For centuries people living in hot climates have tried to cool buildings without electricity. Long before air conditioning, architecture itself acted as the cooling system. It’s called using passive energy. In Iran, for example, traditional homes used wind catchers, known as badgirs, tall towers that captured breezes and funneled cooler air down into homes. These passive ventilation systems have been used for thousands of years across the Middle East and can naturally cool buildings by directing airflow and expelling hot air.

In hot climates like the Middle East and North Africa, homes were also designed around inner courtyards with pools and shaded gardens, allowing for privacy, but also for cool air to circulate through thick mud-brick walls and shaded spaces during the day. In some cases, underground spaces connected to aqueducts or water channels were used to further cool incoming air before it entered the building.

Modern sustainable architecture has tried to rediscover these ancient ideas. Over the years we have covered everything from white roof paint that reflects sunlight to experimental passive cooling materials designed to reduce air-conditioning demand.

Now an Israeli startup says it may have taken the idea a step further: cooling surfaces using sunlight itself.

SolCold, a climate-tech company based in Ness Ziona, Israel, has developed a nanotechnology coating that actively cools surfaces when exposed to sunlight. The company was founded in 2016 by Yaron Shenhav and Dr. Yaron Shenhav (co-founder and CEO), based on research originating at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

The coating can be applied to buildings, vehicles, shipping containers and even fabrics. When sunlight hits the material, it triggers a physical process that reflects most solar radiation, converts absorbed heat energy into light, and releases heat through radiative cooling. Sort of the way you cool down after you pop into the water and then stand in the air.

Unlike traditional reflective coatings or “cool roof” paints, which simply bounce sunlight away, SolCold’s technology actively removes heat from the surface. In direct sunlight, coated objects can become cooler than the surrounding air.

The hotter the environment and the stronger the sun, the stronger the cooling effect. In laboratory tests the coating has demonstrated temperature reductions of up to about 20°C below ambient conditions.

The company says the technology could significantly reduce air-conditioning demand in buildings, cut energy use in refrigerated shipping containers, and help lower the urban heat island effect that traps heat in cities.

SolCold has raised several million dollars in venture funding, with investors including the Israel Innovation Authority and private climate-tech investors, and has conducted dozens of pilot projects with global automotive and industrial companies, testing the coating on vehicles and equipment exposed to intense sunlight. Major global manufacturers have reportedly tested the technology for use on vehicles and industrial equipment exposed to heat.

The company is entering a growing field of passive cooling and reflective materials, competing with technologies such as cool roof coatings from companies like Cool Roof Rating Council partners, radiative cooling materials developed at Stanford and MIT, and reflective paints such as those commercialized by PPG and other building-materials manufacturers.

Its first product named “Glacier 110,” is an opaque, white solid film with a thickness of 350 µm, an area density of 0.3 kg/m_2, and is highly durable, lasting for ten years in high-performance applications. The material’s optimal cooling power is 70W/m₂ – 170 W/m₂ at noon in summertime. It can be used on buses to keep occupants cool, for instance.

Glacier 110 has four layers: a smart filter that lets 1% of heat pass through it, an anti-stokes layer, a radiative cooling layer, and a mirror layer. The coating maintains a low ambient temperature throughout its entire architecture.

The main benefits of the company’s innovative products include zero electricity and fuel consumption and zero carbon emissions. Used in clothing, it protects the health of the wearer.

If the technology scales commercially, coatings that turn sunlight into cooling power could offer a modern, high-tech counterpart to the ancient passive cooling systems that shaped desert architecture for centuries.

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A new analysis published today by Urgewald, a German NGO, reveals that the European Union continues to play a central role in sustaining Russia’s Arctic gas exports, despite its public commitment to phase out Russian LNG imports by 2027.

Using cargo-level data from Kpler, the report shows that in 2025 the Kremlin’s flagship Yamal LNG terminal generated an estimated €7.2 billion in revenue from LNG shipments to EU ports alone. Of the 19.7 million tonnes exported globally from Yamal last year, 15 million tonnes — more than 76% — were delivered to Europe, making the EU by far the project’s most important customer.

