Compared to $8.3 billion in 2019, the industry is predicted to generate revenue of $57.8 billion in 2030. Additionally, between 2020 and 2030 (forecast period), the market would advance at a CAGR of 20.0%.
Understand the in-and-out of green brands (in other words, Sustainability 1.1)
New elevation data triple estimates of global vulnerability to sea-level rise and coastal flooding
As we collectively look back on a very unexpected 2020, it seems only fitting that blockchain had the biggest impact in the sector where it started: in financial markets. The financial world is rapidly transforming and can no longer ignore digital cryptocurrencies. The evidence is simply overwhelming.
Numerous countries—from China and Singapore in Asia to Sweden and France in Europe to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in the Middle East—are all exploring centralized bank digital currency (CBDC) equivalents of their respective fiat currencies. Crypto exchanges like Kraken are taking the unprecedented step of getting bank licenses. Decentralized exchanges are overtaking centralized incumbents (in August, for example, Uniswap surpassed Coinbase Pro in trading volume). And in mid-December Bitcoin reached an all-time high, for the first time crested US$23,000, mainly driven this time by the interest of large enterprises.
Meanwhile, the ‘data for free’ model that has existed for years is coming to an end, and not just because of legislation such as the EU’s GDPR and California’s CCPA. Consumers are fighting back against losing control of their own data as tech giants find themselves the target of lawsuits. In April, a U.S. federal appeals court revived litigation that accused Facebook of violating users’ privacy rights by illegally tracking their Internet activity. In September, a coalition of Canadian provinces sued Google in a proposed class action lawsuit alleging the Internet giant was collecting data without consent. That same month the Irish Data Protection Commission issued a preliminary decision to halt Facebook’s trans-Atlantic data transfers.
As a consequence, self-sovereign identities powered by user-controlled decentralized identifiers are on the rise across various industries, from the energy sector in which Energy Web operates to education to healthcare.
Against this backdrop, blockchain—and decentralized digital technologies more generally—are gaining favor as a new, powerful tool to complement enterprises’ traditional IT software. In particular, I see five emerging trends:
Enterprise sustainability—especially green energy investment and other forms of climate action—is particularly timely. Just earlier this month saw the fifth anniversary of the Paris Agreement, landmark international cooperation to tackle the climate crisis. As we close the books on 2020, it remains on track to break new ground as the hottest year on record.
To source and ship its beans more sustainably and ethically, Yallah Coffee went old-school and chose a wind-powered sailboat. The three-month, 7,500-nautical-mile journey from Colombia to the UK had a (nearly) zero carbon footprint and allowed Yallah to work directly with growers, ensuring that farmers received more money than they would under typical fair-trade pricing.
Don’t head for your nearest harbor just yet, but consider unconventional routes to building truly sustainable and ethical business operations. And share that journey (sometimes literally) with your customers.
💡 How can you truly tick all of the sustainability boxes that people care about?
Artificial intelligence rules more than the science industry — it’s quickly spreading through the agricultural sector. Self-sufficient greenhouses use AI tech to operate independently and sustain vertical farming systems.
Algorithms replace — or complement — human reasoning, testing computers’ abilities to make rational decisions. Will they know how much fertilizer or water to use? Do they understand why different plants need various types of sunlight exposure?
Intelligent yield predictor systems are a significant component of what researchers call digital farming. Machines must gauge when vegetables are ripe enough to pick or leave on the branch. This tech could encourage a breakthrough in how industrial farms operate concerning efficiency and accuracy.
Teams at Microsoft created the Sonoma Project to test how well remote-controlled greenhouses can raise crops. They used technologies like pattern recognition and robotics for identifying crop irregularities and harvesting ripened vegetables. Their data revealed the autonomous system had a 17% higher yield than human growers. This experiment shows AI-led agriculture is a viable contender for conventional methods.
Distributed energy resources are small-scale electricity facilities located close to the end-users. Standard examples consist of microgrids, solar PV and energy storage batteries. These components offer fast and efficient ways to obtain energy compared to large plants or high-voltage lines. Green electricity and DER often go hand in hand because of their energy-saving qualities.
Consumers can independently power their homes using wind turbines or solar panels, forsaking the energy grid for cleaner alternatives. They also receive higher-quality utility services for less money and fewer GHG emissions.
The primary characteristics of DER technologies include premium power, cogenerative abilities and low-cost energy. Most systems operate within a range of 3 kW to 50 MW and serve as stand-alone units or additions to an existing electricity grid.
DER technologies will become more prevalent as increasing populations turn toward renewables. The days of carbon-based energy are gradually declining for modern consumers.
