Author Archives: lukefrugalev

Much hype and experimentation has existed around the concept of e-fuels. Briefly, the plan is to extract CO2, ideally from air, sprinkle in some green hydrogen and make whatever fossil fuel product is desired. That all sounds great, but runs into several practical problems, mostly around compound losses both when we turn renewables into fuelsContinue reading “E-fuels? A climate saviour or a flop?”

Thinking about going solar? Confused by the terminology? Wondering if it will all pay for itself?In that case, welcome, lets discuss these basic design terms, and use real-data from my solar array to add depth to our discussion. Briefly, I have 28, 405 W panels, with 22 located on the south facing gable of myContinue reading “Solar array design basics”

My solar panels came online recently, and with it, lets look at what has happened to my power bill. Net-metering is not available yet, as my kit is new on the market, which has resulted in some permitting delays, nevertheless, I figured Id share my experience with my battery/solar configuration, as recent incentives from theContinue reading “First electricity bill with Solar”

As Mr. Trump keeps up his rhetoric on tariffs, talk north of the border, is increasingly about oil pipelines. Briefly, the idea is to diversify Alberta’s oil exports by building pipelines to the ocean, where oil tankers could in theory take the oil anywhere. This idea runs into two practical problems: Cost of building theContinue reading “Are New Oil pipelines a good idea?”

Recently, I stumbled upon a bumper sticker on a Tesla Model 3, “I bought this before Elon went crazy” red the statement. Sure enough, these bumper-stickers have become common sight around the world, particularly in left-leaning regions, and it in someways outlines the negativity surrounding the Tesla brand, particularly in left leaning regions. Tesla’s problemContinue reading “Tesla troubles?”

Recently, we discussed the economics of rooftop solar (source). Briefly, at $3.25/Watt peak, it winds up being a break even proposition, with anticipated energy bill savings, paying for the system over its expected life. But could we somehow, do better? If rooftop solar were to be had for closer to $1/Wp, then the cost perContinue reading “Can rooftop solar be cheaper?”

As I write this in February of 2025, there seems to be no end to bad news. But fear not, we are in the middle of a wonderful success story, the end of coal is near. Coal is an abundant energy source, but highly polluting as it turned out, and that as well as economicsContinue reading “What happened to coal?”

As the skis get put away, and the water toys come out, its time for another look at the used EV market. Its unbelievable how affordable used EVs have become. Need basic around town runabout, try a first gen Nissan Leaf for as little as 5k. Can you hold your nose as you drive aContinue reading “Spring 2025 Used EV survey”

Now that my solar system is making its way through the licensing process, its a good chance to look back and see how the economics of solar worked out. I like to think of rooftop solar as a nice hedging strategy, as is often the case, what is a so-so deal right now, might turnContinue reading “Solar economics”

The average Canadian household uses about 9 000 kWh of electricity a year, further a 2533 cubic metres of natural gas, and about 3000 litres of motor gasoline (source, source and source). Since most of the time, heat-pumps can cover for natural gas, and EVs can cover for gas cars, lets convert this to electricalContinue reading “Household energy use”