Sometimes it is good to have a wake up call about priorities. In our throw away culture (that is slowly changing) it is time to look at the value of maintenance. Andrew Russell from the SUNY Polytechnic Institute and Lee Vinsel from Virginia Tech do just that in an article in the New York Times. … Continue reading Innovation is exalted, maintenance devalued – but maintenance brings many benefits
Category: technology
Canadians active in a global competition to create technology that converts CO2 into valuable products
Many argue that innovation is key to us addressing the global climate challenge. Laura Kane from the Canadian Press writes on the Globe and Mail website about the activities of Canadian scientists to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in their participation in a global competition. Canadian scientists turn carbon-dioxide emissions into useful products What if … Continue reading Canadians active in a global competition to create technology that converts CO2 into valuable products
Latest innovation in solar panels
Tesla, the American automobile maker and energy storage company, has just unveiled roof tiles that are designed to shake up the solar panel industry. Dave Lee reports about the launch on the BBC News website. Tesla shows off solar roof tiles Roof tiles with built-in solar panels have been unveiled by Tesla chief executive … Continue reading Latest innovation in solar panels
Prototype battery mimics the structure of human intestine
The energy transition is bringing forth much innovation. The Science & Environment section of the BBC News website reports on some interesting developments in a lithium-sulphur battery. It takes inspiration from the human gut. Gut instinct drives battery boost Scientists have designed a new prototype battery that mimics the structure of the human intestines. … Continue reading Prototype battery mimics the structure of human intestine
Good example of using heat from sewers
While there are several examples around France and elsewhere, the news service Reuters provided a good article in The Guardian about a recent heating installation in a Parisian swimming pool using the heat from the sewer system. Drain brain: Paris pool uses sewer heat to cut costs and emissions A Paris swimming pool has … Continue reading Good example of using heat from sewers
Keeping cool with a new wardrobe
We have been pursuing various types of passive buildings to reduce our cooling loads in hot climates but now scientists in the US have come up with a new low-cost textile that could cool us when woven into clothing. For the fashion industry, this may bring a new meaning to “being cool.” The Bangkok Post … Continue reading Keeping cool with a new wardrobe
Latest developments in energy-efficient window tinting
This week in Europe it would have been nice to have been able to simply tint windows to keep the sun out. But as Scott Collie writes on the New Atlas website, a team at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed a energy-efficient thin film material that allows for relatively quick tinting. Energy-efficient … Continue reading Latest developments in energy-efficient window tinting
Environmental concerns seem to be the exception, not the rule, in the world of computing
Nathan Ensmenger, an associate professor in the School of Informatics and Computing at Indiana University, provides a fascinating article on the environmental impact of computers on the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists website. He reflects on four environmental aspects of the online economy that deserve serious scrutiny from consumers, producers, and regulators alike. You should … Continue reading Environmental concerns seem to be the exception, not the rule, in the world of computing
Colourful goop that could lead way for new method to store energy
Undoubtedly, the efforts to improve how we can store energy will have a big impact on sustainable energy policy. Ivan Semeniuk writes a good article in Canada’s Globe and Mail about a new material that researchers believe could lead to a commercially attractive method to store energy. New material raises hopes for cheap renewable … Continue reading Colourful goop that could lead way for new method to store energy
Increasingly, devices and appliances are becoming ‘smart’ and digitally connected
We all know how our lives are evolving as we are confronted with new technologies that are there to make our lives simpler. With digitisation entering various walks of life, an increasing number of devices and appliances are becoming ‘smart’ and digitally connected. Anil Chaudhary, MD for Schneider Electric India writes on India’s Financial Express … Continue reading Increasingly, devices and appliances are becoming ‘smart’ and digitally connected
Energy in Demand - Sustainable Energy - Rod Janssen 