http://www.nbcnews.com/mach/innovation/next-solar-energy-revolution-hiding-plain-sight-n742111 Some may have already heard of this, but entrepreneur Elon Musk's revolutionary electric car company plans to begin selling solar energy capturing shingles that blend in as well as any shingles available; they may in fact look even better. In addition to these roof solar tiles, photovoltaic (method of converting sunlight to electricity) window panes are being planned as well, meaning not only will private residences be able to independently sustain their power needs, so will commercial structures such as skyscrapers. Dominated by windows, buildings such as skyscrapers in the city have the potential to draw massive contracts with companies such as Tesla, expanding the clean energy company and promoting renewable resources at the same time. The same goes for the solar roof tiles. The potential for private and commercial solar development is at the highest level it has ever been at and Tesla is at the forefront of the market. This article intrigues me not only because of the implications of widespread private and commercial solar utilization on the environment, but also the affects it would have on the energy market in regards to the utility companies that provide grid power to homes and businesses. The more people and business move off the power grid and become self sustainable, the more revenue the utility companies stand to lose. I foresee a need for these companies to begin to innovate and branch out to stay alive in this ever changing world.
0 Comments
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/denmark-ran-entirely-on-wind-energy-for-a-day-a7607991.html
An intriguing article, very interesting to see that a highly developed European country like Denmark has the capability to run itself entirely on renewable energy for a full day. Reading through the article, it looks like the rest of the European Union is trying to follow suit, intending on using now coal-sourced power by 2025. To me, this is a great step that the rest of the world needs to take a look at. Fossil fuels are not getting any more plentiful, those resources will not be around for much longer. In the grand scheme of things, even if we have widely available oil for the next 25 years the wells will run dry sooner rather than later. Not to mention that our environment will be ravaged if we continue to burn these fuels at an unsustainable rate. The time is absolutely now to start focusing on making renewable sources of power a primary focus. https://www.ted.com/talks/michael_shellenberger_how_fear_of_nuclear_power_is_hurting_the_environment
After watching Shellenberger's Ted Talk, I wholeheartedly agree with the message he is sending. Coming from someone who shares interest in both the environment and energy his points on our own fears surrounding nuclear energy distracting us from the goal of clean, renewable energy. Nuclear power generation is a very misunderstood beast, as Shellenberger states. After cataclysms such as Chernobyl, Fukishima and near misses like Three Mile Island, people throughout the world are weary of nuclear power. However, as the TED talk addresses, most injury and death from these events were caused by the chaos ensuing from fear itself. In fact, nuclear energy is some of the safest, most sustainable and reliable sources of clean energy available for use. Emitting only small amounts of carbon dioxide, nuclear produces more than half of the worlds clean energy. Even still, people around the world don't trust nuclear due to the potential of a reactor meltdown or other serious catastrophic. This widespread fear is reflected in the reduction of nuclear power plants worldwide, including the complete shut down of such plants in Japan. Shellenberger makes a great point in that we cannot allow our unfounded fears of something so potentially beneficial for our planet to be cast aside as "too dangerous". He cites advancements such as thorium reactors, which use a different fuel and reaction method to produce nuclear power and other clean, safe technologies. When it comes to nuclear power, the only thing to fear is fear itself. |
Archives
April 2017
Categories |