January, 2020

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UPS Orders 10,000 Electric Delivery Vans From Arrival

CleanTechnica

Arrival says it has secured an order from UPS for 10,000 of its electric delivery vans beginning this year with the possibility of another 10,000 in the future. The EV revolution continues.

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Zero-carbon home uses hemp fiber for innovative design

Inhabitat - Innovation

As designers and architects continue searching for innovative, sustainable building materials, hemp is becoming a front runner in the world of green design. In fact, London-based firm Practice Architecture collaborated with local hemp farmers in Cambridgeshire for the Flat House — a zero-carbon home built using hemp grown on-site.

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2020 will be a key year (and decade) for electric vehicles

GreenBiz

Analysts keep nudging that date forward, but now suggest it could happen as early as 2022 for certain models and markets.

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Seed preservation is vital for a sustainable food system

GreenBiz

"Our seeds are more than just food for us. Yes, they are nutrition. But they’re also… spirituality," says Electa Hare-RedCorn, a member of the Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma and a Yankton descendant. "Each seed has a story and each seed has a prayer."With a background in social work, Hare-RedCorn was brought on to the Pawnee Seed Preservation Project in 2012 as a seed-keeper, to carry the conversation forward with youth and families.

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Electrofuels Are the Future: The Driving Force to Decarbonizing Heavy Transport

Speaker: Ayesha Choudhury - Senior Vice President, Head of Capital Markets at Infinium

With the first wave of the energy transition, renewable energy sources (such as solar and wind) have begun replacing coal power generation. However, some sectors are lagging behind and struggling to decarbonize more than others, including large-scale transportation like commercial aviation, shipping, and rail transit. Electrofuels (aka eFuels) are the next generation of solutions to help the hardest-to-abate sectors pivot from their reliance on fossil fuels.

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Using Plastic Waste To Build Schools In The Ivory Coast

CleanTechnica

Plastic bricks made from plastic trash are building new schools in the Ivory Coast.

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What will the city of the future look like?

The Environmental Blog

Flying cars, companion robots, cell phones embedded in the palm of your hand, McDonald’s home delivery … we all once wondered what the city ??of the future would look like. We live in an increasingly urban world marked by technologies to which we never imagined having access only a few years earlier. Science fiction films not only entertain us, but also direct our imagination towards this vision of a utopian city where everything would be automated.

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Restored Georgian townhouse has rainwater-fed green roof

Inhabitat - Innovation

The Sun Rain Room is an extension and restoration of a two-story Grade-II Listed townhouse designed and constructed by Tonkin Liu. Partnering with local craftspeople to complete the project, the London-based architecture firm was able to create an extension of the existing structure through landscape that feeds off of the sun and rain.

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BlackRock Sends Huge Warning Shot at Companies Ignoring Climate Risk

GreenTechMedia

In a move that will resound across the world of energy investing, BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, this week warned of a “fundamental reshaping of finance” as the impacts of climate change become better understood. BlackRock CEO Larry Fink said in an open letter that his company will end support for thermal coal, screen fossil fuel investments more closely, and redesign its own investment approach to put sustainability at its core.

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From sustainable to regenerative: bold business moves to transform the agriculture system

GreenBiz

Regenerative practices could bring huge win-wins for farmers, food companies and the environment, implementing them will involve overcoming wide-ranging barrier.

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Is a Cleaner, Smarter and De-carbonized Future Possible? Introducing the 2020 Global Cleantech 100

CleanTech Group

Every year, the Global Cleantech 100 selects the innovative companies poised to make a significant commercial impact in the next five to ten.

Carbon 200
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AR/VR Simulations for Sustainable, Regenerative, Circular Cities

Speaker: Nik Gowing, Brenda Laurel, Sheridan Tatsuno, Archie Kasnet, and Bruce Armstrong Taylor

With 191 country signatories to the Paris Climate Agreement now hard at work in the race to zero carbon by 2050, much of the heavy lifting in ecosystem sustainability falls on the shoulders of the world's densely populated urban centers. This conversation considers how today's AI-enabled simulation media, such as AR/VR, can be effectively applied to accelerate learning, understanding, training, and solutions-modeling to sustainability planning and design.

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Renewable Energy Prices Hit Record Lows: How Can Utilities Benefit From Unstoppable Solar And Wind?

Forbes Green Tech

If falling prices have made renewable energy unstoppable in the U.S., what does that mean for utilities? If the question is determined by smart policy, the answer may be financial opportunity.

Energy 145
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New year, new savings for solar generators, as tariffs for grid export return

Envirotec Magazine

Aerial drone image of solar panels on the roof of a high rise building in London. The Smart Export Guarantee came into force on 1 January, obligating large energy suppliers to offer a tariff to small-scale solar generators who export excess solar energy to the grid, provided they met certain criteria, and thereby lowering energy bills for many solar owners [1].

