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Mitigating the impact of lithium-ion batteries in the energy transition
CategoriesSustainable News

Mitigating the impact of lithium-ion batteries in the energy transition

By Zarkon Group,

Spotted: Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) look set to play a crucial role in the future of energy as the world transitions away from fossil fuels. Found in everything from electric vehicles to smartphones and computers, these batteries have several downsides when it comes to environmental impact. Lithium mining is an extremely water-intensive process that involves the use of toxic chemicals. In fact, producing each tonne of lithium requires 500,000 gallons of water. And exacerbating this problem is the fact that several of the leading lithium-producing regions, such as the Atacama Desert in Chile, are among the world’s driest. 

Innovators are rising to the challenge in several ways. Some are exploring alternative ways of extracting lithium, while others are developing batteries that avoid using lithium (and other minerals with a high environmental impact) altogether. But given the current prevalence of LIBs, and the early stage of alternative technologies, one of the biggest things we can do to mitigate their impact is to invest in effective recycling technologies. 

Canadian company Li-Cycle has developed a two-step recycling process that enables the recovery of critical materials, including lithium, cobalt, and nickel. 

The first step of the process involves breaking down the end-of-life batteries into their component parts. The second step consists of refining the materials into different product streams which can then be used for new batteries.

Unlike other battery recycling processes, which require high temperatures, Li-Cycle’s patented approach relies on chemistry, using unique ‘hydrometallurgical’ technology that is more environmentally friendly. Moreover, traditional approaches to battery recycling typically result in the loss of up to half of the useful recycled material in comparison to Li-Cycle’s 95 per cent recovery rate. The Li-Cycle system can handle batteries of various sizes used for different applications.

The company has recently announced that it plans to expand its operations into Europe. The company will open spoke facilities in Norway and Germany in the first half of 2023, with an aim to recycle 65,000 tonnes of batteries annually by the end of that year. This expansion will help Li-Cycle to meet the growing demand for its services as the world moves toward a more sustainable future.

Other innovations spotted by Sporingwise that re-use end-of-life batteries include e-rickshaws that give a second life to electric vehicle batteries, a startup re-purposing used electric vehicle batteries into home energy storage systems, and technology that yields pure graphite from used lithium-ion batteries.

Written By: Katrina Lane

8th July 2022

Website: li-cycle.com

Contact: li-cycle.com/contact

Reference

Sealed – Energy Efficient Homes Without Cost or Hassle
CategoriesSustainable News Zero Energy Homes

Sealed – Energy Efficient Homes Without Cost or Hassle

By Zarkon Group,

Are you someone who wants to make your home more energy efficient but gets stressed about the thought of the time and money involved? Sealed offers home energy renovation packages that take care of the logistics and financing, so you don’t have to. They focus on helping homeowners achieve a stress-free energy upgrade that significantly cuts energy waste in the home. Based in New York, Sealed has extended its services to New Jersey, Connecticut, the Philadelphia Metro Area, and the Chicagoland Area of Illinois – with more to come. They prioritize ease, affordability, and comfort for homeowners through powerful energy upgrades, including heat pumps, whole-home weatherization with insulation, air sealing, and smart home tech, without sacrificing quality – while putting homeowners first. 

The Sources of Renovation Stress 

Have you ever spent all afternoon searching for a decent contractor? Or maybe you have made what feels like a million calls that end up with you waiting on hold or even leading to a dead end. Perhaps you have passed those stages but still find yourself confused and unsure. Unsure about how you might pay or what they’re even talking about. When looking for a decent contractor to help improve energy efficiency within your home, many stressors seem to come along with what should be a harmless task. Sealed helps ensure you don’t have to deal with that nightmare process and can get directly to the dream results. 

