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Written by

Kris De Decker

Trolley Canal Boats

Only four years after the first experimental trolleybus, an ordinary steam canal boat was adapted to a trolleyboat.

How (Not) To Resolve the Energy Crisis

Increasing the share of renewable energy will not make us any less dependent on fossil fuels as long as total energy consumption keeps rising.

Cars: out of the way

We don’t need any new cycling infrastructure. What we need is to clear the current road infrastructure of inefficient vehicles and replace them with efficient ones.

Rings of Fire: Hoffmann Kilns

Depending on the size of the kiln, it took between one and six weeks for the fire to complete a full circle.

How to make everything yourself - online low-tech resources

Manuals and tutorials for low-tech solutions.

Wind Powered Factories: History (and Future) of Industrial Windmills

Would it make sense to revive the industrial windmill and again convert kinetic energy directly into mechanical energy?

Water Powered Cable Trains

Cable trains (or funiculars) are one of the most energy-efficient modes of transport out there.

Get Wired (Again): Trolleybuses and Trolleytrucks

Trolleybuses and trolleytrucks have all the advantages of electric cars – and none of their drawbacks.

Electric Road Trains

German engineer Max Schiemann was among the first engineers to develop a commercial trolleybus system for passengers at the turn of the 20th century. He also created some unique cargo systems.

The Monster Footprint of Digital Technology

The embodied energy of the memory chip alone exceeds the energy consumption of a laptop during its life expectancy of 3 years.

How much energy does it take (on average) to produce 1 kilogram of the following materials?

Wood, steel, aluminium, iron, glass, paper, plastics, copper, silicon, nickel, titanium, electronic grade silicon.

Small Windmills Put to the Test

Wind power rules, but commercially available small windmills are a swindle.