From solar bottle lights in the Philippines to giant floating solar farms to Hyundai Motor Company launching its first ever car with a solar roof charging system to a giant water battery in Australia, the world is changing before our eyes. . .
7 Innovations from Southeast Asia
to Speed up the Energy Transition
By Annika Mock and Ying Xuan Kong, October 21, 2019, Eco Business
Eco-Business has identified seven green innovations in Southeast Asia that could help the region transition:
- 1. Solar bottle lights, Liter of Light, the Philippines
- 2. Passive cooling architecture, The Floating Leaf, Bali, Indonesia
- 3. Hybrid microgrids, Yoma Micro Power, Myanmar
- 4. Electric scooters, Eclimo, Malaysia
- 5. Sky Greens vertical farming technology, Singapore
- 6. Deep tech solutions for energy guzzling hotels, Singapore
- 7. Using carbon emissions from industries to grow microalgae, Thailand
This Single Shipping Container can Start
Powering a Small Renewable Grid
in Less Than a Day
By Adele Peters, November 18, 2019, Fast Company
Inside a shipping container currently en route to a school in Puerto Rico, a solar microgrid is ready for deployment: As soon as the container arrives, the system, from a startup called BoxPower, can be assembled and begin providing power in less than a day.
The system, designed for use both immediately after disasters and to make communities more resilient to future disasters, is easy to rapidly install. “We jokingly call ourselves the Ikea of microgrids because there is some assembly required, but it is color-coded, pre-cut, and pre-drilled,” says Angelo Campus, CEO and founder of California-based BoxPower. “
And anyone who can assemble an Ikea dresser can assemble our solar array on top of the container. It doesn’t require any heavy equipment or machinery.”
Giant Floating Solar Farms Could Make Fuel
and Help Solve the Climate Crisis, Says Study
By Jordan Davidson, June 25, 2019
https://www.ecowatch.com/floating-solar-farms-climate-crisis-2638980599.html
Millions of solar panels clustered together to form an island could convert carbon dioxide in seawater into methanol, which can fuel airplanes and trucks, according to new research from Norway and Switzerland and published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal, PNAS, as NBC News reported. The floating islands could drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions and dependence on fossil fuels.
The paper argues that the technology exists to build the floating methanol islands on a large scale in areas of the ocean free from large waves and extreme weather. Areas of the ocean off the coasts of South America, North Australia, the Arabian Gulf and Southeast Asia are particularly suitable for mooring these islands.
Hyundai Launches Car with
a Roof-based Solar Charging System
By Anmar Frangoul, August 6, 2019, Sustainable Energy
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/08/05/hyundai-launches-car-with-a-roof-based-solar-charging-system.html
Hyundai Motor Company has launched its first ever car with a solar roof charging system. In an announcement Friday, the business said that the technology would be used on the latest version of its Sonata Hybrid and then introduced to other vehicles over the coming years.
The idea is for the solar roof to support the car’s electric power source, boost fuel efficiency and lower carbon dioxide emissions, Hyundai said. Silicon solar panels have been attached to the roof of the vehicle and can charge while the car is moving.
Hyundai added that 30% to 60% of the car’s battery could be charged using the solar technology. With six hours of charge per day, the vehicle could increase travel distances by 1,300 kilometers per year.
Three-Story ‘Water Battery’ Has Already
Slashed University’s Electrical Costs
By 40% in One Month
Photo by University of the Sunshine Coast
By McKinley Corby, November 18, 2019, Good News Network
https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/water-battery-slashes-universitys-electrical-costs/
An Australian university has been using a 3-story “water battery” to power their air conditioning—and it has already slashed their overall electrical usage by 40%.
The first-of-its-kind battery, which was switched on at the University of the Sunshine Coast (USC) in September, stores energy generated by 6,000 solar panels that have been installed across campus rooftops.
Photo by University of the Sunshine Coast
Over the course of the next 25 years, the thermal energy tank is expected to save $100 million in air conditioning costs and dramatically reduce the school’s greenhouse gas emissions, according to school representatives.