If you’ve got PV panels, the case for home battery storage seems obvious: bottle up all that free power generated during the day when you can’t use it, so it’s still available for when the sun goes down and you need it most. Batteries are often marketed as the perfect complement to PV, so much … Continue reading Home batteries – hope or hype?
Category: technology
Talking green energy in the home, with Times Radio
Hugo Rifkind, Times Radio, Saturdays 10am - 1pm Imagine my wife's delight when someone else actually volunteered to listen to me talking about green issues. She got half an hour off on a Saturday morning, and I got an interesting discussion with others far more qualified than me, ranging from the value of solar panels … Continue reading Talking green energy in the home, with Times Radio
What can I do to have the greatest impact?
Photo by Markus Spiske Let's not pretend we can save the planet by rejecting plastic straws or switching our detergent, or even off-setting a 'business as usual' approach. The truth is we've left it too late for any response but the most urgent and far-reaching, involving each and every one of us. 'We are now … Continue reading What can I do to have the greatest impact?
Solar panels – are they worth it?
Our 5.4kW array soaking up the sunshine I'm frequently asked whether I'd recommend PV panels, especially since the incentive of the Feed in Tariff (FiT) was lost in spring 2019. So after about sixteen months of living with ours, this seems a good time to offer a summary. I'll start by saying that, while I'm … Continue reading Solar panels – are they worth it?
The greatest opportunity ever wasted
Photo by Anne Nygard Everyone agrees that the misery of COVID-19 presents an opportunity. Never has it been more necessary to reset our broken world, and never has there been more willingness amongst the public. Policies that only recently were inconceivable, from mothballing airports to shutting us in our homes, have become reality. Consumers and … Continue reading The greatest opportunity ever wasted
But what about China?
Photo by Chuttersnap "The climate fight will be won or lost in countries like China and India, not here in the UK - we're a tiny fraction of the problem and already leading the world in our carbon reductions. So why risk our jobs and economy? Why limit our lives? Why disrupt our cities with … Continue reading But what about China?
To fly or not to fly
Small steps... Recognise the true cost of a plane ticket beyond the purely financial.Wherever possible, swap the plane for a train.Protest against any airport expansion until the current infrastructure is carbon-neutral and running at capacity.Encourage businesses to reduce flights and offset.Don't be a frequent flyer but, if you have to go by plane, go economy, … Continue reading To fly or not to fly
Driving electric – Part 2
For those who've asked, a bit more on the numbers: It's been almost three weeks since we picked up our Nissan Leaf, long enough to accumulate some first-hand experience, and also to slightly broaden my understanding of EV use in general. First and foremost, I love it. And my wife loves it. For a couple … Continue reading Driving electric – Part 2
Driving electric
Small steps... Wherever possible, walk, cycle or take the bus.Recognise the real cost of just nipping out to the shops - plan your logistics to eliminate unnecessary journeys.If you need a car, go electric - with grants and interest-free loans. My favourite post so far... Transport is the main cause of air pollution in our … Continue reading Driving electric
A climate-friendly search engine
Small steps... Go to Ecosia.org and install it as your default search engine. All their profits go towards planting trees around the world.Tell your friends and family about the alternative to Google that will allow them to combat climate change with every search. -------------------------------------------- Ecosia.org - plant trees every time you search the web My laptop and router … Continue reading A climate-friendly search engine
Positively Green 