How will these 11 Green Techs Change the World?

Green tech

How will these 11 Green Techs Change the World?

(And what’s happening with Fusion Power)

Our world is changing rapidly and this is a known fact. In every age, there are periods of switchover and such a period is with us now. The 9 technologies we will cover in this article will help us to navigate these changes and adapt to them. From power generation to data and logistics management, all offer new methods and advantages in both time and money.

 

With the problem of Climate Change, new technologies are being developed to carry us beyond this into a sustainable and economic future. Scientists, engineers, and industry are all working hard to develop new tech and products to give us the tools we need to live well in harmony with our biosphere. This post looks at 9 of the most promising of these innovations and also asks what is happening with that promised ‘great savior’ – Fusion Power.

1. Solar Panels: Harnessing the Power of the Sun

Solar Panels

Solar Panels – not an innovation as such but probably the most widely applicable green tech for power generation. The industry has seen this fact and is continually improving the efficiency and performance of solar panels with new solar cell technologies and storage developments.

 

It is a practical and 100% zero emissions tech at the end user. If humans cover every south-facing surface in our towns and cities, we will make a very large dent in the amount of power we need to generate by other means.

 

Advancements in storage battery technologies raise Solar viability further, letting your house soak up sunlight in the day to release at night when you get home. Solar desalination – converting sea or brackish water to clean fresh water with sunlight only, addresses the problems of drought and water scarcity. 

 

Companies such as Dutch-based Elemental Water Makers are taking the initiative in this, and have a global reach with their desalination projects.

2. Advanced Battery Storage: Storing Power for the Future

Picture the scene – you are at work and at home your solar array is enjoying plenty of sunlight and busily generating power. But where is this to go? You could sell it directly onto the grid, and that’s good, however when you get home and want to do things like run appliances or charge your vehicle, you will have to buy power from the grid at evening prime time prices. Not optimal I think you will agree.

 

Therefore, Battery Storage tech is a critical plank in the renewable power sector and the industry is already recognizing this, bringing to market new batteries for industry and domestic use. These batteries use established technologies such as Lithium-Iron and are constantly working on efficiency developments – more juice for less cost. However, an interesting and old player on this scene is coming out of retirement with a radical new playbook and a gleam in his eye… Molten Salt.

 

This tech has been around for a long time and is well known to science. Salt at high temperature forms a molten mass which holds large amounts of latent energy with very low seepage rate. The other good news, unlike lithium, salt is definitely not in short supply. Drawbacks are the salt content does have a certain toxicity and will need to be disposed of or recycled carefully and this is also an area being looked at.

Even more fringe in terms of current interest is a way of carbonizing the concrete we build with, in effect making buildings themselves into batteries. Consider the storage potential of a city and all its buildings…

3. Hydroponics: Revolutionizing Agriculture

Hydroponics and vertical farming are aiming to revolutionize agriculture. These methods make it possible to grow better, in smaller spaces, without using pesticides, and on a consistent repeatable basis. This method uses racks of plants, low-energy lighting, controlled irrigation, feeding, and water or inorganic substrate for rooting.

 

Hydroponics setups range from small home kits standing on someone’s kitchen counter up to warehouse-sized full farms. By being so versatile in size and locations, they slash delivery times and the carbon debt associated with this.

 

By using smart energy systems and lighting they also cut energy use. They improve food security and promote sustainability in a very tasty way. Some even operate deep inside cities to supply gourmet restaurants with the very pinnacle of table fresh produce.

4. 3D Printing: A Sustainable Manufacturing Revolution

3D Printing, also known as additive manufacturing, is changing industries like (but not limited to) fashion, construction, and medicine. This tech uses only the necessary materials to make objects in a very efficient manner, eliminating large amounts of off-cut wastage.

 

A study by the European Commission found that 3D printing could save up to 90% of raw materials by 2050.

 

Radical innovations like 3D-printed hemp houses and transparent solar materials are pushing the current extent of sustainable building. By using this method onsite, companies will cut delivery costs and emissions, building with the latest designs straight from the studios of designers, to create cutting-edge green architecture for the lowest outlay.

You can check out more on 3D Printed house here.

5. The Internet of Things (IoT): Enhancing Efficiency and Reducing Waste

The Internet of Things (IoT) connects devices to exchange data and has the effect of making all parts of the network function more efficiently, due to data points being both more numerous and therefore more accurate. This interconnected system approach is changing the face of our society and world positively.

 

In farming, IoT prevents wastage in water and fertilizers and raises crop yields. In cities it lets people save energy and reduce pollution. In a Green Tech landscape, IoT is a crucial component.

6. Compostable Packaging: Tackling Plastic Pollution

The rise of compostable packaging is a significant step forward in the fight against plastic pollution. Traditional plastic packaging (made from oil among other chemicals) contributes to massive waste, releases CO2 and methane gas as it breaks down, and damages ecosystems.

Tiny plastic molecules have been found deep inside food chain foundation animals and are implicated in DNA mutations among these species. Frankly, single-use plastics are a menace.

Compostable packaging on the other hand is made from biodegradable materials – paper, hemp etc. Material that will rot harmlessly and can be used in composting. Companies like BioPak have solutions such as a Compost Club that collects and composts used packaging.

