Electricity
The California Blackout that Wasn’t
People pay a lot of attention when the power goes out, but we tend to not notice when the grid remains stable—even under trying conditions. On June 17 and 18, record heat in California led the state’s grid operator to call on residents to reduce electricity usage through issuing a…
Why High-Efficiency Cooling Is a Climate Priority
The world leaders of the Group of Seven, better known as G7, released a long communique following their recent meeting in Cornwall, detailing their plans to address the COVID-19 pandemic and “build back better.” In a departure from the previous G7 meeting in 2019, which ended with a…
Simple Tax Changes Can Unleash Clean Energy Deployment
According to the latest US government inventory, solar will account for 39 percent of the electric generation capacity added in 2021, and wind will constitute a further 31 percent. With current technology costs and policy incentives, renewables are now unquestionably the cheapest generation assets to build and operate.
Can Electric Pickup Trucks Save the Grid in Texas?
Just months after it was battered by a winter storm, the Texas electric grid is once again straining under extreme weather conditions. In February, millions of people lost power during a storm that knocked out much of the state’s electricity infrastructure and caused at least 151 deaths.
Passive Cooling in a Tiny House
In this post, we look at some passive cooling strategies that help keep an innovative tiny house comfortable during California summers, without the use of a mechanical cooling system.