Technological Revelations of 2014 To Combat Climate Change
Marcus Nield | 16.06.2015 07:42 | Climate Chaos | Ecology | Energy Crisis
Last year began with a stark warning. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the world's leading authority on global warming, released their comprehensive report that warned of "severe, widespread and irreversible impacts", including civil wars and famine. The year got progressively brighter as a multitude of phenomenal carbon-cutting technologies began to emerge.
1. Nuclear Fusion Makes Quantum Leap
Touted as the 'holy grail' of energy, the technology of nuclear fusion attempts to mimic the inside of the sun, but in a laboratory. In a sentence, it's humankind's pursuit to build a star in a jar. While fission - the nuclear energy we have today - splits atoms, fusion combines atomic nuclei into heavier particles. It's clean, virtually infinite, and has no radioactive waste or greenhouse gases. What more could you want? Except mimicking the sun, it seems, has proved overwhelmingly difficult. Who'd have known? The trick is that in every attempt to produce energy, it never quite musters more than what is put into the nuclear fuel.
This changed in February when researchers from the National Ignition Facility in California passed that significant threshold: More energy out than in. Well, almost. The 'in' represents only that which was put into the nuclear fuel. The ultimate goal of generating more energy than the entire experiment altogether remains further off, but it has no doubt made a future of friendly fuel that bit more tangible.
2. First Major Carbon-Capture & Storage Power-Plant Comes Online
Simply put, there are two main ways of tackling climate change: reduce the use of fossil fuels or contain the carbon before it’s emitted into the atmosphere. The latter, known as carbon-capture and storage (CCS), has for years been penned in a chicken-and-egg situation, slated by many as untested but given little room to prove its efficacy. Finally after years of ambivalent to-and-fro, the first large-scale CCS power-plant came online in October. Known as Boundary Dam, it marked a significant step, and the International Energy Agency are calling it a "momentous point in the history of the development of CCS."
The plant has been successfully up-and-running since its inception, capturing around 75% of output carbon dioxide, transporting and burying it safely without leaks. Particularly auspicious is the power-plant's first major award, granted in mid-December by Power Engineering & Renewable Energy World magazine. So far, so good. Its worldwide application still requires major funding but it has at least proven itself on the world stage in the fight to keep those oceans low.
3. Affordable Fuel-Cell Cars On The Market
Similarly to CCS, for years hype haloed hydrogen-powered cars and drove a frenzy of speculation before evaporating in a puff of carbon-free smoke. But the era of green cars appeared that bit closer down the road in November, when Toyota unveiled the Mirai (translating as "future" in Japanese), an automobile that runs on hydrogen and emits only water vapour.
Perhaps most promising is the Mirai's price-tag of $57,000, making it substantially more affordable than most other fuel-cell cars. It will first be made available in California, but only to drivers living or working near hydrogen fueling stations. Contributing to its affordability is the premise that the first buyers will receive 3 years of free fuel. The Mirai even has a "power out" option that essentially converts it into a portable generator, enabling it to power your house during a blackout. Also nice for luxury camping or countryside karaoke - if that's your thing.
4. Trailblazing Innovations In Battery and Solar-Powered Planes
In July, the France-based aircraft manufacturer, Airbus, displayed the world's first fully battery-powered plane at the Farnborough International Airshow, UK. The technology is expected to herald the dawn of environmentally-friendly flying. Despite the battery weight presently hindering the plane's viability for mainstream commercial flight, the two- and four-seater models will nonetheless hit the market. Airbus claim that next-in-the-wing is the battery-powered helicopter and 90-seater passenger plane. The aircrafts fly with exceptionally low noise-levels, perhaps allowing jaded flight-path residents to one day remove those ear-plugs.
In 2013, the world was left starry-eyed when a solar-powered plane flew across America, breaking several world records. Last June, the potential of carbon-free air travel seemed even more promising when a larger upgraded version, Solar Impulse 2, made its first inaugural flight in Switzerland. A pilot for the project, Bertrand Piccard, told the BBC: "An aeroplane like this is absolutely unique. And for the first time in history, we have an aeroplane that is flying with no fuel day and night, showing the incredible potential of the clean technologies."