Energy grids relying on renewables often require static compensators to establish a frequency-response mechanism. Frameworks running on wind or solar energy often struggle to provide electricity depending on the load demand, an issue thermal energy sources don’t encounter.
Compensators help sustain a consistent voltage across the network, preventing any power losses. These devices facilitate efficient grids that receive a steady electricity flow even when connected to variable energy sources.
Some businesses are reluctant to switch to green power because of its instability, but static compensators can lessen these worries. General Electric has developed a patented Static Var Compensator technology to help consumers integrate renewable energy into new and established networks. SVC tech offers flexibility for numerous utility systems and can shrink a grid’s footprint.
Static compensators are still a niche technology in many ways, but GE is bringing them to the forefront for 2020. Improved forms of renewable power will encourage more organizations to join the clean energy movement.
The ‘klimatbutik’ is a pop-up shop launched by Swedish food brand Felix where items are priced according to their carbon footprint. Customers have a weekly carbon budget of 18.6 kg, showing them, in a very hands-on way, what the environmental cost of their shopping is. Meanwhile, Felix products that are sold elsewhere are also labelled with a climate-impact scale.
Not just food brands, but restaurants and fashion brands are increasingly adopting carbon labelling to educate consumers on the hidden costs of products while gaining a new competitive advantage.
💡 How can you better educate your customers about the true costs of your products?
This was perhaps the most encouraging set of responses: People told me that the global health crisis has shown them how interconnected we all are, and that they want to keep doing more for others after the pandemic ends. They’re donating more to charitable causes, trying harder to reduce their carbon footprint, and engaging in more political activism.
“I’d like to keep my home a headquarters for the three different county mutual aid coalitions I’m affiliated with,” said Erin Brown of Tazewell County, Illinois. “I currently have donations stored here that delivery volunteers and folks in need come to collect. My landline, which is part of my internet package, was never used before but is now a mutual aid contact number. I’m in a good location, near all three of those counties, and I suspect mutual aid will be vital for some time to come.”
The protests against police brutality have also galvanized millions to fight for racial justice.
“For the longest time, I did not keep up with current news. It’s not hard to see why — our world is a shitshow, and my mental health is bad enough as is,” said Adrian DeRoy, a 27-year-old reader in the US. “But the black community rising up yet again to face their challenges made me look, and seeing the world slowly but surely start to fall in step with the protests here, the voices crying out as one ... it gives me some small semblance of hope. Hope that maybe we will get through all this, and come out better than we were before.”
Blink Charging (BLNK)an electric vehicle charging company, has seen its stock price rise by over 400% this year alone, and it's showing no signs of slowing. A flurry of new deals, including a collaboration with EnerSys have created some support for the relative newcomer.
Michael D. Farkas, Founder, CEO and Executive Chairman of Blink noted, "This is an exciting collaboration with EnerSys because it combines the industry-leading technologies of our two companies to provide user-friendly, high powered, next-generation charging alternatives. We are continuously innovating our product offerings to provide more efficient and convenient charging options to the growing community of EV drivers."
Another high-profile deal between Blink and Envoy Technologies to deploy electric vehicles and charging stations adds further support. Aric Ohana, CEO of Envoy noted, "We're excited to work with Blink on the deployment of their fast Level 2 charging stations as part of our exclusive electric car-sharing service."
Getting outdoors has been, for many of us, a crucial way to maintain our sanity during lockdown. In particular, parents have wanted to give their cooped-up kids a chance to run around and release some energy (which, frankly, is probably as crucial for the parents’ mental health as for the children’s).
“I have developed a morning routine that involves ‘quiet listening’ on the porch with the kids. It’s a great way to start out calm with my wild little ones,” said Sharon Lapin, a painter in Atlanta.
Others are simply enjoying the chance to reconnect to the natural world. Its rhythms and resilience can help to calm our anxious minds.
“I want to stay in this less distracted zone and enjoy the time I have with my husband by taking advantage of the natural world (hiking, kayaking) and taking trips in our camper,” ****said Camille Costa Nerney of upstate New York.
Amazon (AMZN) too is jumping on board the sustainability train. On multiple fronts. Last year, CEIO Jeff Bezos launched a $10 billion climate change fund, but that was only the beginning. Amazon is also making major moves to clean up its act. The company is investing big on the transportation of tomorrow, leading a $700 million investment round in the electric vehicle startup, Rivian. It has also acquired a robo-taxi startup, Zoox.
In addition to its transportation push, Amazon has pledged to go completely carbon neutral by the year 2040, a full decade ahead of the Paris Climate Agreement. As a part of that pledge, the tech giant is also looking to power all of its operations by 100% renewable energy within the next five years.
