Yet even here, solar panels coupled with hardy crops that like cool summers - kale, spinach and potatoes - are showing some benefits.

Shade can help some plants grow taller, and the panels also trap heat in the microclimate, extending the growing season.

Hell of a clean kitchen after all that 🤣

And having had the pleasure of a tour of the Powerwall factory and seen the inner workings, I can assure you that the inside of a Powerwall unit is absolutely stuffed with fire retardant.

It does, however, raise issues around the use of 3rd party battery cells and quality control thereof.

To be less alarmist:
It shows the internal monitoring on the Powerwall is functioning as it should, and the presence of such a system goes well beyond a fit-and-forget approach and should be of reassurance to customers.

Full story: www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-...

The image is a prototype at 'just' 16 MW which has been operating in the South China Sea and has already proven itself resilient against 150kmh typhoons. Because it's tethered at a single central point, it can just twist out of the way in high winds.

Can't wait to see the full size version 😍

For me, it also addresses the key criticism of floating solar - that it blocks off light underneath the panels, affecting aquatic ecosystems. This new arrangement, with 4m gaps between rows uses just 4% of the surface area, allowing plentiful light and oxygen exchange.

Looks like a win/win to me 👍

For me, it also addresses one of the key criticisms of floating solar - it blocks off light underneath the panels, affecting aquatic ecosystems. This new arrangement, with 4m gaps between rows uses just 4% of the surface, allowing plentiful light and oxygen exchange.

Looks like a win/win to me 👍

Personally, I think its a crazy idea

And yet Europe produces a total of 2,200,000,000 tonnes of waste per year. Wind turbine waste really is a trivial percentage.

Is this a major sustainability issue, or being blown (no pun intended 😄 ) out of all proportion?

Each of the 4 terms differs:
Some are social, some are technical
Some are free, others expensive
Some are the role of individuals, others big business or government

It's a simple concept, but with a lot of nuance to explore.

Yet despite its importance, the general public has never heard of the Kaya Identity. I want to change that.

So here's the latest in my Energy 101 series - the equation that helps solve climate change