Bad News: Last week, The Boston Globe / Associated Press reported new symptoms of global warming, as two German merchant ships traveled through the fabled “Northeast Passage.” This route is normally avoided by ships because of its heavy ice flows. However, global warming and melting ice have opened a route from South Korea along Russia’s Arctic coast to Siberia. This prompted one official to comment,”The Arctic is becoming a blue ocean.”
Good News: Last week, TKG colleague and NECEC Clean Energy Fellow, Imran Qidwai, gave an excellent overview presentation regarding current Clean Energy Trends.
Excerpts:
Clean Tech includes a broad array of knowledge-based products/services that lower costs and decrease negative ecological impact. These technologies span broad areas, including: energy, transportation, water, air & environment, advanced materials, manufacturing, agriculture, recycling and waste. Clean Energy focuses its efforts on the energy sector.
99.2 quadrillion BTU’s of energy were consumed in the US in 2008, flowing from five major supply sources (petroleum, natural gas, coal, renewable energy, nuclear electric power) to four major demand sectors (transportation, industrial, residential/commercial, electric power). Unfortunately, over 50% of the supplied energy was lost or wasted, consumed in extraction, distribution, conversion and behavior losses.
A variety of solutions can be engaged to improve the efficiency of our energy usage, including:
- Demand Response Management
- Energy storage (including Pumped Hydro, Compressed Air, Composite Flywheels, new battery technologies)
- Smart grid / Smart Home solutions
- Renewable energy resources (solar, wind, biomass, geothermal)
- Other innovations
Each of the above areas is in various stages of development, and can be leveraged to make a dent in the overall problem. However, each presents its own challenges. (For example, recent activities to leverage geothermal energies may have set off an earthquake in Germany last week.)
Clean Tech initiatives can help us reverse some of the negative trends affecting our planet, while providing many entrepreneurial and economic opportunities. This is clearly an opportunity to do well by doing good.
[Full presentation here.]
Additional contact info:
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