• home
  • posts
  • category
  • low impact energy
  • Info, news & debate

    Low-impact energy posts

    The transition to renewable energy will not / cannot happen within the current economy

    This is the first of a two-part conversation, about whether we can transition to renewable energy within the current system, or whether we need system change. Read more

    Building the energy commons: Marcus Saul of Island Power

    Marcus Saul of Island Power | 18-Dec-2022 | 0

    Interview with Marcus Saul of Island Power, an energy company with incredible ideas that could be world-changing, in terms of building a new kind of (commons) economy. Read more

    George Monbiot and friends are wrong: techno-utopianism won’t save us

    Dave Darby of Lowimpact.org | 20-Nov-2022 | 11

    George Monbiot has joined a campaign called ‘Reboot Food’, working with techno-utopians who would like to see governments remove support for organic food and deregulate the GM industry, as well as producing bacteria-based food in giant factories (‘precision-fermentation’), and getting rid of smallholdings. Read more

    Badly performing heat pumps?

    John Cantor of Heatpumps.co.uk | 07-Sep-2022 | 4

    John Cantor from HeatPumps.co.uk asks the question: Are some heat pumps performing as badly as various recent stories have been reporting? Read more

    Reflections on building the ‘Commons’ economy

    Dave Darby of Lowimpact.org | 17-Jul-2022 | 0

    Lowimpact has been around since 2001, and we’ve provided lots of ways to help people live more sustainably. We’re going to also be focusing on how to build the ‘commons’ economy in future, as a viable alternative to the status quo. Read more

    Big Solar Co-op: solar as a hedge against energy price rises

    Jon Halle of Sharenergy | 06-Apr-2022 | 0

    We’ve blogged before about the great work the Big Solar Co-op are doing, bringing solar into communities. Here Jon Halle explores the potential for solar to provide some protection against energy price rises for small businesses and community-based organisations. Read more

    Heating old buildings with heat pumps

    John Cantor of Heatpumps.co.uk | 16-Mar-2022 | 4

    It looks as though heat pumps are going to provide a lot more of our heating in the future – although there has been some controversy about how well they work in old buildings. Heat pump specialist John Cantor answers some of those concerns. Read more

    Why are there thousands of empty flights polluting our skies?

    18,000 empty planes will fly across Europe in early 2022. These flights will release 422,280 tonnes of greenhouse gases. Neither the EU nor Lufthansa seems likely to back down. Read more

    Things to think about when considering an air source heat pump

    John Cantor of Heatpumps.co.uk | 23-Feb-2022 | 2

    We cover ground-source heat pumps more than air-source heat pumps in our topic introduction, so here’s some additional information about air-source heat pumps from our advisor John Cantor: Read more

    How to support anaerobic digestion for biogas and compost in communities

    Rokiah Yaman of LEAP Micro AD | 19-Jan-2022 | 0

    SOURCE turns food waste into energy, fertiliser and compost to grow healthy crops and create local jobs – in the heart of our cities! Read more

    How to buy second-hand solar panels

    Andy Reynolds of the Ecolodge | 14-Dec-2021 | 0

    In early October 2021 I was teaching a series of workshops for The Brighton Permaculture Trust. One of these was a solar battery half-day workshop which I believe went very well, giving people an introduction to further solar courses. The other workshop was about woodland management; there will be more in 2022. Those people who… Continue reading How to buy second-hand solar panels Read more

    Stop greenwashing of aviation: 5. E-fuels

    Steve of Stay Grounded | 30-Nov-2021 | 1

    Over five weeks we’ve published a range of Stay Grounded factsheets about various kinds of techno-greenwashing provided by the aviation industry. Here we look at the potential for synthetic electro-fuels, or e-fuels. Read more

    Stop greenwashing of aviation: 4. biofuels

    Steve of Stay Grounded | 22-Nov-2021 | 2

    Over five weeks we’re publishing a range of Stay Grounded factsheets about various kinds of techno-greenwashing provided by the aviation industry. This one is about the promise of biofuels. Read more

    Stop greenwashing of aviation: 3. hydrogen flight

    Steve of Stay Grounded | 16-Nov-2021 | 0

    Over five weeks we’re publishing a range of Stay Grounded factsheets about various kinds of techno-greenwashing provided by the aviation industry. Here we look at the promise of hydrogen-powered flight. Read more

    Stop greenwashing of aviation: 2. electric flight

    Steve of Stay Grounded | 11-Nov-2021 | 0

    Over five weeks we’re publishing a range of Stay Grounded factsheets about various kinds of techno-greenwashing provided by the aviation industry. Here we look at the promise of electric-powered flight. Read more

    Building the new economy with mutual credit in Costa Rica

    Emmanuel Savard of ReVive | 07-Nov-2021 | 0

    Here’s a conversation with Emmanuel Savard, co-founder of a group in Costa Rica that’s looking at providing all the essentials of life – food production, housing and energy – for their town via regenerative, non-extractive, sustainable, community-based exchange and investment models. Read more

    Stop greenwashing of aviation: 1. efficiency improvements

    Steve of Stay Grounded | 04-Nov-2021 | 9

    Over the next five weeks we’ll be publishing a range of Stay Grounded factsheets about various kinds of techno-greenwashing provided by the aviation industry. We’d like to help expose the greenwashing of the aviation industry. First up – efficiency improvements: the lie that aviation can become carbon-neutral via ever-greater aircraft efficiency, reducing the need for… Continue reading Stop greenwashing of aviation: 1. efficiency improvements Read more

    The problem with COP26

    Dave Darby of Lowimpact.org | 31-Oct-2021 | 10

    The IPCC recently conducted a study into the combined effects of all the agreed targets of the countries taking part in the ongoing COP talks. Tucked away in the report is this: “The available NDCs of all 191 Parties taken together imply a sizable increase in global GHG emissions in 2030 compared to 2010, of… Continue reading The problem with COP26 Read more

    Repairing an off-grid wind and solar electrical system

    Andy Reynolds of the Ecolodge | 01-Sep-2021 | 2

    We recently blogged about a project: ‘rebuilding a home, and changing the surrounding fields from dead agricultural land into an oasis of natural life’ – as well as building an off-grid electrical and heating system. Here’s the next in the series – about repairing an off-grid wind and solar electrical system. Read more

    There’s a crash coming – a slap from Mother Nature. This isn’t pessimistic; it’s realistic.

    The human impact on nature and on each other is accelerating and needs systemic change to reverse.

    We’re not advocating poverty, or a hair-shirt existence. We advocate changes that will mean better lives for almost everyone.

    Latest Comments

    Stay up to date

    Newsletter sign up is temporarily disabled

    Facebook icon Twitter icon Youtube icon

    All rights reserved © lowimpact 2022