Our hearts go out to those Australians facing the current onslaught of floods nationwide. Times like these underscore the importance of knowing what to do in an emergency without the added stress of figuring it out on the spot. [Read more…]

Happy New Year from my straw-bale home in Adelaide. Now, don’t let the eco-friendly construction fool you – my place is an energy-hungry beast, and I’m the guy feeding it! With thermal mass and careful orientation, the house is a champion of efficiency, but my family’s lifestyle… well, that’s another story. [Read more…]

2022 is on its final legs and soon to expire.  Even though it’s disrespectful to speak ill of the soon-to-be departed, I’m going to come straight out and say — when it came to greenhouse gas emissions — 2022 was the absolute worst. [Read more…]

The best place for solar panels is on your roof. Despite this, over one-third of our solar electricity comes from large-scale solar farms. Their construction can involve land clearing that releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.  

These emissions aren’t good, but they are trivial next to those from fossil fuel generation. [Read more…]

Recently, I’ve noticed a number of solar myths coming back to haunt the comments section of this blog. Here’s the latest one:

“Those black solar panels actually heat the planet by increasing the amount of energy the earth absorbs from the sun?  Ha! You never thought of that did you!”

[Read more…]

Image Credit: Finn Peacock + AI

Fronius says Australian rooftop solar + inverter has CO2 & energy payback under one year.

Last month, a huge, hulking Austrian handed me a physical report called: [Read more…]

Powerful permanent magnets made from Rare Earth Elements (REEs) give us cheaper, lighter and more efficient generators and motors for wind turbines and electric cars. [Read more…]

Do you want to weaken Putin’s hand while making European nations more willing and able to cope with disruptions in their energy supply? 

Of course you do! One simple way to help Ukraine is to stop using gas.  

You can start immediately. [Read more…]

Last year the International Energy Agency (IAE) published a report titled…

The Role of Critical Minerals In Clean Energy Transitions

I recently dived deep into its 260 pages to see if a shortage of critical minerals threatens the world’s transition to a renewable future. [Read more…]

After I heard about the Tongan volcanic eruption, the first thing I did was determine if the Tongans I knew were all right.  While conditions there are serious, they aren’t as bad as they could have been, so they’re probably okay.  Australia and New Zealand are sending relief, which is a relief.  [Read more…]