Hawkinson, K. (Aug 25, 2023). Renewable energy sources have kept the Texas power grid stable this summer even as the state breaks record after record for power usage. Business Insider. Retrieved August 27, 2023, from https://www.businessinsider.com/renewable energy-kept-texas-power-grid-stable-record-power-use-2023-8 

The extremely hot weather that Texas has been experiencing has greatly strained the Texan power grid which failed in the past, most notably during the extreme cold weather Texas experienced just a couple of years ago. The environmentally friendly renewable energy technology that has become more prominent in the state has helped the grid become more resilient despite record-breaking power usage due to the hot weather. 

Texas has made significant investments in renewable energy. Texas is a state that is usually more opposed to renewable energy alternatives than the nation as a whole. It is very significant that states like Texas have made investments in renewable energy that are paying off greatly as in this case of a more resilient energy grid. However, there is still more work to be done. The renewable energy decreases described in the article show that it is more important than ever to continue investing in renewable energy infrastructure. Now that the potential benefits of renewable energy technology have been shown to states typically more opposed to it hopefully the nation as a whole going forward will be more willing to devote significant resources to the development of renewable resources so that more success stories like the resilient Texas energy grid can happen all across the nation and the world.

Kahn, A. N. a. B. (2023, August 11). How the Biden administration is betting on carbon capture – Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times. https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2023-08-11/how-the-biden-administration-is-pouring-billions-into-technology-that-sucks-carbon-from-the-air

This article reviews how the Biden administration is investing in technologies that literally suck carbon out of the air. The technology is called carbon capturing, and it is almost like an air filter at your house that forces air through a filter that traps the pollutants and carbon, but on a much larger scale. The article discussed one example of a carbon capture technology that a Swiss company called Climeworks developed, which can extract 4000 tons of CO2 from the air each year. The idea is to have technologies like this near oil refineries and other factories that put out a lot of CO2, and these carbon capture technologies could filter out some of the pollution before it spreads around the planet.

This seems like a no-brainer idea, and one that should already be in place. Why don’t factories have filters on their smokestacks? I’m sure there are good reasons, but if we can filter out some of the pollution with larger carbon-capture vacuums and filters, maybe we can make a difference. Of course, the risks need to be evaluated too. Similar to the EV’s requiring dangerous mining to take place, if this technology cleans the air but requires too much electricity to run the filters, maybe it is not as valuable. But it seems like a good idea and one that could help.

Leimbach, S. (2023). Boyd introduces green cooling technology for EV charging. Environment+Energy Leader. https://www.environmentalleader.com/2023/08/boyd-introduces-green-cooling-technology-for-ev-charging/

A company called Boyd has introduced a liquid cooling technology to enhance the speed and safety of electric vehicle charging through fast charging cables and connectors. Any time electricity is used, even if it is just charging a battery, it generates heat. Boyd developed a coolant for the charging stations. This green coolant cools high-powered fast chargers, which generate significant heat. Cooling the cables lets them charge faster. Rapid charging is important for EV adoption and a lot of car buyers don’t go electric because of concerns about charging times. Boyd’s technology could help the US (and beyond) build more charging stations around the country and world that work more quickly and with less heat.

I think this is a good idea. It seems like charging an electric car is the worst part about owning one, because it takes a lot longer than filling up a gas tank. If you have to drive from the Bay Area to LA, you probably need to stop at least once to charge for at least an hour. If you are trying to drive cross-country, you have to be careful about your route, so that you can charge your car before you run out of battery. It seems like Boyd’s technology would allow people to charge a little faster, which means more people could buy EVs, which would mean more chargers would get installed too. It might help solve the chicken-or-the-egg challenge of electric cars not having enough chargers, but chargers not being built because there aren’t enough electric car owners.

Mercado, A. (2023, August 14). Researcher proposes space umbrella attached to asteroid to mitigate climate change. Gizmodo. https://gizmodo.com/asteroid-space-umbrella-climate-change-1850696646?

