I was impressed when I learned about Hawaii’s goal of 100% renewable energy by 2045, but I was shocked to learn about some unintended impacts of wind energy development on Oahu’s north shore. Hearing from impacted residents was a great reminder that wind energy, like any tool, is not inherently good or bad – it comes down to how it is developed and used.
I was skeptical of the term “beneficial electrification” when I first heard it, mostly because I knew that more than half of our electricity in Pennsylvania was generated using fossil fuels. But when electric appliances are used in concert with energy efficiency measures, cleaner energy sources, and smart grid technology, beneficial electrification represents a meaningful step in addressing the climate crisis.
When I first saw an Earthship on the Discovery Channel in the ‘90s, I immediately wanted to live in one. While I now recognize that there are some cons in addition to the pros, I am still inspired by the radical and thoughtful design toward net zero energy use and waste. And I was delighted to stay in one recently and learn more about it first-hand.
We will soon have to replace our hot water heater, and I want to invest in something that will save energy and reduce our demand for fossil fuels, while also recognizing an inevitable shift toward home electrification. Initial and ongoing costs were a consideration in the debate between gas and electric models, meaning that this decision called for a comparative analysis. Spreadsheets were used.
In honor of Climate Week and our need for stronger, swifter climate action, this post examines the new Allegheny County ordinance calling for the creation of a Climate Action Plan, which will reference Pennsylvania’s and Pittsburgh’s existing plans. Therefore, it’s important we understand the assumptions and omissions present in these example Climate Action Plans and how their approaches will shape the county’s next steps.
After years of intermittent research and data collection, I’m ready to share what we already knew: we’re saving money by using less energy! But how much, and how long until we recoup the costs of the weatherization work we had done in our attic in May 2021? We’ll never know for sure, but this exercise was a fun exploration of that complex question.
Odd-numbered years mean judicial elections in Pennsylvania, and those are far more critical than most people realize. Our courts determine how our laws are interpreted, and we the voters decide who gets to be on the bench. In other news, Allegheny County residents who are registered democrat will likely be picking our next Chief Executive from a wide field of candidates.
The world is talking more about decarbonizing our energy and transportation sectors, and one hot talking point is hydrogen. Hydrogen fuel cells can store energy like a clean battery, and hydrogen burns cleaner than fossil alternatives. However, the various processes of isolating hydrogen from input materials mean a range of environmental impacts, especially since the bulk of hydrogen is still produced using fossil fuels.
There are plenty of debates right now about energy independence and what that means, especially in light of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and the resulting boycotts of Russian fossil fuels. There’s not much I can do as an individual, but these events prompted my switch to a third-party electricity supplier, particularly one that focuses on utility-scale wind and solar projects here in Pennsylvania.
This last post is going live on the anniversary of Chernobyl, an oft-referenced event that has nothing and everything to do with Fukushima. Global concerns about nuclear energy persist as the Japanese government continues cleanup and looks to alternative fuel sources. The request we were left with from residents was this: go home and tell everyone what a wonderful place Fukushima still is.