Tag: Sustainable Technology

Sustainability-in-Tech : Dynamic Window Breakthrough

Posted on by Paul Stradling

Researchers at North Carolina State University in the US have developed a new dynamic window material that can tune out certain wavelengths of light and block heat to suit the conditions.

Three Modes Now Possible 

The Dynamic window glass can be used to switch windows between three modes: transparent, or “normal” windows, windows that block infrared light (helping to keep a building cool), and tinted windows that control glare while maintaining the view. This three-mode option is a step forward from existing dynamic windows based on electrochromism (using an electric stimulus to change opacity) which can only switch between clear or dark modes.

Water Is The Key

The researchers report that it’s the binding of water within the crystalline structure of tungsten oxide (forming tungsten oxide hydrate) that allows the window material to exhibit a previously unknown behaviour whereby it can be tuned to three modes.

How Does It Work? 

To summarise how and why it works:

Transparent tungsten oxides have long been used in dynamic windows by using an electrical signal and injecting lithium ions and electrons into the material to make it dark and block light.

The new research, however, showed that adding water to the crystalline structure of tungsten oxide hydrate (a substance related to tungsten oxide that can accommodate more lithium ions) makes its structure less dense. This makes it more resistant to deformation when lithium ions and electrons are injected into it, thereby enabling it to have two modes. The first is a “heat blocking” mode (the cool mode), allowing visible wavelengths of light to pass through, but blocking infrared light. The second, (which happens after more lithium ions and electrons are injected), is a dark mode, which blocks out both visible and infrared wavelengths of light.

Delia Milliron, co-corresponding author of the paper about the research said: “The discovery of dual-band (infrared and visible) light control in a single material that’s already well-known to the smart windows community may accelerate development of commercial products with enhanced features”. She also highlighted the potential wider implications of the discovery, saying: “The unforeseen role of structural water in producing distinctive electrochemical properties may inspire the research community beyond smart window developers, leading to innovation in energy storage and conversion materials.”

Why Have Dynamic / Smart Windows Anyway? 

Dynamic windows, or smart windows, offer several benefits. For example:

– Energy efficiency. They reduce energy consumption by controlling heat and light entry, leading to lower heating and cooling costs.

– Comfort and productivity. By managing glare and natural light, they create a more comfortable environment, enhancing productivity in workplaces and schools.

– UV protection. These windows block harmful UV rays, protecting interiors and occupants from sun damage.

– Privacy and security. Their adjustable opacity offers privacy and added security without the need for blinds or curtains.

– Aesthetic and design flexibility. They provide architects with more design options, allowing for large glass surfaces without excessive heat gain or loss.

– Environmental impact. By reducing reliance on artificial lighting and climate control, they help lower a building’s carbon footprint.

– Health benefits. Optimal natural light exposure improves mood and sleep patterns.

Overall, dynamic windows offer a combination of energy savings, comfort, aesthetic appeal, and environmental sustainability.

What Does This Mean For Your Organisation? 

This breakthrough in dynamic window technology may have significant implications for organisations across a spectrum of industries because it offers a dual benefit of enhanced building design and energy efficiency. Organisations may now leverage windows that automatically adjust to changing light and temperature, thereby optimising internal environments while reducing reliance on artificial climate control. This could not only improve energy efficiency, but also potentially lower operational costs related to heating, cooling, and lighting. What’s also special about this discovery is that it uses an already known technology, but dramatically improves it by using a cheap and abundant addition – water.

Environmentally, this technology aligns with sustainability objectives, i.e. contributing substantially to lowering energy consumption by reducing the need for artificial lighting and air conditioning. This innovation could, therefore, be a step forward for organisations aiming to reduce their carbon footprint and champion environmental stewardship.

The potential impact on occupants’ well-being is also worth noting. The ability of these windows to control glare while maintaining clear visibility could enhance comfort in workplaces and educational settings. Natural light is known to improve mood and productivity, suggesting that this innovation could lead to better work and learning environments.

From an architectural standpoint, this technology offers new creative possibilities. Designers can now incorporate large glass structures without compromising energy efficiency or internal comfort. This not only expands design options but may also enhance the aesthetic value of buildings.

