In 2024, technology to combat climate change soars above the clouds in advancing kites, travels across carbon-sequestering oceans, and permeates the Earth to power agricultural technologies in new ways. If this doesn’t ring a bell, don’t worry! We’ve put together the top 10 climate tech stories from the past year here for you to peruse.
Climate technology is a rapidly evolving interdisciplinary field. IEEE spectrum I look forward to seeing what stories will be written about these technologies in 2025.
Stuart Bradford
That breathtaking view northern lights This year was a harbinger of dangerous electromagnetic pulses (EMPs) caused by solar storms. EMPs can destroy electronic systems, overload power grids, and cause power outages. They are not only produced by solar activity. human attacker For example, an EMP could be created by detonating a nuclear weapon in the atmosphere. Fortunately, researchers have: Rio first baseHe studies this problem at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee. In a Q&A with IEEE SpectrumIEEE spectrumShe explains the dangers of EMPs and how her lab designs buildings that protect the sensitive equipment inside.
Kite Power
In remote or hard-to-reach areas where wind turbines are not available, there is a new option for generating renewable energy: kites. Kite PowerBased in the Netherlands, is working to implement a kite system that generates electricity. hawk. When the wind pulls on the kite’s ground tether, it creates a force that is converted into electrical power. The 60 square meter kite can fly up to 350 meters (more than twice the height of a wind turbine) to catch stronger and more stable winds. The kite is equipped with a 400 kWh battery and the entire system fits into a standard shipping container. Kitepower hopes to send the Hawk to remote communities that currently rely on diesel generators to provide them with a cleaner source of power that takes up much less space than wind turbines.
Train Technologies
Historically, heat pump Most products had difficulty functioning in cold environments, operating at a reduced capacity of around 4°C and failing to operate at around -15°C. But now, with improvements in compressors, heat pump manufacturers say they have the technology to heat homes as efficiently in extreme cold as in mild winter temperatures. heat pump work By moving and compressing fluids with very low boiling points. Since the compressor is the element that increases the temperature and pressure of the vapor that has turned into a fluid, the speed of the compressor’s motor and the timing to spray more vapor have been improved, increasing the efficiency of the heat pump in cold temperatures. The U.S. Department of Energy, in collaboration with Natural Resources Canada, Cold region heat pump technology challengesEight hip pump manufacturers are testing their heat pumps with the goal of achieving full capacity performance even at -15°C.
Tennessee Tech University
smart agriculture IoT devices help farmers understand the big picture of what’s happening across their land by measuring GPS coordinates, moisture levels, temperature, acidity, nutrients, and more. The challenge is providing enough power to the scattered sensors. But what if you already use something that connects all your devices? you’re right. It’s soil. researcher Tennessee Tech University Designed a way to transmit power through the ground. The researchers’ two-acre test network transmitted power at 60 Hz and consumed only 0.1 kWh per day. If they had paid retail rates for that power, it would have cost them just over a penny per day.
ebb carbon
ebb carbon A California-based startup is ready to start removing hundreds of tons of carbon dioxide from the air. Carbon dioxide removal plants in Port Angeles, Washington include: Project MakomaUsing an electrochemical process, seawater is separated into acidic and basic portions. Acidic currents are neutralized or discharged to the outside, while basic currents are discharged into the sea. There, it mixes with carbon dioxide to produce bicarbonate, a stable way to store carbon. As the project captures and stores CO2 From the ocean, the ocean will be able to extract more CO2 In the air. Although many marine scientists are skeptical of marine geoengineering projects like this, the US Department of Energy has developed a US$100 million project. Carbon Shot Program This funds carbon dioxide removal and storage, including in marine reservoirs.
Luigi Avantagiato
millions By 2025, countless tons of solar panels will reach the end of their lifespan. It contains silicon, silver, and copper, materials that are extremely valuable but difficult to extract from hardware. Current best process Solar panel recycling Although 90% of these metals can be recovered, they are expensive and often involve the use of toxic chemicals. start 9-tech We have a recycling process that recovers up to 90% of the material without using toxic chemicals or releasing pollutants into the environment. Workers at the 9-Tech pilot plant manually remove aluminum frames, junction boxes and tempered glass from solar panels. The remaining material is then fed into a furnace at 400°C, and any emerging contaminants are captured through filters. The glass and silicon are separated through a series of sieves, and then the silicon is sent to an acid bath where it is separated from the attached silver via ultrasonic waves. The process is expensive, but the high quality of the recovered materials will help offset the costs, the startup founders say.
McKeville
Fully decarbonizing the aviation industry requires thinking outside the box. Ian McKay It presents a possible future in which stadium-sized microwave arrays would be used to transmit power to antennas on airplanes. These microwaves may pass through clouds and not harm passengers, but they can heat the air significantly and harm nearby birds. Nothing like this has ever been attempted, but improvements in technology suggest it may be possible, including from a CalTech startup that wants to use phased arrays. Beam solar power from satellite to Earth. Despite the enormous technical barriers and regulatory challenges, this thought experiment is worth considering. They have their own problems.
Climbworks
ClimbworksThe Zurich-based company has a new Direct air capture (DAC) technology will remove millions of tons of carbon dioxide within 10 years. their state-of-the-art facilities Ultimately, it will emit 36,000 tons of CO.2 Every year in the air. Their new DAC technology relies on a new absorber (a substance that absorbs CO).2) Captures twice the CO through modified geometry to expose more surface area to the air.2. The new design modifies the architecture of the collector unit from a three-tier rack to a cube-shaped design with four collector walls surrounding a central shaft. These are used in: Project Cypress DAC HubA project funded by the U.S. Department of Energy to create the country’s first million-ton carbon dioxide removal hub.
Alfred Hicks/NREL
solar panel Built to last. Products must be tightly sealed to withstand harsh weather, changing temperatures, and the wear and tear of decades of use. photocell ingredient. Most manufacturers create this seal by adding a sticky polymer layer between the glass panes. However, these polymers are incredibly difficult to remove immediately. end Lifespan of solar panels. American researchers National Renewable Energy Research Institute We found a way to melt glass without polymers. This is melted together with femtoseconds. laser. This intense beam of photons changes the optical absorption of the glass, creating a small plasma of ionized glass atoms that melts the glass sheets together. This new method creates solar panels that last longer and are easier to recycle.
STDCT in NUS
data center They consume a lot of energy, especially in warm climates. But researchers in Singapore are now testing sustainable cooling methods. More than 20 technology companies, universities, and government agencies collaborate to Sustainable Tropical Data Center Testbed. They are testing something new StatePoint Liquid Cooling A system in which a hydrophobic microporous membrane creates a liquid-air heat exchanger that cools water. This system is more effective in hot and humid environments because it produces cold water instead of cold air. Researchers also plan to test prototypes. Desiccant Coated Heat and Mass ExchangerEliminate moisture in your data center by drying the air with a desiccant coating that absorbs water vapor from passing air. In the future, they hope to introduce these energy-saving technologies to data centers in tropical regions around the world.
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