This article reviewed a proposed solution for combating climate change that involved attaching a large shield to an asteroid in space which would hang off the asteroid like a parachute or umbrella. This theory was detailed in a study by University of Hawai’i researcher István Szapudi. This “umbrella” could block 1.7% of the sun’s rays, potentially slowing down planetary warming. The article suggested that it is similar to kite surfing, in this case the sunlight’s momentum moves the shield. Currently, our rockets lack the power for this, but if achievable in the future, this approach could become a climate solution. Szapudi’s work marks an initial step, but the real work would be in determining the logistics for making it happen and developing technologies that would be required to do it.

This technology seems a little far-fetched to me, but shows us how important it is to come up with as many ideas as possible. Most genius ideas were thought to be crazy at first because they were impossible at the time or outside of current technology’s capability. This space-shield or umbrella technology seems a little like something a middle-school student came up with during a contest for climate-change ideas, but maybe that’s exactly what we need. The researcher talked about needing to research ways to proof the concept without launching a full umbrella, like possibly putting moon-dust into space that could deflect the sun’s rays a bit. Personally, I think our solutions for climate change should focus on Earth, because I’d be afraid things like this could mess up the whole planet by accident.

Park, W. (2023, January 23). How far can vertical farming go? BBC Future. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20230106-what-if-all-our-food-was-grown-in-indoor-vertical-farms

Vertical farming was “invented” in the 1990s, but it is really an extension of farmer’s quest to farm more crops in less space…a quest that has been since the beginning of farming. Vertical farming offers a potential solution to growing food in urban areas and addressing space constraints. The article talks about the pros and cons of vertical farming, for example it can be done in a city in buildings without windows, but requires a farmer to supply all the light, nutrients, etc.  Initiatives like the Pasona Urban Farm in Tokyo and the Oishii vertically farmed strawberries show us the concept’s potential. Those farms use stacked trays with LED lighting to grow crops, while using hydroponic (in water) systems to save water and nutrients. The controlled environment reduces pest risks and allows year-round cultivation of crops like herbs, salads, and small fruits. Large-scale vertical farming might revolutionize food production, but challenges include high energy costs and reliance on fossil fuels. Scaling up will require innovations in energy efficiency, sustainable power sources, and solving disease and growth challenges for longer-maturing crops like fruit trees.

This article was interesting and the idea of vertical farming seems like a good way to produce food closer to where people eat it. That would save transportation costs, and not require as much land dedicated to farming produce and other crops. It would also reduce the use of heavy farm equipment that pollutes the air.  It does sound like the technology is still a little new and not super cost-effective yet. But it seems promising and if enough people invest in it, maybe they can get the costs down so that it can make a real impact.

Irwandi, R. T. D. M. S. J. (2023, May 10). To mine EV minerals, industry turns to dangerous refinery technology. Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/interactive/2023/ev-nickel-refinery-dangers/

With the recent increase in sales of electric vehicles, demand for batteries has gone up significantly as well. Most of the materials used for the batteries of electric vehicles are mined from the earth, which actually creates an environmental hazard on its own. Indonesia is the largest producer of nickel, which is a key material for rechargeable batteries. The mining of this material creates a lot of dangerous by-products, and mining companies in Indonesia have struggled to solve how to dispose of the waste. Indonesia has developed an “acid leaching technology” that previously was considered too risky to use. However, now that demand has gone up so much, this technique would provide access to a new type of nickel, which is harder to process, but it would allow a higher amount to be mined each year. Indonesia is testing the technology in several areas and partnering with companies to invest in Indonesia’s nickel processing.

This technology could be important, but it could also be risky. It reminds me of fracking actually. Fracking is a mining technology where they pump water into the ground so they can extract more of the oil. But it potentially causes earthquakes and other issues. This mining technology would allow more of the earth’s supply of nickel to be mined, but we need to be careful of the risks. The mining of battery materials is the main impact of electric vehicles on the planet, so we need to make sure that we aren’t just trading one problem for another (less fossil fuel use, but more toxic chemicals spilled from mining nickel).