“While Brussels celebrates agreements to phase out Russian gas, our ports continue serving as the logistics lung for Russia’s largest LNG terminal,” said Sebastian Rötters, Sanctions Campaigner at Urgewald. “In the current geopolitical situation, we cannot afford another year of complicity.

“We are not just customers; we are the essential infrastructure keeping this flagship project alive. Every cargo that offloads at an EU terminal is a direct deposit into a war chest that fuels the slaughter in Ukraine. We must stop providing the oxygen for Russia’s energy profits and shut the Yamal loophole now.”

The findings suggest that rather than declining, Europe’s reliance on Yamal LNG intensified in 2025. Yamal cargoes accounted for 14.3% of the EU’s total LNG imports, equivalent to roughly one in every seven LNG ships arriving at European terminals.

France emerged as the single largest importer of Yamal LNG in 2025, receiving 6.3 million tonnes across 87 shipments at the ports of Dunkirk and Montoir. Belgium’s Zeebrugge terminal also played a critical role, receiving more Yamal LNG than China over the same period.

According to the analysis, Europe’s importance goes beyond demand. Yamal LNG’s Arctic location makes it entirely dependent on a small fleet of 14 Arc7 ice-class tankers, which must operate on short routes to function efficiently. By allowing these vessels to unload in nearby European ports, the EU enables rapid turnaround times that keep exports flowing year-round.

The report also highlights the role of European shipping companies, noting that UK-based Seapeak and Greece’s Dynagas together control over 70% of the Arc7 tanker fleet serving Yamal LNG.

Urgewald warns that unless action is taken soon, Europe risks losing its leverage. As charter agreements expire later this year, the specialized tanker fleet could be transferred into opaque “shadow fleet” structures, further entrenching Russia’s Arctic LNG exports.

“The data shows the EU holds decisive influence over Yamal LNG,” Rötters said. “What’s missing is the political will to use it — and to close the Yamal loophole now.”

The post EU Ports Still Power Russia’s Arctic Gas Exports Despite Phase-Out Pledge appeared first on Green Prophet.

What to Expect at Ecomondo 2025

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In the quiet suburbs of Everett, Washington, a small private company is building what could be the most important machine on Earth. Its name is Helion Energy. Its mission? Nothing less than bottling a star—and lighting up our future—clean, limitless, and faster than China.

Helion is developing a magneto-inertial fusion technology to produce helium-3 and fusion power via aneutronic fusion, which could produce low-cost clean electric energy using a fuel that can be derived exclusively from water. Green Prophet’s Brian writes here: What is fusion and why is it so hard?

While the world scrolls TikTok and argues about AI doom scenarios, a real technological arms race is unfolding: Who will master fusion energy first—and rewrite the next century’s economic and political order? If Helion succeeds in its mission it might also put terrorists out of business.

Helion Energy thinks they have the answer. And they have AI on their side.

Fusion at the Speed of Algorithms

Unlike mega-government projects like Europe’s ITER, which has been famously “30 years away” for 30 years, Helion is running on Silicon Valley speed. Their weapon of choice is magneto-inertial fusion, squeezing plasma with magnetic fields instead of building reactors the size of cathedrals. Here’s where AI comes in.

Helion’s plasma accelerators generate a storm of complex data—magnetic fields, particle velocities, temperatures over 100 million degrees. Too much for any team of humans to control in real-time.

Instead, Helion uses machine learning to tweak and optimize reactor operations pulse-by-pulse. Every shot teaches the system something new: how to better confine the plasma, adjust the magnetic fields, prevent instabilities, and reach the holy grail of energy gain—producing more energy than it consumes. In 2021 cleantech blog Canary Media asked if VCs were throwing $500 million at science fiction. Let’s see who has the last laugh.

Without AI, we’d still be waiting for fusion in 2080?

