Game-Changing Innovations: The Latest in Sustainable Technologies, Renewable Energy, and the Battle Against Climate Change (June–October 2024)

Longoae Domingos Tembwa on 21 October 2024

Over the past few months, significant advancements in sustainable technologies have emerged, as industries and governments intensify their efforts to combat climate change. Innovations in renewable energy generation, storage, carbon capture, and the circular economy are moving at a rapid pace, signalling hope in the fight against global warming. Let’s explore some of the most notable developments from June to October 2024, and their potential to reshape global responses to the climate emergency…

Solar Energy: Greater Efficiency and New Solutions

Solar energy continues to lead the renewable energy charge with groundbreaking innovations. In September, European researchers announced a new world record for solar efficiency: 33.7% in tandem perovskite-silicon solar cells. This leap integrates perovskite layers with silicon to capture more sunlight, resulting in higher energy output. These advanced cells could significantly lower solar energy costs, accelerating the transition to renewable power sources globally.

Moreover, solar energy storage is evolving rapidly. In Spain, a project utilising molten salts for thermal energy storage is in development. These salts can store excess solar energy produced during daylight hours, before releasing it at night. Such technology promises to overcome one of the major challenges facing solar power—its reliance on sunlight—and could make solar a 24/7 energy source, enhancing its reliability for large-scale deployment.

Gemasolar Power Plant, Spain, which uses molten salts for thermal energy storage.
Image Credit: Stocksy

Wind Energy: Offshore Expansion and Innovative Designs

As for wind energy, the sector is making significant strides, particularly in offshore projects. In July, Norway inaugurated the world’s largest floating wind farm, which generates 2 gigawatts of power, enough to supply over 1 million homes. Floating wind turbines are a significant development since they can be deployed in deeper waters where winds are stronger and more consistent. This advancement opens new possibilities for wind energy in countries with deep coastal waters, such as Japan and the United States, which are currently limited by conventional offshore wind technology.

Onshore wind technology is also evolving. Spain is testing a bladeless wind turbine design that uses oscillating rods to generate electricity. This turbine operates without the visual and noise pollution associated with traditional turbines, potentially expanding wind energy in urban or densely populated areas where conventional turbines face resistance.

Wind turbines in Spain trialling bladeless designs.
Image Credit: Energy Magazine

Battery Technology: Pioneering Long-Term Energy Storage

Energy storage remains a key challenge for renewable energy, but several promising breakthroughs have emerged. For instance, Iron-air batteries, showcased in August 2024 by U.S. company Form Energy, are generating excitement due to their ability to store energy for days rather than hours. This breakthrough makes iron-air batteries a game-changer for renewable energy systems, enabling more stable energy grids even during periods of low sunlight or wind.

Form Energy’s iron-air batteries.
The basic principle of operation is reversible rusting.
While discharging, the battery breathes in oxygen from the air and converts iron metal to rust.
While charging, the application of an electrical current converts the rust back to iron and the battery breathes out oxygen.
Image Credit: Form Energy

At the same time, solid-state batteries are nearing commercial viability, particularly for electric vehicles. In September, Toyota revealed its prototype solid-state battery, which offers faster charging, longer range, and improved safety compared to lithium-ion batteries. This technology is expected to be integrated into Toyota’s next-generation EVs by 2025 and could significantly boost the adoption of EVs, which are crucial for reducing emissions in the transport sector.

Green Hydrogen: A Clean Energy Frontier

Green hydrogen is rapidly gaining momentum as a clean fuel for industries that are difficult to electrify, such as shipping, aviation, and heavy manufacturing. In July, the European Union launched the Hydrogen Valley initiative, which aims to establish over 100 hydrogen hubs by 2030. These hubs will become centres for hydrogen production, storage, and distribution, thus accelerating the adoption of hydrogen as a sustainable energy source across Europe.

In Australia, the construction of the world’s largest green hydrogen production facility began in August. Set in Western Australia, the facility aims to produce 10 gigawatts of hydrogen annually by 2030, providing clean energy for both domestic use and export. The rise of green hydrogen projects similar to this is expected to drive down costs, providing a viable alternative to fossil fuels.

