COP28 has some good news stories to go with the bad. Prominent among the good news was the Double Down, Triple Up pledge pushed by the Global Renewable Alliance and signed onto by almost 120 countries. A somewhat similar pledge related to nuclear is receiving a lot of media coverage … [continued]
In some ways, efficiency has been the main struggle in the automotive world for the last 40-50 years. There have been times where reliability and overall quality struggled (for example, the Malaise Era for U.S. automakers), but during the last several decades vehicles have generally been pretty decent. It’s not … [continued]
The GMC Hummer EV is a great example of numbers getting in the way of thinking. In theory, it ticks a lot of important boxes by having the right numbers. It’s a truck, and Americans like trucks. It’s an EV, and we need more EVs on the road ASAP. It’s … [continued]
This is the second half of a two-part article. You can find Part 1 here. Getting More Efficiency in Recreational Vehicles When it comes to recreation, more efficient alternatives are well within the realm of possibility. Students recently proved that a small but very functional RV could work strictly on … [continued]
Summer reminds us every year that our homes can get hot and uncomfortable. Air conditioning is expensive to buy and expensive to operate, using a ton of electricity. HVAC is typically the biggest user of energy in the average home. AC is also unhealthy. Just think of all those dust … [continued]
The water heater is one of the bigger users of energy in the home, making that old heater you’ve got a great candidate for an upgrade. The question is, upgrade to what? There are solar water heaters that can use zero energy, heat pumps that use a lot less energy … [continued]
We are losing our dark skies due to increased artificial lighting at night, and it’s not good for humans or animals. Learn more about the importance of improved lighting and how the International Dark Sky Association is working to bright more darkness to our lives.
The concept of putting floating solar panels on pumped hydro reservoirs is fascinating, but not a slam dunk. This 2nd article covers an additional six pros and cons.
The concept of putting floating solar panels on pumped hydro reservoirs is fascinating, but not a slam dunk. This 1st article covers evaporation management.
Yes, I know. The Wankel rotary engine has a reputation for poor gas mileage, bad emissions, and even longevity issues. That’s why I was skeptical, too, when I heard that Mazda is bringing the rotary back not only as a range extender, but to provide direct power in some cases. After doing a lot of reading on recent research and development, I found that the rotary engine may really come back with its problems solved.
