Episode Details
Back to EpisodesWeekly Solarpunk, of 26 May: Open Source Batteries, Carbon Capture Membranes, Methane From Waste, Solarpunk Fiction Conflicts
Description
Weekly Solarpunk for 26 May follows 6 future-facing stories and member reactions, including Open Source Batteries, Carbon Capture Membranes, Methane From Waste, Solarpunk Fiction Conflicts.
1. Open Source Batteries
A video about building an open-source battery drew attention because it frames energy storage as something people can study, replicate, and improve without waiting on a closed supply chain. According to Kirk Smith, the project is a hands-on build rather than a finished product, and it points viewers toward related open hardware work.
2. Carbon Capture Membranes
A post highlighted a Royal Society of Chemistry review on polymeric membranes for carbon capture, noting it had also appeared in an NHK segment. According to the review, the technology is being explored for decarbonizing industrial flue gas and for carbon capture, utilization, and storage, but the post itself offers only the link and a brief note.
3. Methane From Waste
A post about turning trash into natural gas set off a debate over whether capturing methane from organic waste is a practical fix or just a cleaner way to keep burning carbon. According to the video, food waste is collected separately and processed into gas that can feed the network.
4. Solarpunk Fiction Conflicts
The post asks writers what they want to see in solarpunk fiction, and the replies quickly move from broad wish lists to very specific story mechanics. One commenter points to Story Seed Library, an essay on technology as community, and a piece on realistic faction conflict, while others recommend books, podcasts, and films for more examples of design and tone.
5. Local Resilience Projects
The post was a weekly check-in about what people actually did this week, and the original update mixed garden work, water collection from the air, bamboo fencing, potatoes in cardboard boxes, mushrooms in woodchips, and practicing ASL instead of doomscrolling. In the comments, people mostly expanded that theme into concrete maintenance and local resilience: rainwater tanks, more solar panels, herb beds, native seeds, terracotta bird baths, repaired sprinklers, bike projects, flea markets, and upcycling workshops.
6. Urban Wild Week
Southampton's second Urban Wild week is turning a citywide sustainability event into a mix of talks, art sessions, cycling and walking groups, and volunteering, with participants using a collage project to imagine more shade, more rewilding, and better public space. According to the Urban Wild materials mentioned in the post, it sits inside the broader National Park City effort, and the poster says the heatwave pushed the group to think hard about accessibility and future-proofing.
That's it for today.