Circular Economy and Sustainable Materials: Reducing Waste

Advancements in the circular economy are driving significant progress in reducing waste and improving resource efficiency. In September, a consortium of leading electronics manufacturers launched the “Right to Repair” initiative, which aims to extend the life of consumer electronics and reduce electronic waste. This initiative is particularly important for addressing the environmental impact of e-waste, which contributes millions of tons of global waste each year.

At the same time, sustainable materials are seeing a push forward. In August, a new biodegradable plastic alternative made from seaweed and shrimp shells was introduced to the market. This material, which decomposes in a few weeks, could be a major step toward addressing the global plastic pollution crisis. If widely adopted, it could significantly reduce the amount of single-use plastic waste in oceans and landfills.

A new biodegradable plastic alternative using shrimp shells.
Image Credit: HuffPost UK

Conclusion: Progress with Challenges Ahead

The recent months have witnessed significant advancements in sustainable technologies, from improved solar and wind systems to breakthroughs in battery storage and green hydrogen. These developments provide hope for tackling climate change, but scaling these technologies and ensuring global adoption will be critical. Investment, policy alignment, and international cooperation will be key in determining their long-term impact on global emissions.

As the world continues to innovate and push the boundaries of renewable energy and sustainability, recent breakthroughs suggest that the path to a low-carbon future is increasingly within reach. The next decade will be crucial in determining how these innovations can help mitigate the worst impacts of climate change and transform global energy systems for good.

HELIX launch: The University of Leeds’ New Home for Innovation

GryphonEditorAdm on 2 October 2023

HELIX can be found on Lvl. 7 of EC Stoner, a stones’ throw from Roger Stevens. Image Credit: Josh Elgin

After over a year of planning and executing, HELIX has finally launched in the EC Stoner building. 

HELIX, initially conceived by Vice Chancellor Professor Simone Buitendjik, then becoming a cross-organisational project, is a cathedral to online learning and confirms a new age of University education. Fitted out with state-of-the-art technology, HELIX is intended to be used by staff, students and the local community alike for creative, entrepreneurial and educational pursuits. 

A television studio, podcast suites, the UK’s first OmniDeck, immersive VR technology and interactive meeting spaces, this new facility is a far cry from DES’ previous location in a Blenheim Terrace basement. The renovation of Level 7 of EC Stoner into HELIX has cost £3 million, an investment considered worthwhile in the diversification of the University of Leeds’ online teaching capacities. HELIX seeks to foster enterprise. In the ‘makerspace’, you’ll find Lego, sewing machines, 3D printers and all manner of materials to experiment with in the name of ‘idea generation’.

The Gryphon was invited down to the launch of HELIX on Thursday evening. There, the directors of the project and the University’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Simone Buitendijk, shared thoughts and words about their vision for the space. One speaker saw HELIX as the “physical manifestation of the Vice-Chancellor’s vision for education” and encouraged students to make use of the facility. The advantages of HELIX are seemingly boundless. The Vice-Chancellor saw the opportunity for millions of people to be digitally trained together, and touched upon the environmental benefits of this in light of reduced airplane travel. She also saw HELIX as helping to foster a better working relationship with universities in the Global South. 

Education Officer, Bethan Corner, was also in attendance and, alongside Simone Buitendijk, unveiled the official plaque of the HELIX opening. The desire for HELIX to become a space of joint enterprise was mentioned again as Bethan confirmed that University societies are “desperate to get involved”. When looking around the facility, there is no wonder why it has created such a buzz.

The facility launch gave a taste of things to come. Margaret Korosec, Dean of Online Education and Professional Learning, read her speech from a wafer-thin iPad stood in front of the OmniDeck, VR goggles dotted around the perimeter. As she was sharing her excitement for the capabilities of HELIX’s technology, an audience member could not decline a phone call and another accidentally summoned Siri. It was easy to get lost in the ultra-tech world of HELIX, these moments acted as a reminder of the potential pitfalls the facility might have and prompted questions about how such state-of-the-art technology can be made accessible to anyone and everyone. 

