ChEnected Posts by Kent Harrington

Kent Harrington

Kent is a videographer and professional storyteller. He regularly blogs for AIChE on ChEnected. See his latest posts below. You can also follow Kent on twitter @harringtonkent.

Fukushima Update: Contract Laborers Report Chaos and Safety Lapses

2/3 in the series Fukushima Update

August 24, 2011. By Kent Harrington

Five months after the devastating earthquake and tsunami, work to clean up the stricken Fukushima nuclear power plant is still ongoing, with reports of safety issues and disorganized efforts.

US Atmospheric Chemists Produce First Estimate of Fukushima Radiation Leak

1/3 in the series Fukushima Update

August 22, 2011. By Kent Harrington

Fukushima Update: We'll be running a short series with a follow-up on Fukushima. Today's focus: U.S. chemists in San Diego recently released figures radiation measured in California following the Fukushima disaster, with insights on how much radiation leaked at the Fukushima site.

Making Biofuels at 10 Times the Normal Speed of Science

August 17, 2011. By Kent Harrington

The biomass used to produce biofuel is most easily converted to ethanol, but that has always come with trade-offs. The primary problem: ethanol is less energy dense than petroleum-based fuels, and most vehicles can't burn more than a 15 percent mix of ethanol and standard gasoline.

Chesapeake Energy Invests in Former Stealth Solar/Biofuels Startup

August 11, 2011. By Kent Harrington

In mid-July, Chesapeake Energy, the second-largest producer of natural gas in the U.S. launched a $1 billion venture fund to invest in technologies designed to spur demand while also helping to replace dependence on foreign oil. The company's goal: 40 million gallons of transportation biofuel.

10 Trends & Updates in Biofuel

August 03, 2011. By Kent Harrington

If you're having trouble keeping up with the fast-paced changes in biofuels, the following ten blurbs and links should provide a useful snapshot of biofuel trends. Read on for more about the multitude of stunning new technologies and different feedstocks popping up around the globe; the emergence of third-generation biofuels; and the long slog ahead toward acceptance and commercialization.

MIT's Nano-Fab, Sun-Free Photovoltaics Have It "Made in the Shade"

August 01, 2011. By Kent Harrington

Just When You Thought It Was Safe to (Channel) Surf Again

July 29, 2011. By Kent Harrington

This Sunday, Discovery Network's Shark Week lunges and thrashes into your living room, leaving a predictably satisfying body count. This ritual promises to get a parched, drought-ridden nation through the long, dog-days of summer—and delivers.

Tonight, British Physicist Brian Cox Premieres Discovery's Series "Wonder of the Universe"

July 27, 2011. By Kent Harrington

EnviroMission to Build 2625-Foot-Tall Solar Tower in Arizona Desert

July 26, 2011. By Kent Harrington

Skeptics once dismissed EnviroMission's desert Solar Tower as a visionary mirage, but now the huge energy project is on the verge of becoming reality, and, someday a world-class tourist magnet. Once completed, construction will begin on the project's 2,625-foot tower—just 390 feet shy of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. Delivering power by 2015, its 200-megawatt capacity will feed the grid with enough energy for 150,000 US homes.

Lignin? We Don't Need No Stinkin' Lignin! Statoil's New Biofuel Feedstock-- Seaweed

July 22, 2011. By Kent Harrington

In the race to develop greener energy, no self-respecting global oil company wants to be left behind. They're already bulking up on natural gas. Recently, French oil major Total has invested in solar cell maker SunPower; meanwhile Shell, Exxon, and Chevron have invested hundreds of millions in biofuel technology, and BP has added biofuels to wind.

Demolishing '60s-Era Power Plants to Make Way for Cleaner, Next-Era Natural Gas Energy

July 20, 2011. By Kent Harrington

Termites: Homeowner Scourge or Biofuel Savior?

July 18, 2011. By Kent Harrington

An unwanted house pest and suburban scourge, suddenly the termite has been accidentally and disasterously rehabilitated by science. Hyperbole? Termite control professionals don't think so.

Caltech Researchers Find Wind Turbine Placement Produces 10-fold Power Increase

July 15, 2011. By Kent Harrington

Developing Countries, Led by China, Surpass US and Europe in Renewable Energy Investments

July 14, 2011. By Kent Harrington

New Alloy Converts Waste Heat Directly into Electricity

July 12, 2011. By Kent Harrington

Outer Space Footage from Atlantis' Cameras

July 08, 2011. By Kent Harrington

Feeds from Mission Control and from the Atlantis are now being streamed with audio of engineers and astronauts.

OSU ChEs Create a New Inkjet-Printed CIGS Solar Device

July 07, 2011. By Kent Harrington

France's Total SA and California PV Maker SunPower Create Solar Energy Powerhouse

July 06, 2011. By Kent Harrington

Featured Series

Interviews: 2014 Annual Meeting

BY ON November 16, 2014

Stay tuned to this series as AIChE publishes interviews with key speakers and award winners from the 2014 meeting.

The Second Phase of ChE Education

BY ON October 23, 2013

This series highlights the learning that new ChE professionals need that isn’t taught in school. They’ll describe the types of responsibilities they've had in their work to date, as well as the skills or expertise they needed or had to learn that go beyond what they learned as students. You’ll also hear from their mentor or a senior person offering their perspective on the skills or expertise that new professionals must learn.

Water Innovations

BY ON September 10, 2013

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