Those of us old enough to remember can recall the day when cars sold in the U.S. – even new cars — didn’t require seat belts. And the debate here was fierce; public safety advocates had their reports detailing how many lives would be saved each year, but the auto industry insisted that such legislation would ruin the industry: it would increase the cost of cars to an
Tag:
efficiency
The combustion of fossil fuels are a huge health hazard as to a recent United Nations report, 3.3 million people died from outdoor air pollution in 2010. An additional 3.5 million people die early annually from indoor air pollution.
I had noted in a previous Cleantechies article that air pollution has a massive financial toll of up to 102 and 169 billion euros annually. These figures let you wonder how much they would be if they were accounting the global sum…
As the World Health Organization notes, going for cleaner energy sources – ie. renewables – could easily halve the amounts of deaths by 2030.
If this six million people figure makes you wonder for comparison, please note that there were about 1.7 million AIDS-related deaths in 2011 and malaria killed about 660,000 people in 2010.
So if we are making efforts to eradicate those two illnesses we should do a whole lot more to combat fossil fuels pollution.
So on top of solving the climate crisis, going for energy efficiency and renewable energy sources would also improve everyone’s health. This is another win.
Staying addicted to coal, oil and gas is a lose lose lose situation while going for solar, wind, hydro and others is clearly a win win win…
What are we waiting for exactly?
The cell phone is quickly becoming a handy tool for tracking home energy use and even switching appliances on and off from afar. It also turns out to be a good way for consumers to view the inner workings of the electric grid – as ISO New England is showing.
ISO-NE in September became the first grid operator
The Danish capital is moving rapidly toward a zero-carbon future, as it erects wind farms, transforms its citywide heating systems, promotes energy efficiency, and lures more people out of their cars and onto public transportation and bikes.
Among the first sights to greet visitors to Denmark on
When I got started in this subject a few years ago, the efficiency of thin film solar (i.e., the percentage of sun’s radiant power that is converted into electricity) was measured in single digits. Here, we just achieved 16.1%, a huge increase from the former record holder at 14.7%.
When it comes to energy-efficient and sustainable elements for the home or office, most people immediately start seeing green (cha-ching!). But while there are plenty of pricey options available for reducing a structure’s environmental footprint — from HVAC upgrades to solar panel installations — you don’t have to give up all of your hard-earned cash to earn
The Court of Appeals of the State of New Mexico handed down a limited win for energy code advocates, holding that adopting changes to building codes that removed energy conservation provisions without any justification violated administrative procedure. The decision is available here.
Whether they’re building a new house or improving a well-loved home, energy-conscious homeowners everywhere are trying to lower energy use and costs. Even with the best of intentions, however, consumers are overwhelmed by too much information, which causes many of them to give up long before they screw in their first CFL light bulb. To
These days we hear a lot about green light sources. Over 70% of households in the U.S. use spiral CFLs (Compact Fluorescent Lamps) to save energy. If you’re committed to going green in your home or business, you’re probably familiar with the LED (Light Emitting Diode) too. LEDs can be up to 90% more efficient than standard incandescent light bulbs.
If you’re an energy efficiency geek and your refrigerator breaks down, you probably think, “Yes! A chance to buy a new super energy-saving model.”
But you’re the exception. Most consumers consider price tag before ENERGY STAR certification. Human nature being what it is, they choose the cheaper
The amount of energy we use to manufacture the products we use every day is a significant part of the energy needed to support out lifestyle. As the planet gets more and more populated, can we continue to make manufacturing more efficient, or are thee limits to this?
Energy efficiency is at the heart of our sustainable activity.
We’ve been recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as an ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year for our continued work in reducing the amount of energy our facilities use.
The more we can do to reduce energy usage, the better.
Not so long ago, news about energy efficiency focused on what the US could or should do, but wasn’t to save energy. It was a tale of woe.
That’s no longer the case. Now, report after report tells the story of a burgeoning energy efficiency market that is achieving a level of surprising savings.
Smart Grid is Revolutionizing Energy Transmission, Distribution, and Consumption
written by Walter Wang
As I’ve written a few times in the recent past, I believe that we have the proverbial cart before the horse when it comes to smart grid. We tend to think of this concept as “futuristic,” like flying cars, when, in fact, it’s what underpins the transition the world is making right now in the direction of energy efficiency, conservation, and renewables.