February 2, 2021 at 6:30 am
Scientists have finally gotten a clear view of the spark that sets off a weird type of lightning called a blue jet.
Lightning bolts usually are seen zipping from thunderclouds down toward the ground. But blue jets shoot up from clouds. They ascend high into a layer of the atmosphere called the stratosphere. In less than a second, a blue jet can reach about 50 kilometers (31 miles) above the ground. In the stratosphere, this electricity excites mostly nitrogen gas. That nitrogen glows blue, giving these jets their signature color.
Blue jets have been seen from the ground and airplanes for years. But it was hard to tell how this weird lightning formed without seeing it from above. So scientists looked for a blue jet using the International Space Station. And they spotted one in February 2019. It appeared above a storm over the Pacific Ocean near Australia. Using cameras and other sensors on the space station, scientists could see how the blue jet formed.
Date Time
Danish biotech company receives 4,4 million EUR from EU
A spinout biotech company from DTU has received two grants from the EU’s “Horizon 2020” program worth 4,4 million euros. These grants will help to accelerate the development of the company’s products and allow a faster launch on the market.
The Danish biotech company Cysbio which focuses on producing sustainable biochemicals at a competitive cost, has ambitious plans for their technology. And at the beginning of 2021, they have already achieved more than many startup companies can only dream of. The company was established in 2019 as a spinout from The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, DTU (Technical University of Denmark), and already by 2022, they are ready to launch products in Europe and other countries.
Approaching the limits of air cooling
China’s datacentre market has been growing at an annual rate of around 30 per cent since 2012, reports the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology.
Cloud computing, AI and big data are among the megatrends stimulating the growth of the datacentre market. Increases in chip density and computing complexity have created a steady rise in the heat load of computing equipment. Air cooling’s ability to meet this increased demand for heat dissipation is approaching its limit, highlights the brief.
Liquid-cooling technology has long been applied by the aerospace industry, for example in satellites and rocket engines. The technology is finding new application in datacentres thanks to its large heat capacity and efficient heat dissipation, ability to reduce energy consumption and expenditure, and considerable potential to advance climate action.
Scientists have gotten a look at what it is that causes a strange electrical phenomenon called blue jet lightning. Instruments on the International Space Station did what had been impossible for scientists on land. Per Science News s breakdown, blue jets which fire upward from lightning clouds [.]
Ørsted-led consortium researching blade decommissioning
Wind developers and turbine manufacturers are working with research institutions and cement and reprocessing companies to make Denmark a ‘frontrunner’ in establishing recycling solutions within the wind industry
by James Agyepong-Parsons
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