Sealed Takes Care of it All 

“We will take care of it all.” Sealed believes in helping people achieve healthy, comfortable, and energy-efficient homes, and they are committed to making it an easy process. Sealed actively takes away the stress of everything from finding contractors up to figuring out a payment method. Sealed provides certified home performance contractors, project plans, and coordination of all of the work. “We manage the installation process from scheduling to completion.” Their method is efficient and affordable. After a day or two in your home, Sealed takes care of everything, including the upfront costs. The energy that you save will help pay for the project. “If you don’t save energy? We don’t get paid”. 

The Sealed Process Step by Step

“At Sealed, we’ve designed a better process for upgrading homes. We prioritize ease, affordability, and accountability, without ever sacrificing quality”. The first step is to take the Sealed qualification quiz. It only takes a few minutes, and you will receive an immediate response as to whether or not you are a good fit for Sealed. The next step is to have an introductory call. On this call, there will be a conversation about the issues your home is experiencing and how they can best address them. This call is free, and there is no obligation to take the conversation further. After the introductory call, Sealed will conduct an energy profile analysis. This analysis entails a quick scan of the home’s energy strengths and weaknesses and past energy usage to understand better what upgrades your home needs. Once Sealed understands your house better, they will devise a project plan and timeline. Your home upgrade plan will include the project value and customized payment program. With Sealed’s payment plan, they can cover up to 100% of the project costs upfront. They’ll work with you to design your repayment terms to balance the low upfront costs with monthly charges that work for your budget. If you’re ready to move forward, you’ll sign your agreement. Next, your Sealed contractor will visit your home to verify that everything is properly scoped out. If any changes are needed, they will adjust the plan accordingly. Then, the installation process will begin. Based on the project plan and timeline, installation takes about one or two days. 

Energy Efficiency with Accountability 

Once the installation is complete, you will start receiving monthly bills. Sealed bases the repayment amount on actual energy savings from the renovations completed. If the home energy improvements don’t reduce your energy use, Sealed won’t get paid. So Sealed partners with the best home contractors and only suggests upgrades that will save you energy and money.

The Help We All Need 

How does the existing housing stock reach zero emissions by 2050? It’s a big job, but Sealed is one of many startups that offers the opportunity for everyone with an existing home to get on the path to zero carbon. Given the federal government’s lack of action, the innovation of private companies, such as Sealed, powered by investor capital, is a great way to reach that goal. By offering the technical resources and financing that homeowners need, companies like Sealed may make it possible for almost all homeowners to get on the path to zero. 

 

–  By Anna Jennissen, Editorial and Events Intern with EEBA. Anna is pursuing a BA at the  University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, majoring in Strategic Communications and Sustainability.

Special thanks to Sealed for editing and reviewing this article.

Reference

A wood-based cooling foam could improve energy efficiency
CategoriesSustainable News

A wood-based cooling foam could improve energy efficiency

By Zarkon Group,

Spotted: As global temperatures continue to rise, the demand for air conditioning is skyrocketing. In fact, according to a recent study, the use of air conditioners is expected to quadruple by 2050. This increased demand will not only strain the world’s energy resources – it will also contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. In response, engineers in China and Germany have designed a new type of foam made from wood-based cellulose nanocrystals. 

The new foam is lightweight and reflective, meaning it can deflect solar radiation and allow heat to escape. The material is also thermally insulating. In fact, during trials the material reflected 96 per cent of sunlight and emitted over 90 per cent of the infrared radiation absorbed. If widely adopted, this technology could help to reduce the cooling energy needs of buildings by more than a third. As the world looks for ways to mitigate the effects of climate change, this foam has the potential to be a game-changer. 

When placed over an aluminum foil-lined box, the researchers found that the material was able to keep the temperature inside the box 16 degrees Fahrenheit cooler than the outside. And when the air was humid, the material kept the inside of the box 13 degrees Fahrenheit cooler. The team estimates that placing the foam on the roof and exterior walls of a building could reduce its cooling costs by up to 30 per cent. So far, the material has only been tested in small spaces. But if it can be scaled up to commercial applications, it could provide a much-needed break for our overburdened air conditioners.