The broader implications of this technology, as pointed out by researcher Delia Milliron, extend beyond smart windows to potentially influence areas like energy storage and conversion. This suggests that organisations within these sectors should be attentive to subsequent developments that might emerge.

Also, while the initial implementation of this technology might require investment, the long-term benefits are substantial. Lowered energy costs, increased property value, and alignment with sustainable trends present a strong economic and strategic case for the technology. For organisations looking to position themselves as progressive and environmentally conscious, this technology could significantly enhance their market presence and public perception.

This new dynamic window material may be more than just an advancement in smart windows, and could provide a gateway to greater energy efficiency, environmental responsibility, improved occupant comfort, architectural innovation, and a broader and beneficial technological impact.

Sustainability-in-Tech : Tidal Energy ‘Kite’ That Can Power A Town

Posted on by Paul Stradling

Swedish startup Minesto has developed a subsea ‘kite’ style mini power plant that generates renewable energy from tidal streams and ocean currents.

How It Works 

The ‘wing’ technology, described by Minesto as a kind of “subsea kite” and a “powerful, lightweight, and modular power plant” which can be made with a wingspan ranging from 4.9 – 12m and weighing from 2.7 – 28 tonnes. Anchored to the seabed by a long cable tether, it sits in the sea and ‘flies’ across the main flow direction of the tidal streams and currents just like a kite flies in the air.

The wing technology uses the hydrodynamic lift force created by the underwater currents to move the kite around and its onboard control system autonomously steers the kite (using rudders and elevators) in a predetermined figure-of-eight trajectory. This has the effect of pulling kite and its turbine through the water at a flow that’s several times higher than the actual stream speed. This maximises the power it can generate and reduces the size of the kite and rotor required to collect the energy compared with a fixed turbine.

The turbine shaft inside the kite turns the generator which outputs the electricity to the grid via a power cable in the tether and a seabed umbilical to the shore.

Harnessing A Reliable And Inexhaustible Resource 

As highlighted by Minesto on its website, a balanced renewable energy mix is needed for the world to move towards a sustainable future energy system. Tidal streams and ocean currents are reliable and inexhaustible, available all over the globe, and are a rich source of energy that can be converted to a reliable and local source of renewable energy. This is why an easy to deploy and effective technology that can harness and use this endless resource (such as a simple kite system technology) could be a low cost and effective way to produce renewable (green) energy anywhere around the world (the ocean covers 71 per cent of the earth’s surface).

Predictable 

Also, unlike wind and solar, tidal streams and ocean currents are predictable, i.e. they’re caused by the gravitational forces exerted on the earth by the moon and are continuous and directional. This reduces risk and makes it easier in terms of control for the deployment of tidal power technology, such as Minesto’s wing/kite design.

Scalable 

The fact that the kites are a modular design which can be easily latched and unlatched (via the tether) to the seabed anywhere means that the system is easily scalable, simply by using hundreds of them across an area.

Real World Applications 

So far, Minesto reports that its wing subsea power generators have been delivering electricity to the Faroe Islands’ power grid since 2020 and, in 2022, Minesto commissioned the first power plant in Vetmannasund, Faroe Islands.

What Does This Mean For Your Organisation?

As Minesto rightly says, the world’s very necessary shift away from fossil fuels for power will involve developing and scaling a mix of innovative renewable energy solutions that make the most of existing natural resources such as wind, water, and sun. Also, with the UK being an island nation subject to tidal activity, in world where more roughly 71 per cent of the surface of the planet is covered by ocean, with its strong, constant, predictable tides, it does seem to be an area with the ability to supply vast amount of naturally generated energy if the right technology is deployed.

The advantages of the wing idea are that it can be easily and relatively cheaply deployed around the world, is scalable simply by multiplying the number used, can be placed far enough below the surface so as not to become a hazard or eyesore, and the technology is ready to go now. That said, these are relatively small turbines and even with many of them, there’ll still be a need for a mix of other ideas and solutions to harness the power of the waves.

These ideas will need to be part of wider mix of sustainable and renewable energy generating schemes that between them can offer enough power to seriously cut carbon emissions. Furthermore, they’ll need to supply the considerable energy needs of homes and businesses, provide power that’s affordable, have a low environmental impact, and thereby help the world to meet its climate targets as quickly as possible while still supporting the growth of the world’s economies.

