Category: Nature & Environment
NASA reveals pollution maps gathered by the TEMPO space instrument
NASA has published the first maps from its new space-based pollution instrument, TEMPO (Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution). Although you won’t be shocked to learn it reveals higher pollution rates in metropolitan areas, the tool can help scientists better study North American air quality on an hourly basis. “Neighborhoods and…
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Hard sail test hits the high seas, aiming to reduce cargo ship emissions by 30 percent
A cargo ship equipped with rigid sails, each the height of a 10-story building, has departed on its inaugural journey. The Pyxis Ocean vessel will test WindWings sails, designed to harness old-school air power to help reduce fuel usage — and the shipping industry’s CO2 emissions. The sail’s creators estimate…
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Tesla’s ‘Charge on Solar’ lets Powerwall owners send excess energy to their EV
Tesla has launched a feature called "Charge on Solar" that allows owners to fill up their electric vehicles' batteries using only excess solar energy. As TechCrunch notes, the automaker started testing the capability in May, but now it's more widely available to Tesla customers in the US and in Canada.…
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Anker’s new Solix home energy storage includes a modular solar battery system
Device charging company Anker is moving into Tesla’s territory with the launch of the Solix line of home energy products, including a modular Powerwall-like battery storage system, the company announced at an event in New York City. It also introduced a smaller battery aimed at folks living in condos and…
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Hitting the Books: Why nobody knows Hiram Maxim, inventor of the incandescent lightbulb
One detail that’s often omitted from modern founders myths is whether or not said scion of capitalist success actually invented the thing they’re famous for inventing. Just like Elon Musk didn’t invent electric vehicles so much as be the first to successfully market them to the American public, Thomas Edison’s…
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NASA launches powerful air quality monitor to keep an eagle-eye on pollution
NASA has launched an innovative air quality monitoring instrument into a fixed-rotation orbit around Earth. The tool is called TEMPO, which stands for Tropospheric Emissions Monitoring of Pollution instrument, and it keeps an eye on a handful of harmful airborne pollutants in the atmosphere, such as nitrogen dioxide, formaldehyde and…
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