Almost all solar PV panels are now produced in China, where the electric grid is about twice as carbon-intensive and about 50% less energy efficient than in Europe.
Radiant and conductive heating systems make energy use independent of the size of a room or building.
If we are looking for quick and substantial energy savings for existing buildings, then local heating systems deserve our closest attention
Most modern heating systems are primarily based on the heating of air. This seems an obvious choice, but there are far worthier alternatives.
Cooling people by increasing local airflow is at least ten times more energy efficient than refrigerating the air in a given space.
A fireless cooker doubles the efficiency of any type of cooking device because it shortens the time on the fire and limits heat transfer losses
Despite technological advancements since the Industrial Revolution, cooking remains a spectacularly inefficient process.
Modular cargo cycles are cheap to build and easy to customize.
Automation is more energy-intensive than mechanisation.
High speed rail is destroying the most valuable alternative to the airplane; the “low speed” rail network that has been in service for decades.
The arrival of compact lithium-ion batteries has increased the performance and diversity of electrically heated clothing.
Lime burning is a now-forgotten industry that sustained many agrarian communities before energy became cheap.