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Getting Over Oil

January/February 2002

Years of cheap oil have slowed energy innovation to a crawl. A new Middle East crisis could change that.

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Features

  • Categorized in 17037

    Fuel Cells vs. the Grid

    Before fuel cells take on the internal-combustion engine, they’ll offer clean electricity to offices and homes.
  • Categorized in 17037

    Solar on the Cheap

    Turning sunshine into electricity makes environmental sense. Thanks to new plastics, it might even be affordable.
  • Categorized in 17037

    The Next Nuclear Plant

    The first commercial “pebble bed” reactor–nearing approval in South Africa–may revive nuclear power.
  • Categorized in 17037

    Whose Nuclear Waste?

    Yucca Mountain in Nevada looked like the perfect place to stash the byproducts of nuclear power. Fifteen years and billions of dollars later, it’s not even close to being operational. Is starting from scratch the only option?
  • There may be enough natural gas on earth to meet our energy needs for thousands of years. The trick is to ferry it across continents without blowing up.
  • Categorized in 17037

    Electricity Goes to Market

    Building intelligence into the power grid would make electricity cheaper and more reliable. The technology-from self-monitoring power lines to giant transistors-is ready to go. But no one has an incentive to foot the bill.

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