Tag: Energy Efficiency
-
The Difference Between Efficiency and Efficacy
Subtitle: Here’s the reason that the term ‘efficacy’ pops up frequently in the field of energy efficiency Images: When I was doing research for an article on ceiling fans a while back, I noticed that fans don’t have energy efficiency ratings; they have efficacy ratings. There’s certainly confusion about the terminology among different sources, but…
-
Reciprocity House is Worth Watching
Maison Reciprocity, or Reciprocity House, is one of the entrants in this year’s Solar Decathlon Europe competition. In a nutshell, it is an energy-efficient, highly sustainable modular home, which aims to set the standard of low cost, and low impact building in the future. It is a joint effort between Appalachian State University and the…
-
Fuel Cells to Heat and Power Homes
When looking into off-the-grid heating and power sources for the home, those interested might soon be getting a new option. The Dresden, Germany-based Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems (IKTS) has joined forces with the heater manufacturer Vaillant and together they have come up with a domestic fuel cell system, which uses natural gas…
-
More Environmentally Friendly Solar Cells
Researchers at Northwestern University have developed a new solar cell that uses tin instead of lead perovskite as a collector of solar energy. This cheap and environmentally-friendly solar cell can therefore be made without any high-tech equipment or hazardous materials. The new solar cell developed by the team uses a structure called a perovskite and…
-
Is Wireless Transmission of Power Finally a Real Possibility?
Two Russian scientists, Leonid and Sergey Plekhanov, both of the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT) are trying to crowdfund the building of a prototype of Nikola Tesla’s Wardenclyffe tower, which could allow for wireless transmission of power. Should they succeed, it is conceivable that the entire planet could be powered by renewable energy…