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Technology Red Flags: What Accessible Tests Can You Apply To Cleantech Innovations?

Technology Red Flags: What Accessible Tests Can You Apply To Cleantech Innovations?

Years ago, I developed a basic framework of red flags I looked for when assessing wind generation technologies. I generalized it for an engineering magazine at one point at their request. A couple of years ago I used it as the basis of seminar I was invited to give at Columbia University. I apply the filter constantly and mostly unconsciously. And in recent weeks, I’ve had a series of conversations that make it clear it’s time to update it a bit.

One conversation was with a Dutch journalist who is writing an article for the government about how to avoid being conned or duped by poor solutions. Another was with an aerospace contact, where I pointed out that airborne wind energy types worked for years without realizing that they had to compete with a solution which required no human involvement in operations. Another was a discussion with a South American

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Arris brings thermoplastic technology to spokes and components

Arris brings thermoplastic technology to spokes and components

A version of this article ran in the April issue of BRAIN. This has been updated with information about the company’s latest investors, announced April 30.

MONTEREY, Calif. (BRAIN) — Thermoplastic might be the word of the year, or the decade, in the industry, with several companies in and out of the industry bringing the technology to the bike world. Compared to the more common thermoset layup carbon fiber used in the industry, thermoplastic fabrication promises to be more efficient, with less waste and lower environmental impact. The resulting products can include complex, precise shapes with no post-process machining, sanding or finishing required. The resulting products can be more resistant to impact or notch damage and they can be co-molded with metal parts, electronics or finishing films. Thermoplastic products and factory scraps also sometimes can be recycled. 

GT and Ross experimented with thermoplastic frames as early as the 1990s, and

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Bion’s Ammonia Recovery Technology Optimization Moves to Final Design

Bion’s Ammonia Recovery Technology Optimization Moves to Final Design

Sydney, Australia (ABN Newswire) – Lake Resources NL (ASX:LKE) (FRA:LK1) (OTCMKTS:LLKKF) is pleased to announce the results of its Definitive Feasibility Study (“DFS”) for Phase One of the globally significant Kachi lithium brine project in Argentina.

The Kachi Project (“Kachi”, “Kachi Project” or “Project”) Phase One DFS demonstrates that Kachi is a tier one project, backed by a significant resource and strong economics positioning it competitively within the growing lithium market.

Kachi Project Phase One Financial Highlights

– The Project boasts a post-tax NPV8 of US$2.3 billion and an internal rate of return (“IRR”) of 21%.

– Targets battery grade lithium carbonate revenue of US$21 billion and US$16 billion EBITDA for the 25-year life of mine (“LoM”).
– Targets annual average EBITDA of US$635 million and EBITDA margin of 76%.

– US$1.38 billion estimated initial Capex for Phase One is within the range provided in the previous operational update.

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How technology is helping grain farmers adapt to weather woes

How technology is helping grain farmers adapt to weather woes

British Columbia grain farmer Malcolm Odermatt says all he can do is pray for rain this spring after repeated droughts sabotaged his harvest last year.

Odermatt, who is also the president of the B.C. Grain Growers Association, has been working with his father since 2012 to farm about 2,000 acres of land in the Peace region of B.C.’s northeast. He said seeding typically begins in May and although he’s worried, he hasn’t yet lost hope the weather will turn around.

“We’re in a Class 5 drought, the highest classification you can get actually, and we’ve had low rainfall and not a lot of snow,” said Odermatt, who grows wheat, barley, oats, canola and grasses for seed production.

“We rely on runoff in the springtime, like the snowmelt, to actually replenish our soil moisture and we just haven’t had that for a couple of years.”

Farmers in B.C. and industry analysts

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NASA Next-Generation Solar Sail Boom Technology Ready for Launch

NASA Next-Generation Solar Sail Boom Technology Ready for Launch

Sailing through space might sound like something out of science fiction, but the concept is no longer limited to books or the big screen. In April, a next-generation solar sail technology – known as the Advanced Composite Solar Sail System – will launch aboard Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket from the company’s Launch Complex 1 in Māhia, New Zealand. The technology could advance future space travel and expand our understanding of our Sun and solar system.  

Solar sails use the pressure of sunlight for propulsion, angling toward or away from the Sun so that photons bounce off the reflective sail to push a spacecraft. This eliminates heavy propulsion systems and could enable longer duration and lower-cost missions. Although mass is reduced, solar sails have been limited by the material and structure of the booms, which act much like a sailboat’s mast. But NASA is about to change the sailing game for

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