Around 290GW of renewable energy capacity generation has been deployed around the world in 2021. (Image Credit: RawFilm/Unsplash)
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), renewable energy set another record. That’s because approximately 290GW of renewable energy generation capacity, sourced from wind turbines and solar panels, have been installed worldwide, surpassing last year’s records. At the current pace, renewable energy generating capacity is expected to surpass fossil fuels and nuclear energy by 2026. The IEA report also states that renewables are expected to account for a 95% increase in global power-generation capacity from now until the end of 2026. Solar power will provide half of that increase.
China, the world’s biggest carbon emitter, deployed the newest renewable energy capacity in 2021 and could reach 1,200GW of wind and solar capacity by 2026.
The Biden Administration plans to install offshore wind farms in the future. (Image Credit: Nicholas Doherty/Unsplash)
On November 24th, the Biden Administration said it plans on developing a 130-megawatt wind farm off Rhode Island, supplying New York with power. This approval leads toward the nation’s second large-scale offshore wind farm after a Massachusetts project. The Administration’s goal involves generating 30GW of offshore wind energy by 2030. This could provide power for up to 10 million homes.
The planned project is expected to provide 70,000 homes with power in the future while generating over 300 new jobs. Construction has already started for the first major offshore wind project, which could distribute power to the grid by 2023. The 800-megawatt wind farm will be located 15 miles off Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts.
(Image Credit: Diamond Energy)
Recently, a new report unveiled that the federal government ranks last in Australia’s shift to renewable energy. Meanwhile, New South Wales, Tasmania, and South Australia lead the transition to clean energy. Each government was scored across ten categories. These include renewable energy targets, energy storage, renewable energy zones and transmission, renewable energy industrial precincts, and renewable export strategies.
Tasmania ranked first, scoring 61 out of 100 for policies and a 200% renewable energy target by 2040. The state also received high marks for establishing a climate policy department. Meanwhile, the NSW ranked second, scoring 59 out of 100 due to policy announcements to decarbonize transport and industrial sectors and green hydrogen. South Australia placed third for its 500% renewable energy target by 2050.
Queensland sits fourth after investing $2 billion in a renewable energy and hydrogen jobs fund. The federal government did not create a renewable energy goal for 2030 and beyond. It also missed “opportunities to announce a renewable energy industrial precincts policy supporting clusters of heavy industry to be powered by renewables.”
In the future, poultry dung could be converted into coal. (Image Credit: Wolfgang HasseImann/Unsplash)
Scientists from Ben-Gurion University converted human fecal matter into coal, which could power human civilization. Volunteers who participated in the study deposited their waste in the makeshift toilet at the end of each day. Afterward, the researchers collected and heated it in autoclaves before pulverizing it in a blender, making it more tolerable. The team then combined the dry powder with water, piled it in small batches, placed them in nine 50-milliliter lab reactors, and cooked the waste.
The team used different cooking times and temperatures, heating the batches to 180C, 210C, and 240C. Some of these simmered for 30 minutes, an hour, and two hours. The team cooked each batch without oxygen, which produced hydochar that can be used in a coal plant or as organic fertilizer.
Of course, poultry dung can also undergo the same process before feeding it to electricity-generating plants. This waste can replace 10% of the coal that generates electricity, reducing our reliance on fossil fuels.
Geothermal could be used in the future as an alternative source of energy. (Image Credit: Dan Meters/Unsplash)
A 65℃ pool of water lies approximately 650 meters below the Latrobe Valley in a massive aquifer, which heats an aquatic center in Traralgon. This was chosen over natural gas, solar and wind, and coal-fired power since geothermal is a more affordable solution for heating. Now that coal plants are starting to shut down, this clean energy source could help reduce emissions while we shift to an alternative energy solution.
Drilling a 650m bore in the Latrobe Valley is a more affordable option compared to other places where geothermal energy provides many advantages. Geothermal heat is cheaper than natural gas. Natural gas prices have tripled in eastern Australia ever since it started exporting liquefied natural gas out of Queensland in 2015. Those prices are expected to increase.
This natural gas price increase affects Australia as a whole. According to the federal government, Australian households use 40% of energy for heating and cooling while another 23% is used for water heating.
Have a story tip? Message me at: http://twitter.com/Cabe_Atwell
