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Harnessing power through existing ocean infrastructure
CategoriesSustainable News

Harnessing power through existing ocean infrastructure

By Zarkon Group,
Harnessing power through existing ocean infrastructure

Spotted: Depending on what source you use, the total estimated output of global wave energy is somewhere between 20 and 90,000 terawatt-hours per year. Although this is a wide range, when you consider that the total global energy consumption is now over 25,000 terawatt-hours per year, even the low end of the range is enough to cover most of humanity’s energy needs. The main issue, however, is finding the best way to take advantage of this wave energy.

Moroccan startup Advanced Third Age Renewable Energies Company (ATAREC) is developing a system to exploit the wave energy close to shore, in the areas around breakwaters and other infrastructure exposed to the sea. The startup’s Wave Beat technology captures energy from the vertical variations in sea level using a free-floating buoy.

ATAREC has constructed a demonstrator in the Port of Tanger-Med, 45 kilometres north of Tangier, to take advantage of the 110 megawatts of wave energy in front of the port’s vertical breakwater. The energy produced by the Wave Beat is used directly at the huge port to help run operations.

The company has received more than €900,000 in funding, including equity, grants, and non-dilutive funding. ATAREC is currently applying for additional funding and plans to launch a fundraising campaign.

Wave energy is starting to take off, with other innovations spotted by Springwise including a design for generating energy from the movement of ships in the water and rolling wave generators to power sensors.

Written By: Lisa Magloff

Reference

Retrofitting existing cooling towers with direct air capture 
CategoriesSustainable News

Retrofitting existing cooling towers with direct air capture 

By Zarkon Group,
Retrofitting existing cooling towers with direct air capture 

Spotted: The International Energy Agency (IEA) says that in the net zero by 2050 scenario, direct air capture (DAC) needs to reach almost 60 megatonnes of CO2 every year by 2030. Currently, the 18 direct air capture plants in operation around the world are only sequestering 0.01 megatonnes of CO2. While experts consider 60 megatonnes of CO2 captured per year to be an attainable amount, additional large-scale plants are needed to reach that volume. 

As well as building new plants, retrofitting old structures could be another way of reducing global emissions. German company NeoCarbon has built a system that integrates with existing cooling towers to capture carbon dioxide from the circulating air. As well as being ten times less expensive than a new carbon capture plant, NeoCarbon’s design could remove several billion tonnes of CO2 if it was applied to Europe’s current industrial manufacturing infrastructure. 

NeoCarbon works with businesses to set up the carbon capture system and requires no upfront costs. Carbon dioxide is removed from the air as it circulates throughout the cooling towers, reducing companies’ emissions footprint without requiring any additional building expenses. 

NeoCarbon transforms captured emissions into newly usable formats, including industrial chemicals and food-grade materials. Brands can buy removal credits as well as the captured carbon dioxide for use in their plants, and the NeoCarbon team says that their technology is mass market ready.  

Sequestering carbon is an exciting area of growth, with Springwise spotting innovations improving ways emissions are captured, as well as expanding the uses of the waste carbon. In the fashion industry, one company is replacing traditional polyester fabrics with a net-positive version made from carbon dioxide. And another organisation is using geothermal energy to sustainably power its direct air capture systems.

Written By: Keely Khoury

Reference

Startup converts existing buildings to net-zero with innovative process
CategoriesSustainable News

Startup converts existing buildings to net-zero with innovative process

By Zarkon Group,
Startup converts existing buildings to net-zero with innovative process

Spotted: One of the big challenges to reaching net zero is converting existing buildings to reduce their carbon footprint. It is simply not feasible to tear down existing structures and replace them with purpose-built net zero buildings, and in many cases, it is also not economically viable to add elements such as insulation or heating pumps to older buildings. In response, German startup Ecoworks is tackling this problem from the outside . The company develops a second skin with built-in insulation designed to help buildings radically cut energy use.

Ecoworks begins with a 3D scan of the building, which is used to create a digital twin. Using this twin, the company develops plans for panels which will fit over the existing walls. Robots then assemble the panels, which are complete with windows, ventilation, channels for pipes, and solar panels on the roof. On-site, skilled workers can install the panels rapidly, completing the project in a few weeks.

This approach works best with buildings that have a simple exterior structure, such as apartment complexes. However, Ecoworks has plans to expand the concept to less uniform buildings, such as schools and single-family homes. In one project—which involved a 1930s apartment complex—the building went from using 450 kilowatt-hours of energy per square metre, to having negative emissions and feeding excess energy back into the grid.

The push to decarbonise existing buildings is just getting started, but already we are seeing some fascinating innovations in this space. Springwise has already covered a number of these, including an SaaS platform geared to helping real estate investors lower their environmental impact, as well as zero carbon buildings made from ceramics. 

Written By: Lisa Magloff

14th April 2022

Website: ecoworks.tech

Reference