Never Enough Energy Sundays Department

I declare Sundays to be "Energy Sundays" for my blog. Which means, it's time for a roundup of energy stories from the previous week:

• Portugal plans huge solar power array
• No Nukes Is Good Nukes
• New Zealand First To Levy Carbon Tax
• Ethanol Grows as Gas Alternative
• Plastic Sheets Convert Light into Energy
• Innovative Software Tools Keep Electrical Markets Humming
• Follow The Energy: New Technique Enables Scientists To Track Molecular Energy Transfer In Photosynthesis
• DOE-Sponsored Project Turns Coal Waste Into Valuable Building Material
• DOE Supports Promising Membrane Technology For Coal-to-Hydrogen Production
• DOE Project Deems Feasible Miniaturization Of Key Tools For Microhole Projects
• From Photovoltaics To Solar Thermal Collectors: Evaluating And Improving Green Design
• Little Answers To World's Biggest Problems: Top 10 Nanotech Applications To Aid Poor
• Earth all shiny; not a good thing

Note that I am including stories I would normally not favor. For instance, I think using any fossil fuel to produce hydrogen does not help us in the long term. Sure, coal-to-hydrogen technology may not produce as much carbon dioxide as burning, and they may improve carbon dioxide sequestration, but you still have to put energy into the process to get it started. And you still have to mine the coal--and I hope you realize how destructive that would be environmentally. Plus, how would coal-to-hydrogen membranes mesh with the idea of using coal combustion by-products as building materials?

I maintain that being aware of energy developments may be the most important issue facing our civilization. What we have now was built upon easy access to energy, and with Peak Oil upon us, that easy access will go away. So will much of our current way of life. Now we still have a choice as to how we will react, and what way of life we will lead. If we wait too long, that choice will be taken away, and we risk the death of our civilization, perhaps of our species. Stay informed, and make your representatives in Congress be aware that smart energy policy is a high priority.