Get Wired (Again): Trolleybuses and Trolleytrucks
Low-tech SolutionsTrolleybuses and trolleytrucks have all the advantages of electric cars — and none of their drawbacks.
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Water Powered Cable Trains
Obsolete TechnologyCable trains (or funiculars) are one of the most energy-efficient modes of transport out there.
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The Monster Footprint of Digital Technology
High-tech ProblemsThe embodied energy of the memory chip alone exceeds the energy consumption of a laptop during its life expectancy of 3 years.
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Small Windmills Put to the Test
High-tech ProblemsWind power rules, but commercially available small windmills are a swindle.
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Cargo Ships, Then and Now
Low-tech SolutionsTime for a new age of sail.
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Who Killed the Electric Grid? Fast-charging Electric Cars
High-tech ProblemsFast recharging times generate lots of excitement, but what seems to be forgotten is that they can lead to a fabulous amount of peak demand.
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Sunbathing in the Living Room: Oven Stoves and Heat Walls
Low-tech SolutionsOven stoves are greener, more efficient, healthier, safer and cosier than all modern heating systems. Why are they gone and how do we get them back?
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Tiles as a Substitute for Steel: The Art of the Timbrel Vault
Obsolete technologyThe craftsmanship associated with timbrel vaulting has long vanished, but the achievements are still with us today.
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Urban windmills harm the environment
High-tech ProblemsA small windmill on your roof or in the garden is an attractive idea. Unfortunately, commercially available micro wind turbines deliver hardly enough energy to power a light bulb.
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A Steam Powered Submarine: The Ictíneo
Obsolete TechnologyNarcís Monturiol successfully resolved the two basic obstacles presented to submarine inventors: air supply and mechanical power.
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The Citroen 2CV: Cleantech from the 1940s
Obsolete TechnologyIn spite of all the high-tech that has been squeezed into cars, the 2CV from 1949 is still more energy efficient than the smallest Citroen today.
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Life Without Airplanes: from London to New York in 3 Days and 12 Hours
Obsolete TechnologyIf we would stuff people in the ‘Queen Mary 2’ like we fold passengers into airplane seats, the ship could transport more than 500,000 people
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Bring Back the Horses
Low-tech SolutionsReplacing tractors with real horse power could be the revolution that agriculture needs.