With AI, Helion is betting on delivering grid-ready fusion electricity as soon as 2028, through a historic deal signed with Microsoft. If they succeed, it would mark the first time in history that humanity pulls useful electricity directly from fusion reactions—the same reactions that power our sun.

The Real Race: Helion vs. China

But it’s not just a scientific experiment. It’s a race—and the finish line could define the balance of world power for centuries. China’s state-backed fusion programs, like the EAST “artificial sun” project, are pushing hard, using their own AI systems to optimize plasma confinement. Their fusion reactors are holding plasma steady for record-breaking periods, and they aren’t slowing down.

In a recent warning, former U.S. Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson said that leadership in clean energy—including fusion—will define who leads global economies, militaries, and industries in the 21st century. Like the Ukraine and Russian war upended the world –– and it was over energy imbalance –– whoever wins fusion will no longer be dependent on fossil fuels—and will hold the power to cripple rivals who still are.

Oil Powers Beware: Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Iran on Notice

If fusion becomes cheap and reliable, it will collapse the global demand for oil and gas. All these mega projects and oil-funded terrorist activities in Iran, in Yemen, in Syria and in Lebanon, will end. Saudi Arabia is signing the Abraham Accords with Israel to join the wave of the west and the United Arab Emirates is already there. Oil nations know that the demand for oil is temporary. A giant shift in energy acquisition will change the game for good.

Terror groups that thrive on petrodollar-funded instability—from Hezbollah to ISIS and beyond—would find their cash flow cut off. Countries that are developing on nations without restraint (read our latest on the Seychelles and Qatar) will be cut off from the flow of funds and wealth. Without oil as leverage, authoritarian regimes built on energy riches would face either collapse—or painful transformation. We see that Saudi Arabia is opening up to the world in archaeology, development, tourism. And this will protect its survival of a nation.

In simple words if fusion energy works, is not just about lighting up your house. It’s about turning off the money tap that funds wars, terrorism, and dictatorship.

Helion’s Big Bet

Helion’s model plays to America’s old strength: innovation through agility, not top-down megaprojects. Instead of waiting for 2050, Helion’s compact reactors aim to deliver electricity in a matter of years—and not just for cities, but for data centers, isolated industries, military bases, even disaster zones. Their current prototype, Polaris, is scheduled to fire in 2025. If Helion succeeds, it won’t just disrupt global energy. It could redraw the world map.

The post Helion Energy, AI, and the New Cold Fusion War With China appeared first on Green Prophet.

For decades, Americans have been under the constraints of low-flow showerheads, a legacy of the 1992 Energy Policy Act, which aimed to conserve water. Now, former President Trump is advocating for deregulating showerhead standards, claiming it will “liberate” the shower experience.

Former President Trump recently took to the public stage with bold comments about shower regulations, saying, “I just had a shower, and it’s great. It’s really working well.” He went on to emphasize that modern technology should allow for more water flow without restrictions, comparing the current regulations to “having a beautiful head of hair” but being “stuck with a low-flow shower.”

Trump’s lighthearted remarks about his own hair underscore the frustration many feel about the inefficiency of low-flow systems—especially when paired with the desire for a more satisfying shower experience.

But as the debate around shower deregulation intensifies, we must ask: Could this push for longer showers really be a disaster for the environment?

Recent surveys reveal a shift in generational behavior, with Gen Z spending an average of 21.2 minutes (taking “everything” showers), nearly double the time spent by Baby Boomers, who average only 12.3 minutes. For those older than that, the time drops to about 5 minutes per shower.

This generational divide reflects broader shifts in how younger people view personal care and environmental responsibility. Many younger individuals see showering not only as a hygiene practice but as a therapeutic ritual.

While this trend may initially seem wasteful, it is critical to consider the context. Recent research from Swansea, Surrey, and Bristol Universities flips common sense on its head and reveals that shower length is not necessarily linked to excessive water use.

The group installed sensors in 290 showers around the University of Surrey Campus. Over the course of 39 weeks, they gathered data on more than 86,000 individual showers, including information on average shower length and water flow rate.

