When you hear the term “renewable energy,” the first things that come to mind are probably wind farms and solar panels. Both solar and wind energy generation have undergone something of a renaissance in recent years, but they’re far from the only forms of renewable energy that could be available in the future. Now that… Read more »
Scientists Develop Thermal Battery to Capture the Sun’s Heat
Photovoltaic panels have allowed us to convert the sun’s energy into electricity, but what about those times when you just need heat from the sun, rather than electricity? Let’s say you want to heat your home with solar energy, for example. You could convert it into electricity to power a furnace, or you could simply… Read more »
Denver Will Soon Require New Buildings to Have “Green” Roofs
Along with New York City, London, Paris and San Francisco, Denver is the latest city to require contractors to install “green” roofs on new buildings. Green roofs usually feature either solar panels or rooftop gardens, and these cities have made it mandatory for companies constructing large new buildings to find a green solution for their… Read more »
Ventilation Solutions for Homes Affected By Wildfires
Throughout the month of October, a series of devastating wildfires swept across California, burning hundreds of thousands of acres and forcing more than 20,000 people to evacuate their homes. Many people whose homes were in the vicinity of the wildfires have been understandably concerned about their effect on the local air quality as well. Wildfires… Read more »
Caribbean Officials Call for Renewable Energy Development
A number of the islands located in and around the Caribbean were devastated by Hurricanes Irma and Maria this year. Those islands are going to have a long rebuilding process ahead of them, but there could be some good to come out of it. While the U.S. and many other countries around the world have… Read more »
Carbon Capture Could Turn Emissions Into Building Materials
Environmental scientists have spent decades looking for new ways to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of human populations, and a revolutionary new technique could turn some of those harmful emissions into useful building materials. Developed by the Australia-based firm Mineral Carbonation International (MCi), this technique captures airborne CO2 emissions and turns them into solid carbonates…. Read more »
Electrical Grid Operators Brace for Effects of Solar Eclipse
Right now, millions of Americans are eagerly awaiting the total solar eclipse that will take place next week on August 21. An eclipse that passes across the entire country is quite rare, so it’s going to be a big day for amateur astronomy enthusiasts. But not everyone is quite so thrilled about the eclipse. Electrical… Read more »
Fungus Could Be the Next Big Thing in Green Buildings
The idea of building a home—or even just a part of a home—with fungus probably wouldn’t normally appeal to a lot of people. Fungus is something that most people try and keep away from their homes. But there are companies like Ecovative Design, which is located in upstate New York just outside of Albany, that… Read more »
High-Performance Structures Can Save Significantly
Anyone who has lived in an older home may have had the unpleasant experience of trying to heat or cool a building that was constructed without insulation or with insulation that has long since passed its useful age. Concerns about the cost and environmental impact of heating or cooling buildings have led to the universal… Read more »
Green Doesn’t Mean Weak: Looking at the Strength and Longevity of New Building Materials
When you’re preparing to construct a new building, going green might sound like a great idea, but won’t the green building materials that are used fall apart after just a few years and fail to hold up like traditional construction materials? This is a question that many people ask because they mistakenly believe that green… Read more »