The researchers believe the foam can be adapted to work in a wide range of environments, making it an ideal solution for a variety of applications.  

The study also provides an important proof of concept for the use of cellulose-based materials in thermal management, and it is hoped that this technology will eventually lead to significant reductions in energy consumption. 

Other recent heating and cooling innovations spotted by Springwise include a smart building management system that heats and cools offices as needed, a smart roof coating for better energy saving, and a window coating that blocks infrared light.

Written By: Katrina Lane

26th May 2022

Email: kai.zhang@uni-goettingen.de

Website: pubs.acs.org

Reference

Energy Efficient Building Suppliers Make It Easy 
CategoriesSustainable News Zero Energy Homes

Energy Efficient Building Suppliers Make It Easy 

By Zarkon Group,

Energy-efficient building is much more than a fleeting trend: Around the world, the negative effects of climate change can no longer be ignored, from rising global temperatures to poor air quality caused by pollution. According to NASA scientists, reducing carbon emissions is crucial to turning things around. Further, it must be done on a global scale and within every industry, including home construction and renovation. 

The good news for home builders and remodelers is that energy-efficient, low carbon construction and remodeling isn’t out of reach, no matter your budget or geographic location. Today’s energy-efficient building suppliers are making it easier than ever to achieve net-zero emissions by providing state-of-the-art energy-efficient products and technical advice. Regarding material choice, there are a variety of sustainable options out there, even for homeowners working with a modest budget. 

No matter your architectural vision for an energy-efficient low carbon home, choosing a building supplier that can provide the energy-efficient products and materials you need can make all the difference. Here are a few standout companies in sustainable construction and renovation that you can order from wherever you live.

EEBA/Ecomedes                                                                                                                            

Sourcing and specifying sustainable building materials just got easy at EEBA/Ecomedes.

EEBA.Ecomedes.com is your comprehensive source for top-rated brands and sustainability certifications that you need for residential construction. Easily search by product category, brand, certifications and ecolabels, or greenest products to streamline how your teams source and specify. Once products are selected, easily review all product data and compare competitors. You can also add products to a project and start to calculate impact and evaluate how those selected products help you achieve your project’s preferred rating system.

ecomedes is providing solutions for building owners and designers to save time and money while making  environmental, social, and governance compliance easy. You can get started today at eeba.ecomedes.com.

Small Planet Supply

Founded in 2009, Small Planet Supply is an industry leader in sustainable building supplies, zero-energy education, and technical support while promoting social responsibility. The company was built on the backbone of the Passive House movement, which is widely recognized as the world’s leading standard in energy-efficient construction.  Small Planet’s catalog is full of innovative, sustainable products, including ThermaCork 100% natural cork insulation, created in-house by Small Planet. 

They have two warehouse locations, one in Tumwater, Washington, and one in Vancouver, B.C.,  and typically ship orders within the same or next business day. Shipping rates and carriers are dependent on customer location and package weight. Discounts may be available to local customers that are close enough to take advantage of the company’s reduced-cost truck delivery, which reduces emissions.

Rise

As a certified B Corp and a member of 1% for the Planet, Rise has high standards for home improvement product recommendations and endorsements. Rise Approved Manufacturers are judged on a variety of criteria, including whether the company can verify all of their environmental claims and the quality of the work environment where products are manufactured. As an “education-first” marketplace, the company also offers online home sustainability courses for eco-conscious builders at an affordable rate, starting at just $19 per course.

At Rise, energy efficiency is part of the entire purchasing process, and shipping is always carbon neutral, no matter your destination or order size. Rise achieves carbon neutrality by purchasing carbon offsets, and the company retains transparency throughout by providing tracking information and delivery updates via email. 

When ordering directly from Rise, new and existing online customers can take a 10% shipping discount by entering the code RISE10 at checkout. Shipping is available in the contiguous U.S. states and Canada. Canadian customers should place orders at Rise’s Canadian website. 