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According to Ian Walker, a co-author of the study, these results point to an important showering behavior. “It suggests that people turn the shower off when they have achieved a desired sensation, not just when they have completed a certain set of actions,” he said.

The researchers also installed visible shower timers in half of the showers and found they were effective in preventing shower length from increasing as time went on. “We wonder if people ‘anchor’ on whatever is the length of their first shower, and stick to this when there’s a timer,” said Walker. The research found that the length of the showers was “quite variable,” with the average shower taking 6.7 minutes, the median 5.7 minutes, and 50% of showers lasting between 3.3 and 8.8 minutes.

Putting the findings together, the researchers saw water consumption drop from nearly 61 liters per shower in those with low pressure and no timer, to under 17 liters for those with a timer and high pressure. For showers with middling water pressures, a smart timer helped reduce water consumption by up to 53%. “This is hot water, so there are potentially massive carbon savings here,” Walker told Elemental.

In fact, their study shows that high-pressure showers equipped with timers can actually reduce water usage, even if they encourage longer shower times.

High-pressure systems help reduce the need for prolonged showers to achieve cleanliness, and the timers help users be mindful of their consumption. In these setups, a high-pressure shower with a timer used only 17 liters of water, compared to 61 liters with a traditional low-flow shower without a timer.

This research challenges the conventional narrative that longer showers inherently waste water. Instead, it highlights the importance of shower pressure and mindful consumption as key factors in reducing water waste.

Trump’s “Liberation” and What It Means for the Planet

However, Trump’s call to eliminate these water-saving regulations might be a step backward. The impact of deregulation could result in a marked increase in water and energy consumption across the country. This move could undo decades of progress in water conservation and sustainable infrastructure.

While Trump’s deregulation might come across as a quick fix, many celebrities have worked hard to promote water conservation, making personal sacrifices to set examples. Actress Jennifer Aniston, for instance, has been vocal about her eco-conscious habits, including taking shorter showers and even brushing her teeth less frequently to conserve water. Aniston’s efforts reflect a broader movement among celebrities to take personal responsibility for environmental sustainability.

Does eco-guilting work? It might in the tourist industry and at hotels where people take longer showers. Dr. Pablo Pereira-Doel, also from Surrey, said:

“Our research demonstrates that guests in tourist accommodations take shorter showers with enabling technology, reducing water, energy, and carbon emissions.”

In the first-of-its-kind study, they used a water-saving technology known as Aguardio installed in tourist accommodation shower cubicles. The system provided continuous, real-time eco-feedback to the user (their shower length) through a timer. The technology was used in combination with persuasive messages on a sticker such as “Will you beat the clock?”, “Water conservation starts with you,” and “Make a difference!” The goal was to test their effectiveness.

The positive results obtained through these experiments contributed to raising over £1 million in private and public investment to develop the Aguardio Shower Sensor solution.

Water stress is increasing and is already one of the most important global environmental threats. It is being accelerated by population growth and climate change, causing severe and rapid changes in the global freshwater structure and putting food and water security at risk.

Wellness and Sustainability: The Global Context

Interestingly, the push for longer, more luxurious showers is not isolated to the US. In Japan, bathing is a deeply ingrained cultural practice, with a focus on therapeutic experiences. The Japanese onsen culture, which I experienced last year near Fuji Mountain, at a ryoken and onsen in Hikone. The Japanese, emphasize the mental and physical benefits of long, hot baths, which often combine relaxation and cleanliness in a ritualistic fashion. Some Japanese towns have hot springs flowing right through them, and they tap into this free resource by diverting the water to private and public bathhouses separated for women, men, and families.

This approach to water use doesn’t view extended bathing as wasteful but as an essential part of well-being, with the water used in these environments often recycled through geothermal systems.

Related: The barrel sauna longevity hack

The debate over shower regulations is complex, and saving water really depends on where you are and how you get the water. Gen Z’s longer showers, for instance, reflect broader shifts toward self-care and wellness. Yet, as the Surrey study suggests, the real environmental impact isn’t about how long you spend in the shower — it’s about the pressure, technology, and awareness driving consumption. With the right technologies, we can have both long, satisfying showers and minimal water usage.

