Sand Batteries

Daily Upsider on June 11, 2024

Sand batteries are emerging as an effective way to store energy from intermittent sources like solar and wind. The physical properties of sand, particularly its ability to store heat at high temperatures, make it ideal for energy retention. Technologies leveraging these properties aim to create a more stable and reliable energy supply, with sand efficiently accumulating and releasing heat as needed.

The science behind sand batteries involves heating sand to high temperatures using surplus energy from renewable sources. This stored heat can then be converted back into energy when required. This system uses the thermal properties of sand to create a natural battery, offering both heating and electricity generation.

Patrick Davenport from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) notes, “Sand and concrete silos with refractory insulation are very inexpensive materials that can lead to low-cost energy storage.”

Key players in this technology include Polar Night Energy in Finland, which has implemented a sand battery for residential and commercial heating, and EnergyNest in Norway, specializing in thermal energy storage. Sand’s abundance, low cost, eco-friendliness, and long-term heat storage capabilities make it an attractive option for stabilizing renewable energy systems and providing a reliable energy supply during low sunlight or wind.

Sand battery technology is being tested and used in various projects worldwide, demonstrating its viability and potential scalability. Despite this potential, there are still challenges. Large-scale development and deployment of sand batteries require significant research and investment.

Meteorites From Mars Found on Earth

Daily Upsider on June 10, 2024

Eleven million years ago, a meteorite impact on Mars sent fragments to Earth, providing unique insights into Mars’ composition. Scientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography analyzed these Martian meteorites, collected from locations such as Africa and Antarctica.

These meteorites are the only physical pieces of Mars that we have. Their research is crucial for understanding Mars’ formation and evolution and it also helps inform current ongoing NASA missions like Insight and Perseverance.

Led by geologist James Day, the team focused on nakhlites and chassignites, meteorites originating from a single Martian volcano. These samples, identified by their unique compositions and young age, match the Martian atmosphere data from the 1970s Viking landers.

Published on May 31 in Science Advances, the study revealed that these rocks formed through fractional crystallization in a Martian volcano and included crustal material altered by the Martian atmosphere. These findings enhance our understanding of Mars’ internal structure and offer a glimpse into the conditions of early Earth.

Canada’s 1st Free Grocery Store

Daily Upsider on June 10, 2024

Saskatchewan is opening Canada’s first free grocery store, thanks to the Regina Food Bank’s ongoing efforts to support the community.

Located at 1881 Broad St. in Regina, the Food Hub will resemble a regular grocery store with a produce section, display fridges, and extended hours, unlike other food aid projects that often operate out of churches or community centers.

The Regina Food Bank aims to restore agency to those who rely on their services by allowing them to shop like at a regular store, which can also help reduce waste and feed more people.

“When you give choices, you give dignity and can feed about 25% more people,” said Regina Food Bank vice-president David Froh.

People sometimes run into difficulty with standard food banks that use pre-packaged crates of canned or boxed goods because they can’t cater to dietary restrictions, allergies, proper nutrition, or taste preferences.

“Normally, I barter with neighbors, but many people can’t do that, so a lot of food goes to waste,” said customer Jon White.

The Regina Food Bank serves not just the homeless or those in severe need but also working individuals and students. About 18% of its customers are full-time workers, and 2,000 students receive snacks and meals through their programs. One goal of the Food Hub is to reduce the stigma associated with using a food bank.

Without government subsidies, the Food Bank raised the CAD$3.7 million needed for the Food Hub through private donations, including CAD$1 million from The Mosaic Company. Much of the food is locally produced, supporting the Food Bank’s mission to improve the sustainability and nutritional quality of its offerings.

$3M Bitcoin Recovered… Using Time Travel

Daily Upsider on June 9, 2024

Electrical engineer Joe Grand and his team successfully hacked into an encrypted file containing 43.6 bitcoins, unlocking a $3 million cryptocurrency wallet and rescuing a man who had forgotten his password 11 years ago.

On May 28, Joe uploaded a video to his YouTube channel, demonstrating how he was hired to access a valuable encrypted file that had been inaccessible since 2013. Michael, whose identity was hidden, contacted Joe last year for help.

Initially, Joe declined to help, stating that trying to guess the password, known as brute-forcing, was impractical. “If we had to try every possible password combination, that’s more than 100 trillion times the number of water drops in the entire world,” Joe explained.

However, a year later, Joe reconsidered because he had found a new method to recover the password. During that time, Bruno had successfully reverse-engineered a password generator and used it to recover the passwords it had created. Using a tool developed by the NSA, they disassembled the code of the password generator, RoboForm, that Michael had used to create his Bitcoin password.

RoboForm is a password management software that creates complex passwords and stores them in an encrypted vault. Michael had used it to create a 20-character password and saved it in an encrypted text file on his computer. Unfortunately, data corruption caused Michael to lose the password, locking him out of his wallet.

Joe discovered that older versions of RoboForm didn’t generate completely random passwords. By setting the time back to 2013, they tricked the program into recreating the same password it had generated years before. Joe and Bruno generated millions of potential passwords, but after getting the correct date, they cracked the code in just a few tries, recovering Michael’s $3 million Bitcoin wallet.

Here is the full, fascinating story: