Interesting stats on EVs and energy use in the US, developments in wind and tidal power, a plastic recycling microfactory, and an "unprecedented collapse" in EU fossil fuel generation.
I feel like my mind gets blown on a daily basis by the new research and solutions currently being explored in the field of energy storage. Here’s an Interesting Engineering article about an Israeli company that uses crushed rock as the basis of a thermal energy storage system that industries can use to decarbonize their production process. The company is teaming up with one of the country’s largest beverage firms to help them move away from fossil fuels powering their boilers.
Stories like this about energy storage solutions that use widely available resources such as rock, salt, water, or even bricks instead of high-value metals such as lithium, copper, and nickel with their damaging environmental and social impact give me a lot of hope. Industrial heating and energy combustion account for 45 percent of all energy-related emissions (according to the article) and it’s good to see there are relatively affordable, low-impact solutions that industries can pursue (or be legally required to pursue, heh) to accelerate our transition to a greener, more sustainable world.
I also find it kind of amazing to consider the many different kinds of energy efficiencies that have been staring us in the face for decades but have gone ignored simply because sticking with coal or gas was the easy (and for many people in positions of power, most lucrative) thing to do. We have been content to release so much energy and valuable materials into the environment where they cause so much damage instead of developing a closed-loop approach that allows us to maximize the value we get from them. Let’s hope this generation will be the one that finally achieves sustainability and balance within the natural world. 🌎🙏
