Updates on Global Developments in Sustainable Energy

This blog is about latest updates on global developments in sustainable and renewable energy, integrated recycling practices and their sector-wise potential in future perspective. The page is updated on regular basis. 

By the end of 2023, the world has added 50% more renewable capacity than in 2022, reaching 507 gigawatts where only solar photovoltaic systems made up three-quarters of the global additions. But still a lot is yet to be done to reach Net Zero Emissions target by 2050.

Currently, the most primary goal upfront is to maximize the energy production from renewable and sustainable sources and reduce dependency on fossil fuels for human health and environment safety.

According to United States Energy Information Administration, Solar and Wind energy combined account for 18% of the total United States electricity consumption by 2024. In United States only, the consumption of Solar Power systems has increased 8 times in last 10 years revealing the transition of sourcing electricity from fossil fuels to renewable sources.

A. Sector-Wise Global Transition towards Renewable and Sustainable Energy

Although the total global demand of energy is very high, the world has integrated most of such systems for energy efficiency and reduce dependence on fossil fuels in many sectors because the fossil fuels are a considered as a primary factor behind global warming and greenhouse gas emissions.

The global warming retrospectively results in stress on energy production again causing a vicious circle of energy and climate crisis. Here in this blog we are giving a glimpse of what has been done by different sectors in a transition towards sustainable and renewable energy in last 10 years.

To read about introduction to of sustainable and renewable energy, current trends and future prospects of transition towards greener world, please read our blog.

B. Energy Sector

To address the dynamics of renewable energy sources like solar and wind, long-duration energy storage solutions are gaining attention. Advanced technologies such as iron-air batteries, air-ion batteries, flow batteries, and thermal storages (which stores excess energy as heat) are being developed to store energy for days or even weeks, ensuring a more reliable power supply during periods of low renewable electricity generation.

Production of solid-state batteries is increasing which has the potential to improve energy storage efficiency. Companies like QuantumScape are making significant strides in this technology, which could revolutionize electric vehicles (EVs) and grid-scale energy in future.

There are emerging trends towards production and consumption of green and blue hydrogen being renewable energy sources and it is expected to increase over time. Many hydrogen production plants throughout the world are under way to meet at 3% to 14% of the world’s total energy demand by 2050. Although this is still very low and would equal only one-tenth of the recommended needs of the Net Zero Emissions targets of International Energy Agency (IEA). Read our blog on blue and green hydrogen and its implications here.

Growth in demand of Biofuels (Bio diesel, Biomethane, Biochar, Bio Ethanol, Bio Butanol, Bio Jet fuel and Biogas combined) has reached up-to 11% by 2023. Global biofuel production is expected to rise to 4,570 thousand barrels of oil equivalent per day by 2028 which will make a considerable achievement towards minimizing greenhouse gas emissions. Our latest blog covers the subject of bio fuels and their impacts on climate change.

C. Power Sector

Solar panels are being integrated from traditional silicon-based solar panels to more flexible and lightweight panels made from organic and inorganic materials which reduce the cost of solar energy and minimize energy losses.

Traditional silicon solar panels are also being integrated by using advanced techniques in shape of bifacial solar panels (which capture sunlight on both sides) and tandem cells (which combine multiple layers of materials to capture more sunlight). This is helping reduce the cost-per-watt of solar energy generation and increased overall efficiency.

Solar panels are increasingly being integrated into the design of buildings in shape of solar windows and solar roofing materials making it easier for buildings to become net-zero energy consumers.

In addition to conventional solar systems (the photovoltaic technology), thermophotovoltaics technology, an advanced type of renewable energy technology has been introduced, which instead of using sunlight, converts infrared radiation or commonly called sun heat into electricity using specially engineered photovoltaic cells. Read about thermophotovoltaic systems in our blog.

Offshore wind energy is one of the fastest-growing sectors in renewable energy. Larger, more powerful turbines (over 12 MW) are being established to make offshore wind farms more cost-competitive. Integrated lightweight concrete floating wind farms are progressing in deeper waters also.

Similarly, electricity production from air ions using Ion Harvesting Technology is also progressing. This technology uses carbon nanomaterials to extract electricity from the ions in the atmosphere. The electricity can be used to power lights, motors and electronics at the cheapest price.