As a space unlike anything found on campus, there are also questions about how HELIX will operate day-to-day. Those who book suites and rooms will be able to ask for assistance from on-site employees as well as accessing online handbooks. Instruction sheets are also provided in spaces like the podcast suites so users can figure the technology out themselves. The amount of help that will be available on-site and whether students can just show up and use the space is not yet clear. A dynamic, easy atmosphere is encouraged however and is at the heart of HELIX’s philosophy.

The separation of ‘analogue’ creativity and digital technology has been consigned to the past. HELIX encourages great ideas to be born from the interaction of the analogue and digital: creativity and technology. This new space is an exciting step in the future of university education. The opportunities it affords students and staff are endless and we are certainly intrigued to see what comes out of HELIX. 

Tours of HELIX are available to anyone who books (via this link: https://digitaleducation.leeds.ac.uk/helix/events-and-tours/). The facility will also be hosting further events over the course of the academic year. Keep a VR-goggled eye out!

Mural found outside HELIX completed by Leeds-based artist Nicholas Dixon Image Credit: University of Leeds

Send Nudes by Saba Sams review – “10 short stories that are brilliantly crafted and subtle in their delivery.”

Krishna Srinivasan on 28 March 2022

‘So she left, walked home through the park, with an image in her head that wouldn’t shift: her body as a nut cracked open.’ This is one of a hundred stunning lines from 25-year-old author Saba Sams’ debut novel, Send Nudes, a collection of 10 short stories that are hard to put down, brilliantly crafted and subtle in their delivery.

Send Nudes chronicles the lives of several Generation Z women who have just come of age and explores their reactions to the absurd situations they find themselves in. These situations come about within the patriarchal society they live in, such as in Here Alone where Emily finds herself being used to make her date’s ex-girlfriend jealous. She is ignored and left discarded like a plastic wrapper, finally finding comfort through food, a pleasure she indulges in with hesitation. 

It is not only patriarchy that Sams pays attention to, but also the ills of capitalism and its resulting inequality. In Today’s Square a working-class girl is promised a holiday by her mother, but the onslaught of COVID and financial difficulties render this impossible. These characters go from point A to B rather easily and their actions show a resigned acceptance, but a whole load of internal monologue complicates things.

Sams is interested in how modern technology – smartphones, social media, selfies – distorts women’s perception of themselves. See the title story, Send Nudes, where the protagonist struggles with her appearance, or Tinderloin, in which a Tinder match has disastrous consequences. Her characters don’t fit into the standards expected of young women and they suffer as a result. They are rebellious without meaning to be, and different without wanting to be. An important message from the collection is that only very few women fit into these standards of beauty and behaviour, and the toxicity and self-hate from this is inherently damaging. 

The best story in the collection, by a mile, is Overnight, a truly harrowing depiction of sexual assault, told through flashbacks at a rave. The relatability of the settings – a rave, a party, and school uniform shopping – make it all the more horrifying. The fine-drawn nuances of this type of scarring situation are so confidently rendered and stay with you for days.

Altogether, these socially relevant themes, combined with deadpan dialogue and a fluid prose style give the collection a visceral energy. It is the kind of book that people will fangirl over, and rightly so.

In Britain, Sams is part of a generation in which the female artist has taken on a renewed importance. Last year we saw the release of critically acclaimed albums from female musicians: Arlo Parks, Joy Crookes and PinkPantheress to name a few. In literature also, we are seeing a similar situation, where the poster girl is Sally Rooney.

Sams’ style of writing is almost identical to Rooney’s. In this area, Saba Sams has brought nothing new to the table. But innovation in prose style is not what she is after; it is content in which she has made remarkable strides. She has significantly widened the picture from Rooney’s obsession with bourgeois romance troubles and middle-class professionals moaning of how awful life is whilst professing themselves to be avid Marxists…

Stories should reveal something to the reader by taking them into the depths of a character’s inner life, a place which said reader cannot access otherwise. Sams does this down to a T. Her stories are rich in narrative and reach peaks that warrant further exploration. Her short stories leave the reader pondering over their conclusions. 

But the peaks also show something else: that many of the stories have the potential to grow into novels. Sally Rooney’s Normal People began life as a short story. Saba Sams should realise this and soon release a novel – a form in which I expect she will fare greatly.