by Jeff Ihnen | Dec 2, 2024 | Energy Rant
This week, we capitalize on last week’s basics of tire rolling resistance, how it translates to passenger vehicle fuel economy, and non-Newtonian and non-linear nuances. Tires by the Numbers Figure 1 shows the nameplate for one of my tires. Left to right: M+S...
by Jeff Ihnen | Nov 25, 2024 | Energy Rant
Back in the day, when I interviewed engineers for potential employment, I would ask what they’ve done in their lives to study and reduce energy consumption. As an example, this week, I nerded out on tires. As an efficiency nut and passionate driver of our curvy...
by Jeff Ihnen | Nov 19, 2024 | Energy Rant
The race is on to decarbonize the grid, and those states that are forcing it too quickly are seeing soaring electricity prices. This is fabulous for our industry because energy efficiency and load management have become much more cost-effective. But are higher prices...
by Jeff Ihnen | Aug 12, 2024 | Energy Rant
This week, I’m reporting on themes presented at the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) summer camp, also known as the Summer Study for Buildings, from Pacific Grove, California. Here are the themes: Heat pumps (~ 80 papers) Decarbonization...
by Jeff Ihnen | Aug 6, 2024 | Energy Rant
This is the third and final post in a series of Energy Rants on rising electricity prices and unreliability. The first post, Rising Price of Less Reliable Electricity, defined and quantified the problem and discussed some reasons and challenges in the future. Last...