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The Garden House features greenery and bee-friendly landscapes

Inhabitat - Innovation

The Garden House by Christos Pavlou Architecture is a physical representation of the potential for urban gardens to create micro-climates that improve the living conditions of cities rather than make additional contributions to climate change.

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Here’s What a Shared, Multidisciplinary Wet Lab Looks Like

Greentown Labs

Greentown Labs’ 26-bench wet lab is home to startups creating everything from long-duration energy storage to energy-efficient manufacturing membranes to silk coatings that extend the freshness of produce and proteins. The 1,800-square-foot, BSL-1 space is located right next to Greentown’s prototyping lab space, allowing for innovations both inside and outside the wet lab.

Startups 141
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How Digital Transformation will Bend the Curve of the Linear Economy Toward the Circular

Speaker: Bruce Armstrong Taylor, Co-Founder & Managing Director of SmartNations Foundation, Jimmy Jia, Venture Partner at Pi Labs, Fabienne Durand, Senior Advisor to the SmartNations Foundation, & Roger Strukhoff, Executive Director of the Tau Institute

The Climate 4.0 Economy. Climate change is here. We see it in many ways already. Weather catastrophes: Texas freezing over, the wildfires of California, the increasingly unpredictable violence and frequency of hurricanes, the rapid melting and disappearance of polar ice caps. Much more evidence all around us. What can we do in our corporate organizations, in our homes and communities, to change the current course?

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What businesses should know about the evolution of rural solar

GreenBiz

Solar panels may harness the sun’s energy in the same way that plants do, but while some rural residents view them as another revenue-enhancing crop, others see them more as weed-like nuisances that threaten their pastoral way of life.

Energy 494
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After a Decade of Fracking, Billions of Dollars Lost and a Climate in Crisis

DeSmogBlog

Read time: 13 mins As 2020 begins, the impacts of climate change have become increasingly clear around the world. The new year started amid devastating wildfires, tied to the worst droughts Australia has experienced in hundreds of years , which encircled much of the continent. So far, 29 people have been reported dead. A University of Sydney professor estimated the number of animals killed likely tops one billion.

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Sprint Power selected for UK’s Wireless Charging of Electric Taxis trial

Charged

The UK government has awarded funding to Sprint Power, an electric propulsion technology company, to demonstrate wireless charging technology for electrified taxis. Sprint Power will use the funding to develop an interface module, software, and integration kit to support wireless charging for a fleet of 10 modified LEVC TX and Nissan e-NV200 taxis that will trialed for six months in Nottingham, England.

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Inspecting pipelines with OGI

Envirotec Magazine

FLIR Systems has published a new application spotlight that highlights the role its Optical Gas Imaging (OGI) cameras are playing in detecting gas leaks from oil and gas pipelines. These often stretch long distances, carrying a variety of materials. Sometimes the pipes fail, resulting in liquid leaks or fugitive emissions. Through routine inspections, leaks may be caught early-but this is challenging to accomplish when there are many miles of pipelines in a system, and they are often in remote l

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Tencent gets proposal from MVRDV for green smart city

Inhabitat - Innovation

After two years of development, MVRDV has unveiled their competition entry for Chinese tech giant Tencent’s next campus—a green and futuristic smart city shaped like a continuous undulating mountain range. Located on a 133-hectare site in Shenzhen’s Qianhai Bay, the nature-inspired development combines references to the lush, mountainous surroundings with Tencent’s cutting-edge technology.

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Autonomous drones make solar projects more productive, cost-effective and secure

Solar Power World

By Ariel Avitan, Chief Commercial Officer and Co-Founder, Percepto Renewable energy is the key to a cleaner, brighter energy future. And solar is one of the most promising global sources of renewable energy. It’s cheaper (and arguably cleaner) than nuclear, coal, or combined cycle gas turbines – and that’s why we’re seeing an increasing number… The post Autonomous drones make solar projects more productive, cost-effective and secure appeared first on Solar Power World.

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How 16 initiatives are changing urban agriculture through tech and innovation

GreenBiz

From high-tech indoor farms in France and Singapore to mobile apps connecting urban growers and eaters in India and the United States, here are more than a dozen initiatives using tech, entrepreneurship, and social innovation to change urban agriculture.

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Gulf shrimpers fight for their livelihoods in a fertilizer-fueled dead zone

Grist

This story was published in partnership with the Center for Public Integrity and The World. The Ace of Trade trawler motored toward Dean Blanchard’s dock early last summer in southern Louisiana, its skipper slowly winching its nets into storage. Blanchard’s workers, strengthened by a lifetime at sea, worked shirtless in the humid summer air. It was the beginning of hurricane season, and 2019 was on track to be one of the wettest years on record in the U.S.

