Tag Archives: electricity

Driving an Electric Car

I was fortunate enough to test-drive the Nissan Leaf this week, and thought I would post some first impressions. The car itself is very comfortable, and for anyone used to a Prius (or any automatic), it drives exactly like a … Continue reading

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21st Century Swords to Plowshares: From Megatons to Megawatts

Currently, hydropower provides 6% of the USA’s electrical power, and solar, biomass, wind and geothermal combined provide 3%. Dismantled nuclear weapons provide 10%. The ‘Megatons to Megawatts’ programme was instituted in the 1990s as a means to secure the weapons … Continue reading

Posted in Energy, Nuclear | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

A fair wind for renewable energy sector?

The Green Party seems to have snatched an unlikely victory at the weekend – they somehow maneuvered themselves from being pinned between the proverbial rock and a hard place and wriggled free with party unity intact and a hatful of … Continue reading

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It has to be Yes to Lisbon

On June 11th, 2008, the day before what we now call Lisbon 1, my Irish Times piece was headed: “If you care about climate change, vote Yes to Lisbon”. There are those who’d say I got my answer. I’m not … Continue reading

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Where will you be when the lights go out?

Prices in Ireland have, mercifully, started to ease back from the highs of a year or two ago, yet some things remain extraordinarily cheap. The two things that contribute probably more than anything else to our overall well-being, comfort, security … Continue reading

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Spirit of Ireland – Divine wind or hot air?

Last week, something pretty unusual showed up in a number of national newspapers. This was a full-page advert under the title ‘Spirit of Ireland‘. This tied in with the launch of a website and a big PR push through the … Continue reading

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Getting some real wind in our sails

You only have to look at a map of Ireland’s rugged western seaboard to get some idea of the power of wave and wind in shaping our coastline. In Connemara the sparse tree cover leans away from the sea at … Continue reading

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