Chinese scientists announced Monday that China has once again built the world's fastest supercomputer, capable of performing 33.86 quadrillion operations per second, surpassing the U.S. Titan supercomputer.
Hello amigos , welcome to Breakthrough our weekly science technology and the environment update. I am Arnaldo, Arnie , Coro the host of this program and here is the headline of today's very ecology friendly news ...
Cuba is producing more electricity from solar energy
The information comes from the city of Cienfuegos,, located in south central Cuba. The first large scale photovoltaic solar park in Cuba is already producing electricity, even when its installtion has not been completed yet to a nominal generation capacity of 1000 kiloWatts or one megaWatt.
The park still under construction is located at a nice place near the city of of Cienfuegos that goes by the name of Cantarrana, which translated to Spanish means singing frog. The site is about 6 hectares in total area, where the solar panels and associated equipment to change the direct current into alternating current are installed.
The solar energy park does not use batteries, because its up to date technology makes possible to instantly convert the DC or direct current into alternating current that is generated by means of power oscillators that operate at the national electrical grid frequency of 60 hertz or cycles per second.
Engineer Silvio León, investment specialist at the Hydropower Company, that forms part of the Cuban Union Electrica the national electricity services provider, told Prensa Latina news agency reporter, my good friend Francisco Navarro, that they're at this moment operating the phase one of the of the Cantarrana solar photovoltaic park, Cuba's first synchronized solar power generating unit that is operating at a commercial scale. .
Nextt August, they expect to finish phase two with which will reach the facility design capacity of 2,6 megawatts.
Valued at more than four million dollars , the park, covers of almost five hectares and will have 14 000 photovoltaic panels, of which only 600 are still to be installed..
In Cienfuegos, 250 kilometers to the Southeast of Havana, the investing company has located new possible sites, in order to increase the production of this clean energy up to nearly 50-60 megawatts during the next five years..
This facility is synchronized with the grid and operates in a fully automatic mode , since it isconnected and disconnected from the national electrical system, according to the amount of sunlight received from the solar panels.
The plant was designed for a useful lifetime of last 25 years, and it will l pay off for itself in a period of around 10 years.
The slightly more than 350 megawatts hour produced so far, are equivalent to almost 100 tons of fuel oil and 250 tons of CO2 which were not emitted to the atmosphere.
Photovoltaic solar is the third renewable energy source , that comes after the hydroelectric and the wind energy in terms of installed capacity in the world.
June 14, 2013 (RHC)— Ocean waters melting the undersides of Antarctic ice shelves, not icebergs calving into the sea, are responsible for most of the continent's ice loss, a study by the University of California at Irvine campus and others has found.
The first comprehensive survey of all Antarctic ice shelves discovered that basal melt, or ice dissolving from underneath, accounted for 55 percent of shelf loss from 2003 to 2008 -- a rate much higher than previously thought. Ice shelves, floating extensions of glaciers, surround 75 percent of the vast, frozen continent.
The findings, were published in the June 14 issue of Science, and will help scientists improve projections of how Antarctica, which holds about 60 percent of the planet's fresh water locked in its massive ice sheet, will respond to a warming ocean and contribute to sea level rise.
La Habana, June 11 (Cubadebate-RHC). Researchers from the University of Austin, in Texas, USA, along with Spanish scientists from the Autonomous University of Barcelona, have achieved to create negative refracted index metamaterials. able to deflect light path, making an object disappear from sight.
According to specialists, all the materials present in nature have a positive refractive index; that is, the relationship between the light speed in vacuum and the speed of a specific wavelength in a substance.
Invisibility means hiding an object from sight at specific frequencies, and different types of camouflage. So far, the studies made only got to 'hide' objets for some frequencies and small objects.
Recently, the scientist at the US University of Rochester, John Howell and his 14 year old son, Benjamin, created an invisibility layer able to hide big objects around the optical spectrum. As explained by the author, we aree dealing with a cheap device, that functions very efficiently.
The extraordinary properties of these metamaterials could help to create invisibility layers, at the time it improves sensors, small-scale lasers, digital cameras and imaging systems ; as well as designing high resolution microscopes which allow us to observe DNA molecules chains .
Cienfuegos, Cuba, June 13 (PL). The first large scale photovoltaic solar park in Cuba is already producing electricity to a nominal generation capacity of 1000 kiloWatts or one megaWatt. The park still under construction is located near the city of of Cienfuegos province.
Engineer Silvio León, investment specialist at the Hydropower Company, that forms part of the Cuban Union Electrica , the national electricity services provider, told Prensa Latina they're at this moment operating the phase one of the of the Cantarrana solar photovoltaic.
