Increasing society's reliance on renewable energy through greater accessibility to electric vehicle chargers.
This post covers the advantages of using metals in manufacturing and construction, from a sustainability perspective. A cornerstone of Sustainability is utilizing materials that are naturally occurring and don’t deplete or lose functionality as they’re used (sunlight, wind, heat, the flow of water, and metals). Metals such as copper, aluminum and steel are great examples […]
This post covers the current status of EVs in the United States, including population, rate of growth and factors impacting their expansion. Electric vehicles are a keystone in the world’s efforts to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and keep the global temperature from increasing 1.5 degrees Fahrenheit. The transportation sector accounts for almost 30% of total […]
This post covers the standard EV charger types that are utilized by EV drivers, including their voltage, price and range delivered. There are around 41,400 EV charging stations in the United States. Of these, 1,043 are Level 1 (120 volts), 41,871 are Level 2 (240 volts), and 5,281 are DC Fast chargers (200-600 volts). Americans […]
When sunlight hits a photovoltaic cell, the semiconductors in the cell absorb some of the light and transfer the energy into electrons which generate an electric current. This current is extracted via conductive metals, and can be used to charge appliances or put energy into a grid. https://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/1365/ Silica, Copper, Cadmium, Gallium, Germanium, Indium, Selenium […]
Solar panels feature a lifespan of 25-30 years. The efficiency of solar panels, however, falls about 0.8% every year, meaning that they will operate at 98.4% capacity after 2 years. After 25 years, they will operate at about 82.5%, which manufacturers determine to be a significant decline and thus an end-of-life. The EPBT (energy payback […]
In the third quarter of 2020, the US added 1,934 MW of wind power capacity which is the highest third quarter on record. This brought the total US wind generation capacity up to 111,809 MW. WINDExchange: U.S. Installed and Potential Wind Power Capacity and Generation (energy.gov) With 111,809 MW going into 2021, the US is […]
In regards to the climate, the study of tipping points is essentially the study of how climate change might result in larger instabilities in our ecosystems. https://www.amazon.com/Climate-Casino-Uncertainty-Economics-Warming/dp/030021264X A tipping points occurs when a system experiences sharp discontinuity in its behavior. Nordhaus, 53 We are actively experiencing symptoms of approaching tipping points… the recent megafires on […]
This is the first post based on the information provided in William Nordhaus’ The Climate Casino. I picked this book up at the American Economic Association’s annual conference in Atlanta, Georgia two years ago, and it sparked my passion for the climate and renewables. Nordhaus, W. D. (2013). The Climate Casino. New Haven: Yale University […]
Based on the 2019 US Energy and Employment Report, only 4.5% of the U.S’ workforce are into the renewable energy sectors (6.7 million out of 147 million). https://www.usenergyjobs.org/2019-report An article from Solar Power World estimates that green stimulus could create 860,000 new jobs in the renewable sector. The stimulus mentioned consists of $99.2 Billion of […]
Almost every product has what is called “embodied energy”, or “embedded energy”. This is the energy expended in creating the product, whether it be the carbon output, the heat generated, etc. Embodied energy is an important concept regarding sustainability because, ideally, companies that create products should also seek to offset the hazardous externalities that were […]