Instead of deregulating, we should focus on integrating advanced shower technologies, such as high-pressure systems with timers (also great for teens who forget themselves), to help people be more conscious of their water use without sacrificing comfort. After all, modern solutions exist that make longer showers sustainable, even in the face of growing environmental concerns.

The post Trump’s “Shower Liberation” Proposal: A Disastrous Step Back or a New Path to Efficiency? appeared first on Green Prophet.

Can AI be sustainable?

Over 100 partners, including 37 tech companies, 11 countries and 5 international organizations, have joined forces with the UN under the Coalition for Environmentally Sustainable Artificial Intelligence, aiming to ramp up global momentum to place AI on a more environmentally sustainable path.

Spearheaded by France, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the new AI Coalition brings together “stakeholders across the AI value chain for dialogue and ambitious collaborative initiatives,” according their press material.

193 countries have adopted a series of non-binding recommendations on the ethical use of AI, but a few of these are troubling because among the 193, some of them are considered the “most dangerous countries in the world” by the International Security Journal; they include countries that face severe human rights violations including Afghanistan (run by the Taliban), Syria (run by an ex-Al Qaeda leader), Yemen (controlled by the Houthis). Will they have an equal say in how AI is built or unbuilt with human biases and ambitions that may not be shared as a value across the board?

“We know that AI can be a force for climate action and energy efficiency,” says the UN Secretary-General António Guterres. “But we also know AI power-intensive systems are already placing an unsustainable strain on our planet,” “So it is crucial to design AI algorithms and infrastructures that consume less energy and integrate AI into smart grids to optimize power use.”

The Coalition was announced at the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Action Summit in Paris, where Heads of State and Government, leaders of international organizations, CEOs, academics, artists, and members of civil society gathered to discuss support for AI innovation, adequate regulation, and respect for rights to ensure development of these technologies in the interests of all, including developing countries.

According to their marketing material, the Coalition will encourage AI initiatives for the planet, including its role in decarbonizing economies, reducing pollution, preserving biodiversity, protecting the oceans, and ensuring humanity operates within planetary boundaries.

“It will use a collaborative approach – bringing together governments, academia, civil society, and the private sector – to focus on standardized methods and metrics for measuring AI’s environmental impacts, comprehensive life cycle analysis frameworks for reporting and disclosure, and prioritization of research on sustainable AI.”

What is sustainable AI? What is an environmental impact? Who chooses who enters the pact?

The new EU coalition argues that the the EU itself has tried and the United States of America have introduced legislation to temper the environmental impact of AI. “However, the policy landscape remains sparse.” The EU group believes that they can “inform investors, development banks and local authorities on the objective elements defining an energy-efficient data centre.”

“The power of AI to solve complex global challenges is becoming ever clearer, but so too are its environmental impacts and the need for environmental guardrails to ensure the field grows sustainably,” said Golestan (Sally) Radwan, Chief Digital Officer for UNEP, from Egypt. “The new Coalition brings together critical stakeholders who have the power to work together and build systems that ensure the net effect of AI on the planet is positive as the technology continues to deploy rapidly.”

Updated, February 20, 2025

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OceanWell secures $11M in series A to build deep-sea water farms as a new approach to desalination, with less energy used, no waste

Desalinating water seems like the golden solution to a dry world. Israel does it. Saudi Arabia does it. Island communities are doing it. But desalination should be a last resort because it’s energy intensive and it has environmental coastal effects. The salty brine is devastating to animals and plants on the shore. Could a novel solution from the US mine water from deep in the sea, using the ocean pressure as the means to drive osmosis through desalination membrane cells?

OceanWell, a water technology company based in Los Angeles, announced $11 million in Series A funding this week to scale its modular deep-sea water farms and launch California’s water farm pilot with Las Virgenes Municipal Water District (LVMWD).

