Touch both objects. They’re the same temperature, but the wood feels warmer, right? Why is that? It’s not about temperature but thermal energy. When your hand touches an object, there is a heat conduction interaction. Energy is transferred from your warmer hand to the cooler object until the two are …
Read More »The EPA Wants to Roll Back Emissions Controls on Power Plants
The US Environmental Protection Agency moved to roll back emissions standards for power plants, the second-largest source of CO2 emissions in the country, on Wednesday, claiming that the American power sector does not “contribute significantly” to air pollution. “The bottom line is that the EPA is trying to get out …
Read More »A Political Battle Is Brewing Over Data Centers
“I think it’s the right policy, for us to take a national standard,” they said. While the intent of the AI moratorium may not have been to regulate physical infrastructure, the reaction from Massie illustrates just how much of a hot-button issue data centers are becoming across the country. The …
Read More »8 Best Portable Power Stations (2025): Power Capacity, Portability, Camping, and More
How expensive are portable power stations? Portable power stations can be very expensive, but discounts, sales, and deals are common. If you can afford to wait, you can likely get your chosen power station for less than the listed MSRP. What capacity do I need? Figure out how much power …
Read More »Analysts Say Trump Trade Wars Would Harm the Entire US Energy Sector, From Oil to Solar
Why is this conflict happening? The short version is that Trump and his advisers believe that tariffs will help the US economy by encouraging construction of factories here, reducing trade deficits and punishing barriers to entry of US products in other countries. “We will supercharge our domestic industrial base,” Trump …
Read More »Is Using a Stair Machine the Same as Climbing Stairs?
Since the change in kinetic energy is still zero, this means that the positive change in gravitational potential energy is equal to the negative of the change in internal energy. Let’s say you have a mass of 75 kilograms (165 pounds). That means moving up 1 meter would reduce your …
Read More »Want to Claim the Solar Tax Credit? Get Installing Now
This story originally appeared Grist and is part of the Climate Desk collaboration. For the last two decades, homeowners have been able to claim thousands of dollars in federal tax credits to help offset the high up-front costs of going solar. Things were supposed to stay that way through 2034. …
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