Solar Impulse takes the next step
The Solar Impulse Foundation plans to expand the scope and impact of its work in 2019 with the aim of promoting high impact green technology solutions and scaling their deployment. This year, the Solar...
Category: Innovation
Asia Pacific dominates dynamic cities index
Asia Pacific is home to 19 of the 20 most dynamic cities in the world, according to JLL’s sixth City Momentum Index (CMI). The index identifies the most rapidly growing urban economies around the...
Wi-Fi signals could power electronics
An international team of researchers have designed a device that converts energy from Wi-Fi signals into electricity. Their ‘rectenna’ could one day power wearable electronics, medical devices and sensors for the Internet of Things...
Europe can lead the green revolutions, says European Investment Bank president
Werner Hoyer, president of the European Investment Bank, has written an article for the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting, arguing that Europe is well poised to lead the green economy. John Dyer reports. Europe...
Adidas to produce 11 million pairs of shoes using recycled ocean plastic in 2019
Global sporting goods manufacturer Adidas plans to make 11 million pairs of shoes containing recycled ocean plastic in 2019, double what it produced in 2018. Adidas has announced that it will produce more shoes...
Scientists find green alternative for drug production
The production of drugs, pesticides and smart phone displays often demands cost-intensive and wasteful processes. Now, scientists have developed a resource-saving green alternative based on the non-toxic metal manganese. For the production of...
Floating solar photovoltaics could generate 10 per cent of US electricity
Floating solar photovoltaics systems are a technology already in widespread use, especially in Japan. Installing them on more than 24,000 reservoirs in the United States could generate around 10 per cent of the nation’s...
Algae cladding system captures CO2 from the air
Photo.Synth.Etica has developed an algae-powered building cladding system that captures and stores carbon dioxide molecules and air pollutants. In another project, it extends the benefits of algae to keeping buildings cool. Photo.Synth.Etica, a collaborative...
Pine needles from abandoned Christmas trees turned into paint
Christmas trees abandoned after the festivities could be saved from landfill and turned into paint and food sweeteners. The trees have hundreds of thousands of needles, which emit huge quantities of greenhouse gases when...
Singapore pioneers electrified and automated public transport
Car sharing with autonomous vehicles could dramatically improve mobility in cities. Singapore is now pioneering in the field by exploring the potential of personalised, electrified and automated public transport. With 5.5 million inhabitants and...
Five cities win urban innovation awards in Guangzhou
Guadalajara, Mezitli, Milan, New York City and Wuhan are the winners of this year’s Guangzhou International Award for Urban Innovation. The awards emphasize the importance of city-to-city learning. Fifteen cities were shortlisted for the...
Iron molecule provides cheaper solar energy
An iron molecule that can function both as a photocatalyst to produce fuel and in solar cells to produce electricity has been discovered. It could replace the more expensive and rare metals used today....
Norwegian forest residues can power jets
As much as 20 per cent of jet fuel burned in Norway in 2030 could be biofuel made from the country’s forest residues. This alone could cut greenhouse gas emissions from Norway’s aviation sector...
Dead fish to power Hurtigruten cruise ships
Remains from fisheries and other organic waste are set to power Hurtigruten’s fleet, as the world’s largest expedition cruise operator follows its ban on single-use plastics with another green milestone. After becoming the first...
Window coating rejects up to 70% of incoming solar heat
MIT engineers have developed a heat-rejecting film that could be applied to a building’s windows to reflect up to 70 per cent of the sun’s incoming heat. Their invention could lower energy bills by...
Bacteria batteries turn sewage into clean energy
Purple bacteria could turn wastewater treatment plants into zero-carbon fuel generators, says Frontiers in Energy Research. The new findings are the first reported use of photosynthetic microbes in a battery-like bioelectrochemical system. Organic compounds...
Radical new path for water purification
Many modern water purification methods rely on filters and chemicals that require regular replenishing or maintenance. However, with these methods unsuitable for people in areas with limited access to such materials, a promising new...
New laser technique paves the way for more efficient clean fuels
More efficient clean fuels could be within reach, thanks to new research that is helping commercialize the process of electrochemical CO2 conversion into clean fuel technologies. The technique is based on a laser that...
New technique makes bamboo a safe hydrogen storage for electromobility
Light and small hydrogen storage units made of bamboo could promote the mobile use of fuel cells. Two researchers have developed a special process that enables them to chemically convert bamboo into gas storage....
Recycled handwashing water helps prevent disease
Water used for washing hands usually goes down the drain. Now, an innovative system is helping reduce this wastage and prevent infectious diseases in developing countries by recycling handwashing water. Every year around four...