For next August, they expect to finish phase twowith which will reach the facility design capacity of 2,6 megawatts.
Valued at more than four million dollars , the park, covers almost five hectares long and will have 14 000 photovoltaic panels, of which only 600 are still to be installed..
In Cienfuegos, 250 kilometers to the Southeast of Havana, the investing company has located new possible sites, in order to increase the production of this clean energy up to nearly 50-60 megawatts during the next five years..
This facility is synchronized with the grid and operates in a fully automatic mode , since it is
connected and disconnected from the national electrical system, according to the amount of sunlight received from the solar panels.
The plant was designed for a useful lifetime of last 25 years, and it will l pay off for itself in a period of around 10 years.
The slightly more than 350 megawatts hour produced so far, are equivalent to almost 100 tons of fuel oil and 250 tons of CO2 which were not emitted to the atmosphere.
The photovoltaic solar energy is the third renewable energy source , that comes after the hydroelectric and the wind energy in terms of installed capacity in the world.
Washington, June 11 (BBC).- More and more plagues are increasing their resistance to transgenic crops, according to a study published in Nature Biotechnology magazine.
US and French scientists analyzed the results of 77 research studies developed in eight countries from five continents, so as to resistance to transgenic crops.
Of thirteen examined insect species, five developed resistance in 2011, as compared to only one, in 2005.
Out of five resistant species, three attack cotton and two corn. The study focuses on the Bt cotton and corn species, which contain a gene that makes them exude the bacterium named Bacillus thuringiensis, toxic to insects.
The study's authors found that insects are more likely to develop resistance if transgenic crops are surrounded by others which have not been genetically modified.
The explanation to this lies in evolutionary biology. Resistance genes are recessive, and insects can only survive in Bt plants as long as they have two copies of the resistant gene, one from each parent.
Planting crops which are not genetically modified, reduces the likelihood that two resistant insects mate, providing the needed genes to their offspring.
"The computer models we use, show that the shelters of traditional crops would be effective to slow resistance development", said one of the authors of this study, Yves Carriere, enthomologist at the University of Arizona, in Tucson.
The authors also pointed they noted preliminary signs of resistance (one percent or less of resistance) in four cotton and corn plagues, in China, US and Philippines.
Ciego de Avila, Cuba, June 1 (PL). A exotic invasive plant species control and management program is being developed in Ciego de Avila, aimed at preserving environment and contributing to balance the ecosystems.
María del Carmen Olivera, a specialist on environmental management at the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment in Ciego de Avila, explained to Prensa Latina News Agency a group of actions at the Northern Big Wetland Humedal, declared Ramsar site, are prioritized.
Olivera added that this area has a very fragile ecosystem which encompasses the coastal strip of several municipalities in this province, including the adjacent keys, so that the spread of invasive plants is threatening the native biological diversity of the region.
Among the main species affecting the province's soils, she mentioned: marabou, mauve horse , casuarina, Indian carob , rose apple , leucaena-ipil-ipil, aroma, African tulip, cayeput or melaleuca, and mouse pineapple piña de ratón.
Due to their rapid growth and reproduction, these replace other spieces and attack the environment, the endemic flora, and the fragile ecosystems, modify the landscape and affect the quality of the soils and beaches, pointed Olivera.
Training actions with farmers and technicians of the most vulnerable areas are being undertaken in Ciego de Avila, to reduce infested areas, for being a territory with a great agricultural and livestock development, he noted.
According to specialists, over 320 invasive plant species -considered as dangerous by their power to damage biological diversity, which so many times arrived intentionally or involuntarily because of human activity- are recorded in Cuba.
Hello amigos, welcome to Breakthrough our weekly science, technology and the environment feature report.
I am you host, Arnie Coro here in Havana. Today I will be providing an update about how Cuba is giving a jump start to the use of renewable energy technologies, by boosting its capacity to locally produce equipment.
Cuban farms all over the archipelago are increasing the use of classic windmills to pump water from deep wells.
Ground water in many parts of Cuba can be found by drilling up to around 30 to 50 meters, but at better localtions the water table is much nearer to the surface.
The typical windmills used for pumping water from those wells and filling an elevated tank are rather simple machines, with few moving parts that operate at low speeds, so if they are properly taken care of, it is not rare to see windmills that date back to 60 and even 70 years.
