Day: May 12, 2021

Hydrostor is developing truly massive grid storage in watery caverns

Read the full story at Canary Media.

Dozens of companies are building breakthrough technologies to store clean power for hours on end. Canadian startup Hydrostor could beat them to market with a combination of water and caves.

After operating its technology in Ontario’s wholesale market for two years, Hydrostor last week won a government grant worth 4 million Canadian dollars ($3.2 million) to pay for design work for a project that could deliver as much as 500 megawatts. That’s more capacity than the largest lithium-ion battery plants that are now operating. But Hydrostor’s facility would be able to discharge for up to 12 hours, longer than is typically cost-effective for batteries.

Google spinoff Malta nabs $50M Series B for thermal long-duration storage

Read the full story from GreenTech Media.

Malta converts electricity to thermal energy and back again, theoretically unlocking up to 200 hours’ worth of energy storage.

Luxury beauty is betting on refillable solutions, but will customer behavior follow?

Read the full story at Glossy.

Though sustainability is becoming a bigger priority for the beauty industry, luxury lines have largely relied on refillable models to marry consumer desire with brand positioning…

Thus far, luxury beauty brands have focused their refillable efforts on limited assortments, as they try to teach customers new behaviors and keep packaging costs low.

Green ‘liberty’ bonds: The American way to win the war on climate change?

Read the full story at Canary Media.

President Joe Biden has an aggressive plan to decarbonize the U.S. economy. But his administration hasn’t yet provided many specifics on how it plans to leverage public funding to drive greater private capital investment in the green infrastructure needed to reach its goals.

Bryan Garcia, president and CEO of the Connecticut Green Bank, thinks that a modern, green-tinged version of Liberty Bonds, the U.S. government war bonds from World War I and World War II, could be a valuable model for the federal government — particularly if Connecticut’s recent experience with it can be replicated at a national scale.

Connecticut Green Bank’s $25 million green “liberty” bond issuance on Thursday, its latest to support rooftop solar and energy efficiency projects in the state, was oversubscribed by nearly a factor of four, Garcia said.

Phillips 66 and Southwest Airlines partner to help commercialize sustainable fuel

Read the full story at Environment + Energy Leader.

Phillips 66 and Southwest Airlines have signed a memorandum of understanding to advance the commercialization of sustainable aviation fuel, focusing on public awareness, along with research and development. The memorandum of understanding also sets the framework to explore a future supply agreement involving Phillips 66’s Rodeo Renewed project in California and highlights the commitment by both companies to a sustainable energy future.

Neiman Marcus wants customers to know it’s buying into sustainability

Read the full story in the Dallas Morning News.

Neiman Marcus is turning up the volume on its sustainability efforts as more customers, particularly Millennials and Gen Z’s, take the environment and retail’s impact on society into account as they shop.

Neiman Marcus has started working with consultants to assess areas important to a luxury retailer, identify investment opportunities and come up with a strategy later this year.

The Dallas-based luxury retailer has formed a new team that is expected to infuse environmental considerations and sustainability into all parts of its business. The three-person team will set up task force groups across departments and will report to chief people officer Eric Severson and to the board on a quarterly basis.

Ultrasonic Aqueous Parts Cleaning in Auto Repair

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In October 2020, PPRC conducted an EcoBiz certification visit with Autobahn Motorwerks (Autobahn). Among several best practices in place, EcoBiz learned of their replacement of a solvent parts washer with an ultrasonic system, utilizing an EPA Safer Choice all-purpose cleaner. PPRC discovered that these ultrasonic cleaners are commonly used by jewelry makers and laboratories, but are becoming popular for auto repair shops, due to excellent cleaning performance and avoidance of solvents. A 30 liter (30L) unit seems suitable for throughput typical of smaller shops (under 10 employees), and 100L may be a better size for larger auto shops.

During an EcoBiz certification at another auto shop in Oregon, PPRC found they were interested in ultrasonic cleaning as well, especially because of staff sensitivity to some solvents. They periodically used non-chlorinated aerosol cleaners for parts cleaning, and for larger-part cleaning jobs, would send out an entire part for cleaning. They purchased a 30L ultrasonic unit and are trialing two non-hazardous aqueous cleaners. Both shops are pleased with ultrasonic cleaning and eliminating solvents for parts washing.

Tips, best practices for use, brief success stories, and cost benefit analyses are presented below.

How transmission along railroads and highways could break open clean energy growth

Read the full story at Canary Media.

High-voltage lines buried along road and rail rights of way could carry renewable power across the U.S. — if a lot of novel challenges can be overcome.

Unsnarling traffic jams is the newest way to lower emissions

Read the full story in Scientific American.

The Department of Energy is preparing to use the massive computing power of its national laboratories to tackle a daily scourge of American life: traffic jams.

The effort is aimed at more than just improving motorists’ moods. If it works, it could cut U.S. transportation fuel consumption up to 20% and reduce auto emissions.

A second goal is to recover as much as $100 billion in lost worker productivity by unsnarling rush hour traffic jams in U.S. cities over the next 10 years.

Sewage has stories to tell. Why won’t the U. S. listen?

Read the full story in Smithsonian Magazine.

Sewage epidemiology has been used in other countries for decades, but not here. Will Covid change that?