Energy and the healthcare sector
This article is a slightly re-written assignment I had to write for my Certficate in Sustainable Energy Solutions at Pinchot University. Hope you will like it !
Air conditioning
A low tech and natural air conditioning system
I like Treehugger for coming up with great designs that could change a bit the world we are living in. One of their latest finds was a natural air conditioner that uses clay and evaporation. As Treehugger noted : ” Thibault Faverie‘s Cold Pot is a natural and simple air conditioner that uses clay and …
Random vacation thoughts
My time out for the past two weeks in southern France was the occasion for me to think a bit about energy and environmental issues as I was experiencing stuff I have been writing about on this blog. Exemplifying with day-to-day and real-life examples is a fantastic opportunity to see how stuff just works. From …
Solar electricity, A/C and water. All-in-one.
To Climate Progress, Swiss researchers working with IBM ” have built a new solar dish, called the High Concentration PhotoVoltaic Thermal system (HCPVT) that tackles the waste heat problem by using it to generate fresh water.” Yep, a solar installation that generates fresh water, thus solving two common problems faced in developing nations around the world. …
” Plant, baby, plant ” Episode 2, Urban forestry
Today is the second part of my “Plant, baby, plant ” series started last week with agroforestry. We shall delve here on urban forestry and its many advantages. Next week we shall conclude by the Billion Tree Campaign. As we have seen, planting trees among farming fields and gardens provide many advantages. But what about …
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700 million people in a huge blackout in India
The increasing number of air conditioning appliances – and overall electricity demand – in India had presumably a huge consequence as yesterday, 600 million people went without electricity for several hours. As the New York Times noted : ” The world’s largest blackout ever crippled roughly half of India for a second consecutive day on …
A/C may contribute significantly to global warming
As the planet is warming and as more and more people can afford it, air conditioning is becoming more and more widespread. This wouldn’t be a problem if A/C weren’t emitting greenhouse gases. To the NY Times : ” The leading scientists have just calculated that if all the equipment entering the world market uses …
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HFCs rising use could accelerate global warming
To CleanTechies : ” The increased use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) in the production of refrigerators, air conditioners, and other products could play a significant role in accelerating global warming “ The United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) study notes that the projected emissions of HFCs by 2050 could equal nine billion tons of carbon dioxide — …
Putting the A/C at the right temperature
Air conditioning is a fantastic invention as it allows to remain cool when temperatures are reaching 30°C and even 40°C. However, in many buildings around the world, the A/C is not set at the right temperature. As the New York times noted : “Without fail, every year since moving to Hong Kong, I get a …
90% more efficient air conditioning
As the world is heating up because of global warming we need more air conditioning systems. This is why the latest invention from the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory may change the world. Indeed, to the MIT Technology Review, the NREL have created ” a new air-conditioner design that (…) will dramatically increase efficiency and eliminate …
Why heat pumps are a fantastic idea
As Eurobserv’ER published a market barometer for heat pumps I thought it might be the occasion to have a look at this most interesting and promising technology which already accounts for nearly 9 GW th of capacity in Europe. With over 100,000 systems installed every year throughout the European Union, heat pumps can both heat …
Why solar air conditioning is a fantastic idea
In these times of heat waves – it was 37°C here in France yesterday – we all know that solar energy can heat places but it seems the sun could also cool them down thanks to air conditioning. Even if this is not entirely new as I read about such technologies as early as 2005 …