Cleantech
The latest products, services and cleantech applications and how they are tackling some of our most pressing social and environmental issues.
New Initiative Launched to Tackle Growing Challenge of Delivering Cooling Solutions for All
As global temperatures reach record highs and heat waves become the norm across the globe, Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL), a global initiative led by former United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to achieve universal energy access, improve energy efficiency and increase the use of renewable energy, has launched a new campaign to identify the challenges and opportunities of providing access to affordable, sustainable cooling solutions for all.
Parley, Intel Harness the Power of AI to Protect the World's Oceans
Environmental NGO Parley for the Oceans is on a roll. Just weeks after announcing new partnerships with designer Stella McCartney and Corona, the organization has joined Intel and SnotBot on a mission to Alaska, where they will be using AI and drone technology to collect data from whales.
Trending: DONG Energy, Stanford Scientists Carving Out Carbon-Neutral Future
While energy companies continue to forge ahead with plans to reduce CO2 emissions, researchers are uncovering new ways to use the gas a feedstock to create renewable fuels.
Q&A: Science-Based Targets, Better Fuels Are Where the Rubber Meets the Road for UPS
As a global transportation and logistics company, UPS is all too familiar with the myriad of challenges greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions pose to both the environment and the global economy. To reduce impacts and remain competitive in an ever-changing economic landscape, the company, since 2009, has been making moves to drive innovation and spur change within the shipping industry — including investing in alternative fuels, advanced technology vehicles and renewable energies.
Something Big Is Brewing: New Tech Helps Brewers Capture Carbon, Create Beer Out of Thin Air
Brewers across the country are embracing new technology to tackle some of the industry’s most pressing sustainability challenges: emissions and water. References to carbon capture are often reserved for discussions of power plants and coal, but the process could hold promise for the recovery of CO2 at craft breweries. Engineers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, California have developed a technique to filter CO2 from power plants that could help breweries cut costs and reduce their CO2 emissions.
New Penn State Research Finds 40% of our Energy Needs in Coastal River Outlets
In a world full of people who depend on water, the most urgent subject is scarcity. More than a billion people live in areas where water is scarce, and that number is likely to reach 3.5 billion by 2025. About 97 percent of the Earth’s water is saltwater, but only around 1 percent of it is potable. Water conservation is a big issue in first-world nations; we enjoy the luxury of plumbing, but a single leak can waste 3,000 gallons a year. Meanwhile, the sea level is rising at a rate of 3.4 millimeters per year.
European Energy Giants Join Forces to Overcome Barriers to Low-Cost, Low-Carbon Energy System
Renewable energy continues to gain steam, shedding its niche status and moving towards the mainstream, but further progress is being impeded by barriers related to regulation and storage.
Trending: Battery Storage Solutions Finally Catch Up to Renewables Boom
While renewables are becoming the new normal, battery storage has largely lagged behind. But a new report from global consulting firm McKinsey and the roll-out of new storage pilot projects across the US, Germany and UK are evidence that storage could finally be catching up.
Peak Oil? No Problem: Dubai Reinvents Itself as a Climate Tech Leader
The sand dune turned booming metropolis known as Dubai has never been a city synonymous with sustainability — extravagance and wealth, yes, but environmental ingenuity? Not so much. But as oil and fossil fuels, in general, take a hit, the city is wasting no time shedding its frivolous rep and reinventing itself as a hub of innovation, according to a recent article in Popular Science.
Q&A: How United Continues to Fuel Sustainability in the Air
When people think of industries making the world a more sustainable place, air travel is likely at the bottom of the list — but United Airlines is one industry leader working hard to change that. We recently spoke with United’s Director of Environmental Strategy and Sustainability, Natalie Mindrum, to learn more about how the airline continues to fuel its progress on sustainability.
Trending: Projects Across Europe, Puerto Rico Prove Renewables Are Becoming the New Normal
Big things are brewing in the realm of clean energy, with new initiatives in France, Denmark and Puerto Rico ushering renewables towards the mainstream. France is poised to double its current wind and solar power capacity with a new plan approved by the European Commission that will see Europe’s second largest economy add 17 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy to its portfolio.
New MIT Technology Could Revolutionize Wastewater Treatment
MIT has developed a new technology that could revolutionize wastewater treatment and water purification. Providing an alternative to more energy- and chemical-intensive alternatives, MIT’s new method is capable of removing even extremely low levels of pollutants from water. The technology was developed by MIT postdoc Xiao Su, Ralph Landau, Professor of Chemical Engineering T. Alan Hatton and five others at MIT and at the Technical University of Darmstadt in Germany.
Report: Renewable Energy Job Opportunities Are Booming in the US
If anyone doubts renewable energy is the future for this country, they need only to look at employment numbers. According to a recent report from the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), employers in the renewables sector are hiring people 12 times faster than the rest of the economy.
New Transparency Technology Provides Window Into ESG Data for Over 4,000 Companies
Investors, regulators, NGOs and consumers have yet another way to access companies’ sustainability data with the release of Arabesque S-Ray, an easy-to-use application that streamlines environmental, social and governance (ESG) information for over 4,000 of the world’s largest corporations.
IBM Launches Carbon Asset Management Platform to Drive Low-Carbon Future for China
IBM and Energy-Blockchain Labs have launched the world’s first blockchain-based carbon credit management platform based on the open source, openly governed by Hyperledger Fabric, a blockchain technology that is intended as a foundation for developing blockchain applications or solutions.
AkzoNobel, AB InBev Latest in Spate of Companies Switching to 100% Renewables
This week, two more multinationals joined the ranks of companies energizing their sustainability agendas with bold commitments to power their entire operations with renewables.
AT&T Brings Smart Cities Living Lab to Dallas
AT&T has expanded its Smart Cities program by partnering up with the Dallas Innovation Alliance (DIA) — a public-private partnership dedicated to the design and execution of a smart cities plan for the City of Dallas — to launch the DIA Smart Cities Living Lab. Dallas is one of eight cities participating in the AT&T Smart Cities spotlight cities initiative and seeks to implement the company’s smart cities framework to develop and apply a holistic strategy to address some of its most significant challenges.
Toyota’s Latest Campaign Combats Air Pollution with Smog-Reducing Billboards
Hydrogen fuel cell technology is changing the way we think about mobility. The effectiveness of fuel cells in reducing emissions speaks for itself — the vehicles emit nothing but water vapor — which is leading more companies to invest in hydrogen for a low-carbon future. Toyota has long been a leader in the transition away from fossil fuels.
Trending: Sustainable Technologies Reduce Emissions, Costs for Air, Sea Travel
The aviation and shipping industries contribute significantly to global CO2 emissions each year, but a growing portfolio of sustainable technological solutions are helping the sectors reduce impacts and remain competitive. NASA has given its stamp approval to the use of biofuels in the aviation industry in a recent report, in which the body claims that using biofuels to help power jet engines reduces particle emissions in their exhaust by as much as 50 to 70 percent.
China Using Electron Beams to Treat Textile Wastewater
Textile dyeing accounts for one fifth of all industrial wastewater pollution generated worldwide and much of it, particularly in developing countries in Asia, goes untreated. Now, China is employing electron beams to treat effluent from textile dyeing plants, ushering in a new era for radiation technology.