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Renewable Rundown: August 2022
TGP’s monthly blog dedicated to renewable energy & sustainability created by TGP alumna and mechanical engineer Kayla Loy.
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Renewable Energy
A Finland start up has developed a large scale heat storage battery. The battery is quite simple, as it’s just a large amount of sand in a steel silo heated up to high temps. When tested the sand can hold heat for months with little heat loss. The silo is installed at Vatajankoski power plant and is expected to heat 100 houses via distributed district heating.
US Dept of Energy and Health and Human services is supporting a community solar program that will be offered to low income homes. The program is in partnership with the Low Income Energy Assistance Program which assists with energy bill payment, weatherization, and energy related repairs. The goal of the program is to power 5 million homes with 20%-50% savings on bills. The initial program will start in Illinois, New Jersey, New York, New Mexico, Colorado, and Washington DC as they already have established low income support programs.
Policy
Philippine president, Ferdinand Marcos, stated that building clean technology is a priority in his first nation address. In the 75 minute speech, he made it clear that utilization of existing renewable energy technology was at the top of his list. He also stated that their plan would not limit out nuclear or natural gas as the ultimate goal was to diversify their energy sources.
Innovation
Heat pump manufacturer, Lennox International, has developed a heat pump that performs better in cold weather. Traditional heat pumps have a lower efficiency in lower temperatures which is why they are less common in cold climates, even though they have low emissions compared to other HVAC systems. Lennox is 1 of 9 manufacturers competing in the DOE’s CCHP Technology Challenge over the next two years.
Sustainable Action
Continue to stay educated. Here’s a list of 8 TEDTalks covering carbon, soil regeneration, social media campaigns, and other topics involving climate change.
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