Using less and saving more through ingenuity and efficiency.
For years, soybeans have been the predominant base for biodiesel fuel in the United States. But the crop has a major limitation — it canāt grow everywhere, preventing its widespread adoption as a fuel. Hal Alper, a chemical engineering professor at the University of Texas at Austin, has come up with a replacement. Itās found […]
There’s a heated debate going on among state regulators and all over newspaper op-ed pages in Texas: Do we have enough power to meet the demand of our growing population? That answer largely depends on how to spin the latest forecasts and reports, but what is clear is this: the state’s actual power demand hasn’t […]
Sunday’s big game will be notable for being the first “Mass Transit” Super Bowl: you can’t take a cab or a limo, and parking passes are extremely limited and expensive. If you want to get to the game, you’re likely going to be taking a train or the bus. It’s also a greener super bowl […]
For years, Texas has struggled with how to solve its energy crunch: forecasts said not enough power plants were being built to meet the demands of a growing population and a booming state. But it turns out the stateās supplies are likely adequate. Despite all the growth in Texas, peak power demand hasnāt increased as […]
At the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, they’re very familiar with a park in Manvel.
The promise of harnessing the power of the sun and turning it into renewable energy has attracted countless businesses, governments and environmental groups. But it might be a church here in Austin that ends up bringing one of the next breakthroughs in solar technology. To understand the scope of this project, it helps to know […]
Rooftop solar panels can result in significant power savings for homes in Texas during the summer, according to new research from the Pecan Street Research Institute. And by doing so, it could help lessen the strain on the Texas electric grid. The Pecan Street Research InstituteĀ is a collection of energy-efficient, innovative homes (many with solar […]
Houston Landscape Architecture Firm Pushes Concept of Keystone XL Right-of-Way for Use as Bike Path As a North American oil boom has taken off in the U.S. and Canada, so has the need to move that oil to refineries, many of which are in Texas. And the cheapest, most efficient way to do so is […]
In response to the deadly explosion six months ago in West, Federal agencies will soon be making recommendations to Congress on how to reduce the risk at fertilizer storage facilities. Should igloos be among the ideas? “Thereās no doubt whatsoever in my mind that if the West (fertilizer) had been in a dome it would […]
The rise of electric cars in Texas has brought up a concerning scenario: What if too many cars charge their batteries at the wrong time, potentially overloading the Texas grid? If, say, thousands of cars all plug in during a hot Texas summer weekday afternoon, when power supplies are already tight, would it possibly be […]
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