The world’s largest carbon-capture plant just switched on

After decades of hype and doubt, giant factories that can pull thousands of tonnes of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere are starting to spin up. Experts say we’ll need carbon capture to offset stubborn emissions that can’t easily be cut with existing green technology. In an article on the CNN website, Laura Paddison discusses … Continue reading The world’s largest carbon-capture plant just switched on

Infrared fabric heat-emitting “wallpaper” avoids the disruption and expense of heat pumps

Hundreds of millions of buildings across the world need clean heating. But retrofitting them all for heat pump installation is going to be expensive, disruptive, and take a long time. In an article on the Conversation website, Michael Siebert at Nottingham Trent University describes a completely different approach, using new high-tech infrared fabrics that emit … Continue reading Infrared fabric heat-emitting “wallpaper” avoids the disruption and expense of heat pumps

New analysis helped design a new climate intervention app that can empower people to make more environmentally conscious decisions at governmental, community and household levels

New research by an international team of more than 250 scientists studied several environmental interventions and the way people responded to them in 63 countries. Chiara Longoni, Associate Professor, Marketing and Social Science, Bocconi University and Kimberly Doell, Senior Researcher in Environmental and Climate Change Psychology, Universität Wien discuss the findings in an article on … Continue reading New analysis helped design a new climate intervention app that can empower people to make more environmentally conscious decisions at governmental, community and household levels

How some fungi can help the environment and become the basis for a variety of eco-friendly industries

Anna Spencer writes on the CBC News website about the many benefits of fungi. This article is part of the CBC News initiative entitled "Our Changing Planet" to show and explain the effects of climate change.    From fashion to burials: How fungi can help fight climate change Fungi are among the oldest organisms on … Continue reading How some fungi can help the environment and become the basis for a variety of eco-friendly industries

The German city of Mannheim heats thousands of homes using ice-cold water

River heat pumps?  Mannheim started using one last year.  With the concept gaining ground around the world, Tim Schauenberg writes on the Deutsche Welle website to find out how it works and how it is being used in Mannheim.   Could large heat pumps revolutionize how we warm our homes? Standing in my swimming trunks … Continue reading The German city of Mannheim heats thousands of homes using ice-cold water

Energy in Demand News, December 10, 2023

At COP28, the first “Global Stocktake,” will assess the results of national and international collective action to curb climate change. The UN's Global Stocktake synthesis draft report, released in September, shows that despite some progress since the Paris Agreement in 2015, the world is still far off track to reduce emissions enough to keep temperature … Continue reading Energy in Demand News, December 10, 2023

Latest invention from University of Alberta – a battery-free light switch

The battery-free invention operates by harvesting ambient energy, potentially making homes more energy-efficient, environmentally friendly and affordable. Geoff McMaster discusses the latest invention in an article on the University of Alberta website.   Innovative wireless light switch could cut house wiring costs in half A University of Alberta engineering researcher has developed a wireless light … Continue reading Latest invention from University of Alberta – a battery-free light switch

Virgin Atlantic’s ‘Jet Zero’ fuel may not be travel’s green future – it is more “a smoke-and-mirrors exercise to convince governments that SAF will enable aviation to continue its relentless growth on a sustainable basis”

The first transatlantic flight powered only by sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs) took off from Heathrow airport this week. Airlines are pinning their hopes on SAF to slash emissions as they try to decarbonise flying before new electric and hydrogen-powered options are developed. In an article on The Conversation website, Gareth Dale, Reader in Political Economy, … Continue reading Virgin Atlantic’s ‘Jet Zero’ fuel may not be travel’s green future – it is more “a smoke-and-mirrors exercise to convince governments that SAF will enable aviation to continue its relentless growth on a sustainable basis”

‘Breakthrough battery’ from Sweden may cut dependency on China

Northvolt, Europe’s only large homegrown electric battery maker, has said it has made a lower cost, more sustainable battery designed to store electricity which does not use lithium, nickel, graphite and cobalt. Bernd Radowitz discusses this new development in an article on the Recharge News website.   Northvolt eyes global storage markets with 'cost-effective' sodium-ion … Continue reading ‘Breakthrough battery’ from Sweden may cut dependency on China

Micro wind turbines designed to look like trees are addressing some of the challenges of green energy

This nature-inspired ‘wind tree’ can produce renewable energy in urban environments. Angela Symons discusses these ‘wind trees’ in an article on the Euronews website.   Could ‘wind trees’ with micro turbines be a solution to green energy in tight urban spaces? From community solar farms to co-owned wind turbines, eco-inventors are coming up with new … Continue reading Micro wind turbines designed to look like trees are addressing some of the challenges of green energy