Despite criticism of the company, it's undeniable that its business model and commitment to doing better is resonating with investors. This year alone, Amazon has seen its stock price jump from $1898 to $3128, representing a 65% return for investors who have managed to hold on.
72% of Europeans and Americans, and 84% of Chinese people believe that their own behaviour can make a difference in tackling climate change.
COVID-19 and public transport, 75% of Americans, 71% of Chinese people and 67% of Europeans say they are less likely to use public transport
Giving up their car would be the most difficult option vs. easiest to give up flying to fight climate change
Choices and actions can contribute to the fight against climate change. 72% of European citizens believe that their own behaviour can make a difference in tackling climate change.
Climate tech will become the hottest investment topic In February, Bill Gates will publish a much-anticipated book on how to avoid a climate disaster, sparking a global conversation about what practical steps we all need to take.
Sustainable tights brand Swedish Stockings has partnered with designer Gustaf Westman to turn old hosiery into a range of tables. Each table is made of up to 350 pairs of tights received through Swedish Stockings’ Recycling Club: an initiative that previously collected donations of used tights to be recycled into commercial grease tanks, and now also into furniture.
Tights into tables and grease tanks? Yes, anything can be re-, up- and transcycled. And in 2021, brands will increasingly make use of their waste to enter new markets.
💡 Which market can you enter by transforming trash into treasure?
Cloud computing systems store files and programs on a remote server instead of a physical computer. Users can access their information from anywhere — at home or on vacation. They can host data on multiple servers and share it with colleagues, friends or bosses. Cloud computing technology is convenient, but it’s also sustainable.
Employees use their computers for most of the day and leave the machines on even when they’re away. A typical desktop monitor uses 280 kWh per year, which is a lot of power to waste when nobody is using the computer. Combined with an energy-intensive server, a business can quickly rack up expensive electricity bills.
Replacing physical servers with cloud-based substitutes diminishes the need to access information from one source. More users will employ electronics like phones and tablets to view data, which lowers costs. Employees won’t need to print as many documents either, which combats deforestation and paper waste.
In our core Economic Transition Scenario, global carbon emissions from energy use drop 8% in 2020 and now appear to have peaked in 2019. They rise again with economic recovery toward 2027 but then decline 0.7% year-on-year to 2050, putting the world on track for 3.3 degrees of warming in 2100. To keep global warming well below two degrees, emissions need to fall 10 times faster, at 6% year-on-year to 2050. For 1.5 degrees, the required rate is 10%. In total, Covid-19 subtracts some 2.5 years’ worth of aggregate emissions over the next 30 years.
Wind and PV grow to meet 56% of world electricity demand in 2050, with batteries, flexible demand and peakers in support. Leading countries go as high as 70-80% before hitting economic limits. Wind retakes the lead from solar.
Renewables and batteries capture 80% of the total $15.1 trillion invested in new power capacity. Around $2 trillion or 13% is invested by households and businesses. Asia Pacific attracts 45% of all new capital. To enable the power system of the future, $14 trillion in grid investment is needed between now and 2050.
Oil demand peaks in 2035 and then falls 0.7% year-on-year to return to 2018 levels in 2050. Electric vehicles (EVs) reach upfront price parity with Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicles before 2025, spurring faster adoption thereafter. The growth of EVs offsets demand growth in aviation, shipping and petrochemicals, and shapes the future of oil.
Gas is the only fossil fuel to grow continuously through the outlook, gaining 0.5% year-on-year to 2050. Cumulative growth of 33% in buildings and 23% in industry is balanced by declining gas use in power where consumption peaked in 2019 – although gas-fired power capacity continues to grow worldwide. Cheap gas ultimately slows the energy transition in the United States.
Coal demand peaked in 2018 and collapses to 18% of primary energy by mid-century, from 26% today. It is in freefall across Europe and the U.S. Coal-fired power peaks in China in 2027 and in India in 2030. But, despite improvements in energy efficiency and recycling, primary coal demand continues to grow in industry.
In the NEO Climate Scenario, our clean electricity and hydrogen pathway requires 100,000TWh of power generation by 2050. This power system is 6-8 times bigger than today’s, has double the peak demand, and generates five times the electricity. Two-thirds of this electricity goes to direct electricity provision in transport, industry and buildings. The rest is used to manufacture green hydrogen.
Green hydrogen provides just under a quarter of total final energy in 2050 under our Climate Scenario. This needs 800Mt of fuel and 36,000TWh of electricity – that’s 38% more power than is produced in the world today. This could be met with a further 14TW of renewables or 4TW of new nuclear. The renewable route might be cheaper but land is an issue.
