Bill Spindle

3 weeks ago | ciphernews.com | Bill Spindle

PUNTA ARENAS, Chile — The lone wind turbine that towered over us when journalist Patricia Garip and I recently visited the Haru Oni sustainable fuels project in southern Chile does a lot of work. It powers the production of hydrogen (from water) and drives a process that pulls carbon dioxide from the air (via a direct air capture facility). The plant puts those two ingredients together to produce methanol. That methanol can also be made into gasoline and aviation fuel.

3 weeks ago | ciphernews.com | Bill Spindle |Patricia Garip

PUNTA ARENAS, Chile — Along the wind-battered Straits of Magellan in the far reaches of southern Chile, the final pieces of a unique demonstration project by Chilean energy company HIF were recently falling into place. The project’s sole wind turbine was getting a tune up. An electrolyzer, a machine that uses electricity to separate hydrogen from water, was up and running.

1 month ago | ciphernews.com | Bill Spindle

KASHIWAZAKI, Japan — Seen from a distance down the beach, the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant — the largest nuclear power facility in the world — cuts a giant, sprawling presence along the coast. The highly secured grounds housing its seven reactors cover 4.2 million square meters. Its operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co., or TEPCO, compares its size to 90 Tokyo Domes, the home stadium of Japan’s most successful baseball team, the Yomiuri Giants.

1 month ago | ciphernews.com | Bill Spindle

Production of sustainable aviation fuel is beginning to take off in the United States — but cleaner fuels still comprise a tiny slice of the overall fuel used in airplanes, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions in aviation, one of the fastest-growing sources of emissions in many parts of the world, is a major challenge. Cross-country and international flights are especially emissions-intensive.

1 month ago | ciphernews.com | Bill Spindle

KASHIWAZAKI, Japan — At the world’s largest nuclear power facility, seven massive reactors are lined up along the blustery coast of the Japan Sea. All the reactors are idle, but the sprawling site is a beehive of activity. To one side construction workers add to fortifications. Below, workers discharge firehoses into a massive water reservoir. Inside the reactor and buildings housing electricity generating turbines, engineers and technicians monitor and maintain equipment.