As Minesto says, its wing solution ads a “step of energy conversion” that “expands the global tidal and ocean currents’ extractable potential.” 

Sustainability-in-Tech : London Data Centres To Heat New Homes

Posted on by Paul Stradling

A new £36 million UK government project is to use data centre waste heat to provide heating and hot water to 10,000 new homes and 250,000 square metres of commercial space in London.

Using Heat From Data Centres 

Data centres in our digital society and cloud-based business world now play a crucial role in supporting countless industries, businesses and services. However, the increasing demands upon them mean that getting enough power across to them plus finding ways to provide effective cooling and dealing with the surplus heat generated are two major challenges.

The new project, therefore, will provide a way to re-distribute some of the surplus heat so that it benefits the community, advances sustainability, and supports London’s efforts to reach net zero city by 2030.

Heat Network 

The £36 million funding award will support the commercialisation and construction of a district heat network scheme that is expected to deliver 95GWh of heat across 5 phases between 2026 and 2040.

The Old Oak Development 

The new, major urban brownfield regeneration project has been named ‘The Old Oak Development’ because it includes the Old Oak HS2 and Elizabeth Line interchange areas and will be operated by the Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation in the London boroughs of Hammersmith and Fulham, Brent, and Ealing. The Old Oak Development, which covers three London Boroughs, and a brownfield development, and which will create 22,000 new jobs, has been enabled thanks to a wider £65m award from the government’s Green Heat Network Fund (GHNF) to five projects across the UK.

Data Centre Heat Delivered Via Plastic Ambient Network 

The scheme will involve harnessing/recycling the surplus heat from two (as yet unnamed) data centres within the Old Oak/Park Royal area. The data centres will supply ‘low grade’ waste heat (i.e. between 20°C [68°F] and 35°C [95°F] ) via a plastic “ambient” network. The network will supply heat pumps that raise the temperature to Low Temperature Hot Water “LTHW” which will be piped via a traditional steel network to a mixture of new and existing residential buildings.

David Lunts, OPDC’s Chief Executive said of the scheme: “Recycling the massive amounts of wasted heat from our local data centres into heat and energy for local residents, a major hospital and other users is an exciting and innovative example of OPDC’s support for the mayor’s net zero ambitions. 

We are excited to be leading the way in developing low carbon infrastructure, supporting current and future generations of Londoners in Old Oak and Park Royal to live more sustainably.” 

Jo Streeten, Managing Director, Buildings + Places – Europe and India, AECOM re-iterated the importance and benefits of the project, saying: “This is a fantastic opportunity for the new communities emerging within the OPDC area to lead the way in how our cities can operate more sustainably, by using the waste heat sourced from data centres.”  

Previous Data Centre Controversy 

This positive news for homes and business contrasts with reports from July last year that data centres’ huge power demands were putting such acute pressure on the west London grid, that new home-building projects had to be halted because not enough power could be sent to substations, i.e. local data centres were using all the power.

What Does This Mean For Your Organisation? 

How to deal with the heat produced by the ever-growing demand on and for new data centres, particularly since generative AI chatbots came along is a significant issue. This project, therefore, is an example of a way to put the heat to good use for the community and businesses rather than wasting it, thereby providing hopefully cheaper and abundant supplies of heat (albeit in a limited area), giving a greener and more sustainable way to heat homes and businesses, plus helping to meet London’s ambitious target to become a net zero city by 2030.

That said, although the local West London data centres can provide surplus heat for the project, as concerns from last year show, their huge energy requirements in the first place is a problem in itself both in how to supply it in a greener way and in the negative impact on local area housing developments, i.e. local data centres using so much power that demand for new home projects can’t be met.

This scheme, however, is one of many new, innovative, and welcome ways around the world to use the surplus heat from data centres for homes and businesses, although tackling the initial issues of how to meet data centres’ enormous power demands with cleaner and more sustainable energy and not just relying on offsetting, and finding effective cooling solutions for data centres remain major challenges.

Sustainability-in-Tech : New AI Model Classifies Energy-Wasteful Homes

Posted on by Paul Stradling

A new deep-learning AI algorithm, developed as part of a study by the University of Cambridge, can identify and classify ‘Hard to Decarbonise’ houses (energy-wasting homes) with 90 per cent accuracy.

