today and well into the future. The company has also endorsed the development of an international framework that puts a price on CO2, and is encouraging the use of all CO2-reducing technologies. 

$100 billion from 2011-2014 to support new energy production,and the company has already become of bio-fuels. Shel is also involved in eight wind projects in North America and three in Europe. Shell’s one offshore windpark, Egmond aan Zee, has 36 turbines. The company has said that in undertaking the project, it relied heavily on its extensive experience with oil and gas platforms to design a structure capable of withstanding typically harsh North Sea conditions. Each turbine is 55 metres high (180 feet) and weighs 115 tonnes, and the components are coated to protect against corrosion for 20 years. In short, Shell's position is that the nation's of the world can indeed enjoy a secure and sustainable energy future through further development of bio-fuel, wind and natural gas resources, the adoption of carbon capture and innovative storage strategies, and lastly, greater emphasis on energy efficiency by all of us. Source: Renewable Energy

Read More........→February 12, 2013

Dark Energy Camera shoots images of deep space

Zoomed-in image from the Dark Energy Camera of the barred spiral galaxy NGC 1365, in the Fornax cluster of galaxies.

A new telescope camera in Chile focused on mysterious dark energy has taken its first photos of extremely distant galaxies. Scientists think dark energy makes up 74 percent of the universe, yet they have very little idea what it is. It’s called “dark” energy because scientists don’t know what it is, but they know it’s there. For now, it is the name given to the force that's counteracting gravity, causing the expansion of the universe to accelerate. Scientists believe the Big Bang accelerated the universe at the beginning and presume the universe would eventually slow down. But the universe is accelerating, and scientists don’t know why. They believe it’s because of dark energy. The first pictures from the 570-megapixel digital camera, which is the world’s largest, were taken of the southern sky on Sept. 12. The Dark Energy Camera was built at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab) in Batavia, Ill., and was installed on the Victor M. Blanco telescope at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, the southern branch of the U.S. National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO). “The achievement of first light through the Dark Energy Camera begins a significant new era in our exploration of the Cosmic Frontier,” said James Siegrist, DOE associate director of science for high-energy physics, in a statement. “The results of this survey will bring us closer to understanding the mystery of dark energy and what it means for the universe.” Each photo by the camera can capture up to 100,000 galaxies as far away as 8 billion light-years. In December, after the camera is tested, it will begin the Dark Energy Survey, the largest galaxy survey ever undertaken, by mapping one-eighth of the sky. Researchers estimate the survey should spot 300 million galaxies, 100,000 galaxy clusters and 4,000 exploding stars, called supernovas. LA Times, CS Monitor, Batavia Republican. Source: Voice of Russia

Read More........→October 11, 2012