New York Times (July 4)
3-D printing (or additive manufacturing) began in the 1980s. “The technology, economic and investment trends may finally be falling into place for the industry’s commercial breakout.” 3-D printing “is no longer a novelty technology for a few consumer and industrial products, or for making prototype design concepts.” By 2026, “the 3-D printing market is expected to triple to nearly $45 billion worldwide.”
Tags: $45 billion, 1980s, 3-D printing, Additive manufacturing, Commercial breakout, Consumer, Economic, Industrial, Investment, Prototype, Technology, Trends
Bloomberg (May 31)
“Power-hungry, fossil-fuel dependent Japan has successfully tested a system that could provide a constant, steady form of renewable energy, regardless of the wind or the sun.” The Kairyu prototype is designed to harness the Kuroshio current. “The advantage of ocean currents is their stability. They flow with little fluctuation in speed and direction, giving them a capacity factor…of 50-70%, compared with around 29% for onshore wind and 15% for solar.”
Tags: Capacity factor, Dependent, Energy, Fossil fuel, Japan, Kairyu, Kuroshio current, Ocean, Power-hungry, Prototype, Renewable, Solar, Steady, Tested, Wind
The Economist (April 12)
Rising energy demand, is leading “two of the world’s rising industrial powers, India and China,… to look at the idea of building reactors that run on thorium.” More abundant than uranium, thorium is also less conducive to weapons use, minimizing the threat that it could be misused by rogue bomb makers. China already has over 400 people working on this, with plans for a working prototype reactor by 2015.
Tags: Abundant, Bomb, China, Demand, Energy, India, Industrial, Prototype, Reactor, Reactors, Thorium, Threat, Uranium, Weapons