Seafood 129
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Wallbox’s bidirectional DC home charger turns heads at CES

Charged

Bidirectional charging encompasses several applications that can be collectively referred to as V2x (vehicle-to-grid, vehicle-to-home, maybe someday vehicle-to-brain). It’s expected to play an important role in tomorrow’s electrified, connected transportation ecosystem, but to date it exists only in pilots, most of them involving commercial fleets. So the new Quasar bidirectional EV charger from Barcelona-based Wallbox , which appears to be the first commercial V2x product aimed at the home mark

Batteries 132
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Defying Climate Goals, New York Approves Rate Hike to Pay for New Natural Gas Infrastructure

DeSmogBlog

Read time: 6 mins One of the first tests of New York’s ambitious climate plan didn't go well, as the New York Public Service Commission voted on January 16 to raise electricity rates on customers by $1.2 billion over the next three years to help Consolidated Edison, or Con Ed, pay for new natural gas pipelines and infrastructure. New York’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act ( CLCPA ) targets 100 percent carbon-free electricity by 2040 and net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

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Adventurous, sustainable cricket-based snacks

Inhabitat - Innovation

For Westerners, snacking on insects isn’t mainstream. But that may change, thanks to the rising trend of edible bugs and cricket-based snacks — like those from Chirps, Don Bugito, EXO, Hotlix, Rocky Mountain Micro Ranch and SEEK.

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15 states are calling for 100% clean energy with backing of Environment America

Solar Power World

In 2019, Environment America and its state affiliates played a key role in convincing New Mexico, Maine and Washington to make commitments to 100% clean or renewable energy. On the heels of those landmark victories, the national nonprofit organization announced today it is calling on 15 additional states in 2020 to enact similar renewable energy goals.

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Trend: Companies warm to nature-based solutions

GreenBiz

More than 350 companies have made commitments to help reverse nature loss and restore vital natural systems on which economic activity depends.

Carbon 531
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RapidEye Constellation to be Retired in 2020

Planet Pulse

It’s with mixed sentiments that we share that Planet’s RapidEye constellation will be retired at the end of March 2020. After 11 years of faithfully gathering imagery, it has aged gracefully, to say the least. RapidEye has gone above and beyond, making invaluable contributions to our global Earth observation dataset since being acquired from BlackBridge in 2015.

Waste 119
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Norway bars Lexus ad for perpetual motion machine

Charged

Lexus is up to its old tricks again. The Toyota subsidiary has drawn ridicule from the EV industry in the past for running highly misleading ads touting the superiority of its hybrids over pure EVs – one trashed the BMW i3 , and another inexplicably claimed that EV drivers needed to wait around for their vehicles to charge. Now Norway’s Consumer Authority has found a recent ad campaign for the Lexus NX to be misleading.

Batteries 128
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The Plastics Giant and the Making of an Environmental Justice Warrior

DeSmogBlog

Read time: 23 mins This report was produced as part of ivoh’s Restorative Narrative Fellowship. On the evening of January 6, Louisiana state regulators issued 15 key permits to the Taiwanese petrochemical corporation Formosa for its $9.4 billion plastics manufacturing complex proposed for the historically black area of St. James Parish. Word spread today about the approvals, which pave the way for the project’s construction, opposed by local and national environmental advocates.

Plastics 124
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Cross-laminated timber makes this Scottish home climate resistant

Inhabitat - Innovation

Scottish firm Mary Arnold Foster Architects has unveiled a stunning home made out of several timber “pods” and tucked into the idyllic landscape of the Scottish Highlands. Clad in cross-laminated timber (CLT) and covered with slats of charred larch, which provide the home with resilience, the Nedd home was built on concrete pillars and set in between two outcrops to minimize damage to the landscape.

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Kentucky finally goes big on solar, will install 100-MW array

Solar Power World

Louisville Gas and Electric Company and Kentucky Utilities Company today filed with the Kentucky Public Service Commission for approval of three contracts that could mean one giant step forward for solar energy generation in Kentucky, with construction of the largest solar array in the Bluegrass. Kentucky is currently ranked 44th of U.S. states and territories… The post Kentucky finally goes big on solar, will install 100-MW array appeared first on Solar Power World.

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New York is kicking California's butt in building electrification

GreenBiz

A look at the two states’ policies show they have, to this point, prioritized different approaches to spur on electrification.

Policy 513
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NBD Nano Uses Biomimicry to Manipulate Water and Oil

Greentown Labs

The NBD Nano team, including co-founders Deckard Sorensen (front row, center) and Miguel Galvez (front row, left). A Q&A with Co-founder Deckard Sorensen. NBD Nano changes the way surfaces interact with water and oil. Co-founders Deckard Sorensen and Miguel Galvez turned down the job offers they had upon graduating college to make NBD Nano a reality, and their gamble worked out. .

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This year’s resolution: Fix the broken plastic material system

GreenBiz

The momentum to stop plastic pollution continues to grow, so how do we channel it into real systems change?

Plastics 309