Οκτώβριος 2016

The number of infrastructural direct current programmes is increasing all over the world, widening the gap between energy producers and energy consumers. But alternating current will not disappear: “meshed grids” are the future.

Today the challenge is to enable better transmission from one country to another while reducing CO2 with efficient links between renewable energy and the grid. This is where the high-voltage direct current (DC) supergrids come in: they add to and sometimes replace the old high tension alternating current grid (AC).

A piece of research by the NUP/UPNA-Public University of Navarre has proposed various designs of materials of a photonic crystal type that can be used to filter radiation. Specifically, the focus has been to develop a coating comprising dielectric spheres which if applied to a window, for example, would prevent the outside heat entering in the summer and the indoor heat from escaping in winter.

Food crises leave the poor in desperation for a long time. To calm the dreadful effects of weather and climate disasters as well as food price volatility it is better if governments forget about managing prices and instead care for the poor, experts say.

The worst food crisis in 30 years looms for 50 million people across southern Africa from Mozambique to Angola. Two years without rain has destroyed harvests. Food prices have skyrocketed.