David, W. (2023, June 24). Wind Powers Africa. Retrieved August 26, 2023 from, 

cleantechnica.com/2023/06/24/wind-powers-africa/

Several African countries are beginning to shift to more renewable energy sources with the help of more developed nations like Japan, Saudi Arabia, and China. The countries beginning the shift are Egypt, Namibia, Kenya, and South Africa, while many other African nations are slowly working to reach the heights of these countries. All are devoting chunks of land to mass turbine farms to help power their countries. I.e. Egypt’s move to renewable energy will provide close to 1 million homes with electricity and will slash carbon emissions by just about 1 million tons per year. All of these countries are taking long strides to contribute to the fight against the climate crisis. 

The article was really informative and interesting and expressed how these “underdeveloped” countries are making strides that will help better the world as a whole. I think that smaller countries taking strides like these will help push many other countries to push to do the same, hopefully putting an end to our climate crisis. It was really inspiring how other countries chipped in to help them like Japan, Saudi Arabia, and China, helping them implement the windmill farms that could eventually take over these nations and take away their reliance on fossil fuels in favor of renewable energy. All in all the advancement of wind energy technology within Africa as a whole shines the light on progress being made to create environmentally friendly technology that benefits both humans and our planet.

Ecoflow. (2023, July 17). Is Solar Energy Sustainable? Retrieved August 25, 2023 from, 

blog.ecoflow.com/ca/is-solar-energy-sustainable/

Solar energy is a much more cleaner alternative to the fossil fuels that are currently burning around the planet. Solar panels take renewable energy from the sun, a source that can be assured won’t run out as “According to NASA, the sun has about 5 billion years left.” Fossil Fuels are not sustainable and are constantly contributing to climate change and global warming. However, solar energy is clean energy that emits no carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, and uses energy emitted from the sun. Replacing Fossil Fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas with solar energy through solar panels is a big step that can be taken to protect the planet.

The article was very interesting, not only by explaining how solar energy through solar panels is much more sustainable than fossil fuels, but how it is also much more cleaner and efficient as the sun always comes out during the day, and even if it is clouded, panels can store the energy from earlier. I also found it interesting how if you solely get your energy and electricity from a solar panel grid, your carbon footprint to almost 0. Ultimately the clean energy that solar panels give us is a great piece of environmentally friendly technology.

McMahon, L. and Fleming, D. (2023, February 27). Ocean Plastic: How Tech Is Being Used to Clean up 

Waste Problem. Retrieved August 23, 2023 from, www.bbc.com/news/technology-64744926

The great pacific garbage patch along with other ocean plastics are an extreme threat to ocean ecosystems. However, Boyan Slat began the non-profit, The Ocean Cleanup, and has ever since been looking for ways to clean plastic out of oceans and rivers throughout the world. Slat began the non-profit 10 years ago and has been working tirelessly to innovate a way to clean up the oceans. Slat finally found his solution, by attaching nets to boats, The Ocean Cleanup is able to clear plastic from the most polluted areas of the ocean. Although this seems great, the boats do not make the cleanup net zero. Professor “Richard Lampitt of the National Oceanography Center” believes that stopping plastic from its source will be the most effective and carbon-neutral solution to the situation. The Ocean Cleanup is now focusing on stopping plastic from major rivers instead of releasing fossil fuels chasing down plastics in the ocean.

Nets attached to boats seem like a great idea in concept, and works well as shown in the article, with an expected 1% of Ocean plastics to be hopefully removed come the end of the year. However, unlike the article, I think that emitting Carbon from using the boats to drag in the plastic is not the most terrible thing. In the article it mentions how finding it at the source it would be more environmentally friendly, although already being quite environmentally friendly by removing toxic plastics from the oceans. I do believe it is a good idea to stop the plastic from entering the oceans at the end of rivers, however if they are unsuccessful in completely stopping the plastics from entering the oceans, the nets engineered on the back of the boats seems like a great solution too a terrible problem. Despite this, it looks like they are able to use AI in the ocean and rivers to see where the most heavily polluted areas are, and stop the spread of plastics in our waters, a win-win for the earth and the environment.