Smart technology has revolutionized how people communicate with each other and use the internet via their smart phones. However, it has far more applications than that. Below are just some of the ways smart home technology can make your home more energy efficient. (more…)
At the ACTExpo (alternative fuel vehicle show) that I attended yesterday, it was gratifying to see so many manufacturers of large trucks sticking with compressed natural gas, even in the face of seriously low diesel prices. Maybe it’s just inertia, or the high probability of future hikes in diesel prices. Or maybe we’re talking about people who care about the environment; it’s impossible to know, but we like to think the best of people.
It was also heartening to see so many hot new electric vehicles, both trucks and cars. The one pictured here is made by Southern California-based Phoenix Motors, built for the U.S. Navy. It’s a new design from the ground up.
I had lunch today at the annual ACTExpo (alternative fuel vehicles) conference with Steven Johnston, an extremely senior consultant to the transportation industry, based in Michigan. I thought I’d simply list a few of his viewpoints that I found most important: (more…)
Here’s an awkward situation: I’m staying the night today at the house of a friend who, I just learned, will be throwing a party celebrating Donald Trump’s nomination. Of course, my position on Trump is the same as that of journalist David Brooks, who wrote:
Donald Trump is epically unprepared to be president. (more…)
The energy scene here on planet Earth can be summarized as follows: we’re trying to solve a problem so profound that the continuity of our civilization hangs in the balance. We either replace fossil fuels over the next few decades, or we condemn our descendants to incredible levels of suffering. Our scientists refer to this as “slow suicide,” to distinguish it from the proliferation of nuclear weapons, which they have dubbed “fast suicide.”
Yes, the consequences of failure are extreme, but so are the opportunities for success. In particular, we’re a (relative) hair’s breadth away from technology that can make the whole problem disappear in very short order. (more…)
According to this article in Forbes, the satellites that monitor the disappearance of Arctic ice are in the process of dying, and, predictably, the funds required to keep this system running effectively are blocked in the U.S. Congress.
My colleague Gary Tulie notes: (more…)
Frequent commenter MarcoPolo writes: I can’t help wondering if your passionate crusade against “big oil” isn’t counter-productive….The average person doesn’t want an existing crusade, filled with revolutionary risk and perils.
Indignation at injustice is and has always been a key driver in change. You’re a historian; this can’t be a new concept for you.
And I’m not sure what the average person wants, but whatever it is, it may change dramatically as our cities begin to sink into the sea.
According to the Writer’s Almanac: It’s the birthday of novelist Joseph Heller (books by this author), born in Brooklyn (1923) and best known for the novel Catch-22 (1961), about an American bombardier named John Yossarian. During World War II, Yossarian attempts to get out of the Army by faking a liver ailment, sabotaging his plane, and trying to get himself declared insane. It became an international best-seller, with the title entering the lexicon to refer to an absurd, no-win situation. (more…)
Here’s something I wish every person on Earth could understand, i.e., how very, very close we are to a total migration from fossil fuels into renewable energy. This guy, in particular, speaks about the continuing free-fall of solar PV prices given technologies that are improving every day. Of course, this is the basic theme of my most recent book: Bullish on Renewable Energy – 14 Reasons that Clean Energy Investors Can’t Lose.
The problem here really is disinformation, i.e., propaganda from Big Energy to the effect that renewables are tinker toys, that cleantech is a job-killer, etc. It’s all completely incorrect, but it’s constantly being shoved down the throats of all Americans.
Perhaps this, in turn, takes us back to our broken educational system.
Wow, did this guy nail it or what?
And here’s another piece on our broken educational system and some related issues.
