Why cheap, abundant energy is problematic—even if it's renewable. Cheap energy sounds like an obvious win. Who wouldn’t want lower bills...

The overlooked tankless water heater problem—plus heat pump, solar thermal, and point-of-use. When you take a shower and aren't freezing...

The Case For and Against Nuclear Energy As global electricity demand surges due to electrification, economic growth, and population...

An overview of how different nuclear power plants work; or how to get electricity from rocks. Nuclear energy accounts for about 9% of the...

A foundational concept of nearly everything that we often misunderstand Electromagnetic radiation (EMR) is everywhere, and it may be one...

Comparing and visualizing common forms of energy What's a kilowatt-hour? Although we still don't know what energy is at its most...

Using physics to travel smarter. Nobody likes waste. That is, spending something and getting nothing. Efficiency is a ratio of how much...

Comparing the amount of energy required to move people and stuff around by different methods. And, road trip or fly? One of the critical...

The 3 factors that determine total resource use and environmental disruption. Human existence necessarily causes some disruption to the...

7 interconnected problems worth solving The environment is everything that surrounds us—air, water, land, plants, animals, and other...

Exploring the economic and environmental impacts of biofuel. Biofuels have garnered significant attention as an alternative energy source...

When more from less leads to more from more. The Jevons Paradox is an economic theory that describes a counterintuitive phenomenon:...

A way to reduce waste and upgrade your home's thermal performance. The best thing to do with a material, both economically and...

Defining a critical concept and its implications. It's unfortunate that the term "sustainability" connotes liberal environmentalists...

Exploring the foundation of life. Photosynthesis is the process by which plants use sunlight to convert carbon dioxide and water into...

Defining the usefulness of energy and resources. In order to understand exergy, we must first understand energy. Energy is all around...

The staggering harm ducts in attics are causing your home, wallet, comfort, and America's energy resources. In our collective quest to...

Exploring the process of refining crude oil into useful products. The world of oil refineries is a complex and fascinating one, integral...

Methods of using waste heat for useful purposes Traditional electricity generation plants burn coal or natural gas in a boiler to produce...

Wind turbines come in a variety of different forms. The fundamental principle is to capture the kinetic energy in the wind and convert...