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Is it possible for you to deploy rooftop solar? I produce 100% of the energy my home uses. I don’t feel bad about using AC in the least. There are also opportun

Is it possible for you to deploy rooftop solar? I produce 100% of the energy my home uses. I don’t feel bad about using AC in the least. There are also opportunities for me to step it up in the future: electronic car, more in home efficiency, eliminating gas appliances I am also protected from rising energy prices. My energy costs cannot go up for the next 25 years. (And after 25 years I can replace the panels with higher efficiency ones and generate even more energy) Also if you deploy a mini-split (heat pump) it’s extremely efficient and it can both cool in the summer and offset heating needs in the winter. Heat pumps are 400% efficient compared to gas heat because they move heat energy. If you augment gas heat in the winter with a heat pump it can be 4x the efficiency. That’s a huge win for your climate impact. Your life and comfort are important. Look to those first. Then say, “of the things available to me what can I do to help?” Counterintuitive as it may sound this can lead to both taking good care of yourself AND optimal practices that fight climate change. For example one of the biggest things I can do to help is use my words. If I convince ten neighbors to deploy solar I 10x my positive impact. If I call my representative and say “make rooftop solar more cost-effective with net metering rules and installation credits” I potentially influence the rules that make tens of thousands of people more likely to go sustainable.

jacquesm 3y ago
I once came up with a Stirling engine based AC, basically two Stirling motors, the larger one driven by the sun and the smaller one driven in reverse by the larger one. No electrical parts, very few moving parts. The good part: it automatically starts working as soon as the sun has enough power to create enough of a delta-t across the cylinders of the larger motor, you don't even need control circuitry.

jacquesm 3y ago

I once came up with a Stirling engine based AC, basically two Stirling motors, the larger one driven by the sun and the smaller one driven in reverse by the larger one. No electrical parts, very few moving parts. The good part: it automatically starts working as soon as the sun has enough power to create enough of a delta-t across the cylinders of the larger motor, you don't even need control circuitry.