Could We Dredge the Netherlands Without Fossil Fuels?
For centuries, the Netherlands were mainly dredged by hand, supplemented by animal power, wind power and tidal power. Could it be done again?
Obsolete Technology
Interesting possibilities arise when you combine old technology with new knowledge and new materials, or when you apply old concepts and traditional knowledge to modern technology.
High-tech has become the idol of our society, but technological progress is—more often than not—aimed at solving problems caused by earlier technical inventions.
There is a lot of potential in past and often forgotten knowledge and technologies when it comes to designing a sustainable society.
History and Future of the Compressed Air Economy
Historical compressed air systems hold the key to the design of a low-tech, low-cost, robust, sustainable and relatively energy efficient energy storage medium.
Heat Storage Hypocausts: Air Heating in the Middle Ages
The heat storage hypocaust could keep a room warm for days with just one firing of the furnace.
Power Water Networks
Hydraulic power transmission is very efficient compared to electricity when it is used to operate powerful but infrequently used machines.
Fruit Walls: Urban Farming in the 1600s
From the sixteenth to the twentieth century, urban farmers grew Mediterranean fruits and vegetables as far north as England and the Netherlands, using only renewable energy.
Restoring the Old Way of Warming: Heating People, not Places
Most modern heating systems are primarily based on the heating of air. This seems an obvious choice, but there are far worthier alternatives.
Burning the Bones of the Earth: Lime Kilns
Lime burning is a now-forgotten industry that sustained many agrarian communities before energy became cheap.
Power from the Tap: Water Motors
In the nineteenth century, miniature water turbines were connected to the tap and could power any machine that is now driven by electricity
The Mechanical Transmission of Power (3): Endless Rope Drives
The trend towards small-scale, decentralised power production means that rope transmission might have a place in our energy system again
The Mechanical Transmission of Power (2): Jerker Line Systems
Jerker line systems can be used to operate water pumps or sawing machines, to forge iron, to process food or fibres, or to make paper.
The Mechanical Transmission of Power (1): Stangenkunst
Long-distance power transmission predates the invention of electricity by almost four centuries.
The Art of Producing Sustainable Consumer Goods: Basketry
Virtually all human cultures have made baskets, and have apparently done so since we co-existed with ground sloths and sabre-toothed cats.