What Are ‘Hard-to-Decarbonise’ Houses? 

Hard-to-Decarbonise (HtD) houses/buildings are really a subset of residential structures that present unique challenges in reducing carbon emissions due to their design, old age, construction, location, or the behaviours of occupants.

Why Are They Such A Problem? 

These buildings are significant because they account for a sizable portion (roughly a quarter) of all homes and are responsible for over 25 per cent of direct residential sector emissions. As the urban population looks set to swell, ensuring these buildings’ sustainability has, therefore, become critical to meeting the global carbon reduction goals.

Why Hasn’t This Problem Been Tackled Effectively So Far? 

The effort to decarbonise HtD buildings has been marred by several issues. Historically, for example, there’s been a lack of focus on identifying and studying these specific types of buildings, with much of the research skewing towards general energy usage and efficiency. This gap has made it challenging to develop targeted strategies for their upgrade and retrofitting. Also, the identification of HtD buildings has, up until now, been complex and reliant on detailed and varied data that has not been readily accessible or sufficiently prioritised (so far) in energy performance datasets.

Also, technological and economic factors have compounded the difficulty. For example, HtD homes often require more sophisticated and expensive work to make them more energy efficient, which may not be feasible given current technological and economic constraints. This is problematic for not only meeting emissions targets but also for addressing social issues like fuel poverty, where the least efficient homes are often inhabited by those least able to afford their retrofitting.

A New Approach – With The Help Of AI 

The new approach developed by the University of Cambridge, uses deep learning to classify HtD buildings. The research team has reported that their new AI-based method for the classification of HtD buildings can achieve an overall precision of 82 per cent on the building level.

The new method uses publicly available data – a dataset of HtD houses (in Cambridge for the test), organised with criteria derived from the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) which results from detailed inspections of houses. Street view images (SVI), aerial view images (AVI), land surface temperature (LST), and building stock data are also used together for the prediction with deep learning.  The AI model at the heart of the new method is also able to reach its classification of buildings by pinpointing the parts of a building which are losing the most heat, e.g. the windows and the roof, and whether a home is old or modern.

What Does This Mean For Your Organisation? 

With so many UK homes being energy inefficient and a major source of carbon emissions, plus the pressing need to decarbonise the residential sector by 2050, yet with identification and classification of HtD buildings being too complex and reliant on data that hasn’t been accessible or sufficiently prioritised (so far) in energy performance datasets, a new method that appears to work is very welcome.

The recent breakthrough by the University of Cambridge in utilising AI trained to identify hard-to-decarbonise buildings using open-source data (a first) is a big step forward that could provide policymakers with a fast and effective way to audit and find out just how many houses they have to decarbonise.

As Dr Ronita Bardhan, the head of Cambridge’s Sustainable Design Group and co-author of the study has pointed out, this new and better tool for targeting energy inefficiency within the residential sector could help direct policymakers identify the high-priority houses, thereby saving them precious time and resources. This new method means that AI could, therefore, provide a way to make better decarbonisation policy decisions, and make serious inroads into reducing the stubbornly high emissions of this sector, thereby also providing a better chance of meeting decarbonisation targets.

Additionally, this progress in AI and building analytics could offer a competitive edge by promoting data-driven decision-making in real estate development, urban planning, and energy policy. As tech companies continually seek to leverage their expertise in data handling, the AI model’s adaptability to identify HtD homes based on open-source data streams such as EPC, SVI, AVI, and LST can be integrated into existing and future tech solutions.

The discovery of this new method (model), which the Cambridge researchers appear confident they can significantly increase the detail and accuracy of over time is an advance in corporate social responsibility. However, it’s only just been tested and the imperative now is to harness its potential and translate it into actionable strategies that yield measurable results in decarbonising the residential sector, aligning with global sustainability commitments, and reinforcing the role of innovative technology in societal advancement.

Sustainability-in-Tech : Fossil Fuels Peak as Solar & Wind Rise

Posted on by Paul Stradling

Independent energy thinktank Ember’s Global Electricity Review 2023 reports that fossil fuel power generation has peaked for the half the world and that clean energy sources now account for nearly 40 per cent of the world’s electricity supply.

