We all love to be comfortable in our homes and businesses. We use air-conditioning to provide comfortable temperatures indoors. Air conditioners work basically by moving hotter air from inside to outside. Does this have an impact on climate? Global warming?
A team of researchers from Arizona State University has found that releasing excess heat from air conditioners running during the night resulted in higher outside temperatures, worsening the urban heat island effect and increasing cooling demands.
"We found that waste heat from air conditioning systems was maximum during the day but the mean effect was negligible near the surface. However, during the night, heat emitted from air conditioning systems increased the mean air temperature by more than 1 degree Celsius (almost 2 degrees Fahrenheit) for some urban locations," said Francisco Salamanca, a post-doctoral research scientist at Arizona State University's School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences.
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Commercial buildings use large amounts of electricity and natural gas. Significant reductions in energy use can be achieved by installing new modern systems but this requires a significant capital cost, It is possible to install modern control systems at much lower cost and these can also significantly reduce energy use, and improve comfort at the same time! A new study by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory shows that commercial buildings could cut their heating and cooling electricity use by an average of 57 percent with advanced energy-efficiency controls, according to a year-long trial of the controls at malls, grocery stores and other buildings across the country. The study demonstrated higher energy savings than what was predicted in earlier computer simulations by the same researchers.
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There are electric satellites from Boeing and electric planes from Airbus, so why not electric roads, brought to you by Volvo Group?
Volvo, in collaboration with the Swedish Transport Administration, is studying the potential for building electric roads where city buses—built by Volvo, of course—can be charged from electricity in the road while the bus is in operation.
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The world's first community-owned tidal power turbine has started exporting electricity to the local grid, the Scottish Government has announced.
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Algunas personas les gusta pasar sus vacaciones en un spa de lujo con aire acondicionado, un buffet interminable y una piscina con cloro que no alcanzan a pisar pero se encuentra a su alrededor. Eso está bien, pero muchos de nosotros preferimos un enfoque más natural, vacaciones de volver a la naturaleza, como ir de campamento. La experiencia de un buen viaje de campamento es incomparable. El ir a dormir bajo las estrellas y despertar con los pájaros y el aire fresco hace que realmente aprecie la naturaleza.
Pero apreciar la naturaleza no les da a los campistas un pase libre para faltarle al respeto. Muchas veces cuando la gente va de campamento se olvidan de que ellos no son los únicos que viven allÃ. Al acampar, es importante tomar medidas sostenibles y limitar su impacto. Tenemos que respetar la naturaleza si queremos que las generaciones futuras puedan disfrutar de ella.
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Un experto mundial en paneles solares describirá hoy cómo su trabajo pionero en energÃa solar mejorará significativamente el rendimiento de los paneles solares, además de contribuir de forma simultánea a reducir su costo a la mitad. La tecnologÃa se comercializará en los próximos cinco años.
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