May 16, 2023
By Douglas Broom
The need for renewable energy innovation has never been greater. In its 2022 report Fostering Effective Energy Transition, the World Economic Forum warned that progress towards net-zero had slowed over the previous decade and called for urgent action to hold back the rise in global temperatures to 1.5°C.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) says the rise in greenhouse gas emissions must be halted by 2025 and levels need to decline sharply by 2050 in order to avoid the worst effects of the climate emergency.
So, it’s encouraging that innovators continue to pioneer fresh approaches that are making the goal of switching the world to renewable energy more achievable. Here are four interesting energy innovations.
Solar and wind power working together
It’s tempting to think that renewable energy installations need to be either solar or wind powered. But French startup Unéole has come up with a small-scale, easy to install solution that uses sun and wind power in a single unit.
Designed to be used on the flat roofs of offices and apartment buildings, the platform uses multiple wind turbines under a photovoltaic roof to create a silent solution that produces 40% more energy than a pure solar system and can generate power round the clock.
Solar and wind power working together
It’s tempting to think that renewable energy installations need to be either solar or wind powered. But French startup Unéole has come up with a small-scale, easy to install solution that uses sun and wind power in a single unit.
Designed to be used on the flat roofs of offices and apartment buildings, the platform uses multiple wind turbines under a photovoltaic roof to create a silent solution that produces 40% more energy than a pure solar system and can generate power round the clock.
These Turbines Never Turn
Wind power doesn’t have to mean huge turbines. A US start-up has invented a system that uses three-metre tall wind generators with no external moving parts. Sitting on the edge of roofs, Aeromine uses the natural airflow up the front of the building to generate power.
The system’s aerodynamic fins guide fast-rising air past an internal turbine, which the company claims produces 50% more power than other
sustainable options. Combined with rooftop solar and battery storage, it can meet 100% of a building’s needs, the company says.
https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Energy_Transition_Index_2022.pdf
https://www.ipcc.ch/2022/04/04/ipcc-ar6-wgiii-pressrelease/
Source: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2023/09/renewable-energy-innovations-climate-emergency