Five Years Ago 

Ember’s review report, which analyses electricity data from 78 countries representing 93 percent of global electricity demand, says that 2022 marked the peak for power sector emissions, the largest worldwide source of planet-warming carbon dioxide (CO2). According to Ember’s figures, this means that the world experienced its first ever annual drop in the use of coal, oil, and gas to generate electricity (other than when in global recession or during the pandemic).

Wind And Solar Up 

One of major changes highlighted in the review which has contributed to a fall in power sector emissions is the rise of solar and wind as power sources. For example, following Solar’s share rising by 24 per cent on 2021 and wind power’s share rising by 17 per cent, they now represent a record 12 per cent of global electricity generation last year, up 10 per cent from 2021.

Renewable energy sources and nuclear power combined represented a 39 per cent share of global generation last year, with Solar’s share rising by 24 per cent (enough to meet the demand of South Africa) and wind by 17 per cent from the previous year.

The growth in wind and solar in 2022 met 80 per cent of the rise in global electricity demand.

Other Influences 

Ember suggests that another influence on the now general downward trajectory of fossil fuel power generation may be the effects of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. For example, spiking fossil fuel prices and security concerns about relying on fossil fuel imports may have made governments look to other energy sources, and may have accelerated electrification, e.g. more heat pumps, electric vehicles and electrolysers. Ember says these will drive reductions in emissions for other sectors, leading to more pressure to build clean power more quickly.

Carbon Emissions Rose As Rising Demand Met From Less Clean Sources 

Despite fewer warming gases being produced and the electricity produced last year being the cleanest ever, a rise in global electricity demand and some countries meeting that demand with less clean sources led to a rise in carbon emissions. For example, some old coal-fired power stations were brought back into service to meet demand, causing coal generation to grow by 1.1 per cent.

It also worth noting here that the UK government appears to be planning to meet demand in some less clean ways with the first new coalmine for three decades getting the go-ahead last December, and in July, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak attracting criticism by granting hundreds of new North Sea oil and gas licenses.

Other Problems 

Ember’s review also noted that although, if taken together with nuclear and hydropower, clean sources produced an impressive 39 per cent of global electricity in 2022, nuclear and hydro electricity’s contribution was hampered by (for example) many French reactors being offline, and Europe’s rivers too low (in many places) for hydro generation.

China Promising

With China emitting 27 percent of global carbon dioxide and a third of the world’s greenhouse gases, one promising aspect of Ember’s review was that although China is the world’s biggest user of coal power, it also produced 40 per cent of the world’s new solar power and 50 per cent of new wind power last year (and 20 per cent of all solar panels installed worldwide). This could indicate that it may achieve that peak in coal generation earlier than 2025 and move towards cleaner sources.

What Does This Mean For Your Organisation? 

Ember’s findings of a transformation occurring from last year in the global power sector is promising and marks a pivotal moment, heralding a shift away from fossil fuels towards cleaner, more sustainable energy sources. The findings of Ember’s review, appear to show that world is moving in the right direction, with fossil fuel use for energy generation appearing to have reached its peak.

This appears to be testament to the growing adoption of renewable energy sources, with solar and wind power leading the way. The clean energy sector accounting for nearly 40 per cent of of the world’s electricity supply is a major milestone in our journey towards a more sustainable future but this transition is not without its challenges. The decline in fossil fuel generation, while promising, is just the first step in a long journey towards a net-zero power sector by 2040 and a net-zero global economy by 2050, and some would say that this journey needs to happen a lot faster.

The task ahead requires not just the continued growth of clean energy sources, but also addressing complexities like grid stability (if it’s relying mostly on solar, wind etc), financing in underdeveloped economies, supply chain capacities, and political resistance from affected regions. These may be critical factors that need urgent attention and innovative solutions to ensure a smooth and equitable transition.

There’s certainly plenty of optimism in Ember’s review (i.e. that fossil fuel generation will decline by 0.3 per cent  this year) with bigger falls in subsequent years (as more wind and solar comes online). However, a European Commission report released this month was much less optimistic, saying that the EU area must cut its carbon emissions three times faster to meet its targets. Therefore, it may depend upon which report you read and which part of the world you’re in at this crucial time of transition as to how well things are going with emissions targets.