The worst enemy of the classic water pumping windmill is as expected the arrival of a tropical storm or hurricane, and that is why farmers dismount their machines as soon as weather forecaster predict even a slight probability of storm force winds blowing into their area. Once the storm is over, windmill mechanics will reinstall them in a short time, usually after providing a major overhaul to the equipment. Cuban engineers have been working on a more advanced water pumping windmill that makes use of corrosion resistant materials for making the blades . Using glass reinforced polyester and composite materials that are now seen in the latest aircraft designs, the new Cuban designed windmills are also more efficient under low wind velocity conditions thanks to the use of a more advanced type of airfoil that is able to extract more energy from wind speeds that will barely turn the wheel of a classic windmill.
Another important aspect that has received attention in the new design is the overspeed protection features, that will help to safeguard the machines when unexpected high speed winds blow , making it impossible to dismount the equipment from the tower.
Other areas explored are less expensive tubular steel structures with guy wires that replace the classic steel angle self supporting structures used up to know. The tubular steel masts are also easier to hoist up and to take them down for repairs.
Wind energy is not a constant source of power, but at many locations it is available so frequently as to make economical the investment in small machines to pump water or generate electricity for isolated farms that are
not connected to the national electricity grid.
Several of the new high tech Cuban windmills designs were shown during the recently held World Windpower Convention that took place here in Havana recently.
Havana, Jun 6 ( Prensa Latina ) The first Light Emitting Diodes lamps that can be repaired and made usable again may be built here in Cuba, according to Spanish entrepeneur Benito Muros, who is the sponsor of a movement knows as “ Without programmed obsolescense”. Muros wants to transfer the technology to manufacture the repairable LEDL lamps to Cuba.
Working with a group of specialists, in his country, Muros developed a technology to mass produce lamps that can be fixed and used again for a very long service life. He told Cuban journalists that he picked up Cuba for starting this project because of this nation commitment to the protection of its population and the environment.
The Cuban Ministry of Industries signed a memorandum of understanding with the Spanish entrepeneur , that will lead the way to begin talks aiming at the transfer of the technology to produce those lamps, and later start assembling 6,5 Watts bulbs that provide a light power equivalent to an incandescent lamp of 100 Watt, according to what Muros declared during a press conference.
Programmed or planned obsolescence is a concept that was developed during the decade spanning between 1920 and 1930, that consists of purposely limiting the useful service life of a product so that it will become useless or obsolete after a time lapse calculated by the manufacturer during the design phase of the product.
This is what happens with the current ligh tbulbs both incandescent and CFL types , of which every year no less than seven thousand million of them are sent to the trash .
The programmed obsolescence mechanism assures that all products will eventually fail, so that consumers must buy new ones to replace the worn out or damaged products, something that leads to another cycle.
Profit making is the only objective behind the design of products with limited service time spans, without the manufacturers worrying about respect for the environment and humans, because each obsolete product implies polluting the Earth when it is tossed to the garbage container on its way to a landfill.
La Habana, June 6 jun (AIN). Claudio Tomasi, adjoint resident representative of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Cuba, praised the program implemented by the Caribbean Archipelago for the sustainable use of Renewable Energies.
In an exchange with the press covering at the 12th World Wind Energy Conference, held at the Palacio de las Convenciones Convention Center, in Havana, Tomasi affirmed that this initiative contributes to mitigate the effects of climate change.
The UN official highlighted the designation of Cuba as venue of this world forum, in recognition to the country's work in terms of energy.
He also added that the UNDP is today working on 20 projects of institutional collaboration, that will enable to improve the living conditions of small rural populations and provide access to electrical service, among other benefits.
Tomasi said that the joint programs include plans for the development of solar energy and forest biomass in these settlements.
Over 100 windmills were installed, repaired and built in Camagüey, Las Tunas, Granma and Santiago de Cuba provinces, through joint projects.
In addition, 324 photovoltaic systems were installed in an equal number of isolated houses in different communities of Guantánamo, Villa Clara, Cienfuegos, Camagüey and Pinar del Río.
According to the UNDP data, there are in the world more than 1 400 million people without access to electricity, of which 40 million belong to Latin America.
La Habana, June 4 jun (RHC). Venezuela, a country with 18 thousand Million GigaWatt hours of energy demand per year, of which 69% comes from hydroelectric power plants, is interested in developing renewable energy sources.
The South American nation has some incipient breakthroughs as regards to the use of alternative energy sources, like the use of photovoltaic panels and wind parks, Richard Rincón, an electrical engineering declared..
"We are at an initial stage, looking for information on these aspects, to diversify the energetic production", the Venezuelan expert commented during the 12th World Wind Energy Conference, that took place at the Havana's Palacio de Convenciones Convention Center.
On the other hand, Manuel Palma, also a Venezuelan electrical engineer, explained that his country is attending this convention in Cuba, in order to obtain knowledge on the world wind energy generation.
