We’ve already done a fair amount of damage to our ecosystem. And even with new, clean sources of energy, we’ll need to clean up the mess we’ve already made. That’s where carbon removal comes into play. See these three 3-minute videos of startups tackling the issue.
Floating turbine swaps out the single large pole for four thinner ones angled in a pyramid shape. This distributes the weight of the turbine’s pieces, allowing the structure to be lighter. Constructed in a shipyard, its towed into place.
Note: We know that getting to net zero GHG emissions by 2050 requires transitioning the grid to 100% clean energy and then electrifying everything else: EVs for transport; heat pumps for building HVAC; etc. Hard-to-abate sectors (like air travel!!) will still create GHGs. Trees, oceans and other “carbon sinks” will remove some CO2 naturally. Can tech remove more? Here’s a state-of-the-art summary.
Here is a two-fer: process fast-growing hemp into a building material with great thermal insulating qualities. 1) The hemp is a carbon sink, and 2) the insulation cuts down energy needed to heat/cool the building. The remaining question: cost? And can it come down to compete with alternatives like concrete? (Can “green premium” –> zero or negative?)
Minerva Lithium has produced Nano Mosaic, a coordinated polymer framework that looks a bit like black gravel and extracts lithium from brine in just three days.
from Fast Company Because they sit on the edge of roofs, they pair well with solar panels. If a building also has batteries to store the energy, it could be totally self-sufficient. BY ADELE PETERS…
Renewables provided more than 25% of electrical generation in the United States during the first half of 2022, according to new data from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA).
“The battery cells could endure hundreds of cycles at exceptionally high charging rates, with a projected cost per cell of about one-sixth that of comparable lithium-ion cells.”
“The ingredients are cheap, and the thing is safe — it cannot burn.”
[Poised to take off faster if CF&D makes economics better?]
These floating, vertical-axis wind turbines (VAWTs) feature two sets of blades, tuned to contra-rotate – and they promise more than double the output of today’s biggest turbines.
In this 5-min video from TED-Ed, Iceland shows how they extract low-GHG geothermal energy from the Earth. Harnessing geothermal energy with heat pumps is something that can be done around the world.
Air-conditioning contributes a lot of CO2 and other GHGs, and as the earth heats, there will be more AC used. Tom Steyer, founder of NexGen America, endowed a $1m price for 5x more efficient AC, won by 3 companies this year. “These technology breakthroughs exemplify incredible progress made when innovators and the right incentives are mobilized.”
Editor’s Note: Cement is a difficult-to-abate sector because the chemical process to make cement from limestone itself releases CO2. This new technology reverses the process … but at what cost? Can that cost come down…
