Thanks to the rise of intermittent renewable energy sources, we’ve seen increased demand for new energy storage technologies, like batteries, pumped storage hydropower, and flywheels. But what if I told you that this little toy, a 200-year-old invention, combined with thermal energy storage might be
When building a house, homeowners have several ways to power their heating and cooling systems, like oil, natural gas, or electricity. But there’s another option right below our feet. You can install geothermal heating and cooling at you home, but is it worth the cost? And how does it hold up?
Imagine a world where blindness and deafness can be reversed. Or never forgetting a name, face, or date. Being able to augment the brainpower we're born with to offload memories and correct human maladies. That's what Elon Musk and the team at Neuralink are setting out to do, but is it the future of
Exploring Passing House Design - 90% Energy Savings! What if I told you that it’s possible to build a house that uses up to 90% less energy than your current house? And combining that with solar panels you could heat, cool, and even charge an EV for just a few hundred dollars a year? Let’s take a cl
From smartphones and laptops to the rapidly growing EV market, we need an incredible amount of lithium ion batteries to make it all work. Materials like lithium are difficult and time consuming to mine and extract ... and can have a major impact on the environment. Can nanotechnology solve our lithi
What if I told you there was an always-on, carbon free, renewable power source deep beneath the earth's surface. Why haven't we been using this power source, literally available under our feet, as much as possible? Let's look at the explanation behind Geothermal energy and it's challenges ... one of
With a global population that's expected to hit 9.7 billion by 2050 and have less arable land to grow food on, what do we do? How about putting robots, AI, and some really cool technology to work to grow food in three dimensions? Let's take a look at the future of food and the growth of vertical far
Imagine a skyscraper with smart windows and walls made from fungus … yes, a fungus. Let’s explore green building and the future of construction. And can going net-zero really make a difference?
I just replaced one of the last gasoline-powered machines that I own: my 10 year old Ariens snow blower. The replacement? The brand new Ego Power+ 24 inch self-propelled 2-stage snow blower. We all know that batteries and the cold don’t go well together, so how does the Ego Power+ Snow blower hold u
What you need to know before getting a Tesla Powerwall (first impressions and early review). There’s a few things I learned going through the installation process that might be useful if you’re thinking about getting a home battery installed. So let’s go through what you should know before getting a
When it comes to energy storage, our first thought usually is lithium ion batteries. But what if we went old school ... like just spinning things really fast and capturing that kinetic energy, old school. I thought I’d explain an example of a mechanical battery: the flywheel. And are they making a c
Tesla made a huge splash in the solar panel world when they unveiled the latest version of the Tesla Solar Roof. But since then we haven't seen too much about it. Is it a bargain or a bust? Or are solar tiles about to go mainstream? I talked to Weddle & Sons Roofing to learn more about it from an in
