Comment:Visions » Technology http://www.commentvisions.com Wed, 01 Feb 2012 11:20:09 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 Innovation: Powering the future of energy http://www.commentvisions.com/2011/08/01/topics/technology/low-carbon-technologies-technology-topics/clean-energy-innovation-part-2/ http://www.commentvisions.com/2011/08/01/topics/technology/low-carbon-technologies-technology-topics/clean-energy-innovation-part-2/#comments Mon, 01 Aug 2011 09:03:51 +0000 Robert Zlokower http://www.commentvisions.com/?p=5279 Technological innovation holds the key to to meeting this energy challenge, whilst managing rising costs and addressing environmental concerns.

But how do ideas grow from concept to reality? How do we decide which will offer a solution to our energy challenges, and which are mere distractions? And what is in the pipeline to address the future of energy supply and use?

]]> http://www.commentvisions.com/2011/08/01/topics/technology/low-carbon-technologies-technology-topics/clean-energy-innovation-part-2/feed/ 34 Clean Energy Innovation http://www.commentvisions.com/2011/06/01/other/clean-energy-innovation/ http://www.commentvisions.com/2011/06/01/other/clean-energy-innovation/#comments Wed, 01 Jun 2011 10:47:19 +0000 Robert Zlokower http://www.commentvisions.com/?p=4869 Innovation is a leading theme in the energy world, as established players and startup companies strive to find the best route to sustainable, low-carbon development while still making sure that there is security of supply. In this edition of Comment Visions we examine the theme of innovation from several angles, examining the process of innovation, the barriers to rapid development and deployment of clean energy ideas, and how intelligent thinking can make the best of renewable energy resources.

]]> http://www.commentvisions.com/2011/06/01/other/clean-energy-innovation/feed/ 32 Public Acceptance of Low-Carbon Technologies http://www.commentvisions.com/2011/04/01/topics/technology/low-carbon-technologies-technology-topics/public-acceptance-of-low-carbon-technologies/ http://www.commentvisions.com/2011/04/01/topics/technology/low-carbon-technologies-technology-topics/public-acceptance-of-low-carbon-technologies/#comments Fri, 01 Apr 2011 09:57:30 +0000 Robert Zlokower http://www.commentvisions.com/?p=4536 Technological advances are making it possible to derive energy from greener sources. But wind turbines, solar panels, biofuels, biomass plants and carbon capture and storage (CCS) are not free of controversy. Should the governments develop a specific strategy to win public support for new technological infrastructure projects? How should industry get involved? Is public awareness sufficient?

]]> http://www.commentvisions.com/2011/04/01/topics/technology/low-carbon-technologies-technology-topics/public-acceptance-of-low-carbon-technologies/feed/ 34 Being smart with electricity http://www.commentvisions.com/2010/06/01/topics/technology/smart-grids/being-smart-with-electricity/ http://www.commentvisions.com/2010/06/01/topics/technology/smart-grids/being-smart-with-electricity/#comments Tue, 01 Jun 2010 16:07:18 +0000 Editor http://www.commentvisions.com/?p=1479

This month’s Comment Visions looks at energy provision from an interesting angle; beyond the consensus that we need less reliance of fossil fuels and more energy sources, how could the energy provision infrastructure – the grid – be improved?

Smart Grids are believed to be the answer and Comment Visions talks to an expert in the field; Dr Keith Bell, Senior Lecturer in the Institute for Energy and Environment within the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow.

Dr Bell discusses smart grids – what they are, how they would work in practice and their potential impact. The paradigm shift he is imagining a management of energy resources at the demand-side rather the supply end. That would deliver what Dr Bell himself describes as a ‘radically different electricity infrastructure.’

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In this month’s Comment Visions we journey to the cutting edge of science to discover how a greater understanding of what makes cells work could help the future of our planet.

Professor Miroslav Radman is an internationally-renowned scientist whose research has developed our understanding of genetics and molecular biology. An expert on evolutionary biotechnology, his current research examines what we can learn from the way different cells behave in nature.

Comment Visions travels to Paris to meet with Professor Radman and discuss his groundbreaking research and its potential applications. In a fascinating and wide-ranging discussion he talks about the way in which understanding and analysing processes in nature can enable us to adapt and apply them to our needs. Can understanding the smallest building blocks of life bring us closer to solving the greatest problems of our time?

]]> http://www.commentvisions.com/2008/11/01/topics/technology/biotechnology/designing-life/feed/ 10 Automation – can clever devices be the answer to saving energy? http://www.commentvisions.com/2008/07/01/topics/technology/automation-and-robotics/automation-can-clever-devices-be-the-answer-to-saving-energy/ http://www.commentvisions.com/2008/07/01/topics/technology/automation-and-robotics/automation-can-clever-devices-be-the-answer-to-saving-energy/#comments Tue, 01 Jul 2008 16:53:32 +0000 Editor http://www.commentvisions.com/?p=41

Solutions to the energy crisis will come from all sectors of science and technology. This month’s Comment:Visions looks at one of the most fascinating and futuristic areas of research; robotics.

Stefano Stramigioli is professor of the chair of Advanced Robotics at the University of Twente, in the Netherlands. Over the past decade he has been researching intelligent machines and their practical applications. Advanced robotics, he believes, can reap positive benefits for societies as the automation of tasks by increasingly intelligent machines grows more widespread.

A new age of robotics is coming as the next generation of machines develop from research projects into public initiatives and in this Comment Visions we ask Professor Stramigioli how he thinks this age will look. What are the practical applications of advanced robotics in a changing world and what role can robotics play in challenging the energy crisis?

]]> http://www.commentvisions.com/2008/07/01/topics/technology/automation-and-robotics/automation-can-clever-devices-be-the-answer-to-saving-energy/feed/ 10 Prospecting the Solar System http://www.commentvisions.com/2008/06/06/topics/technology/space-exploration/prospecting-the-solar-system/ http://www.commentvisions.com/2008/06/06/topics/technology/space-exploration/prospecting-the-solar-system/#comments Fri, 06 Jun 2008 16:49:56 +0000 Editor http://www.commentvisions.com/?p=38 There is little doubt among experts and observers that the world’s resources are stretched and will continue to be depleted in decades to come. It is the best solution to this resource shortage that animates the debate in international society. How to keep the globe going in the face of resource shortages is a question that encompasses issues of energy, population, migration, and technology.

But what if the answers to the problems our planet is encountering do not lie on the planet at all? This month’s Comment Visions talks to Dr Athena Coustenis, an Astrophysicist who specialises in studying planetary atmospheres and is an international authority on Titan, the moon of Saturn that has long fascinated scientists due to its environmental similarities to Earth.

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