Reducing emissions well below two degrees under our clean electricity and green hydrogen pathway requires between $78 trillion and $130 trillion of new investment between now and 2050. That’s around $64 trillion on power generation and the electricity grid for direct electricity provision, and between $14 trillion and $66 trillion on hydrogen manufacturing, transport and storage.
Fuel cells are carbon-neutral alternatives for diesel- and gasoline-powered car batteries. Electric cars don’t directly contribute to GHG pollution because they have no gas tanks or tailpipes. Most of them operate on lithium-ion power units, though some also use fuel cells. These devices only produce electricity, water and heat when they receive fuel — which is often pure hydrogen.
Green energy experts classify them by the electrolytes they use, which dictate the applications they suit best. Examples include alkaline, solid oxide and direct methanol.
Manufacturers install polymer electrolyte membrane cells in passenger vehicles because of their fast start-up times and high power densities. Hydrogen-powered tram-buses are hitting the roads in France, while Honda has upgraded their 2020 Clarity Fuel Cell vehicle for better performance.
Reducing the number of gas-guzzling cars on the road will significantly improve pollution rates across the country. Transportation accounted for 29% of GHG emissions in 2017, with 59% of this consisting of light-duty vehicles.
Plastic recycling falls behind compared to other disposal technologies, even though people dispose of this material every day. Many recovery facilities can’t accept plastic grocery bags or straws because they get tangled in the machines. Even successfully recycled plastic often comes out with a lower quality. A lot of materials sit in landfills or drift in the ocean because of this inability to convert them.
Deep-learning machines can sort disposables with increased efficiency and decision-making. Many materials slip past human sorters, which results in them combining with incompatible waste.
Robots pinpoint items by chemical composition and size and place them in the correct bins for treatment. MIT researchers recently developed a machine that sorts trash with 85% accuracy, and robotics already exist in various waste management facilities.
Robots enhance current methods of waste identification, ensuring cleaner and safer processes. Teaching AI machines how to see, touch and learn can facilitate major changes in the waste disposal industry.
Annie’s, the iconic subsidiary brand of 154-year-old General Mills, is making mac & cheese — its top seller — regenerative, through wheat farmed in a way that sequesters carbon and enriches soils. Many consider regenerative farming a silver bullet in the fight against climate change, including Patagonia, Danone and even Walmart.
In 2021, regenerative farming products will make their way into consumers' hands, giving early adopter brands a clear competitive advantage among eco-progressive consumers.
💡 How can you not only do less harm to the planet but leave it better off?
Understory Weather, which Fadell calls a climate-change driven, next-generation insurance company that started with smart weather stations and data.
Fadell has made some big bets with companies like Rohinni, which makes microlight emitting diodes; Turntide, which makes digital motors; Menlo Micro, which is making microelectronic miniaturized switches; and Phononic, which makes a solid state chipset for cooling.
Each of these technologies takes mechanical technology that, with the exception of the lightbulb, hasn’t seen much in the way of digital advancements for decades and makes those technologies programmable.
This was by far the most popular response. Many told me they want to spend less money shopping for new material goods like gadgets and clothes. A long period of being shut in and not spending as much has led to the realization that so much of our consumer behavior is about instant gratification, not lasting happiness.
Several people also noted that they plan to eat out less often at restaurants. Eating in during the lockdown has enabled them to save money, and some have discovered a taste for home-cooked meals.
A few said they’ll look to “mend and make do” more often. In situations where that’s not possible and they’ll have to buy something new, respondents told me they want to be more mindful of where they spend their money.
“I think I will be more inclined to direct my consumption toward small local businesses,” said Nora Zeid, a 23-year-old illustrator and designer in the United Arab Emirates. “It breaks my heart how much they have suffered lately and how, unlike big corporations, they are less likely to survive.”
US carbon pollution dropped by 10.3% in 2020 to the lowest level in three decades, according to an estimate from Rhodium Group this week. That will significantly help the country hit targets outlined in the Paris Agreement.
**But…**you knew this was coming...there’s still a lot of work to do. A new study from NASA concluded that 2020 tied 2016 for the hottest year since record-keeping began in 1880.
And the UN would like to remind you that climate change affects the economy—and that we should structure climate financing accordingly. The international body urged world governments to bulk up plans for climate adaptation to dodge economic devastation, especially for developing countries, which are most vulnerable to the effects of climate change.
A recent survey of 1,000 industry executives concluded that hydrogen fuel cell technology will ultimately outperform battery-powered EVs. Technological advances and a ton of money piling into R&D have revived hydrogen for a potentially massive comeback.
