Categorie: energy
It seems that more and more energy is needed to keep the capitalist exhaustion of the Earth going, which also requires more and more material. How did we get here, and where do we go from here? A thought experiment. Originally, however, there was (and is) plenty of energy—solar energy—and…
It’s time to shine a light on an old technique: shutters. (No, I’m not following in the footsteps of Lowtech Magazine, but sometimes our paths cross).Shutters are as old as building itself, even predating the invention of glass. There was no glass back then, so how do you keep the…
What is Exergy, Entropy, Information, Order in relation to buildings? Everything will turn to dust. Inevitable. Except in a subsystem where solar radiation provides just enough energy to (re)create some order. I was once again struggling with a question: the relationship between entropy, exergy, value, and order. Yes, yes, you…
Since we’re talking about the 1960s, let’s dive a bit deeper and attach some numbers: In the 1960s, things really started to get out of hand. Energy graphs began to shoot up steeply from that point onward. Which made that prime minister Lubbers at the time called for “the living…
Basing our current lifestyle on 100% renewable energy is not going to work, (see two episodes earlier [1]) What then if we adjust our lifestyle now to the amount of renewable energy cq electricity available today, and distribute it fairly, with some creativity? Then we are done installing and investing….
The debate whether or not 100% renewable electricity supply is feasible, is ongoing. 100% at the current standard of living, that is. The standard of us, here in the rich countries. There are quite a few snags in that. It has to be built more or less from scratch, (we…
I was forwarded an interesting column, written by a researcher from Ourworldindata, with a comparison in quantity between fossil fuels, and materials extraction. And then the thesis is more or less that the extraction of raw materials to build a renewable energy supply costs many times less raw materials as…
I recently was triggered a few times by the term: ‘Energy Poverty’ in all kinds of reports and tweets [1-4] . Usually referred to as having little access to oil, gas and coal, in what is then called the poorer part of the world. But does that exist, energy poverty?…
Our kitchen was far gone. Much damage, doors were crooked, still cooking on gas, a tile floor with pits, etc. so something had to be done. You can still cook there, its not that we are condemned to raw food, but there are limits. Moreover, if we want to sell…
Before we hurry covering everything with solar panels, let’s reason a bit further, because since my first experiences with renewable energy, many new insights have emerged. Those first experiences I had when building a “Bicycle wheel windmill”, as described in the “Windwerkboek” of the time. [1] ( Wind Work Guide)….
