Group items tagged

"RATEPAYERS are finally set to get some relief from soaring power bills with the rollout of LED street lighting. The state-owned electricity distributor Ausgrid - which owns and maintains 250,000 streetlights on behalf of 41 councils - has been trialling power-saving LED technology in Australian conditions over the past 18 months. Now councils across Sydney, the Central Coast and Hunter will become the first in Australia to be part of a grid-wide rollout of the energy-saving technology."

"LEDCentral.com.au is an Australian Owned and Operated Company, concerned with the environmental and economical impact standard lighting has on our planet today. Our goal is to save you money, whilst helping save our environment. Reduce your home and office lighting bills by up to 90% using one of the most efficient forms of lighting available. LED lighting uses approximately 10% of electricity than that of a standard light bulb. Energy efficient LED lighting creates less carbon emissions, which helps our environment as well as saving you money."

"Prepare for LED domination"

"LED bulbs: The end of the lightbulb as we know it?"

"In the 1900s, energy shortages led to breakthroughs in the use of fluorescents. In more recent years it has been all about improving affordability and efficiency. But what's the next bright idea in lighting? Organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) are where it's all at. OLEDs are an emerging technology that deliver bright, thin, highly efficient displays with excellent colour purity. "

"A common refrain by climate sceptics that surface temperatures have not warmed over the past 17 years, implying climate models predicting otherwise are unreliable, has been refuted by new research led by James Risbey, a senior CSIRO researcher. Setting aside the fact the equal hottest years on record - 2005 and 2010 - fall well within the past 17 years, Dr Risbey and fellow researchers examined claims - including by some members of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change - that models overestimated global warming. In a study published in Nature Climate Change on Monday, the team found that models actually generate good estimates of recent and past trends provided they also took into account natural variability, particularly the key El Nino-La Nina phases in the Pacific."

"A new study adds to evidence that future warming will produce lower average rainfall around the world, even though Earth's past warming episodes led to more precipitation. A team of Chinese and US scientists modelled climate data over the last millennium. Their work may help resolve intense debate surrounding palaeoclimatic records and model projections of future greenhouse gas warming."

"Looking back from 2030 what were the actions that led to a real chance of avoiding catastrophic climate change? And what role did you play in this story?"

But how much can wind farms and solar panels contribute to a solution? Are they really the best option for Australia's energy future? And what part does the media play in the communication of all of this? The Science behind the headlines event (22 May 2012) held by RiAus attempted to answer these questions by combining a panel of scientists with experienced journalists - led by RiAus Programs Co-ordinator James Byrne. Each of the participants' knowledge of their specific field made for a varied and vibrant discussion that covered a wide range of topics. Is the public really aware of alternative energy options?

"THE frequency of tropical cyclones is at its lowest level in 1500 years in Western Australia and the lowest in 550 years in Queensland, a team of researchers has found. The new study also shows the number of cyclones lashing Australia has dropped greatly since the industrial revolution, suggesting that global warming might be causing a decline in the extreme events sooner than expected. A team of scientists led by Jordahna Haig, of James Cook University in Queensland, will publish their results in the British journal Nature today"

"Upwards of 5 billion people in the tropics will soon find temperature and other weather conditions falling outside anything experienced in modern record-keeping, according to a groundbreaking study published Wednesday. What's past is no longer prologue. We are outside of our experience. The study, by a team of University of Hawaii researchers led by professor Camilo Mora, is the first to map the timing of "climate departures" - when a particular region's climate conditions escape the bounds recorded over the past 140-odd years by modern instruments. Among the team's surprising findings: The tropics will depart first, even though all climate models and data show the Arctic is warming fastest. And the transformation, underway now, will happen very quickly."

Another good one from Minute Physics

"The science behind what makes our planet's temperature rise is pretty straightforward. Pollutants like soot and greenhouse gases like methane and carbon dioxide trap heat within the earth's atmosphere, the global average surface temperature goes up, ice caps melt, sea levels rise and extreme weather events become even more extreme. However, American college students are coming with with some of the coolest ways to battle climate change and clean up domestic energy production."

I've been trying to find info on what to do about replacing halogen lights for ages - this looks like it!

"Aussie light bulbs slash power bills ... and step ladder usage "