Exciting sustainable developments

Looking at buying a house on the west coast of Tassie, so the ability to work in cloudy conditions would be nice! I wonder how it handles endless rain...

 

Might need to add in a domestic wind turbine and spring fed hydro generator ... prefect off grid combo for all situations

 

Yet again, Australian innovation leads the way

Exciton Annual Report 2020 – A window of opportunity to capture the imagination

 

Okay - it's just an "add on" to the sustainable journey, but what a brilliant idea and food for thought for the "but it takes to long the charge" naysayers. Where there is a will there is a way and never underestimate human ingenuity and ability to innovate ... well ... for the forward thinking one's anyhow

Swap and go: electric trucks to run between Sydney and Brisbane using exchangeable batteries

 

nomnomnomnomnom .... ‘A disruptive solution to pollution’: introducing edible packaging

 

Not sure if this should be in the "political" thread or not. The mods will decide.

Australia commits to climate resilience | Ministers

What it doesn't say is approximately $40m pa is to be allocated for on-going operation.

 

What's not to love ... from the bees down. Not exactly a new development, but rather a revisit. Can't see it being upsized enough for world demand for a long while, but it's a start

Rubber Made From Dandelions is Making Tires More Sustainable – Truly a Wondrous Plant

 

... and the workable innovations just keep coming ... makes me hopeful and excited

Plastic Waste Converted Into Jet Fuel in an Hour

 

Went to a lecture series by Newcastle Uni last night - a presentation by Dr Alan Finkel (Chief Scientist, prior CSIRO head)

Was hoping to find a video of the lecture - as they often put them out afterwards - it was intriguing, inspiring very interesting ... closest I could find was this Radio National podcast

Alan Finkel on Australia's energy transition

 

This is so cool (showing my age using that vernacular)

Tree-Free Paper is rescuing forests and farmers in Washington

 

Every few weeks I'm blown away (scuse the pun) at the speed of invasive developments.

Those who think things are going to stay the same are also going to be left behind ... okay ... engaged today, in yet another, social media "discussion" with ignorants who think coal is the future

1,000-foot multi-rotor floating Windcatchers to power 80,000 homes each

 

Not new new technology .... but improved output, enough to create light and charge a phone ... and runs on either seawater or urine

Very cool

WaterLight is a portable lantern that can be charged with salt water or urine

 

Not sure if anyone else follows this thread ... ... perhaps it's simply my little info storage location for future reference.

Today's snippet ... once the cost the produce green hydrogen gets below $2/kg (in today's dollars) it is commercially competitive for fossils. One method is to increase demand - which means increased production and competition - which means new technology - which means lower prices ... and the other is to just build the damn thing, produce in a easily transportable format, and let everyone else catch up. Potentially built in Australia (if our government could just get it's act together):

Japanese tech to slash green hydrogen costs by two thirds

... and I'll have one of these please - make it two - red for day and black or night (and yes, I know hydrogen isn't a very stable/safe fuel ... yet ... once they get rid of it in gas form, then we're really off the grid

New Hydrogen Powered Supercar can drive 1000 miles on a single tank — Born to Engineer

 

Oh no, feel free to continue, this stuff is fascinating. Even seeing the continued progress with older technologies like solar and wind power in the past few years is pretty cool.

 

The biggest step in making hydrogen cost effective and commercially viable is safe, efficient and practical distribution and storage ...

"After almost 20 years in the making, Chiyoda Corporation's low-cost hydrogen transport technology is now a reality, with the successful demonstration of shipment from Brunei to Japan ... Chiyoda’s MCH catalyst is now a commercially viable means of safely storing and transporting hydrogen."

A final link in the global hydrogen supply chain

I see huge advancements in the next 5 years, and wouldn't be surprised if fossils were out of the picture within 10

 

Heliostat's CSP (concentrating solar-thermal power) technology. Not hearing much about it I assumed that the older CSP field in Spain had hit something nearing max efficiency in terms of sunlight concentration but Heliostat's mirrors and system raises the ceiling considerably.

Imagine how much Australia would stand to benefit as an energy exporter if this technology proves feasible!

A new solar heat technology could help solve one of the trickiest climate problems

 

Very cool! And that is one thing humans can do, that machines can't - see a problem - conceive a solution - and create something out of nothing.

Engineers to develop wireless EV charging concrete highway

Although - currently reading up on Sodium Acetate as a potential vehicle fuel source of the future, as removes the need to lithium batteries

 

So many grid scale energy storage options - I feel like a kid in the lolly shop, but wish the gubbermint would pick one (or two or three) to support via legislation and give private industry a guiding platform on which to start the transition

Low-temp, low-cost molten salt battery for grid-scale energy storage

 

Another cool invention that has uses beyond the original intention

All-girl engineer team invents solar-powered tent for the homeless

 

"A toxic smoke warning has been issued near Geelong as fire crews tackle a blaze at the site of Australia's largest Tesla battery project."

Fire breaks out at giant battery project near Geelong

All those who disconnected their electric heating due to the soaring cost of electricity prices gathered round and enjoyed the warmth.