Related: harvesting energy from the waves

OceanWell is developing modular deep-sea water farms made up of pods that harness natural hydrostatic pressure at depths of 400 meters for reverse osmosis desalination. Each pod can produce up to one million gallons of fresh water daily, and the modular design allows for scalable projects based on demand.

Each pod requires 1.5MW to operate to pump water from the pod to the shore. And the salt water released from the process is not considered detrimental to the ocean floor.

This technology ensures ultra-clean water by filtering out salts, bacteria, viruses, pesticides, and PFAS, while its components are engineered for durability in harsh deep-sea environments. Unlike traditional desalination methods that are energy-intensive and threaten marine life, OceanWell’s technology reduces energy consumption by up to 40 percent, while protecting marine life and eliminating toxic brine disposal.

“Our goal is to provide utility-scale, reliable and sustainable freshwater solutions that can supply clean drinking water to communities across the globe,” said Robert Bergstrom, Founder and CEO of OceanWell. “We’re grateful to our investors whose collective expertise across water technology, manufacturing and infrastructure project development will be invaluable to our company, and particularly as we look to scale up operations in the coming months.”

Kubota Corporation, a century-old leader in water infrastructure manufacturing, the family office of Jon Hemingway of Carrix Ports, and Charles McGarraugh, former head of metals trading at Goldman Sachs, participated in the round.

There is a rising mismatch between clean water supply and demand – with experts projecting that 5 billion people could be without clean drinking water by 2050. The problem is driven by rising demand for water in key economic sectors like agriculture, industry and manufacturing and compounded by the effects of climate change such as drought and flooding.

Since 1970 water demand has increased by 1.7x, while global supply has dropped by 50 percent. OceanWell aims to provide affordable, abundant freshwater with its deep-sea pods, which produce 1 million gallons per day of potable water each. OceanWell’s first water farm is being developed in its home state, California.

Since its founding in 1890, the Osaka, Japan-based Kubota Group has been working to solve social issues through superior products, technologies, and services in the areas of food, water, and the environment. To address the globally worsening issue of water scarcity, Kubota has increased investment in cutting-edge water technologies. Japan is a large island in need of alternative freshwater solutions.

“One of Kubota’s goals is to provide comprehensive solutions for the entire ‘water circulation loop’ from water production and supply to wastewater treatment and reclamation. OceanWell’s innovative technology, which can provide a stable long-term supply of potable water to water utilities in water-scarce regions, is indispensable for achieving this goal,” said Eiji Yoshioka, Director and GM of the Water and Environment Infrastructure Consolidated Division of Kubota.

Today’s announcement comes a year after OceanWell partnered with Las Virgenes Municipal Water District to establish California’s first water farm, aimed at supplying fresh drinking water to a region recovering from years of record-breaking drought.

Previously, the company completed prototype testing at the US Navy’s Deep Ocean Simulation Facility. OceanWell is supported by a working group of 24 state water authorities in California and aims to build 15 water farms across the globe.

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UK Energy consumers and consumers around the world are facing an energy crisis as the price of energy soars and soon the sector’s regulator, Ofgem will be reviewing the domestic energy price cap.  Following which, it is predicted that households are set to endure a hike in the costs of their energy bills of anywhere between £700 and £2,000 per year.

Therefore it is no wonder that homeowners are already considering the options that they can take to improve the energy efficiency of their homes in order to reduce their usage of energy ahead of this forecast increase in costs.

Throughout this piece, we will be discussing the different ways in which homeowners can improve the energy efficiency of their properties in order to both reduce their carbon footprint and also the household energy bills. 

Top Ways of How to Save Energy

There are a wide range of methods that can be implemented in order to save household energy.  Some approaches are fairly cost effective, whereas others have a more significant investment, however each strategy will help to become more energy efficient, and over time will aid with the costs of household energy.  

Install Insulation 

There are many different types of insulation that can be installed within a property, from underfloor or loft, to cavity wall insulation.  Insulation works by forming a barrier to keep the heat within your property and therefore reducing heat loss. The prices will vary depending on the type of installation chosen and the location of the property. 

