I note that the Czech Technical University will be competing at this year’s Solar Decathlon. The team has designed what they call their AIR house (pictured here), targeted to empty-nesters who may be nearing retirement. The AIR House, a prototype for an affordable (A), innovative (I), and recyclable (R) house, is designed for the Czech tradition of spending weekends in the countryside. (more…)
Colin Brown comments on my recent piece Attempting To View Renewable Energy Intelligently: “Great to see that you now have thorium reactors in the mix.”
Anyone who rules out all types of nuclear — now and forever — simply because of the issues associated with the fission of uranium is a bigoted fool. That type of thinking is no better than those who reject modern medicine because its past practices included blood-letting and leaches. Having said this, we’re a very long way, in terms of both dollars and time, from a safe and practical approach to thorium.
Yesterday, I had the good fortune to speak with Brian Nordwall, the proprietor of Electric Bike Seattle, a retailer/distributor for the very hottest products from all over the world in the e-bike arena. I was completely impressed with the depth of Brian’s knowledge – not only about the products, but also about the sociological trends, the changing demographics, and the enormous number of business-to-business opportunities that this burgeoning market space offers: resorts, cruise lines, corporate campuses, etc. (more…)
I have a bunch of meetings in and around Los Angeles next Thursday. While I’m in town, I think I’ll try to stop by the Solar Decathalon that the U.S. Department of Energy hosts ever year, in which colleges compete for a prize given to the coolest design for an energy-efficient, solar-powered house.
I don’t see my alma mater listed as a contestant, which is understandable in that Trinity’s all about liberal arts. Out of 400+ kids in my class, I was one of only five or six physics majors, and I don’t think there were more than about 15 in the engineering program; most of my friends got degrees in English, history, or economics. But our rival to the north (Middlebury) does a very good job with this Solar Decathalon, I’m sure due to the presence of Bill McKibben.
I’ll post my observations.
I just got off a Skype chat with a talented young engineering student who lives near Paris and wishes to perform an internship in which he will conduct research as the basis for articles on a range of clean energy issues. I just compiled a list of potential topics that I had thought I’d email him, but then realized it might make a decent blog post. He can choose those that interest him most, and add others if he would like.
• Where are the areas for the greatest potential improvement in the cost effectiveness of PV, CPV, CSP, wind, etc? What role does materials science play in all this?
• How will costs come down as the world moves from the megawatt to the gigawatt and ultimately to the terawatt scale? (more…)
Here’s Elon Musk’s response to the extraordinarily well-publicized fire in a Tesla Model S, in which he explains that statistically, fires per mile are five times less frequent in electric vehicles than they are in gasoline-powered cars. (more…)
“City” and “cycling” are two words that haven’t always been quite so synonymous. Yet life in a number of European cities is an increasingly two-wheeled affair. A great way to get to know a city, stay fit and reduce your emissions, there’s plenty of motivation to hop on your bike. And with dedicated lanes and cycle-friendly laws, these cities are a pedaler’s paradise. (more…)
Here’s another in the fantastic series of “The Story of Stuff” videos from Annie Leonard, called “The Story of Solutions.”
Of all the people who impress me on this planet of ours, Annie’s very close to the top of the list. Her insight into the underlying problems facing humankind and her focus on real answers is hard to top. (more…)
Ensuring cleanliness and greenery in garden is extremely important. For that, one has to put forward his efforts on daily basis. An ideal garden should be of that kind that when one enters his home, the lush green garden should carry a lot of attraction to his eyes and it should make him feel fresh. There are some important things which need to be done while decorating the garden and maintaining it further. (more…)
Many people jeer the leaders of cities around the world who talk about moving to 100% renewable energy. But the folks I most respect among all this ridicule are those who are calmly making it happen. Here’s an article on Greensburg, Kansas and their spectacular achievement in rebuilding their town, after an enormous tornado, with zero dependence on fossil fuels and nuclear.
The author also notes that others have done the same… (more…)
