The Turn of the Year!

2018 was a revolutionary year for technology and clean energy worldwide. Although there were some steps taken backwards, there was a lot of progress and the future seems bright. Today, we are going to look back on some of the biggest moments of 2018, and look forward to what 2019 holds in store.

Recap of technologies and advancements from 2018!

In April of 2018, Google, one of the largest companies in the market, made significant progress towards solving climate change as they offsetted all of their office and data centre electricity to wind and solar energy alternatives. Google now stands as a good role model for other big companies to follow, and will hopefully set a precedent to others that will do the same. Furthermore, Apple also switched to 100% renewable energy globally, mostly from solar energy. These moves from many large tech firms are setting a standard in the industry to do better for the environment.

Meanwhile, in January of 2018, China had successfully finished building a 1 kilometre long stretch of solar panels in Jinan, the capital of Shandong province south of Beijing. This massive stretch of solar panels is able to generate 1 million kilowatts of energy every hour, a truly massive amount. That’s enough to power up approximately 800 homes in China! The two-lane road spans across 5,875 square metres and will be used to power street lights, surveillance cameras, and toll collection plazas.

In September, Germany launched the world’s first hydro-electric train. This signals as a great start to replace the use of diesel polluting trains to more eco-friendly alternatives. The trains run on a 100km route at Cuxhaven, Bremerhaven, and others. Alstom, the French engineer, claims that he aims to create 14 more of such zero emission trains by the end of 2021. A single tank of hydrogen is able to run 1000km, making it not only a cheaper alternative, but also a more efficient method of powering transport.

Upcoming technologies and advancements coming in 2019!

Kayla Matthews who is a “green tech and smart energy writer” suggested several trends that would be expected in 2019. One of the most shocking predictions made was that wind power will become less geographically dependent. Companies always try to pick the best environment for wind energy, considering the number of windy days per year and open land. However, using the M600 created by the company ‘Makani’, it can generate electricity with light and gentle winds since they contain carbon fibers making them lighter than most wind turbines. They are planning to have a test in Hawaii, and the company hopes to eventually bring the M600 to places that need to temporarily rely on renewable energy, such as areas hit by natural disasters.

Wind energy has always been considered as an intermittent energy source but the M600 can help us solve the issue of intermittency. This technology may help areas that have limited energy alternatives due to its geographical location, like Singapore. Makani’s accomplishment has made other people explore the possibilities with wind energy. Recently, two university students won an award for making a wind turbine called O-Wind turbine that captures both horizontal and vertical wind energy without needing steering. Although the pair does not expect the innovation to be ready for commercial production, they hope it will eventually allow people living in urban environments to benefit from wind power.

Designers of the O-Wind Turbine, Nicolas Orellana and Yaseen Noorani

References:

https://blueandgreentomorrow.com/energy/what-can-we-expect-for-green-energy-in-2019/

https://seekingalpha.com/article/4230603-energy-recap-look-back-2018