With heatwaves growing, UK advised that it must do more to protect infrastructure

Much of the UK’s infrastructure dates from the Victorian age, when the climate was less prone to such high temperatures and the risk of flash flooding. Since the privatisation of utilities in the 1980s and 1990s, the emphasis has been on keeping down costs to billpayers, rather than investing in better infrastructure. Now Britain’s buildings … Continue reading With heatwaves growing, UK advised that it must do more to protect infrastructure →

Climate change: how the arts can help motivate us

Researchers say emotion, imagination needed to reach people in ways information alone cannot. A recent CBC radio broadcast looked at how the arts have a fundamental role in helping us address climate change. How the arts might help us grapple with climate change Information alone hasn't closed the gap between what we know and … Continue reading Climate change: how the arts can help motivate us →

Post-Brexit energy performance standards: to be more ambitious?

The UK Government claims it wants to take the opportunity to set more ‘ambitious’ rules after the end of the post-Brexit transition period. This obviously means that the UK will not stay in ecodesign that is the directive for minimum energy performance standards for products or the energy labelling regulation. This will be quite a … Continue reading Post-Brexit energy performance standards: to be more ambitious? →

Discussing bidirectional flow of power between EVs and grids

Alan Brent, Professor and Chair in Sustainable Energy Systems at Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand discusses how electric vehicles can contribute to the grid in an article on The Conversation website. Climate explained: could electric car batteries feed power back into the grid? Technically it is possible. You … Continue reading Discussing bidirectional flow of power between EVs and grids →

A brick wall could one day become a powerbank to charge electrical devices

Madeleine Cuff writes on the inews website that scientists have coated red bricks with conductive fibres, turning them into batteries that could store power for hours. House bricks could become energy storage systems to charge electrical devices A brick wall could one day become a powerbank to charge electrical devices, thanks to an energy … Continue reading A brick wall could one day become a powerbank to charge electrical devices →

Our cities need deep energy retrofits

Sandy Tung, Programme Manager for Sharing Cities writes on the Cities Today website about the importance of deep energy retrofits. Deep energy retrofits: Enhancing energy efficiency in the built environment Cities play a crucial role in shaping the climate agenda, accounting for about 65 percent of global energy demand and 70 percent of energy-related … Continue reading Our cities need deep energy retrofits →

Mixed messages from BP about the low-carbon energy transition

We are getting mixed messages about BP and their approach to clean energy. This week, many news outlets have reported that BP plans significant investments in renewable energy and has plans for a future with more electrical generation. But Madeleine Cuff had an exclusive article on the inews website this week that shows a somewhat … Continue reading Mixed messages from BP about the low-carbon energy transition →

Trend toward SUVs making it harder to meet climate change targets

This trend towards larger vehicles is happening throughout Europe. Sports utility vehicles (SUVs) accounted for 42 per cent of car sales in 2019 in the UK – up from 23 per cent in 2015 and 10 per cent in 2010. While there is an impact on energy consumption and emissions, there is also an impact … Continue reading Trend toward SUVs making it harder to meet climate change targets →

Seeking solar panels with less environmental impact

Although solar panels are a source of renewable energy, making them has an environmental impact. A research team found that a new type of solar panel made from two layers of a mineral called perovskite requires a smaller total energy input and results in fewer carbon emissions. Donna Lu explains in an article on the … Continue reading Seeking solar panels with less environmental impact →

Finding the most cost-effective approach to storing renewable energy

While the UK government is correct that the national grid needs more energy storage to support the shift to further renewable energy generation, a focus on building large, expensive batteries isn’t necessarily the answer. Andrew Cruden, Professor of Energy Technology at the University of Southampton explains in an article on The Conversation website. The … Continue reading Finding the most cost-effective approach to storing renewable energy →