Rocky Mountain Institute. In Part 1 we explored one of the gamechangers that would allow China to transition from fossil fuels to energy efficiency and renewable supply—oil-free mobility. In Part 2, we explore two other gamechangers that would allow China to reinvent fire—adopting integrative design for efficiency in buildings and … [continued]
According to data published by the China Coal Resource (and translated by the Greenpeace Energydesk), China’s coal use has dropped this year by 1.28%, a downward trend started in the second quarter of 2014 and continued in the third. This, despite statistics from the Chinese National Energy Administration that electricity … [continued]
Siemens has developed a new approach to electric car design wherein the EV’s motor is housed together with the inverter — thusly reducing material use, weight, and, of course, cost. Given that inverters are used to transform the DC electricity supplied by an EV’s battery to the AC electricity used … [continued]
We tend to think of Minnesota for its fishing, snow, and progressive politicians, but solar? Well if Minnesota has its way, solar arrays could soon be seen along the public rights-of-way that line the state’s highways. The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) has released a request for proposal (RFP) accepting … [continued]
1Sun4All. The Energy Department’s Solar Decathlon has a bit of news to bring you up to speed. The first is that the 2015 competition lineup has been updated to include the withdrawal of Stanford University. Stanford University previously competed in Solar Decathlon 2013, where it placed fifth overall with its Start.Home entry. You can view … [continued]
The Kia Soul EV 2015 edition has now made its debut on the Californian market, as of last week. The debut of the new EV from Kia means that the western state’s market is now home to 19 different plug-in/electric vehicles. http://youtu.be/ZYWHsOeDf3M The EV has been rated by the EPA at 93 … [continued]
The Ford Focus Electric 2015 edition is getting a significant price cut of about $6000, down to $29,995, according to recent reports — thus finally putting it on competitive terms with the market leader, the Nissan LEAF. Given that the EV version of the the Focus debuted at $39,995 four … [continued]
BYD recently unveiled what is soon to be the world’s largest battery-electric vehicle at the 2014 American Public Transportation expo in Houston, Texas. This biggest-ever EV has been tentatively dubbed “The Lancaster” — in honor of the Californian city where it was created. To be clear here — so that … [continued]
Rocky Mountain Institute. Like many at RMI, I care about climate change and reducing the carbon intensity of the electric grid. I also care about my monthly electricity bill, and I’m keenly interested in keeping it as low as reasonably possible. If there are things I can do as a … [continued]
An Indian company has announced a potentially revolutionary leap in sanitation and hygiene with the launch of a solar-powered toilet to coincide with the launch of the Clean India Mission. Eram Scientific has announced the launch of the innovative “electronic toilet” armed with “state-of-the-art technology to address public sanitation challenges.” This … [continued]
