Trade data for 2024 is showing that Kyrgyzstan has an unhealthy dependency on China, even considering a wide discrepancy in figures released by Chinese and Kyrgyz official agencies. Bilateral trade turnover during the first quarter of 2024 totaled $4.815 billion, according to figures compiled by China’s General Customs Administration. The trade imbalance between the two countries was pronounced: according to Beijing, Chinese exports to Kyrgyzstan totaled $4.163 billion, while only $22 million of... Читать дальше...
University of Ottawa researchers have now devised a smart approach to optimize solar energy effectiveness. Their innovative method includes incorporating artificial ground reflectors, a simple yet powerful enhancement. The study “Artificial Ground Reflector Size and Position Effects on Energy Yield and Economics of Single Axis Tracked Bifacial Photovoltaics” was published in the journal Progress in Photovoltaics. The researchers found that by integrating these reflectors into solar setups, they could... Читать дальше...
Acquiring nuclear weapons has long been a taboo topic in Iran, where the country's supreme leader has declared them un-Islamic. But a growing number of Iranian officials in recent weeks have openly suggested that the Islamic republic could weaponize its nuclear program, which Tehran has long claimed is strictly for civilian purposes. The change in rhetoric has coincided with Tehran's growing hostilities with Israel. Last month, Israel launched an attack on Iran in response to Tehran's unprecedented missile and drone assault on its archfoe. Читать дальше...
The last LNG carrier that passed the Bab el Mandeb strait off the Yemeni coast did so in February. Since that month, there has been no LNG traffic via the once major energy chokepoint as vessels diverted around Africa—or changed destinations entirely. When the Houthi attacks on ships traversing the Red Sea prompted the redirection of maritime trade in the area, multiple analysts tried to gauge the significance of the events. Most seemed to agree that the rerouting of maritime transport would make... Читать дальше...
Over the past week, multiple stories have appeared in the media with headline phrases like “The U.S. is refilling the Strategic Petroleum Reserves.” However, this is misleading at best. To recap, the SPR is maintained by the U.S. Department of Energy, and its oil stocks are stored in huge underground salt caverns at four sites along the coastline of the Gulf of Mexico. The size of the SPR (authorized storage capacity of 714 million barrels) makes it a significant deterrent to oil import cutoffs and a key tool in foreign policy. Читать дальше...