It is also worth noting that not all types of insulation may be suitable for the property and therefore it is suggested that a property survey would be recommended to investigate further the current insulation within the property, the area’s most at risk of heat loss and the options available for installing insulation.  Further information can be found on the Energy Saving Trust website.

Schedule the heating Programmes 

Scheduling the heating programmes enables a routine to be set for when the heating system should operate.  Often is not cost effective to have the heating on continuously and therefore by setting a programme to control when the heating and hot water are set to come on, a household can reduce their energy usage.

Using Less Heating

In addition to setting a heating programme as discussed above, another alternative is to use less energy by turning down the thermometer or radiator settings.

Upgrade the Boiler 

Unfortunately, old boilers are not as energy efficient as modern units and therefore an investment into a new boiler can save money on heating bills over time.  

New boiler installations can be costly therefore it would be worthwhile exploring grants for boilers should the household be eligible or, spreading the cost of a new system by applying for boiler finance, if needed. 

It’s also worth checking whether you are entitled to a boiler grant or not, as there are subsidies available to help with the full cost or partial cost of a boiler replacement

Upgrade Lightbulbs and Electric Devices 

Replacing normal bulbs with energy efficient LED light bulbs will have save energy over time, especially as LEDs can last up to 10 times longer than their predecessors. In addition, as household electrical appliances come to the end of their life, replacing them with more energy efficient appliances can help save energy.

Switch off Electrical Appliances when They are Not in Use 

Another simple habit to get into in order to save energy is to turn off household electrical devices completely when they are not in use, rather than leaving them on standby.  Over time this approach can help reduce household energy wastage.  

Draught Proofing 

Another way of improving a property’s energy efficiency rating is to draught proof the home.  Similar to insulation, the objective of draught proofing is to keep the heat inside, however this measure also has another benefit of reducing draughts caused by gaps around doors, windows, letterboxes or other exposure areas.

There are a wide range of installations that can be fitted to draught proof such as self-adhesive foam stipes, draught excluding letterbox covers, curtains and door runners or sealants, depending on the type of gaps needing to cover.  

Some of these measures like using Alfa Laval heat exchangers built by a Swedish company. These can be undertaken yourself by purchasing the materials and following simple instructions found online, and this can be a relatively cost-effective method of saving energy within a property. 

Install double or triple glazing

Energy can be lost through single glazed or ill-fitted windows or doors, and therefore by upgrading to double or triple glazed windows or doors, the energy efficiency of a property can be improved.

Install smart technology

The latest technology can be installed to assist with automating the process of controlling the heating system within a property, such as smart home thermostats.  Such devices can zone areas only to be heated as well as controlling the system remotely via an app on a smart phone and therefore only heating the property when required rather than by a rigid programme.

Generate own energy 

A larger investment suggestion would be to install Solar panels or a heat pump to the property so that green energy can be produced and captured. The government grant programmes for such investments have changed over the years. To find out more about the current grants available, please visit the governments website.

Summary

As the energy prices rise, and with the social change following the pandemic that more and more people are working from home, there has never been a better time to review the energy efficiency of your home.   

During this article we have reviewed a wide range of ideas that can be implemented at a range of costs to reduce the amount of energy used and wasted by a household, which in turn also helps lower a property’s carbon footprint over time. 

Most of the measures discussed will take some time to positively impact the household energy bills and pay back on the larger investment options may be a number of years, therefore before proceeding it is worth undertaking some calculations to ensure that the measures are suitable for the property and household as well as cost effective over the longer term.

The post How can I make my house more energy efficient? appeared first on Green Prophet.

Many species of birds are threatened by chemicals, alterations in their environment, aircraft, and electrocution. Larger birds, in particular, are more prone to suffering electrocution because their body size and wingspan exceed the phase-to-ground or phase-to-phase distance. When the wings touch the line or ground component, the body forms a path through which an electrical current can flow, leading to electrocution.

