Reels tagged #energy
Your battery works by shuttling lithium ions
Charging pushes ions into the graphite anode, using them pushes them back. Each cycle degrades the structure slightly — which is why batteries age.
Data centres spend enormous energy just staying cool
Cooling can account for a large share of a facility's power, which is why operators build them in cold climates, underwater, or run them warmer on purpose.
Diesel's first engines ran on peanut oil
Rudolf Diesel demonstrated his engine on vegetable oil in 1900, envisioning farmers fuelling their own machinery long before biodiesel existed.
Alternating current won because it travels cheaply
AC can be stepped up to high voltage and sent hundreds of kilometres with small losses. Direct current needed a power station every few kilometres.
The first practical solar cell was 6 percent efficient
Bell Labs unveiled it in 1954 and it was so expensive that only satellites could justify it. Modern panels exceed 22 percent at a tiny fraction of the cost.
Iceland runs almost entirely on renewable power
Nearly 100 percent of its electricity comes from hydro and geothermal sources. Volcanic heat also warms homes, melts snow on pavements and heats outdoor pools all winter.