Golden Rules for Shale Gas

Adopting environment- and community-friendly rules is essential if operators don’t want to be shut down by regulation

1 min read
graphic illustration map of U.S.
Illustration: Emily Cooper

Illustration: Emily Cooper
Click on image to enlarge.

The discovery and exploitation of vast shale gas reserves has revolutionized the U.S. energy outlook and may soon do the same in parts of Eurasia and China. But the International Energy Agency (IEA), headquartered in Paris, believes the full potential of these reserves will be realized only if “golden rules” for drilling and operating wells are adopted. Otherwise, the industry is likely to incur the ire of citizens worried about environmental damage and could face crippling restrictions.

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This New Breed of Generator Can Run on Almost Any Fuel

Mainspring’s linear generator may speed the transition to a zero-carbon electrical grid

12 min read
This New Breed of Generator Can Run on Almost Any Fuel

Technicians work on the frame of a linear generator core.

CREATIVE SHOT
Yellow

It’s January 2030 and your electric heat pump is warming the house while your electric car charges in the garage, all powered by solar panels on your roof and by wind and solar generators at your local utility. It doesn’t matter that it’s been raining for two weeks because your utility is tapping into ammonia produced with last summer’s sunshine. It’s consuming that ammonia in a linear generator.

The linear generator can quickly switch between different types of green (and not-so-green, if need be) fuel, including biogas, ammonia, and hydrogen. It has the potential to make the decarbonized power system available, reliable, and resilient against the vagaries of weather and of fuel supplies. And it’s not a fantasy; it’s been developed, tested, and deployed commercially.

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