Water Conservation Sector

Global warming in some areas has resulted in increased average rainfall raising needs of more water reservoirs. Although development of hydroelectric power generation sources like dams is quite expensive, they are still a promising solution for conserving large quantities of water and electricity production globally.

Construction of many dams is under way in China, India, South America and Southeast Asia. Baihetan Dam Located in China became operational in 2022 and is the second largest hydropower project with a planned capacity of 16 gigawatts and water storage capacity of 20.627 billion cubic meters.

Hydrogen is also introduced in power generation sector with zero emissions. As the sustainable practices towards minimizing greenhouse gas emissions are progressing, hydrogen is considered as the most ideal source of power production to reach a fully decarbonized energy system with zero emissions.

D. Industrial Sector

Integrated bio-based textile products made from algae, fungi, and agricultural by-products are replacing traditional textiles like cotton, polyester, and nylon. These fabrics not only reduce dependency on petroleum-based synthetic fibers but are also biodegradable.

Recycled Polyester made from plastic bottles or post-consumer plastic waste is increasingly being introduced to replace conventional polyester which generates substantial amount of carbon dioxide.

Textile brands are adopting circular business models where textiles are designed for reuse, recycling, or biodegradation. This includes designing products with fewer raw materials, avoiding waste in manufacturing process, and creating garments that can be easily repaired or disassembled for recycling or are even biodegradable. Sustainability of textile industry has been covered in detail in our blog.

Communities are being educated to change overall Social behavioral to convert old clothes into lower-quality garments for personal use, making textile-to-textile recycling more viable. Additionally, fibers from old garments are reused in new fabrics, avoiding landfill waste and reducing the need for new resources.

Slow fashion movements are encouraged to slower consumer consumption, focusing on high-quality, durable items that last longer rather than cheap, fast-produced garments. This approach is reducing textile waste, carbon emissions, and the demand for fast-paced production.

Additionally, the textile sector is also focusing on using recyclable, biodegradable, or reusable packaging materials.

In United States, Responsible Textile Recovery Act has been enforced in California in 2024, requiring clothing producers to implement a system for recycling proportion of the fabrics that they sell in the market. Other states are also implementing such laws resulting in proper recycling and safe management of recyclable apparel and textile articles.

Increased dependence on technology and electronics has increased the use of automatic AI controlled cars, automatic machinery, automatic home appliances, computers, mobiles, IT equipment, internet devices and medical equipment etc. In 2024 only, precious metals like Neodymium, Gold, Silver, Tin, Copper, Nickel, and Palladium worth of estimated $15 billion were extracted from e-waste globally through sustainable recycling techniques.

E. Automotive sector

All materials used in car manufacturing are almost recyclable. Many car companies are encouraging recycled materials in their new car manufacturing for sustainability of plastic and other materials. Recently, BMW has introduced its BMW i-Vision Circular Car 2040, which is a concept car made from 100% recycled materials. Read about end-of-life automotive recycling practices in our blog here.

Lina, a 100% biodegradable car, is an innovation of a group of students from Eindhoven University of Technology Netherlands made from a resin derived from Flax combined with a bioplastic made entirely from sugar beets. Learn about the concept of biodegradable cars in our latest blog.

The adoption of electric vehicles is continuously growing in last 10 years globally. Batteries are becoming more efficient and cheaper, with high performance solid-state batteries.

In addition to rockets and ships, hydrogen fuel is being introduced in buses, trucks, and trains etc globally. Hydrogen-powered airplanes are in the experimental stage, with companies like ZeroAvia working on creating hydrogen-electric aircraft for regional flights.

F. Construction Sector

The cement industry accounts for about 8% of the world's carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Cement sector is progressing towards decarbonizing by reducing the consumption of coal and integrating towards alternate fuels.

Instead of reliance on fossil fuels for heating purposes, the cement plants are shifting towards electricity which is being fulfilled by renewable sources, mostly solar energy and by using waste heat recovery system of the cement plant. This transition towards renewable sources is increasing energy efficiency and minimizing greenhouse gas emissions.

