2021-02-20 12:00:00 UTC
At the main U.S. research station in Antarctica, annual temperatures average zero degrees Fahrenheit, but often drop much lower. There, near the United States McMurdo Station, a few wind turbines can provide enough electricity to power 100 American homes, and avoid burning over 120,000 gallons of diesel fuel each year.
The reality about wind turbines, however, is they regularly operate in frigid conditions and can be weatherized to perform in wintry extremes. That s why they work in places like Sweden, Antarctica, and Iowa (
over 40 percent of Iowa s electricity comes from wind). At times, some turbines (particularly those that aren t weatherized like many in Texas) are temporarily shut down during excessively icy conditions, wherein other energy sources, be it nuclear, solar, gas, or hydropower, are meant to pick up the slack.
Jan. 21, 2021
Hurricane Andrew left a trail of damaged houses in Miami in 1992. More than 250,000 people in Dade County were left homeless by the storm.Credit.Steve Starr/Corbis, via Getty Images
“The Big One,” screamed a giant all-caps headline on The Miami Herald’s front page one day in 1992. Beneath it, a smaller headline: “Hurricane of our nightmares is knocking at the front door.”
Two days after that edition went to press, southern Dade County was in ruins. Tens of thousands of families were left homeless by winds that ripped their houses apart overnight. I was working as an editor at the newspaper, and a vivid lesson from Hurricane Andrew has stuck with me.
press secretary was on the sunday talk shows yesterday. our question is about the 2012 presidential race. it is for democrats. are you enthusiastic about president obama s reelection efforts at this point? here are the numbers to call it, democrats only let s look at the hill. are you pleased as a democrat or are you concerned? how is your level of enthusiasm compared to when he was running in 2008, and are you going to put your money where your mouth is and either contribute financially or your time to his campaign? let s get to the phones and hear from ruby, a democratic caller from riverside, california. caller: yes. i think president obama has a good chance of winning because i think he should go on the social security i think most people want to keep their social security and that should be one of the strong points. also what i fear is the voting machines. considering that 2000 and 2004 election where they were proven preprogrammed, i am shocked nobody the republ