Touted as the 'holy grail' of energy, the technology of nuclear fusion attempts to mimic the inside of the sun, but in a laboratory. In a sentence, it's humankind's pursuit to build a star in a jar. While fission - the nuclear energy we have today - splits atoms, fusion combines atomic nuclei into heavier particles. It's clean, virtually infinite, and has no radioactive waste or greenhouse gases. What more could you want? Except mimicking the sun, it seems, has proved overwhelmingly difficult. Who'd have known? The trick is that in every attempt to produce energy, it never quite musters more than what is put into the nuclear fuel.
This changed in February when researchers from the National Ignition Facility in California passed that significant threshold: More energy out than in. Well, almost. The 'in' represents only that which was put into the nuclear fuel. The ultimate goal of generating more energy than the entire experiment altogether remains further off, but it has no doubt made a future of friendly fuel that bit more tangible.
2. First Major Carbon-Capture & Storage Power-Plant Comes Online
Simply put, there are two main ways of tackling climate change: reduce the use of fossil fuels or contain the carbon before it’s emitted into the atmosphere. The latter, known as carbon-capture and storage (CCS), has for years been penned in a chicken-and-egg situation, slated by many as untested but given little room to prove its efficacy. Finally after years of ambivalent to-and-fro, the first large-scale CCS power-plant came online in October. Known as Boundary Dam, it marked a significant step, and the International Energy Agency are calling it a "momentous point in the history of the development of CCS."
The plant has been successfully up-and-running since its inception, capturing around 75% of output carbon dioxide, transporting and burying it safely without leaks. Particularly auspicious is the power-plant's first major award, granted in mid-December by Power Engineering & Renewable Energy World magazine. So far, so good. Its worldwide application still requires major funding but it has at least proven itself on the world stage in the fight to keep those oceans low.
3. Affordable Fuel-Cell Cars On The Market
Similarly to CCS, for years hype haloed hydrogen-powered cars and drove a frenzy of speculation before evaporating in a puff of carbon-free smoke. But the era of green cars appeared that bit closer down the road in November, when Toyota unveiled the Mirai (translating as "future" in Japanese), an automobile that runs on hydrogen and emits only water vapour.
Perhaps most promising is the Mirai's price-tag of $57,000, making it substantially more affordable than most other fuel-cell cars. It will first be made available in California, but only to drivers living or working near hydrogen fueling stations. Contributing to its affordability is the premise that the first buyers will receive 3 years of free fuel. The Mirai even has a "power out" option that essentially converts it into a portable generator, enabling it to power your house during a blackout. Also nice for luxury camping or countryside karaoke - if that's your thing.
4. Trailblazing Innovations In Battery and Solar-Powered Planes
In July, the France-based aircraft manufacturer, Airbus, displayed the world's first fully battery-powered plane at the Farnborough International Airshow, UK. The technology is expected to herald the dawn of environmentally-friendly flying. Despite the battery weight presently hindering the plane's viability for mainstream commercial flight, the two- and four-seater models will nonetheless hit the market. Airbus claim that next-in-the-wing is the battery-powered helicopter and 90-seater passenger plane. The aircrafts fly with exceptionally low noise-levels, perhaps allowing jaded flight-path residents to one day remove those ear-plugs.
In 2013, the world was left starry-eyed when a solar-powered plane flew across America, breaking several world records. Last June, the potential of carbon-free air travel seemed even more promising when a larger upgraded version, Solar Impulse 2, made its first inaugural flight in Switzerland. A pilot for the project, Bertrand Piccard, told the BBC: "An aeroplane like this is absolutely unique. And for the first time in history, we have an aeroplane that is flying with no fuel day and night, showing the incredible potential of the clean technologies."
Marcus Nield
e-mail:
thusspoketimothustra@gmail.com