Category Archives: Uncategorized

solar hot water payback

Solar hot water payback is possible.  In the summer of 2008 I was helping man a transition stall when a very posh woman told me that my solar PV system would never pay for itself.  She said should know since … Continue reading

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One thing we have learnt this week – Gaza

Is the war in Gaza not about terrorism but control of energy?  This idea was raised this week in the Guardian (other links in this article).  A few years ago it was announced that a very large gas field had … Continue reading

Posted in Economics, energy costs, Faith, gas, One thing we have learnt this week, Politics, Renewables, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

CAT is 40

CAT is 40, CAT being the Centre for Alternative Technology.  Last year the BBC interviewed some of the earliest members in the Radio 4 programme “The Reunion”.  Started by aristocrat Gerard Morgan-Grenville in 1973 its now Europe’s premier eco centre … Continue reading

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One thing we have learnt this week- what electric car owners do while we sleep.

What electric car owners do while we sleep could have profound implications for the grid and our energy use patterns and the practicability of electric cars.  We covered electric vehicles in our book and its fair to say we have … Continue reading

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latest global energy data

In a previous post I had a look at the latest global energy data from the BP statistical review of world energy 2014.  This revealed disappointingly that most energy was still coming from the four traditional energy sources.  The renewable … Continue reading

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Cycling counter

I was cycling through Edinburgh when I came across this cycling counter.  I hadn’t been that way for a while and was pleasantly surprised.  It looks a bit like TMA1 from “2001: A space Odyssey“.  The cycling counter has two … Continue reading

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Food in War

Food in War Food systems have always come under stress in wars. From the siege of Jerusalem by the Babylonians described in II Kings to the scorched earth policy of the Russians in both 1812 and 1941, food has played … Continue reading

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Veg Bag Scheme

Veg Bag Scheme and serving the local community. When you move to a new city, what are some of the first things that you seek to learn about your new home? Maybe, for you, it’s learning about the best local … Continue reading

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One thing we have learnt this week – German Energiewende

The German Energiewende or transition to renewables is controversial both at home and abroad.  This blog has detailed some of the issues about what to do with the excess power, although the problems put about by prominent climate sceptics seem … Continue reading

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That’s Incredible that is!

Joanna Dobson introduces Incredible Edible, the local food movement that’s spreading across the world. Ezekiel lay on his side for 430 days; Hosea took an unfaithful wife, and in the west Yorkshire town of Todmorden, Mary Clear ripped out her … Continue reading

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