Solar power is on sale Maybe the biggest opportunity for homeowners is through the Residential Clean Energy Credit. The government is returning 30% of costs for installing solar energy in your home through federal tax credits. So for example, if you spend $10,000 setting up a solar power system,
We're always chasing better performing and more efficient solar panels to help power our renewable future, but no matter how efficient a panel is there are location-based impacts to performance. Tilt angle and orientation can either boost or decrease performance, and it's hard to achieve optimum
Among the many environmental crises that society must deal with over the coming decades, two stand out as particularly troublesome: plastic pollution and food waste. There may be a way to solve both problems at once: turning our rotting food into biodegradable, compostable plastic. This would be no small feat,
Many researchers are looking for ways to improve desalination and other freshwater tech to help us solve the freshwater crisis, like what we’re seeing in the southwest US and other parts of the world. There’s some promising advances in both efficiency and quality compared to what’s currently
As you know, efficient energy storage systems are the conundrum of making the most out of our intermittent renewable energy generation. Unless you’ve had your head in the sand, it’s a glaring problem we have to solve, which is why so many different battery technologies are being explored
We hear a lot about the impact of plastic, but the truth is, the material is good at what it was made for. It’s cheap to manufacture, at about 1 cent per bag. It’s durable enough to withstand heat and cold, which makes it the perfect container to
When it comes to heating and cooling our homes or producing hot water, heat pumps are proving themselves to be one of the most energy efficient ways to go. However, there’s a category of material that could be used to efficiently produce hot water, or to reduce your heating
I recently visited the Ace Hardware trade show in Chicago, IL. The main theme of the show was sustainable electric tools and hardware. DeWalt, Milwaukee, Ego, and many more had a massive foot print with all the latest in electric battery powered equipment. While visiting each booth they were packed
From increased battery durability to smarter design, electric lawn mowers are improving every year. But how do they compare to their gas-powered counterparts? Here’s what you need to know, and what you should think about, before you decide to buy one: Pro 1: Less noise The first thing you’
Thanks to a 70% drop in price since 20101 and plenty of government subsidies, solar panels have become an integral part of the utility grid, as well as many home rooftops. However, this renewable energy technology isn’t all sunshine. There’s shadows looming over its bright future. There’s
CO2 is infamous for being the major culprit of climate change, but what if this global warming villain could turn into a green energy hero? Believe it or not, carbon dioxide may be a key component in developing a new green battery that can be quickly deployed around the world.
You probably don’t walk barefoot on the road very often. It’s gravely, dangerous, and there are a million other reasons not to. But if you’ve ever been sitting on your porch on a hot summer day, and see the ice cream truck roll by, you might be