Cleantech
The latest products, services and cleantech applications and how they are tackling some of our most pressing social and environmental issues.
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.
Falkenberg Becomes Carlsberg's First Carbon-Neutral Brewery
Carlsberg Group is now one step closer to achieving its Together Towards Zero goals — the company’s brewery in Falkenberg, Sweden is now 100 percent powered by biogas and clean electricity, thereby reducing its CO2 emissions to zero.
Trending: Coffee Grounds Poised to Power Future for Sustainable Transport, Fashion
Cross-Posted from Waste Not. Your morning cup of java could be good for more than just a caffeine buzz — Shell and Vancouver-based sustainable clothing company LEZÉ the Label are fueling a sustainable future with the help of waste coffee grounds.
Focusing on What 90% of Businesses Do Now Is a Big Mistake
I was driving through rural Pennsylvania recently and saw a fascinating billboard. Sponsored by an organization that promotes coal and natural gas, the sign declared, “The truth is that 90 percent of our energy comes from fossil fuels.” Technically, that’s true (ish), but it’s also meaningless.
74% Think Shifting to Clean Energy Will Boost Economy
Coal and oil are still the world’s main energy sources, but there’s massive public support for a cleaner energy future. According to a new survey, people across all ages, political standpoints, education and geographies are in favour of a shift to ‘green’ energy, and three out of four believe that it will boost their country’s economy. The backing for renewable energy is clear: In the largest survey of attitudes on the subject* ever conducted, 82 percent favour a change from black to green energy.
Straight to the Source: How Ørsted Is Powering Denmark's Clean Energy Revolution
On a rainy Tuesday afternoon at Sustainable Brands ‘17 Copenhagen, I caught the bus ferrying several attendees to visit Ørsted’s Avedøre Power Station. It was an eye-opening experience, especially to someone who had never been inside a power plant before!
$100K Awaits Latest, Best, Brightest Nature-Inspired Climate Solutions
Nature could hold the key to reversing or mitigating the effects of climate change — a concept that the Biomimicry Institute and Ray C. Anderson Foundation are banking on. The two organizations have issued a call to action for entrepreneurs to look to the planet’s living systems to create viable solutions to the global climate crisis.
EV100, EP100, RE100 Clean Energy Initiatives Continue to Grow
Corresponding with the launch of its updated Global States and Regions Annual Disclosure report in partnership with CDP and the 2017 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP23), The Climate Group has announced new members and progress for its electric vehicles (EV100), energy productivity (EP100) and renewable electricity (
BMW Group, Daimler AG, Ford, VW Launch Pan-European High-Power EV Charging Network
The popularity of electric vehicles is on the rise, but infrastructure constraints have largely kept a widespread EV boom from becoming reality — until now.
Alfen Launches First-Ever Smart Grid with Ability to Self-Heal
Renewable energy solutions are on the rise, particularly in the realm of efficiency and storage advancements, making emissions-free electricity more accessible and affordable for all. One drawback, however, is the pressure intermittent renewable energy puts on electrical grids, but Dutch energy expert Alfen may have found the answer. The company has developed the Cellular Smart Grid Platform (CSGriP), which divides the central grid into smaller cells that can operate autonomously and even self-heal.