He said that, nowadays, several different types of equipment are being tested in Paraguana and Guajira peninsulas, two locations which have a big wind generation potential according to preliminary research done in those areas .
La Habana, June 3 (PL). Cuba is evaluating a large number of projects for the development of renewable energy sources, the Minister of Energy and Mines, Alfredo López declared .
At the opening session of the XIIth World Wind Energy Conference, taking place in Cuba's capital, the Minister explained about the country's efforts to generate clean energy.
He talked about the 34 658 renewable energy facilities existing in Cuba, among them, more than 10 000 solar water heaters, 827 biogas plants, 187 hydroelectric generating facilities, and four experimental wind parks with 20 machines with 11,7 megawatts (MW) of total capacity.
López also referred to the construction of a new wind park with 51 MW at the eastern province of Las Tunas, with 34 wind turbines of 1,5 MW capacity each, as well as more than one-hundred biogas plants, and over 6 500 solar heaters and 1 400 windmills.
For the future, Cuba evaluates the construction of 13 wind parks, with a 533 MW total capacity, mostly in the northern coast of the country.
Regarding the photo voltaic energy, the production of 400 MW is being studied all across the country, in sugarcane biomass it could reach 420 MW, in hydro power 55 MW, in non-sugarcane biomass 47 MW and other biogas programs could arrive to 27 MW.
The minister told Prensa Latina News Agency that the importance of renewable energy sources is decisive for Cuba, since we're dealing with an oil consumer and importer country.
López added that to ensure the country's energetic independence, we must first develop the production of renewable energies; that's why, there is a presidential decree that created a commission aimed at presenting it to the nation, so a policy in this regard is approved by the Council of Ministers.
He finally noted that Cuban experts have identified a potential of 630 MW in the country's areas so far explored for their generating potential by means of wind parameters measurements during a three years period at nearly 100 monitoring sites.
At the EXPOCUBA fair grounds south east of Havana, engineers and technicians are building an up to date solar energy plant donated by China.
Cuba is highly dependent on the use of fossil fuels to generate electricity so it is now emphasizing on the use of so called clean technologies , as it can be appreciated at the photovoltaic plant now been installed at Cuba's largest fairs grounds.
When the installation of the solar panels and associated equipment is finished and the plant starts to provide electric service , it will save about one ton of fuel oil per day.
This will certainly be a showcase from which many Cuban factories and services providers will be learning about the many advantages that renewable energy sources offer.
The project is sponsored by the Beijing Enterprises Group Company Limited that not only has provided the equipment but also sent technical assistance by its engineers that are supervising the one megaWatt capacity solar power unit installation.
Due to its tremendous importance to provide a much better energy matrix, the Cuban government is given a high priority to all forms of alternative and renewable energy sources. Among the latest advances in this area are the upgrading of the country's only solar photovoltaic panels assembly plant in western Pinar del Rio province, where during this year it is expected that it can produce up to 10 megaWatts of generating capacity .
China is at present the world largest user of solar energy, and it has plans in progress to increase its use up by 67 percent by the year 2015, a goal that is a real challenge for that nation's renewable energy industry.
By diminishing the use of coal and oil, China is aiming at an important reduction in CO2 emissions to the atmosphere.
With its industrial capacity in expansion, China has to assure the alternatives that will provide energy so as to keep the nation in the second place among the world's economic power.
Very far away from China, here in the Caribbean the Cubans are also following the path of increasing the use of all forms of renewable energy technologies, including solar and wind .
During this week, at Havana's Palacio de Convenciones conventions center, the XII World Wind Energy Conference is taking place , a very valuable contribution to the use of this other form of renewable energy that Cuba is presently expanding with the installation of a 50 megaWatt wind park in Las Tunas province where the Atlantic Trade Winds blow at a very constant and reliable rate, as demonstrated by the excellent performance of the first two commercially viable wind parks in nearby Holguin province.
According to a detailed analysis of the present energy matrix of Cuba that Engineer Alfredo Lopez, the Minister of Energy and Mines delivered to the conference, the nation's wind power potential is now calculated to be around 630 megaWatts, located basically all along the North Coast of the island of Cuba, with another potentially attractive area located at the south coast of the Island of Youth, the Cuban archipelago second largest island.
As regards to solar energy, the country's first solar water heaters plant built also with the cooperation of China is now in full production while electricity is been supplied to several thousand isolated users in areas where it is not possible to connect them to the national grid.
Havana, Jun 3 Cuba is showing its progress at the 12th Congress of the World Wind Energy Association and Renewable Energy Exhibition (WWEC2013), which began on Monday at the Havana's Palacio de las Convenciones Conference Center.
