cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/261388

• China’s energy regulator said it will limit “low-end” solar panel manufacturing after industry leaders called for more government intervention earlier this month. The move is an acknowledgement by Beijing that solar panel overcapacity is a problem, one that has pushed Chinese solar firms into a price war and shriveled returns.
• The competition in China’s solar power industry is “indeed very fierce,” an official at the National Energy Administration (NEA) said at a press conference Thursday.
• A price war on solar panels in China has meant that big firms have rapidly lost profit while small firms risk bankruptcy.
• Historically, the industry has been propped up by city governments, which build solar panel factories to lease or sell to private firms. But while some local authorities have expressed willingness to continue to keep solar firms afloat, “that support may dry up as the provinces are themselves swimming in debt, largely stemming from the country’s property crisis, and solar has to compete for their support with other green tech sectors, like electric vehicles, that are also struggling with overcapacity.
• Chinese officials want homeowners to install solar panels to combat overcapacity, but China’s grid is still not able to accommodate fluctuating solar energy levels.
• One solution may be virtual power plants: smaller-scale grids that rely on local renewable energy infrastructure and incentivize homeowners to use that energy during peak times with cash payments. But beyond building a new grid meant to handle renewable energy, China also needs “improved coordination” from Beijing to enable solar-heavy provinces to trade energy with solar-weak provinces.
• China’s energy regulator is also pushing for more spot trading — where prices will fluctuate with supply and demand — rather than fixed rates, encouraging customers to use energy during low-demand periods.

A friend worked on that subject and I found it pretty cool:

Animals often hide, flee or avoid sources of human noise. But to what extent? Which species do it more? What noises disturbs the most? They made a camera + speaker device triggered by animal presence and observed their reaction.

Interestingly what animals tend to fear the most is the sound of humans chatting. They probably recognize other animals in human voices, but vehicle sounds seem to confuse them more, though still triggers vigilance reactions.

A simple mix of two cheap salts, Sodium Sulfate and Table Salt (Sodium Chloride) dissolved in boiling water can create a really useful Phase Change Material that has a melting point of 18c (65f) which allows it to be recharged back into it's cooling state simply by putting it in a basement and can then be used as a cooling blanket, back rest, neck pillow, etc to help keep you cool in hot weather. Longer lasting and less energy intensive to charge than an ice-pack.

In the video he talks about the potential for using a similar higher temp PCM behind solar panels to reduce efficiency loss or damage from over heating. It could also be a really interesting thing to use for transporting heat from where it's unwanted to where it's needed.

Summary

Sure, here is a summary of the video A New Innovation in Hot Water Storage | Heat Geek Mini Store: The video discusses the Heat Geek Mini Store, a new innovation in hot water storage designed for homes with heat pumps. Heat pumps are a more efficient way to heat homes than traditional boilers, but they require hot water storage tanks that can be difficult to fit in many homes. The Heat Geek Mini Store is a much smaller hot water storage tank than traditional models. It can be smaller because it heats the water to a higher temperature, allowing it to store more hot water in a smaller space. The video also includes tips on getting the most out of the Heat Geek Mini Store, such as installing air rators to hot water outlets to conserve water and setting the immersion heater to 38°C (100°F) as a boost function if the heat pump is not keeping up with demand. Overall, the Heat Geek Mini Store is a promising new innovation that could help to make heat pumps a more viable option for more homes.

I've never jumped on the hydrogen bandwagon. I know it's technically renewable, but I feel hydrogen is a stop-gap resource.

cross-posted from: https://floss.social/users/be4foss/statuses/112638603664718053

MacBook Air owner?

MacBook Air owner?

2018/2019 models are losing #Apple support.

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/06/the-case-for-and-against-macos-15-sequoia-being-the-final-release-for-intel-macs/

#OptGreen with #GNU/#Linux to keep your device in use! These machines will run beautifully for many years to come.

Not only wallet friendly, #upcycling keeps CO2 emissions out of the atmosphere. Ca. 75% of Apple's emissions comes from production alone (details in alt text).

Sustainable, independent #FreeSoftware: Better for users, best for the #environment.

@kde

#KDE #KDEEco #FOSS #OpenSource #MacBook

This is exciting right? If we can turn skyscrapers into massive power generators, that's huge!

I hate that I have to post this, but it's worth discussing.

cross-posted from: https://lazysoci.al/post/14570630

Well done Germany

Alternative Invidious Link

Summary:

According to the video, a new discovery by MIT researchers could revolutionize our understanding of evaporation and have a major impact on desalination, weather prediction, and even climate change. The traditional understanding of evaporation is that heat from the sun heats up water molecules, causing them to move faster and eventually escape as vapor. However, MIT researchers have discovered a new phenomenon called the photomolecular effect, which shows that light can directly cause water to evaporate without heating it. This process is much more efficient and can potentially evaporate four times more water than heat alone.

This could be revolutionary for desalination.