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Wearing wood for a low-carbon life
Wearing wood for a low-carbon life
“Wood may be present in people’s life more than we think”, says Mariana Hassegawa, a researcher at the European Forest Institute . She is one of the authors of a case study on new wood-based products by the BioMonitor EU project.
Sharing power to foster renewables: the cooperatives model
Sharing power to foster renewables: the cooperatives model
María Regidor co-owns a mini-hydro power plant in Spain, which produces part of the electricity provided to the residents of the Castile and León region.
Doubling lithium battery energy density – A chat with Nobel prize winner M. Stanley Whittingham
Doubling lithium battery energy density – A chat with Nobel prize winner M. Stanley Whittingham
The success of lithium-ion batteries is so great that it’s easy to ignore how common they now are – except on the rare occasion one bursts into flames. That success arguably originated with M.
Evora University Courtyard
The cultural heritage challenges a sustainable future
Buildings and the construction sector are responsible for over one-third of global final energy consumption and nearly 40% of total direct and indirect CO 2 emissions .
District Heating 2.0
District Heating 2.0
Today´s liberalised markets are focused on short-term return on capital, but energy infrastructure planning should be driven by the objective of climate protection.
Twenty-two million smart homes in Europe: from science-fiction to reality
Twenty-two million smart homes in Europe: from science-fiction to reality
Door locks that open with fingerprints, networked security cameras, smart light bulbs, smart washing machines: technology is transforming our homes, turning the tech dreams of yesterday into the reality of today.
Waste heat from power plants hits home
Waste heat from power plants hits home
There is no such thing as a perfect energy efficient process. The second law of thermodynamics states that all energy generating processes produce heat as a by-product.
Energy “vigilant” citizens
Energy “vigilant” citizens
When temperatures are low, the temptation to take long, scalding showers and turn electric heaters to the maximum is high. And not knowing how much energy we spend, when we unthinkingly do these activities, makes it difficult for us to decrease our consumption.
District heating: has its time come?
District heating: has its time come?
From the frosty reaches of Umeå in eastern Sweden to the rolling hills of San Sebastian in Spain’s Basque Country, European cities have one refrain on their minds as the cold sets in: winter is coming and homes must be heated in a way that allows the EU to reach its goal of reducing energy consumption by 20% by the year 2020 .
Efficient, Cheap and Green
Efficient, Cheap and Green
Only when they are accepted, or better even embraced by the people, they can be implemented swiftly without any  major delays.
What about GMOs in our homes?
What about GMOs in our homes?
One of the main contributors of CO 2 emissions are the homes we live in. In the EU, buildings are responsible for 36% of CO 2 emissions and 40% of energy consumption.
Money-saving small wind turbines: myth or reality?
Money-saving small wind turbines: myth or reality?
Getting clean energy through your own turbine without relying on a central grid sounds great, but with subsidies being cut across Europe, is it too good to be true? Those with plenty of experience with wind turbines are quick to concede the financial challenges of this green technology.
Energy back in local hands
Energy back in local hands
Across Europe, town and city councils are becoming increasingly interested in energy decentralisation , i.e. in producing power closer to where it is consumed.
Social, green, but primarily as an investment: all the features of energy crowdfunding
Social, green, but primarily as an investment: all the features of energy crowdfunding
There are three ways a crowdfunding project can be financed. Lending: the entrepreneurs borrow money and pay interest; equity: investors in the project become its shareholders; donations: no reward is to be expected (there is a fourth way, a mix of equity and lending called “hybrid”).
Smart grid: A grid suitable for renewable energy
Smart grid: A grid suitable for renewable energy
Traditionally our electricity grids were designed to move power from large nuclear and fossil fuel power plants to consumers, but renewable energy will see changes to allow smaller power generation from wind and solar to be hooked up to the grid.
Clean energies in need of a long term vision
Clean energies in need of a long term vision
The European grid already faces transmission challenges, as the alternative current (AC) infrastructure has almost reached its transport capacity.
Virtual models to make cities greener
Virtual models to make cities greener
Making a city or district energy smart is, first and foremost, an exercise in good planning . However, such green planning tools are still in their infancy. The trouble is that every city is different, every district unique.
District heating: Sweden is leading the way out of fossil fuels
District heating: Sweden is leading the way out of fossil fuels
Nordic countries have achieved a great independence from fossils because of their widespread district heating systems. District heating is a smart way to avoid using fossil fuels to heat buildings .
Cities join forces to retrofit districts
Cities join forces to retrofit districts
Cities have started to join forces to become more energy efficient . This trends stems from the findings of the first climate assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), published in 1990, which was quite alarming.
Making Europe’s cultural heritage more energy efficient
Making Europe’s cultural heritage more energy efficient
A well-accepted measure for climate protection involves reducing greenhouse gas emissions . And buildings have the greatest energy saving potential, according to the official EU Energy Efficiency Plan 2011 .
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