Reliance of other heavy industries like steel and chemical on fossil fuels is also decreasing and these industries are being electrified to reduce industrial carbon emissions.

Additionally, in preparation of concrete, supplementary cement materials like slag, fly ash, silica fumes, bagasse ash, rice husk ash and wheat straw ash are being introduced which are providing equal strength by reducing cement component by 10 to 15% and thus are considered more sustainable. We have discussed the subject of introduction of subject in detail in our blog.

G. Plastic sector

Plastic manufacturing contributes significantly to carbon emissions due to use of fossil fuels in the production. Due to raising global concerns over environmental pollution caused by plastic products, United Nations has passed a resolution titled “End Plastic Pollution” at the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) on 02 March 2022, to end plastic pollution by 2024.

Unlike traditional mechanical recycling on plastics, which actually degrade the plastic quality over time, chemical recycling (such as pyrolysis or depolymerization) to break down plastics into their molecular components is being practiced. To use these advanced recycling technologies, renewable energy is used making them more sustainable and cost-competitive.

While plastic production significantly contributes towards carbon emissions, plastic producers are introducing carbon capture utilization and storage (CCUS) technologies to capture CO2 emissions. This captured CO2 is used as a raw material for producing new plastics making the process more sustainable.

Development of bioplastics and biodegradable plastics is a key advancement towards sustainability in the plastic sector. These recycled materials are now being used in plastic packaging, medical equipment and automotive industry etc. If you are interested to study the subject of bioplastics in detail, please see here.

Polystyrene waste has a significant impact on climate change as only a very small proportion of this waste is currently been recycled and leftover remains in the environment for hundreds of years. In United States many laws are now prohibiting use of polystyrene in food packaging.

Additionally many modern techniques are introduced for safe and potential recycling of polystyrene. We have added our recent blog regarding recycling of polystyrene waste for environmental safety in detail.

H. Waste Management Sector

Recycling of organic Solid Waste such as food wastes, human and animal wastes and plant wastes is progressing through composting and vermicomposting techniques to produce organic fertilizers which are more energy efficient and safe for human health. Study about composting and vermicomposting in our latest blog.

Similarly, the world's largest wastewater recycling facility in California is producing up to 130 million gallons of high-quality water every day, to meet the daily needs of nearly one million residents in north and central Orange County, California.

Sea water harnessing systems have been established in remote areas globally where clean water is not easily accessible. In recent years, United States has established a number of rainwater treatment facilities, processing 479 million gallons per day of seawater in California, Florida, and Texas.

Four of the other world’s largest sea water treatment plants are operational in Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Read how sea water is harnessed through reverse osmosis method for use in drinking in our blog.

I. Environmental Safety Sector

Integrated direct air capture DAC technologies, which remove CO2 from the atmosphere and store it underground or use it for industrial applications are gaining traction. Several companies, like Climeworks, Carbon Engineering, and Global CCS Institute, are working on large scale CO2 capture plants capable of meeting global climate targets by removing CO₂ from the atmosphere at a significant scale.

Afforestation (creating new forests) and Reforestation (replanting or rehabilitating old forests) practices are progressing along with strict application of deforestation laws with government supports. This is resulting in restoration of ecosystem, improving biodiversity and absorbing carbon dioxide.

African-led “Great Green Wall” is the world's largest afforestation project valuing $14b dollars. This 7,775-km-long and 15-km-wide belt of rehabilitated land covers many African countries and aims to restore the continent’s degraded landscapes and transform millions of lives.

Social Sector

Increasing impact of fossil fuels on environment has raised many initiatives in social sector also. The subjects particularly in respect of pollution, sustainable and renewable energy, recycling, waste management and alternate fuels have been included in curriculum at different levels and certain training programs resulting in skill development and widespread awareness among communities.

Renewable energy sectors (solar, wind, hydro, and bioenergy) has created many jobs in manufacturing, installation, operation, and maintenance benefiting new industries and infrastructure and boosting local economies.

Many states in United States have implemented laws by introducing waste bins in different colors and labels for residents and businesses for separating and sorting organic materials and traditional recyclable and non-recyclable items to speedup recycling processes by segregating these items at initial stages.

Keep visiting our blogs for updated developments on the subject.

Latest Updated November 2024