Eco-Building Products

Much like Rise, Eco-Building Products offers a variety of innovative products and manufacturer recommendations to customers across the U.S. and Canada. Following a lucrative venture in the world of coffee shops, owner Jim Barnes established the company in 2006. Barnes is a dedicated environmentalist and former recipient of the Northern Michigan Environmental Action council’s “Environmentalist of the Year Award.” 

The Eco-Building Products online catalog features green building products and materials at all price points, suitable for eco-conscious DIY home builders and contractors alike, with a wide array of solar energy options. Eco-Building Products is also a good resource for energy efficient van conversion and tiny house supplies and materials. In addition, visitors can find plenty of resources and building tips on its Tiny House Hub. 

At Eco-Building Products, based in Elberta, Michigan, shipping is offered within the contiguous U.S., although international customers may make a special order by calling customer support at (231)-399-0700. 

475 High Performance Building Supply

At 475, customers looking to achieve zero emissions and/or meet Passive House standards have many products to choose from, such as energy-efficient hot water systems and thermal insulation. The company website also provides helpful knowledge resources for the DIY builder in the form of videos, ebooks, and on-demand courses. 

The exclusive North American distributor of Pro Clima air-sealing products, 475 High Performance Building Supply, offers shipping throughout Canada and the U.S., including Alaska and Hawaii. Curbside pickup of select materials may also be available to customers in the following cities, home to 475 High Performance Building Supply warehouses: \

  • Brooklyn, New York
  • Hillsboro, Oregon
  • Ridgefield, New Jersey
  • Waterbury, Connecticut

Going directly to local suppliers is one of the best ways to reduce emissions related to shipping and transit. 

Energy Efficient Products Available At Your Fingertips

Considering all we know about climate change and how every one of our actions can make a difference, there’s really no excuse to look the other way, because no matter where you live, the products and the know-how for taking action are at your fingertips. So when you plan your next remodel or new construction project, be sure to focus on reducing both operational and embodied carbon. Then utilize these companies that supply the energy efficient products and know-how needed to get your home, business, and life on the path to zero wherever you are. 

 

By Amanda Winstead      

Amanda Winstead is a writer from Oregon with a background in communications. She writes on science, business, and many more subjects. She can be reached on Twitter at amandawinsteadd

Amanda Winstead is a writer from the Portland area with a background in



Reference

IoT system tracks real-time energy consumption
CategoriesSustainable News

IoT system tracks real-time energy consumption

By Zarkon Group,

Spotted: It’s often easiest to understand something when it is made visible. Tunisian company Wattnow is using that premise to help businesses and individuals maximise the efficiency of their energy usage. The Wattnow platform provides a visual monitoring system for all energy points in a building. This system makes it easy to see where the most use is occurring. With hourly, daily, weekly, and annual comparisons, owners of a Wattnow system can see how a space’s consumption varies.

Available in either wired or wireless versions, the smart meters track energy use in both single and three-phase power systems. The algorithm-driven platform helps users save money and reduce pollution by identifying ways to consume energy more efficiently and by sending early alerts when maintenance is needed.

The plug-and-play system connects to an online dashboard accessible via both mobile and desktop, making it easier to respond to queries or alerts while on the go. And the AI puts together predictions for future use patterns, which owners can track against planned improvements to their systems and processes.

A variety of measurements can be recorded by the meters, allowing owners to get a full picture of the energy consumption of a building or space. Pricing for the service is available on request and based on a selection of case studies, including Tunisian Saoudi Bank and Carrefour.

Making resource use more efficient is the goal of many projects spotted by Springwise, from city-wide urban heat vulnerability assessments to a modular solar energy system that scales up and down as needed.  

Written by: Keely Khoury

6th May 2022

Website: wattnow.io

Contact: wattnow.io/contact-us-2/

Reference

The Jones Beach Energy and Nature Center
CategoriesArchitecture

The Jones Beach Energy and Nature Center

By Zarkon Group,

Have your say in which architects will take home Architizer’s prestigious A+Awards: Public Voting opens this spring. Interested in next year’s program? Subscribe to our newsletter for updates.  