The theme of the event, specially focused on the Caribbean and Central America region, will be "Opening the Doors to Caribbean Wind", with presentations, exchanges, and discussions of knop how nowledge on wind energy and renewable energy sources in general, according to its organizers.
Cuba plans to achieve, at least, 10 percent of its electricity generation through alternative sources by 2030, according to Professor Conrado Moreno Phd., director of the Center of Study for Renewable Energy Technologies at the Jose Antonio Echeverria Higher Polytechnic Institute in the Cuban capital.
Over the past few years, Cuba has increased its development of wind-based energy and renewable energy in general, and despite being at an economic disadvantage as compared to other countries, it has a program that will be presented at the different sessions of this international meeting, that is taking place from June 3, through June 5.
The WWEC2013 aims at supporting the development of integrated strategies in business, government and local communities, and harnessing the immense potential of wind energy and other renewable energy sources, like solar water heating and the use of photovoltaic panels aiming at increasing as soon as possible the share of those non polluting sources in the national energy budget.
The program includes panels and presentations focused on models, business, politics, finance, regional integration of renewable energy sources, technology and the all important, human resources training, etc.
The World Wind Energy Association (WWEA), the Center of Study for Renewable Energy Technologies of the Jose Antonio Echeverria Polytechnic Institute in Havana, the Ministry of Energy and Mines and the Latin American Wind Energy Association, are among the institutions organizing this event.
Harmonizing the economic growth of the country, along with environmental protection, and rational use of natural resources, are a top priority in Cuba.
By Mayte María Jiménez, Juventud Rebelde newspaper journalist
Among the most recent results in terms of research and environmental management in Cuba, are a macroproject of danger scenarios and vulnerability in coastal areas, that considers the impacts of climate change for the 2050-2100 period, including a group of recommendations for adapting to its effects, as well as providing the basis for the National Program for the Supresion of the Sources of Pollution Caused by Liquid Effluents and Sanitizingin the 2014-2020 period.
The Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment (CITMA is its Spanish
acronym), on occasion of the World Environment Day that takes place each June 5, has outlined some of Cuba's achievements within this sector.
Among these, stand out the enactment of new legal instruments, such as: the Law-Decree on Chemical Safety, and also the strengthening of the requirements as to the regulation on land delivery and taxes for environment in the National Taxes Laws.
Furthermore, a significant reduction on the number of hectares of forest surface affected by forest fires, was accomplished, going from 7,11 Ha. per one thousand Ha. in 2011, to just to 0,72 Ha. in 2012.
Some of the measures taken include the total banning of scaly fish fishing with drag seines, and an instruction that sets the dimensions for making bowling and hammock fishing nets, as well as setting procedures for their use.
At the end of 2012, 57,6 percent of Cuban entities with dangerous wastes and out of use and expired chemical products have implemented a management plan to deal with them.
The guidelines for good environmental practices to be used by the self employed were also completed, considering the 34 trades that have a significant environmental impact.
According to a CITMA report, Cuban environmental strategic projection for the 2011-2015 period has strengthened with the incorporation, from the environmental dimension, of the Economic and Social Policy Guidelines and the Revolution.
A particular emphasis is made on the relationship between the environment, the economy and development, that are becoming key principles of environmental work.
Among these guidelines there are the harmony between economic growth with environmental protection, and rational use of natural resources, from a sustainable development vision.
A global reality
In the world, it is estimated that one out of seven people goes to bed hungry and over 20 000 children under five years die of hunger each day. However, according to the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (in English, FAO), 1,3 billion tons of food are wasted every year.
This figure equals the food production of the entire Sub Saharan Africa, and is also equal to one third of the world food production. We're dealing with an extremely serious situation, at a moment when the planet is urged to provide the needed resources to food more than 7 000 million people, a figure that should increase to 9 000 million in 2050.
This huge imbalance affects environment, since global food production has a 25 percent of the population surface, uses a 70 percent of water, and is responsible of the 80 percent of deforestation, and a 30 percent of gas emission.
Before these realities and challenges, the World Environment Day has as a comprehensive approach this year a campaign to reduce the waste and food losses. Cuba's slogan has always been: For a sustainable agriculture, to ensure the future.
Archive
Havana, Jun 6 ( Prensa Latina ) The first Light Emitting Diodes lamps that can be repaired and made usable again may be built here in Cuba, according to Spanish entrepeneur Benito Muros, who is the sponsor of a movement knows as “ Without programmed obsolescense”. Muros wants to transfer the technology to manufacture the repairable LEDL lamps to Cuba.