In part 1, I took a quick look at the challenges of designing the toilet of the future, and show that there are serious problems with what we currently do. So far, I’ve only focused on what happens when sewer systems malfunction, but we still need to look at the … [continued]
There’s a lot to like about Mazda’s foray into electric vehicles, but you have to take a step back and not just go with the gut reaction most of us have to the fact that its first EV will have only a 100-mile range. Yeah, I felt that same reaction … [continued]
Whereas Australia’s federal government will not commit to a net-zero-by-2050 target, the three biggest supermarket chains in Australia are making massive strides towards sustainability. Woolworths, Coles, and Aldi not only have targets but are putting their words into actions, and that includes buying a lot of solar panels. By the end … [continued]
Today, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) announced 10 winners for the first phase of the Envelope Retrofit Opportunities for Building Optimization Technologies (E-ROBOT) Prize, a $5 million competition focused on fast-tracking advanced robotics solutions for building envelope retrofits. Each finalist will win a $200,000 prize and move on to Phase 2, where they will build a prototype of their solution and compete … [continued]
Houston wants to lead the transition to sustainable energy, according to the Greater Partnership of Houston, which has put out a webpage with information on Houston’s role in the energy business. There’s even a video. Although the wording leads one to think that Houston wants to transition to renewables, it’s … [continued]
Originally published on the NRDC Expert Blog. By Gabrielle Habeeb & Ashok Gupta Eliminating carbon emissions from our building and transportation sectors will be critical to maintaining a healthy and livable climate. This week’s IPCC report makes it clear that heat waves will continue to worsen — so we must rise to … [continued]
Article courtesy of RMI. By Lacey Tan & Mohammad Hassan Fathollahzadeh As a record-breaking heat wave scorched the Pacific Northwest earlier this summer and again this week, killing hundreds of people in the United States and Canada, many residents realized the predictably mild summers they knew no longer exist. Scientists are clear that climate change will make these … [continued]
Climate change has the odd effect of making many of us inordinately excited about appliances we never used to care about. Suddenly, all the background machines, which have up to now been unconsciously powering our lives, have taken on outsized importance. Some of them have the potential to provide the … [continued]
Early-Stage Companies Used Microgrid Validations at NREL To Size-up Commercial Systems—the Results Have High-Impact Lessons for the Larger Grid
Just over two years ago, I wrote an article discussing upcoming EV transmissions. Since then, we’ve seen a number of EVs and plugin hybrids that use a transmission, and the advantages that were mathematically predictable (as well as known from the DIY EV scene that predated mass EV production) became … [continued]
