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Archive for the ‘sustainability’ category: Page 216

Aug 7, 2022

Bill Gates’ Strange Plan to Dim the Sun

Posted by in categories: bitcoin, climatology, engineering, sustainability

Bill Gates is funding more research into dimming the sun! Check out how solar geoengineering works.


Bill Gates is a man who recently suggested the world should eat 100% synthetic beef, has argued that bitcoin is bad for the planet, co-founded Microsoft, and remains one of the richest people in the world.

He is also very interested in dimming the light from the sun to reduce or delay the effects of climate change, according to a forthcoming study from the Bill Gates-backed Harvard University Solar Geoengineering Research Program — which aims to evaluate the efficacy of blocking sunlight from reaching our planet’s surface.

Aug 6, 2022

I wore all my trash for 30 days | Rob Greenfield | TEDxUCLA

Posted by in categories: electronics, sustainability

For one month Rob Greenfield lived just like the average person and WORE every single piece of trash he created. Why? To create a visual of how much trash just one of us creates and serve as a mirror to society to self-reflect, question habits and explore alternatives to live in balance with Earth.

Rob Greenfield is an activist and humanitarian dedicated to leading the way to a more sustainable and just world. He embarks on extreme projects to bring attention to important global issues and inspire positive change. His work has been covered by media worldwide including National Geographic and he’s been named “The Robin Hood of modern times” by France 2 TV. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community.

Aug 6, 2022

Solaris Hits A Milestone With Its 2000th Electric Bus

Posted by in categories: sustainability, transportation

Electric buses are great for municipalities. They are cheaper to operate and maintain than diesel buses, and they emit no pollutants. For passengers, they’re awesome because they’re comfortable, smooth, and relatively quiet. But, even a decade ago they were almost unheard of. The price of batteries has come down significantly in recent years, making electric buses a more viable option for many city transit agencies.

So, it’s no surprise that sales of electric buses have exploded as prices fell and made them the superior choice in most circumstances. In 2012, only 15 electric buses were put into service throughout Europe’s urban areas. In 2021, every fourth newly registered bus in Western Europe was electric. Now, they’re showing up all over the place in much greater numbers.

Continue reading “Solaris Hits A Milestone With Its 2000th Electric Bus” »

Aug 6, 2022

Elon Musk says Tesla will succeed even if he ‘was kidnapped

Posted by in categories: Elon Musk, sustainability, transportation

The bizarre remarks were an answer to a question during a Shareholder meeting. Elon Musk was ask about the fate of Tesla if he had to step down as CEO after being forced to buy Twitter.

Aug 5, 2022

Bill Gates-backed startup is using robots to build enormous solar farms

Posted by in categories: climatology, robotics/AI, solar power, sustainability

Bill Gates-founded Breakthrough Energy Ventures co-led a $44 million funding round for a startup that aims to accelerate solar far construction.


Breakthrough Energy Ventures, a climate change solution-focused VC firm backed by the likes of Bill Gates, has joined a $44 million backing of solar startup Terabase Energy, a press statement reveals.

Continue reading “Bill Gates-backed startup is using robots to build enormous solar farms” »

Aug 5, 2022

Engineers create world’s first carbon-neutral cement out of algae

Posted by in categories: chemistry, sustainability

The challenge: The building and construction sector is responsible for a big chunk of global carbon emissions. A lot of those emissions come from the production of cement, which is the second most consumed material on the planet behind water.

Cement produces emissions in two main ways. One is through the chemical reactions that occur while sintering limestone and other materials to make “clinker,” a key component of cement. The other comes from using fossil fuels to heat up kilns to very high temperatures.

Continue reading “Engineers create world’s first carbon-neutral cement out of algae” »

Aug 4, 2022

Building decarbonization: How electric heat pumps could help reduce emissions today and going forward

Posted by in categories: nanotechnology, particle physics, solar power, sustainability

The electrification of heating systems could play a significant role in building decarbonization. Heat pumps are emerging as a solution.


Iranian scientists have demonstrated a multi-layer silicon nanoparticle (SNP) solar cell based on nanoparticles that are densely stacked inside a dielectric medium. They considered different SNP structures and configurations to tailor these particles as a p–n junction cell.

Aug 4, 2022

Ultra-thin silicon nanoparticle solar cell with 11% efficiency

Posted by in categories: nanotechnology, particle physics, solar power, sustainability

“This is because SNPs are assumed to be the main absorber in the cell. Thus, any distance between them reduces the absorption of incident photons,” the group said.

They considered different SNP structures and configurations to tailor these particles as a p–n junction cell. They said this kind of cell could achieve a theoretical efficiency of around 11%.

Aug 4, 2022

This Gates-Backed Startup Builds Modular Homes Out of Energy-Efficient Panels

Posted by in categories: energy, finance, sustainability

Companies specializing in cutting-edge construction techniques are aiming to make a difference by churning out high-quality homes at a lower cost than traditional industry standards. Among these are 3D printed homes, “foldable” homes, and homes that ship in kits then are assembled like Ikea furniture.

Now a new player is joining the list, and it just got a serious financial boost. Vantem Global has already helped construct a total of over three million square feet of living space in six different countries, and earlier this month closed a Series A funding round co-led by Breakthrough Energy Ventures (Breakthrough was founded by Bill Gates in 2015 to invest in sustainable energy and emissions-reduction technologies).

Continue reading “This Gates-Backed Startup Builds Modular Homes Out of Energy-Efficient Panels” »

Aug 4, 2022

Exceeding 100 percent quantum efficiency in the photocurrent of a hybrid inorganic-organic semiconductor

Posted by in categories: particle physics, quantum physics, solar power, sustainability

Tiny crystals, known as quantum dots, have enabled an international team to achieve a quantum efficiency exceeding 100 percent in the photocurrent generated in a hybrid inorganic-organic semiconductor.

Perovskites are exciting semiconductors for light-harvesting applications and have already shown some impressive performances in solar cells. But improvements in photo-conversion efficiency are necessary to take this technology to a broader market.

Light comes in packets of energy known as photons. When a semiconductor absorbs a photon, the is transferred to a negatively charged electron and its positively charged counterpart, known as a hole. An can sweep these particles in , thereby allowing a current to flow. This is the basic operation of a solar cell. It might sound simple, but optimizing the quantum efficiency, or getting as many from the incoming photons as possible, has been a long-standing goal.