As architecture firms across the United States join the AIA’s 2030 Commitment and integrate more sustainable practices into their work, effectively communicating the energy benefits of any given project during and after the design process is an ever-present challenge. Following a project’s completion, a plaque denoting an energy certification such as LEED may be installed on the building if it has achieved this accreditation, however, this doesn’t do much to educate the average person about what design elements actually contribute to this building’s energy efficiency. The way in which buildings, their systems and the environment interact is a complex equation that culminates in a calculated Energy Use Index (EUI) for any given project, which can vary over the course of its lifespan.

According to the International Energy Agency, architecture and its associated construction industry are responsible for approximately one third of total global energy consumption and nearly 15% of direct CO2 emissions, with energy demand from buildings continuing to rise. It is therefore imperative for new projects to not only aim for carbon neutrality and net zero status, but to also educate their inhabitants more globally about the impact of sustainability on the built environment.

With this in mind, in 2020 nARCHITECTS completed a pioneering facility that effectively visualizes how energy consumption shapes both architectural form and the natural environment. The project originally materialized when the New York State Parks Department asked nARCHITECTS to turn their attention towards a minor, ongoing renovation of a nature center at Jones Beach, that was in the planning stages at the time. The project’s ambition continued to grow as it developed, and the Jones Beach Energy and Nature Center eventually came to encompass an energy education center, a series of support offices, classrooms and a continuous sequence of exhibition spaces.

Jones Beach Energy and Nature Center © nARCHITECTS

The final budget, including the landscape and exhibitions, was roughly $30 million. Slightly under half of that total sum was contributed by the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA), which makes annual contributions and has partial curatorial oversight of the gallery spaces. This investment arrived on the heels of the 2019 Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, as New York State began to pursue an aggressive clean energy plan through capital investments, systemic changes and collaborations between policymakers, energy producers and the public. 

A shaded porch creates a constant interplay of shifting shadows. © nARCHITECTS

As a net-zero targeted building that permanently monitors and displays its own energy performance, the Jones Beach Energy and Nature Center is a true model for all projects that seek to enlighten visitors about their own carbon footprint and the ways that we can all become more conscientious environmental agents. The building has a thin, linear footprint that is born from the location of existing foundations and a concrete sub-surface belonging to a boathouse that formerly occupied the site.

At 320 feet in length, this single-story structure treads lightly on the site and functions as a gateway to the beautiful natural environment of Jones Beach. The building has a simple form, with a series of Northeastern-oriented sloped roofs and clerestory windows punctuating the long elevation to create the sensation of a set of rolling waves moving toward the shore. A cedar-clad canopy wraps the building on all sides, creating a continuous shaded porch that results in a continuously shifting pattern of shadows.

Clerestory windows bring light down into the gallery spaces. © nARCHITECTS

Inside, the gallery spaces feature plentiful glazing, creating a bright environment that consistently makes visual connections to the surrounding environment; a far cry from the typical white box gallery environment, completely divorced from its context. The Lobby and South Gallery explore the history of Long Island’s energy network, while the East Gallery investigates “The Power of Nature” through exhibits on the surrounding ecosystem, landscape conservation and habitat restoration. The West Gallery focuses on “The Nature of Energy,” through exhibits on natural energy sources, energy-efficient buildings, renewable energy technologies, embodied energy, and the impact of extreme weather on our power grid.

Jones Beach Energy and Nature Center Diagram © nARCHITECTS

Geothermal wells provide heating and cooling throughout the interior, while 260 photovoltaic panels provide enough energy to allow the building to operate off-grid for 6 hours. The Nature Center is educational for visitors in both its overall form and exhibition content, as it successfully outlines the role of energy in New Yorker’s lives and how thoughtful, site responsive architecture can minimize our impact on the environment. 