This green method helps reduce waste and supports a circular economy, where materials are continuously reused, with only a small amount of fresh material required to maintain quality.

7. Ocean Cleanup Technologies: Addressing Marine Plastic Pollution

Marine plastic pollution is not only ugly, it’s dangerous. Washed-up junk on pristine beaches is unsightly and is the tiniest tip of an iceberg of damage. While new ways of cleaning up like Boyan Slat’s giant ocean plastic-catching nets which collect plastic waste for recycling into more products, the actual answer is to stop dumping plastic in the first place, and the best way to stop doing that is to stop using it for disposable containers and bags.

 

By adopting biodegradable packaging, better waste recycling processes and setting up clean up operations, we can make our oceans clean again. It will not happen overnight but it is feasible.

8. Fusion Energy: The Future of Clean Power

Fusion energy is one of the most exciting green technologies on the horizon. The same process that drives every star in the universe has the potential to provide limitless clean power, IF it can be harnessed. Around the world, labs have been trying for decades to get closer and closer to this dream goal, and they have succeeded in doing this. Recent successes have shown us the next set of challenges to overcome.

 

Fusion Power Plants, once onstream will make fossil fuel power obsolete. We will step from using our dead dinosaur juice batteries to plugging directly into the universe’s mains socket, and it is impossible to state where this innovation will take us afterwards. A literal game changer in all senses of the phrase, it will be as pivotal as that first proto-human who took shelter by a burning tree for warmth on that cold night, far in the distant mist of history…

 

Here’s an interesting insight – Korean nuclear fusion reactor achieves 100 million°C for 30 seconds

Nuclear Reactor
Stone Age

9. Carbon Capture and Storage: Reducing Atmospheric CO2

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies are vital to the climate change action program. They allow us to pull excess CO2 from the atmosphere and store it safely away from the sun.They range from something as simple as planting more trees in forests to solutions as complex as large mechanical atmosphere scrubbers and filters mounted on factory chimneys.

 

CCS can be applied to many areas of human activity, including power generation, manufacturing, and transportation. By capturing and storing carbon emissions, we can prevent CO2 going into the atmosphere and increasing the greenhouse effect there, which drives the damaging escalation of Global Warming.

10. Smart Grids: Optimizing Energy Distribution

Smart grids are definitely the future of energy distribution. By using IoT and AI management, smart grids can fully optimize the movement of power on a supply grid, resulting in the best function for lowest carbon debt. It can integrate all its sources smoothly and efficiently, switching flow to where it is needed and eliminating wastage.

By showing such top-line performance, smart grids will influence users to adopt them, and thereby save money and the planet.

11. Electric Vehicles: The Road to Zero Emissions

Electric Vehicles

EVs or Electric Vehicles are already everywhere. They are the future of mobility and this is undeniable. On the racetracks, hybrid performance cars regularly smoke the old school combustion engine competition with superior high torque acceleration. No article such as this would be complete without a mention of sustainable transport, whether it’s from the smallest childs power scooter up to the largest clean fuel hybrid ocean going container ships (with optional sails for those good wind days).

clean fuel hybrid

With batteries getting better all the time, longer ranges and quicker charging times are unlocked, making EVs and clean fuel hybrids ever more competitive. This in turn drives down prices for the consumer.

 

Towns and cities in a quest (and competition) for cleaner quieter streets are switching public transport fleets to sustainable clean power and yes, the skeptics will say ahh but aren’t these cities just exporting their pollution to the power plants? And isn’t that Greenwashing? Not if those plants are using Carbon Capture, or are renewable themselves, is the answer to that. 

 

With the corresponding expansion of the EV charging infrastructure – charging points and stations, which will continue to play catch up and is a growth industry itself, the EV’s place in history is set. They are here to stay and play…

Conclusion

 

The green tech shown in this post is right on the edge of changing the world. From energy supply to hemp houses printed onsite, all the topics covered have a significant impact on end users, businesses and politics. Together all these changes will make up a green revolution – one which will line our pockets and heal our planet. By investing in and supporting these new methods, we can ensure a safe and healthy future.

 

FAQs

 

Q: What is green technology?

A: Green technology, also known as sustainable technology, is any technology based on ethical ecological practices to achieve clean, repeatable results.

 

Q: How does fusion energy work?

A: Fusion energy is the same process that occurs in the hearts of stars. Two atomic nuclei of light weight are forced together by enormous pressures and heat to form one heavier nuclei, and in the process this releases a torrent of energy and a little short-lived radiation.

 

Q: What is hydroponics?

A: Hydroponics lets us grow top quality green produce in virtually any locale, while using minimal water and no damaging pesticides.

 

Q: How does eco-friendly packaging help the planet?

A: Compostable packaging is made from biodegradable materials that rot down without leaving toxic residue. It reduces plastic waste and supports the circular economy, which recycles materials back into the supply network.

 

Q: What are smart grids?

A: Smart grids use digital technology to maximise efficiency on a power network. They save money and power, reducing the burden on the network and lower CO2 emissions.

 

Q: How does carbon capture and storage work?

A: Carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies capture carbon emissions from industrial processes and store them underground, preventing them from entering the atmosphere.

 

Q: What is the Internet of Things (IoT)?

A: The IoT connects devices together into a data-sharing network