Articles by Christopher Mims
Christopher Mims's dystopian non-fiction is sought after by an ever-growing roster of publications.
All Articles
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Solar could be as cheap as coal by end of decade
A report from the Chinese government asserts that solar power will be as cheap as coal by 2015. Industry watchers have already predicted that the cost of solar will drop by half by 2020, putting it at parity with coal-fired power. And solar is already competitive on sunny days when utilities pay a premium for "peak" power.
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Walmart to go 100 percent renewable … in Canada
As the world's biggest, union-bustingest retailer, gigantic sack of Chinese lead paint chips Walmart has the opportunity to push more money at sustainability than pretty much anybody else on the planet. Which is why the company, like IKEA before it, is committing to getting 100 percent of its power from renewable sources!
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'Carbon recycling' makes fuel directly from air
At Sandia National Laboratories, a giant array of mirrors heats rings of metal oxides to 2,550 degrees F, allowing a beer-keg-size reactor to produce carbon monoxide or hydrogen gas out of CO2 or water. The result is known as syngas, and it can be further processed into the kind of hydrocarbon-based fuels (think gasoline and diesel) upon which our transportation infrastructure depends.
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Solar-powered bulb brings both light and commerce to developing countries
Steve Katsaros, inventor of the Nokero solar-powered lightbulb, recently told CNN that he decided to sell his bulbs rather than give them away even though it runs counter to the traditional model of aid to the developing world.
