Lifeboat Foundation

Water scarcity is a major global crisis that already affects every continent. Around 1.2 billion people, or almost one-fifth of the world’s population, lack access to safe drinking water. Desalination is the answer to long-term water security, but it’s also expensive, energy-intensive, and often inaccessible to isolated regions. This is why sustainable off-grid desalination systems powered by renewable energy are essential.

But thanks to the innovative microbial desalination cell (MDC) technology that follows a green, low-energy process with electro-active bacteria to desalinate and sterilize seawater, desalination is becoming a viable low-cost solution for water resources in many areas of the world and is putting an end to water scarcity even in isolated regions.

Now, researchers from the EU-funded W20 project have developed an off-grid innovative solution – the world’s first wave-driven desalination system – called Wave2O. The new system can be deployed quickly, operate completely off-grid, and supply large quantities of fresh water at a competitive cost. The technology uses the power of the ocean waves, a consistent and inexhaustible renewable energy source.

Thinking Huts intends to increase access to education.

Maggie Grout, who was born in a rural mountain village in China, was adopted rather young. “And I think that largely shaped my outlook through the rest of my life — knowing what poverty looks like, and how it impacts the opportunities you’re able to achieve in life. Having that allowed me to see more clearly what my purpose was in life — helping children gain access to education in underprivileged areas in the world,” she tells *IE* in an interview. Huts rely on additive manufacturing technologies to build sustainable schools. Recently, they built the first 3D-printed school in Madagascar.

The sad truth is that our electricity markets currently lack the ability to accept the vast amounts of renewable energy capacity to meet state targets and corporate commitments to procure clean energy. A study by Princeton University found that high-voltage transmission capacity would need to expand by 60% to meet clean energy targets, representing billions of dollars in needed utility upgrades.

However, we can avoid much of this need by siting renewable resources closer to where they are needed – at the distribution level of the grid. In order to do so, we will need to take several key steps to solve major system barriers to expanding renewable energy on the grid. The good news is that with some policy improvements – some major and some minor – renewable energy capacity at the distribution level can meet needs without the long lead time required for larger, utility-scale resources.

Adding a molecule normally used in detergent to an infrared LED could make devices that are easier to manufacture, require less energy and display richer colours than existing ones.

Solar cells and LEDs made from perovskite, a titanium and calcium crystal, have long held promise as being more efficient and easier to produce than commonly used silicon-based devices, but making them both stable and efficient enough to rival silicon’s commercial success has proved difficult.

What gives humans the advantage over our incoming robot masters? Junaid Mubeen at New Scientist Live this October.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=6zLUHueIkF8

The challenge: Just 100 years ago, vegetable oils were practically nonexistent in the human diet. Today, they’re a major part of it: 740 million acres — an area that would cover 90% of India — are dedicated to growing soybeans, palm trees, and other oilseed crops.

While these cooking oils can make food extra tasty, oilseed crop production releases greenhouse gasses, contributes to biodiversity loss, and consumes freshwater that could otherwise be used for drinking or to grow other food.

Continue reading “This lab-grown cooking oil could replace vegetable oil” »

Scientists in Australia have demonstrated a new way to apply a passivating contact layer to silicon cells. They produced an n-type cell with aluminum-titanium passivating contact and 21.9% efficiency, and claimed the technique could open up new possibilities for the use of transition metal oxides in cell passivation.

The vehicles we’ll see on the roads in a decade’s time will be radically different from what we have at present. Design language will change a lot, as hinted by the concepts and prototypes put together by big names and budding automotive designers.

The focus definitely will be on personal mobility in the most sustainable manner possible. Compact vehicles that will trade off the greatest of luxuries for a more sensible method of commuting will be the norm. This boomerang-shaped two-seater vehicle with multiple use-case scenarios is different from what we’ve seen so far. Even in the automotive landscape dominated by some really bizarre vehicle concepts.

Designer: Artem Smirnov