The region is located on the migratory route used by millions of birds twice a year between Europe, Africa, and Asia. The country also has almost 40 residents, migratory or rare visiting diurnal raptors, and nine species of owl. On their journey, these birds are using the power structures to perch, roost, or nest. By interacting with the electrical equipment, the avian population was also causing power outages. It was then an ecological and economical matter to find a solution to mitigate the possible interactions in this key territory.

In order to mitigate the risk, a protection plan was collectively developed by a utility in the region and the respective Parks Authority of the Ministry of Environment. A key Middle Eastern environmental NGO was also involved.

To get started the key stakeholders ran a 24-month study of the interactions of birds and high-risk overhead lines in the important bird areas of the region, to understand how birds were harmed by the powered equipment based on their habits. For example, the experts tried to understand where the problem commonly occurred and how often, and the species affected most.

Fixing the Problem

The study revealed key places where some birds were more likely to be electrocuted than others.

At first, the team focused on 22, 33 kV lines because the highest rates of electrocution were seen on these lines. By design, distribution lines and towers had relatively small clearances between phase to phase and phase to ground components and would readily benefit from an insulation solution.

Starting with the high-risk areas and then expanding into others, the local utility installed protective insulating covers from TE Connectivity on several thousand distribution towers all over the country.  The insulation covers were selected by utility engineers after careful consideration. Including materials long-term durability under extreme temperature variances and harsh environments. Post-installation studies have shown that the poles which were retrofitted did not have any electrocutions again.

The team also acknowledged problems that were unique to the transmission towers. The transmission structures located near bodies of water were prone to pollution flashover as well as many electrocutions and collisions into wires. They required another insulation need.

The utility engineer determined that the products available did not fix the issue at hand. They eventually installed a combination of TE’s guano shields to divert guano away from the insulators and insulation installed on the live elements beneath provided cover and protection against pollution flashovers.

The utility involved also selected other wildlife power outage mitigation solutions offered by TE that have been in use all around the world for decades. It installed these elements in 1996 and there are still no signs of degradation to this day, notwithstanding the guano and coastal salt contamination, the high temperatures, and the UV exposure for more than 25 years of use.

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An online real estate  company listed a seven bedroom villa in Dubai’s neighboring Emirate Abu Dhabi for $95,300 a year, which amounts to nearly $8,000 a month. Anyone who can afford to spend that much money on rent probably has little incentive to turn off the lights in order to conserve energy or shorten their showers, which may explain why the Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council sometimes has to meet with villa owners six times before they grasp the minimum requirements of the country’s mandatory Estidama green building code.

Energy and water guzzlers

Government subsidies keep energy and water costs unrealistically low in the Emirates, despite its dubious distinction of having the world’s largest per capita carbon footprint. And many foreigners who have flocked to the Emirate to help the country exploit their enormous resource wealth live behind tall walls in self-enclosed villas.

So it’s hardly surprising that they are perplexed by the Estidama Pearl Rating System that was established in September, 2010 as a mandatory means to reduce the carbon and water footprint of all structures built in Abu Dhabi.

In order to help them find their way, the Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council has launched an online tool that villa owners on a step-by-step journey through this unknown landscape. Appropriately called the “e-villa configurator,” this platform demonstrates to new builders what techniques can be used to save “precious water” resources, according to The National.

Pampering the un-green

“When users click on a category, they can learn how it will affect their final design and what the environmental benefits will be,” the paper reports.

Despite this serious pampering, people aren’t catching on as quickly as the UPC would like. Only 50% of the 1500 applications for Estidama have been approved since November, 2010, and these aren’t strident requirements. Although Government Buildings are required to achieve at least two out of five pearls, villa owners only have to earn one.

An adviser for Estidama, Edwin Young told the paper that it “once took applicants between four and six attempts to get through the process; now the UPC aims for two.”

The building requirements for villa developers have been simplified; hopefully they’ll get the hang of going green soon.

:: The National

image via World Property Channel

More on Green Building in The Emirates:

A Greener Space Planned Between Abu Dhabi and Dubai

Dubai Ends Cheap Local Gas

Former Masdar Director Says the UAE Must End Subsidies

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