From the European Union's ambitious hydrogen strategy and giant utilities switching to hydrogen to Wall Street doubling down on the predicted $11 trillion hydrogen marketplace by 2050, hydrogen is now in overdrive, and some fuel cell companies are seeing their stocks soar as FCEVs (fuel cell electric vehicles) take center stage. One of the most exciting is Bloom Energy (BE).
California-based Bloom designs, manufactures and sells solid-oxide fuel cell systems. And, yes, there's been a ton of cash burn up to this point, but it's heralding massive innovation--and that's what tech startups are all about. Growth runways, not immediate profit.
That's why we are willing to throw tons of money at our innovative future. Eventually, the narrative changes and for the successful companies, the cash burn stops and there starts to be payback for investors. Anyone who didn't get in on time got left in the innovation dust. That's what's already happening with Bloom. Savvy investor patience is paying off. Bloom is now on track to be the first fuel cell maker to become cash-flow positive.
In a year, it's gained over 312%. For investors who got in October, 2019 at $3.69 and then cashed out in early October 2020 when the stock hit $22.92, they would have been rewarded with a 521% gain.
And this could all be about to get even bigger. Why? Because this relatively small company is thinking in huge terms: We're not just talking about fuel cells for construction vehicles or to power remote electricity generation … Bloom is thinking far bigger than that: It's targeting utility scale applications of fuel cells. It's targeting industrial-scale applications. And in the process, it's attracting some very big names.
Bloom has recently announced a series of high-profile partnerships, including a JV with Samsung Heavy Industries and a second with a major South Korean engineering and construction company. Those partnerships could lead to a massive uptick in fuel cell deployments and analysts are looking at a potential for Bloom to increase its sales by seven times. This may be a newly re-emerging sector, but it's riding a huge wave and of all the hydrogen bets out there, this one seems the most clear-cut path to grabbing a piece of this momentum.
https://blueandgreentomorrow.com/environment/6-important-greentech-trends-to-watch-for-2020/
https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2020/09/10/2091900/0/en/Global-57-8-Billion-Green-Technology-and-Sustainability-Market-to-2030.html
https://t-mac.co.uk/9-technological-trends-to-watch-in-2021/
https://www.power-and-beyond.com/6-energy-tech-trends-for-2021-a-983341/
https://www.ledgerinsights.com/2021-blockchain-predictions-from-energy-web/
https://about.bnef.com/new-energy-outlook/
https://techcrunch.com/2020/12/30/for-tony-fadell-the-future-of-startups-is-connected-and-sustainable/?guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly9uZXdzLmdvb2dsZS5jb20v&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAISgqaE623uTfhuRDo5heWJ4jI3oAh3GJt-pdqlFTG2sbNVsf-QVN7giKPoxNiasHqoJ8tkXi96EYgxU_VDFWLuv1bA8wCA_saBTiNJzlv66KSLd0R2wLnAtCAaakk90B81fZZiwqlaNiu5OrXTQrsjlAuALDlOynG8XwhIwFpxs&guccounter=2
https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2020/6/9/21279258/coronavirus-pandemic-new-quarantine-habits
https://www.morningbrew.com/daily/stories/2021/01/14/lower-emissions-heat-climate-change-update?email=sboghossian@stoopinbox.com&__cf_chl_jschl_tk__=6f6fd08344e7f1373520c4cf4f448e68d7e4b70c-1610712419-0-ASmBVEqbT63-ESE-36M5DfEnr5zQcW0kJaNwk_UuOMESiiWQ2jgCYvGbGyyotAiTqRfRQwDUARQ5obwiaCvFdg4LBRGRubHfLn4O2y7tJv6mXguQ6r7Yi8ue50iL_Qe-n6LyvpNtPyzHZFvAafQyVIiuvtNF_RmKDhGR09zaABqS0cDWuMcXpldh3FgcGNeU7E9zORGnodFK3bnBcClE9Gi_VItW5dp40CcwFYTVjR9FMI1VCexckabDE9cmrzmoijPIpRKFAUZGwrpjtBA2kAA6MA2GQWTGcGZiyQ_-pBoYx7XYGyHkmu667y8Wtj_M_hWmggJ1L6sQJjayAx9r1b2z7gSZQJdGlL9rdNt_RgJtJFYy-8ZVr3swF0ylR0hgssITQGyEk8XUedmpL7Ll7mn4xPXiaNuiF2WaoybIDqw_VW8fxpLXpK4hhkmXe0AYzCQGZsxkQmkIgy6AXYGV7HBJOsWcy-RGTFZOZyZmXjm4b_f455XNsQAPGpu42LDmoA
https://www.eib.org/fr/surveys/climate-survey/3rd-climate-survey/what-to-give-up-for-climate-change.htm