Climate Good News
Around the world people are taking the initiative to mitigate climate change.
Here are some good news briefs compiled by the Climate Issue group
of the League of Women Voters of Bellingham/Whatcom.
Self-Healing Solar Cells Pave the Way to a Reliable Solar Future
Solar power installations are going up around the world as the cost of solar panels has gone down in recent years. While silicon is the best technology available today, there is a new component that may be even better, called perovskites, which promises solar panels that are more efficient, cheaper and easier to make, lightweight and perhaps even flexible. There is a catch though: they degrade under humidity and heat. This has kept the technology from scaling up and being adopted widely.
But now, researchers from Monash University (Melbourne, Australia) have developed perovskite solar cells that can heal themselves to maintain performance.
Heat and water can create tiny defects in the perovskite layer that absorbs sunlight and converts it into electricity in a solar cell. So, the researchers turned to a technique called defect passivation, which involves using special chemicals that react with or attach to those flaws and minimize them.
The Monash researchers developed a special healing agent that has chemical bonds that break and recover under heat and moisture. They integrated this material into the perovskite layer so that, when it is exposed to the environmental stressors that are usually its detriment, it recovers and maintains its performance.
The resulting solar cells had over 25 percent power conversion efficiency and stayed stable through 1,000 hours of accelerated aging tests at 85°C and simulated solar illumination.
“This breakthrough could pave the way for more reliable and efficient perovskite solar cells contributing to the global transition towards sustainable energy solutions,” said lead author Udo Bach, professor of chemical and biological engineering at Monash in a press release.
They could sure use theme in Texas this week.
Anthropocene magazine, Anthropocene Team, July 4, 2024
______________
Amazon’s Total Emissions Fell in 2023
Amazon also said it sometimes purchases renewable energy credits to bridge the gap between the time a renewable energy project is being built and when operations begin — but did not say how many were used to meet the target.
To date, Amazon has invested in more than 500 wind and solar projects globally, representing 28 gigawatts of capacity, it said.
Amazon has a goal to reach net 2 by 2040, and, in 2019, set a target to match 100 percent of its electricity consumption with renewable power by 2030 — which it has now met.
Amazon’s total emissions were 68.82 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2023, down from 70.74 million tons the previous year, it said in its annual sustainability report.
Amazon’s total emissions include those generated from its supply chain, third party logistics and purchased electricity.
However, emissions from the company’s direct operations rose 7 percent to 14.27 million tons, which Amazon said was due to an increase in the number of packages delivered by its in-house logistics team and overall business growth. This figure also includes its data centres.
“We know generative AI requires a lot of computing power. To power this demand while still progressing toward our climate goals, we’ll need different sources of energy than we’d originally projected,” Chris Roe, Amazon’s Director, Worldwide Carbon said via email.
Amazon invested in 112 new renewable projects last year and is the largest corporate purchaser of renewable electricity in the world according to Bloomberg NEF.
Reuters: “Amazon’s total emissions fell in 2023 as it meets renewable power goal” by Susanna Twidale July 10, 2024: https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/amazons-total-emissions-fell-2023-it-meets-renewable-power-goal-2024-07-10/
____________
Singapore Seeks Leading Role in Clean Energy
Singapore has long punched above its weight as a financial and transportation hub, especially on its home turf of Southeast Asia. Now, the island-nation aims to play a similar role in decarbonization and clean technology.
Studded with gleaming high-rises and glitzy shopping districts, Singapore is deploying its strategic government-owned investment company (Temasek) and central bank (the Monetary Authority of Singapore) to amplify the country’s decarbonization plans across the region and beyond.
That’s meant an investment push into clean technologies and an effort to build a carbon trading and services hub. The city-state is also pushing for, and investing in, a regional, cross-border clean electricity grid.
Cipher: “Singapore seeks leading role in clean energy” by Bill Spindle, July 8, 2024: https://www.ciphernews.com/articles/singapore-seeks-leading-role-in-clean-energy/
_____________
Coal Wire
One of five big proposed coal plants in Vietnam may well be on its last legs. Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade has finally terminated the agreement for the 2,100 megawatt (MW) Song Hau 2 coal plant. The plant has struggled to gain financial backing for years and was an odd project for a Malaysian chemicals company with no experience in the power sector. The resounding defeat of the UK Conservative government may undercut the prospects for any new coal mine proposals, but the Labour Party has said little about the Whitehaven coal project approved by the outgoing government. The fate of that mine hinges on the outcome of a Supreme Court hearing soon. In Bulgaria, the loss-making Maritsa Istok 3 lignite plant has laid off the bulk of its remaining staff.
Unfortunately Australia, India and Malaysia are still planning on new or expanded coal facilities.
Global Energy Monitor: Coal Wire by Bob Burton, July 11, 2023
_______________
The World’s First Hydrogen Ferry
In a milestone for sustainable transportation, the Sea Change ferry is now officially running in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Providing an entirely different experience from a traditional diesel ferry, the Sea Change is quiet and emits only heat and water vapor — because it’s fueled by hydrogen.
The Sea Change can travel up to 300 nautical miles at speeds of up to 15 knots. It can hold 75 passengers and is no more expensive to ride than its counterparts. It’s also the only vessel where you can literally drink the exhaust — the water vapor supplies a drinking fountain onboard.
What’s the nuance? Most hydrogen is still made from fossil fuels, so it’s not fully “clean” — yet. The Sea Change ferry will use hydrogen fuel that is available locally, but eventually, designers hope it could use green hydrogen, which is made from water and renewable electricity.
Goodnewsletter<newsletter@goodgoodgood.co, July 15, 2024
