Volume 11, Issue 7
April 12, 2021 – April 18, 2021
Rei Zhang ‘21 | Zihan Lin ‘23 | Ben Buchovecky ‘23 | Riti Bhandarkar ‘23
A new material enables the usage of 'calcium' for batteries
April 6, 2021 | Tohoku University
Scientists at Tohoku University have discovered a new form of calcium that can potentially substitute lithium in batteries. Calcium is the fifth most abundant element on earth, making it a more sustainable source of electrochemical material than lithium. It has desirable electrochemical properties that can yield high battery performance. However, scientists face the challenge of finding a suitable electrolyte that possesses oxidative/reductive stabilities and high ionic conductivity. The Tohoku research team made a breakthrough in the stability problem with hydrogen cluster anion (monocarborane), which has demonstrated robust electrochemical performance. With this astonishing discovery, researchers are expecting to experiment with more complex hydrides and investigate more suitable electrolytes for rechargeable Ca batteries. - ZL
UK coastal waters valued at £200bn by ONS
April 6, 2021 | Richard Partington
In a report released on Tuesday, the United Kingdom’s Office for National Statistics (ONS) has put the economic value of the UK’s coastal waters at over £200 billion as the ocean’s estimated potential for renewable energy continues to grow. Over the past decade, the ONS estimated that offshore wind production had increased by a factor of 37. In 2020 alone, global wind power installations grew by almost nearly 100 gigawatts. This growth is not slowing down, with the UK recording its greenest day ever for power generation last weekend when 41% of electricity came from wind and 21% came from solar. The ONS’s evaluation also considered factors such as recreation, fisheries, and the economic value of the carbon dioxide sequestration. The ONS estimated that the UK waters capture between 10.5 and 60.1 million tonnes of CO2, evaluated between £742 million and £4.3 billion in value. -BB
PG&E Charged With Crimes in 2019 California Wildfire
April 6, 2021 | The New York Times | Ivan Penn
On Tuesday, the district attorney of Sonoma County charged Pacific Gas & Electric, a major utility company, with 5 felonies and 28 misdemeanors. The charges, including “recklessly causing a fire with great bodily injury”, are for the utility’s role in causing the Kincade fire of 2019, the largest wildfire in California of that season. The utility admitted that the failure of a 230,000 volt transmission line may have contributed to starting the fire. This is not the first set of charges PG&E and face for damage caused by their equipment; regulators believe their equipment is very poorly maintained. If PG&E is convicted of the charges, they could face penalties and fines, which would arrive soon after the utility emerged from bankruptcy last summer. - RB
Leighton Buzzard Train Station Introduces Energy Generating Walkways
April 7, 2021 | New Civil Engineer | Catherine Kennedy
At Leighton Buzzard train station in the U.K., two new walkways that generate power from passengers have recently been installed. Passengers that walk on the kinetic floor tiles will have their footsteps transformed into energy that powers two USB charging benches, as well as an information screen for visitors. The installation of these walkways was funded as part of the Department of Transportation’s green transport initiatives; the reuse of energy for the information screen helps the station and the country meet both sustainability and public engagement goals. -RZ
