Important Innovations

  ZEROe Planes In Service by 2035                    Source: Airbus ZEROe Turbofan Hydrogen Plane Flying the World With Zero Emissions Airbus has plans to put into service the world's 1st zero emissions commercial aircraft by 2035. They call it the ZEROe.  The European company is analyzing three different options to use hydrogen as the primary source of power to fly commercial aircraft, carrying as many as 200 passengers to start.  If successful, Airbus would be leading the biggest transition in commercial aviation history.  Its technology would move airplanes from highly polluting jet fuel to zero emissions hydrogen fuel. Airbus believes that hydrogen has tremendous potential to significantly reduce aviation's climate change impact.  Global airline flights are among the top greenhouse gas polluters in the world. Tough Dynamics for the Airline Industry The global aviation industry has committed to cutti...

Oxford Study: Majority of Global Utilities Not Strongly Supporting Renewable Energy Source:  Renewable Energy Stock Image Power Companies and the Fight Against Climate Change A new study by scientists at Oxford University in the UK suggests that power companies are very slow to support and utilize green, renewable energy sources like wind and solar power.  In fact, of the 3,000 power utility companies around the world that the Oxford researchers studied, only 10% of the energy suppliers have prioritized renewables over fossil fuels.  Many continue to invest in fossil fuels. The study concludes that utilities' slowness to embrace renewable energy sources is undermining the fight against Climate Change. Europe Coming on Green Europe   is way ahead of the curve in using renewables.  For instance, 40% of the United Kingdom's electricity is coming from wind and solar.  But globally, many of the new wind and solar instillations are being built by independent prod...

Breakthrough in Solar Cell Technology Source:  Fraunhofer - New Solar Cell German-French Scientific Collaboration Results in Ultra Slim, More Efficient Solar Cell Scientists at Germany's Fraunhofer ISE and the French Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology have invented a slim solar cell that has an efficiency potential of 25% in the short term.  It's a breakthrough and their results have just been published in Nature Energy.  For a great news blog, go to Important Innovations Collection: Super Slim, Efficient Solar Cells : New Innovation from German-French Collaboration Source:  Fraunhofer Efficiency Potential 25% Scientists at Germany's Fraunhofer ...

Massachusetts' Brayton Point Power Station Towers Demolished in 2 Seconds Source: Stock Image of Brayton Point, MA. New Wind Energy Coming to Replace Coal Fired Plants Brayton Point in Somerset, Massachusetts on Mount Hope Bay was the last coal-fired generating plant in MA.  It stopped production in 2017 as environmental groups pushed for cleaner sources of energy generation. Landmark to Old Energy Demolished Today its two, 500 foot cooling towers were demolished by controlled explosions in two seconds. The plant had burned coal since 1963. Anyone who has travelled the I-195 corridor through Fall River, MA over the Braga Bridge going to Cape Cod or south to New York City is very familiar with these landmarks of old energy. They are now gone and are making way for new energy systems like wind. New Base of Wind Energy The new owner of the property is Commercial Development Co.  They say they plan to convert the property into a multi-use facility, primarily to sup...

Wind Power to Power Heating Source:  China Wind Farm World Leader in Wind Power China is waging a multifaceted flight against carbon dioxide pollution.  It's pushing hard to cut carbon emissions from coal burning generating plants.  China is already the world leader in wind power generation with the largest installed capacity and rapid growth in new wind facilities. It's now promoting wind powered heating systems. Wind Powered Heat China just announced it will forward and promote using energy generated by the wind to help power heating systems.  Many regions in China experience bitterly cold winters and coal powered generating facilities spewing carbon emissions are big contributors to China's pollution problems.  China's top steelmaking city Tangshan just issued a smog alert as waves of smog are enveloping the city. Huge Wind Potential Experts say because of China's long coastline and land mass, it has about 2.4 gigawatts of exploitable wind po...

Huge, Industrial-Scale Wave Power Project Just Announced in Italy Source:  Wave Power Stock Image Renewable Energy from the Force of Waves Eni, the Italian oil and gas energy company, along with the power grid group Terna, shipbuilder Fincantieri and state lending agency CDP just announced their plans to launch a huge wave energy power project.  They call it industrial scale.  It's composed of wave power stations and they say the application is immediate.  For more on this breaking news, go to Important Innovations Collection: Italian Wave Power Renewable Energy : Industrial-Scale Renewable Energy Project off Italy Source:  Waves off coast of Italy New Wave Power Stations Italian oil and gas ...

China Setting Solar Pace, Technology, Policy Standards Globally Source:   Photo of  China's Solar Farm in Tenggen Desert World's Largest Solar Farm in China It's very clear China is betting the farm that the future of energy is powered in a big way by solar. It has the world's largest solar farm, pictured above, in China's Tenggen Desert that can pump out 1500 megawatts.  China has the world's largest solar energy capacity - a huge, 130 gigawatts. World's Biggest Solar Panel Manufacturer China manufactures 60% of the world's solar panels.  Their technology is setting the framework for the global solar industry. Coal Still a Factor There are some oddities about the China energy market.  2/3rds of China's electricity still comes from coal.  An interesting fact: China's huge solar farms are far away from its major cities that need electricity.  Only 15% of the country's potential solar capacity is being used.  The country has inves...

Massive Solar Panels on Lakes to Soak Up the Sun A number of nations including China are chasing this idea...placing massive solar panels on bodies of water to maximize absorption of solar energy and allow the solar panels to operate with greater efficiency. Chinese Solar Leadership:  Largest Floating Solar Farm China is leading the way in emerging solar technology.  It opened the world's largest floating solar farm in 2017. It's on top of a lake that formed after an abandoned coal mine collapsed.  The system's 166,000-panel array generates 40 megawatts of power which is enough to power 15,000 homes.  A larger solar farm in the same locale is opening.  That will generate 150 megawatts and power 94,000 homes.  Overall, China installed 2 times more gigawatts of solar capacity than the US last year. It contributes almost half of the world's total solar capacity. Benefits of Floating Solar Farms Floating the solar panels on water protect...