Jones Beach Energy and Nature Center © nARCHITECTS

What better place than Jones Beach to juxtapose the relationship between our built and natural environments. Structures like this one are a critical part of addressing the climate crisis, meeting sustainability goals, enhancing resilience, and supporting more equitable communities, as we move towards a less destructive future.

Have your say in which architects will take home Architizer’s prestigious A+Awards: Public Voting opens this spring. Interested in next year’s program? Subscribe to our newsletter for updates.  

Reference

A software service optimises decentralised energy projects
CategoriesSustainable News

A software service optimises decentralised energy projects

By Zarkon Group,

Spotted: The transition to a net-zero economy will require huge changes in our energy infrastructure. Not only will the power grids of the future be cleaner – they will also be more decentralised. In the fossil fuel era, energy infrastructure was owned by a small number of large players. But in the future, the fossil fuel supply chain will be replaced by much smaller assets embedded within the built environment. In the words of Australian startup Gridcognition, the energy transition represents a move away from ‘big dumb machines, to small smart ones’.

This transition represents a huge opportunity for the industry but comes with its own problems. One of the trickiest issues is the complexity of planning and assessing each de-centralised project – something that is beyond the scope of even the most sophisticated traditional spreadsheets. Industry players need to understand the environmental impacts and commercial opportunities of a diverse range of energy assets – such as virtual power plants, microgrids, community energy systems, and electric vehicle charging points. And they must also consider how each project interacts with the wider energy ecosystem and commercial landscape. Much more sophisticated data analysis is needed, and this is where Gridcognition’s software aims to play an important role.

The startup’s software service allows customers to simulate different energy project options based on a wide variety of different parameters – such as technical considerations, geographic location, and tariffs. The simulations crunch all this complex data allowing the user to quickly compare options based on commercial performance measures (such as cashflow) or environmental considerations (such as amount of CO2 emissions saved). The software also allows users to create a ‘digital twin’ of a project that can be updated as the project is deployed.

Gridcognition’s software is designed to be used by a range of different players including energy providers, project developers, solutions providers, large energy users, and property businesses. The startup has already secured a number of high-profile clients and partners, such as Amazon Web Services, and announced in October 2021 that it plans to expand into the UK microgrid market.

Other smart energy innovations spotted by Springwise include
a startup reducing
the impact of electric hot water systems, and devices that bring smart
meter technology to hard-to-reach homes.

Written By: Matthew Hempstead

17th March 2022

Email: hello@gridcognition.com

Website: gridcognition.com

Reference

Weather forecasts predict renewable energy production and use
CategoriesSustainable News

Weather forecasts predict renewable energy production and use

By Zarkon Group,

Spotted: Weather forecasting becomes doubly useful when applied to renewable energy sources. Sweden’s Greenlytics company combines expert meteorology and data analytics with machine learning to predict how much power is likely to be produced and how much is likely to be needed by consumers. By creating a big picture understanding of how current weather conditions fit in with typical patterns for each region, the system maps production data across expected consumption.

WindMind, SolarMind, and LoadMind systems help renewable energy producers and distributers more accurately match production to variations in the volume of power used by a community. The systems combine satellite data with ground measurements that include air pressure, temperature and wind speed. As the AI learns how local topography affects weather conditions and energy output—as well as how community use varies across time—the systems’ use predictions become more accurate. Energy system operators have the option to add live production data to the system for even more accurate short-term predictions.

All three systems are provided as a cloud service and are designed for ease of use at any scale, from personal homeowners with a small array of panels, to energy farm managers overseeing thousands of devices across multiple sites. Greenlytics provides free demonstrations.

Renewable energy is increasingly being used to reduce waste and provide power from underused sources. Springwise recently spotted a flexible generator that wraps around pipes in order to turn waste heat into electricity, and a solar-powered cement production process.  

Written by: Keely Khoury

14th March 2022

Email: info@greenlytics.io

Website: greenlytics.io

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