Cleantech
The latest products, services and cleantech applications and how they are tackling some of our most pressing social and environmental issues.
$94B Needed to Realize RE100 Renewable Energy Targets by 2030
Cross-Posted from Finance & Investment. Bloomberg New Energy Finance has released a new report that reveals that signatories of the RE100 initiative have a long way to go to achieve their 100 percent renewable energy targets by 2030. For the initiative’s 128 members to meet their goal, they will need to spend an estimated $94 billion. According to Bloomberg, this is enough to procure 172 TWh of renewable power and add 87 gigawatts of new wind and solar power capacity.
Global Cities Committed to 100% Renewable Energy More Than Double in Two Years
Renewables are on the rise — according to new data published today by CDP, over 100 cities around the world are now getting at least 70 percent of their electricity from renewable sources such as hydro, geothermal, solar and wind. The list includes large cities such as Auckland, New Zealand; Nairobi, Kenya; Oslo, Norway; Seattle, USA; and Vancouver, Canada; and is more than double the 40 cities who reported that they were powered by at least 70 percent clean energy in 2015.
Trending: Big Boosts to Fuel Cell, Solar Technology
Clean, efficient electricity is essential for constructing a low-carbon future, but more advanced technologies are needed to accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels. Scientists around the world are rising to the challenge, delivering new energy solutions that could finally tip the scales in favor of sustainability.
AT&T Strikes Major Corporate Renewable Energy Deal
power through two agreements with subsidiaries of NextEra Energy Resources, the world’s largest operator of renewable energy projects. Together, these deals constitute one of the largest corporate renewable energy purchases in the US. The agreement will see 220 MW of power sourced from the Minco V Wind Farm in Caddo County, Oklahoma, with the remaining 300 MW coming from a wind farm in Webb and Duval Counties in Texas. The projects are expected to generate savings equivalent to taking 350,595 passenger vehicles off the road or providing electricity for a quarter million homes in a year.
Trending: CO2 Dyeing, Biosynthetics Driving Transition Towards New Textiles Economy
A new textiles economy is on the horizon as innovative textile and chemical firms develop new chemical- and petroleum-free processes to produce fabrics and materials.
FoodBytes! San Francisco to Showcase 20 Pioneering Ideas to Feed the World Sustainably
Dutch financial firm Rabobank has shared the names of the 20 startups to participate in the FoodBytes! event in San Francisco on 1 March 2018.
Nissan Vehicle-to-Grid Project to Accelerate Decarbonization of UK Energy System
Nissan is driving the future of mobility forward with a vehicle-to-grid (VG2) demonstrator project that could prove instrumental in helping the UK transition to low-carbon transportation and a smart energy system. The £9.8 million e4Futures project will allow drivers to feed energy back into the electricity grid during peak times.
Lack of Collaboration Leaving Companies Unprepared for New Energy Economy
As global business leaders gather at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos this week to discuss energy and environmental challenges, Schneider Electric has released a new study revealing that while most organizations feel prepared for a decentralized, decarbonized and digitized future, gaps remain between intention and action.
Q&A: How Schneider Electric’s NEO Network Is Shaping the Future of Renewables in Europe
Europe’s appetite for renewables is growing rapidly, and countries including Germany, Scotland and Denmark have already established themselves as leaders in renewable energy generation. However, the voluntary market for commercial and industrial participation has, as a whole, been slower to develop compared to the more aggressive US, Indian and Mexican markets.
Can Huawei Crack the US Market Without Environmental Credentials?
Your bus shelter and web browser may soon be blanketed with ads promoting “The best phone you’ve never heard of," heralding the arrival of a new smartphone that has finally come to town. Who is this mysterious “newcomer”? None other than Chinese IT giant Huawei. Huawei, which is already the world’s third-largest smartphone maker, announced this week at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas the arrival of its flagship smartphone, the Mate 10 Pro, to the US market.
Trending: Fossil Fuels Finally Taking a Back Seat to Wind
Wind’s potential to fuel the next economy is no longer speculation, but rather fact. According to new research by Research & Markets, energy statistics from Denmark and a pledge made by the UK government to phase out coal by 2025, fossil fuels are officially on the decline. The global market for wind turbines is rapidly expanding, as indicated by a new study from Research & Markets, which predicts annual industry growth of 6.7 percent to 2022. The report presents a comprehensive analysis of the current wind turbine market in four regions — North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific (APAC) and Rest of the World (ROW) — and its future direction.
Trending: Norway Driving Low-Carbon Mobility with Lighting Tech, Enticing Incentives
Norway is paving the way to a more energy-efficient, low-carbon future through new intelligent lighting technology and strong financial incentives.
Trending: New Initiatives, Innovations to Give Aviation Biofuels a Big Push
Air transport represents 2 percent to 3 percent of global man-made CO2 emissions. Sustainable aviation biofuel has been identified as one of the most promising ways to meet the ambitious targets of stabilizing emissions generated by global air transport as soon as 2020. A new initiative in France and a breakthrough discovery in Germany could just be the push the sustainable fuel source needs.
The ‘Smartest’ Cities Will Be Future-Proofed
In the wake of natural disasters, it can be easy to feel like there’s nothing we can do to prevent or minimize the damage they cause. However, often this is not the case. Some cities are already making changes to offset future crises, and it’s time we learn from their efforts. Similarly, we can look at urban planning mistakes in cities such as Houston, Texas, which exacerbated the effects of Hurricane Harvey, in order to identify potential weak points in other cities.
Trending: Scientists Uncover Unexpected Uses for Harmful Greenhouse Gases
Though harmful greenhouse gases are charged with driving unprecedented — and dangerous — climate change, they’re proving to be an unlikely ally to researchers working on solutions to treat African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) and reduce the variability of renewable power.
Peace Boat's Ecoship to Bring Sustainability to the High Seas in 2020
Sustainable isn’t a word often used to describe the cruise industry, which has historically received less than stellar grades for its environmental performance (although there have been signs of improvement). But Peace Boat, an NGO working to promote peace, human rights, sustainable development and respect for the environment, has unveiled a new ship worthy of the descriptor.
+ POOL, Heineken Pooling Their Resources to Help Make the Hudson River Swimmable Again
Back in 2015, we first learned about + POOL, a wildly ambitious idea by four enterprising New Yorkers to make the City’s notoriously polluted Hudson River swimmable with the help of a floating, water-filtering pool.
New Carbon-Capture Process Could Help Coal Plants Eliminate Emissions
Scientists at the US Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory (INL) have developed a technology that could finally make it economically feasible for coal plants to curb their carbon emissions.
MIT Breakthrough Converts CO2 Emissions Into Fuel, Chemical Feedstocks
Researchers at MIT have developed a new membrane system that could be used to convert power plant CO2 emissions into fuel for cars, trucks and planes, as well as into chemical feedstocks for a variety of products. Funded by Shell Oil and the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, the breakthrough is the work of MIT postdoc Xiao-Yu Wu and Ahmed Ghoniem, the Ronald C.
Trending: Brands Look to Bicycles to Decarbonize Urban Logistics
While discussion around the future of urban mobility largely focuses on electric vehicles and public transportation, buzz is growing around the role of bikes in driving down emissions in cities. Congested city streets pose considerable challenges for delivery trucks, a problem that French startup FlexiModal endeavors to solve with its BicyLift bicycle trailer. The emissions-free logistics solution allows the operator to move Euro pallets (120 x 80 cm) by bicycle and by hand in areas where circulation of traditional delivery vehicles is limited. The trailer weighs 55 lbs. and has a carrying capacity of around 400 lbs.
