Sustainable Energy

The global energy landscape is changing dramatically as evidenced by the following five trends.

1. Last year, coal production fell by a record number. A higher number of producers than ever before are switching to natural gas, wind, and solar energy.

2. The world’s largest economies are among those who are turning away from coal. China and the U.S. are the world’s largest two economies, so their reduced use of coal has the most impact.

As the Trump Administration announces their plans to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris Climate Agreement, other countries are set to take the lead in reducing global carbon emissions.

Tesla has recently begun taking orders for their new solar tiles, which are a game-changer for those looking to invest in alternative home energy. The design itself is innovative, with modular tiles that can cover as much or as little of the roof as desired. And since the tiles look almost exactly like regular tiles, coming in a range of styles, they can easily blend in with non-solar parts of the roof.

India is well on its way to meeting the renewable energy targets set during the Paris Climate agreement. With plummeting wholesale prices of solar power reaching another record low in the country, renewable energy is continuing to undercut fossil-fuel generated power. Cheaper finance and growing investor confidence have resulted in this historic 40% drop in price thereby enhancing India’s renewable energy capacity. Even as the world’s third largest carbon polluter, the country is set to exceed renewable energy targets by 2027.

A delegation of the Pacific Climate Warriors, a 350.org climate activist group from the Pacific Islands, are arriving in Canada today to raise a paddle. During their 9-day trip, they will tour the tar sands in Alberta, engage in public events, and meet with various Indigenous Communities in Western Canada.

 J Henry Fair doesn’t really consider his mesmerizing aerial photographs art. He sees them as documents or intricate studies that tell a complete story about the things we take for granted on our planet.

Waterloo, Ontario will begin a pilot program to turn dog waste into energy and fertilizer. Our current mode of disposing dog poop leaves municipal garbage bins up to 80% full of just doggie bags. This is a shockingly high percentage, considering how much garbage is produced every year. To address this problem, one man in Waterloo borrowed an old idea from rural life and updated it for the city. Small green receptacles will be placed in parks in Waterloo (starting with three parks for the pilot) for the special disposal of dog poop.

A museum that celebrates the founding of the coal mining industry in a small town in Southeast Kentucky will soon be powered by clean, renewable energy. Owned by Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College, The Kentucky Coal Mining Museum has ironically found a new way to cut down costs: solar energy.

I took this picture from a recent article by the Economist, titled "A world turned upside down". The article addresses the question “Wind and solar energy are disrupting a century-old model of providing electricity. What will replace it?” (February 25^th, Briefing). Click here to read the complete article.

Ikea is certainly walking the walk when it comes to reaching Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). From reducing food waste to sourcing sustainable and ethical materials, the household retail giant has launched an ambitious action plan that seems to be working. According to their 2016 sustainability report (needs a minute to load), they have invested €2.1 billion in solar and wind power since 2009.