Category Archives: Uncategorized

As we get into the dog-days of summer, my thoughts turn to hot reads to go with the hot sultry days of late summer. On that front, Termination Shock by Neil Stephenson delivers in spades. It is an exciting read rich in conspiracies and thrilling tales. The book is set in the near future, whereContinue reading “Book review: Termination Shock by Neil Stephenson”

At first, nuclear waste seems quite different from CO2. However, oddly enough they share that one thing that makes them quite the headache to deal with. Namely, long half lifes. CO2 that we pump out today will linger in the atmosphere for centuries, the CO2 half life is actually about 120 years (source). Why thatsContinue reading “How is CO2 like nuclear waste?”

Now that my rooftop solar is up and running, we have some data to analyze. One question, surrounds the environmental benefits, more specifically, how much carbon dixoide emissions have been avoided with the solar project. For that, we need two numbers, the amount of electricity produced (in kWh), and the carbon intensity of the gridContinue reading “Can rooftop solar work as a carbon sink?”

Concerns over battery degradation are very prominent in the discussion these days. Even to a point where it gets blamed for all sorts of things, and people avoid buying used EVs because of these concerns. With that, why don’t we take a look at my 7 year old 2018 Nissan Leaf and see what batteryContinue reading “A 7 year old LEAF?”

One of the main arguments for putting a whopping 100% tariff on Chinese EVs was to protect Canadian auto-jobs. The reality is more complex, as relatively few auto-sector jobs are found in car manufacturing, with the vast majority working away on aftermarket service and dealership networks. According to the Canadian government (source), the auto-industry employsContinue reading “What auto-job?”

Lately, while travelling, I bumped into a fellow EV driver queuing at a EV fast charger. This was on a Sunday, and our friendly EV driver was charging up for the week. I did ask, if they had the ability to charge at home, “but I get free charging at this fast charger” came backContinue reading “The flawed gas station mentality”

Nissan is coming out with a new revision of the Nissan LEAF. Few if any, brands have such a long history in electric vehicles. I owned both a 2015, and now a 2018 Nissan Leaf. Overall, they have been very reliable, surprisingly roomy interior wise, great operating economics, but far from a tech leader. ShouldContinue reading “A New LEAF?”

Lately, several companies starting to sell CCS to Chademo adapters, allowing Nissan Leaf owners (and those driving certain older Kia Soul’s and some Mitsubishi hybrids) to charge on CCS stations. Near Toronto, there are still ample charging stations that support Chademo cars, but along one of my routes (up to North-Bay), some of the olderContinue reading “CCS on the Leaf?”

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”