A home stylist’s vision of battery backup. CNET/Petmal/Getty Images We’ve previously highlighted California’s new climate paradigm marked by increasingly extreme weather events. The reliability of a home backup power supply has become more critical than ever. Recent events like Hurricane Hilary, which brought unprecedented tropical storm conditions to California that hadn’t previously happened in recorded […]
Lithium hard rock strip mine. Gwenn Dubourthoumieu/The Carter Center In 2022, the State of California established a plan to make all new vehicle sales zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) by 2035. No doubt this will be a tremendous step forward with respect to minimizing the amount of carbon pollution our cars will emit into the atmosphere. But […]
With the exception of the propietary Tesla Supercharger, the de facto standard level 3 plug is the Combined Charging System (CCS1) Type. Via Ars Technica. Rechargeable batteries are now virtually everywhere, powering more and more components of modern life. The development of renewable energy sources like solar and wind has created a growing demand for […]
The sun and sand on Lanikai Beach. My wife and I have challenged ourselves to always use local mass transit to get around every destination we visit on vacation. We recently traveled to the Hawaiian island of Oahu and we had no problems meeting that commitment; from getting to and from the airport and the […]
Chevrolet announced the end of the production line for its popular Bolt in favor of EV versions of their much larger, heavier, more cyclist and pedestrian-dangerous and profitable Sierra and GMC Orion EV models. Upcoming Chevy EVs will be powered by its proprietary Ultium battery propulsion system. Photo: Andrew J. Hawkins / The Verge On […]
Your home electrification plan impacts the current state of you electric panel. Most consumers can “watt miser” their existing service. This is the second part of our series on the Inflation Reduction Act & You; the first part “Inflation Reduction Act Update: Patience, Patience…” is here. The passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) was […]
Kaitlen Brito, Washington Post The Inflation Reduction Act was enacted by Congress and signed into law by President Biden in August 2022. Among its many provisions, it addresses climate change and energy security throughout the US and in western states particularly. To improve energy security, it includes the High Energy Electric Home Rebate Act (HEEHRA), […]
Yes, it’s the time of year for holiday celebrations and our suggestions for greening them. Keep these tips in mind to improve the sustainability of your gatherings for Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa & New Year’s Eve, whether you’re hosting a traditional family gathering or simply attending an event with friends. You’ll feel better remembering that in […]
Richard Vogel / Associated Press Build your own rainwater harvesting system for outdoor use Let’s start with a quiz: say you have a roof that measures 1700 square feet (average for the US) and your area has a rainstorm that yields half an inch, how much water can you potentially collect with a home rainwater […]
Santa Clara Agrihood – Steinberg Hart The Bay Area, like much of California, is facing record heat, chronic drought, housing affordability/access issues, strained electrical grids, and a democratic crisis at the community level–to name a few of the issues. This puts greater emphasis on the importance of a city’s physical resilience, sustainability, and regenerative capabilities. […]