Utility regulators have proposed slashing the incentives homeowners receive to install solar panels, a long-sought goal of utilities and labor unions.
Category: sustainability – Page 375
Tesla Cybertruck prototype shown in detail in new leaked walkaround video
After a few pictures leaked this weekend, we now have a full video walkaround of Tesla’s latest Cybertruck prototype.
As we previously reported, some pictures of the latest Tesla Cybertruck have leaked this weekend. It appears to be from Gigafactory Texas, where the automaker plans to build the electric pickup truck late this year. The pictures gave us a better look at the lack of door handles as well as the new wheels without any aero cover on.
But now, a video of the same Cybertruck prototype was released and it gives us an even closer look at the truck. The video appears to have been filmed by contractors or new employees at Gigafactory Texas, based on the commentary on the video that was shared on Facebook:
Is the Sun expanding? Will it ever explode? (Beginner)
It’s wild.
A global apocalypse could be closer than you think.
According to astronomers, in five billion years or so, the sun will run out of hydrogen in its core completely and expand, possibly engulfing the earth. Now that’s a bright future you don’t want. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk recently tweeted that the expansion of the Sun would result in the extinction of all life on the planet, making interplanetary living a necessity. Musk said this in response to a paper warning about mass extinction caused by human activity, arguing for the necessity of working on ways to move off-world. However, while we lack the technology to live on other worlds just yet, we may have a more immediate catastrophe at hand — climate change and global warming. a preprint that has not yet been peer-reviewed, Sohrab Rahvar, proposes using gravity assist by the asteroids to change the orbit of the Earth.
Quantum dots boost perovskite solar cell efficiency and scalability
Perovskites are hybrid compounds made from metal halides and organic constituents. They show great potential in a range of applications, e.g. LED lights, lasers, and photodetectors, but their major contribution is in solar cells, where they are poised to overtake the market from their silicon counterparts.
One of the obstacles facing the commercialization of perovskite solar cells is that their power-conversion efficiency and operational stability drop as they scale up, making it a challenge to maintain high performance in a complete solar cell.
The problem is partly with the cell’s electron-transport layer, which ensures that the electrons produced when the cell absorbs light will transfer efficiently to the device’s electrode. In perovskite solar cells, the electron-transport layer is made with mesoporous titanium dioxide, which shows low electron mobility, and is also susceptible to adverse, photocatalytic events under ultraviolet light.
First-ever electric bus designed and developed in Africa
Nairobi, Kenya - Opibus has just introduced the first all-electric bus in Kenya as well as the first African designed electric bus ever. This is the first major step in the company’s vision to provide a locally designed and developed electric bus that can be mass-produced for the pan-African market, by the end of 2023. This is a step towards realizing Opibus goal of electrifying Africa’s public transport system, deploying products tailored for the local use case. The bus is designed and developed in-house with local engineering talent, while at the same time utilizing local manufacturing partners.
The key to the technology is the Opibus proprietary electric vehicle platform, which is modular and can be the foundation for several types of vehicles. This enables the creation of a bus that is suitable for the African use case, in its reliability, durability and price point. This also means local and global contract manufactures can be used to create a globally competitive product, with a rapid scale-up.
Cybersecurity in 2022 — A Fresh Look at Some Very Alarming Stats
*The past two years has seen a rapid shift of work to remote and hybrid offices. The statistics show that hackers welcomed that shift and took advantage of the vulnerabilities and gaps in security by businesses.
* Cyber perils are the biggest concern for companies globally in 2022, according to the Allianz Risk Barometer. The threat of ransomware attacks, data breaches or major IT outages worries companies even more than business and supply chain disruption, natural disasters or the COVID-19 pandemic, all of which have heavily affected firms in the past year.
Cyber incidents tops the Allianz Risk Barometer for only the second time in the survey’s history (44% of responses), Business interruption drops to a close second (42%) and Natural catastrophes ranks third (25%), up from sixth in 2021. Climate change climbs to its highest-ever ranking of sixth (17%, up from ninth), while Pandemic outbreak drops to fourth (22%).y affected firms in the past year. past two years has seen a rapid shift of work to remote and hybrid offices. The statistics show that hackers welcomed that shift and took advantage of the vulnerabilities and gaps in security by businesses.
Rolls-Royce’s Electric Plane Breaks The World Speed Record
Rolls-Royce today announced that its Spirit of Innovation aircraft has officially become the world’s fastest all-electric vehicle. The ambitious aircraft attempted the feat in November, giving the British company the confidence that it had set a new record. However, the firm had to wait until now to receive confirmation from aviation bodies.
The Spirit of Innovation program seeks to pioneer sustainable aviation by proving the capabilities of electric flight. Those behind the program are keen to enable a future of low-carbon air travel.
The plane first took off the Ministry of Defence’s Boscombe Down site in the English county of Wiltshire in September last year. A 400kW (500+hp) electric powertrain helped the aircraft on its way, a piece of equipment that is backed by what is dubbed the most power-dense battery pack ever put together for a plane.
100% Zero-Emissions Cherry Orchard
Forest Lodge Orchard is New Zealand’s first zero-emissions food producer. Forest Lodge Orchard is located in Central Otago, New Zealand, and is 100% free of fossil fuels. The farmers have electrified everything at the orchard — their irrigation, frost-fighting fans, electric vehicles, tools, and more. Supporting this electrification with a 45 kW solar power array and extendable battery storage system.
In January 2022, Forest Lodge will have its first zero-emission harvest of cherries. The focus is on the climate, and the folks at Forest Lodge believe that New Zealand’s future as a food-producing nation will excel with the ability to grow and produce food in a sustainable and climate-friendly way.
Organic redox flow battery uses liquid electrolytes
Energy storage manufacturer CMBlu has developed — in the context of New Energy — an innovative product: the sustainable flow storage unit. This “Organic Flow Battery” can be a solution or a game-changer for the central question of energy supply, which is: How can green energy be stored safely in large quantities?
Organic Flow Batteries from CMBlu are the first of their kind to be developed for commercial use. The technology is based on readily available, fully recyclable, organic materials. The aqueous electrolytes are non-flammable and ensure absolutely safe and reliable operation. The batteries are freely scalable between output and capacity. They can therefore be precisely adapted to the individual requirements of the corresponding application with corresponding cost advantages. The system-inherent separation of electrolyte and actual energy converter not only avoids the effect of self-discharge, but also enables the restoration of the original performance by simply replacing individual components instead of the entire battery.
Unpacking The “Electric Cars Aren’t As Green As You Think” Claims
Volvo has pledged to manufacture only electric cars by 2030. In November of last year, it released a 50-page report that delves in exquisite detail into the total carbon footprint of its cars, the purpose being to allow an honest and transparent analysis of the progress it is making toward its corporate goal of reducing emissions from manufacturing its automobiles by 40% by 2025, compared to the reference year of 2018.
Volvo produces three versions of its 40 series cars — the XC40 powered by a gasoline engine, the XC40 Recharge powered by a battery pack, and the C40 Recharge, a more aerodynamically styled version of the XC40 Recharge. All three are built in the same factory by the same workers using similar parts. That allows Volvo to do a close analysis of the emissions characteristics of each. On page 24 of its study, there is one sentence that has been seized upon by anti-EV provocateurs to as proof that electric cars are not nearly as “green” as people think they are. Here is what it says: