Amazon co-founded The Climate Pledge, a commitment to meet the Paris Agreement 10 years early. It is now committing to reach 80% renewable energy by 2024 and 100% renewable energy by 2030 on its path to net zero carbon by 2040. Also, Amazon is launching the Right Now Climate Fund, committing $100 million to restore and protect forests, wetlands, and peatlands around the world in partnership with The Nature Conservancy.
Nexity announces its first Green Bond
Nexity, a French company that focuses on real estate development and the provision of related services, announced the issuance of its first green bond worth €240 million to qualified investors. This Green Bond fits within the Group’s CSR policy, the fight against global warming and the contribution to the transition to a low-carbon economy, in line with Nexity’s ambitious target of a 30% reduction in tonnes of CO2 eq. per home delivered by 2030.
There’s a net-zero energy building in every climatic zone today!
The World Economic Forum notes that net-zero energy buildings are quickly becoming mainstream, with NZEBs already operational in each climate zone found in the world! So, while University of Hawaii’s Maui College demonstrates NZE strategies in a tropical setting, Norway’s Powerhouse Brattorkaia shows the way forward for achieving NZE in continental climates. These model NZEBs are only growing, with a study reporting 950 organizations across 20 countries that are planning on building atleast one NZEB in this decade.
Net zero energy community in Pontardawe
Neath Port Talbot council approved Sero Homes to provide ecological support for their proposal to build 35 Zero carbon homes at Parc Hadau, Pontardawe. The two-, three- and four-bedroom homes will be equipped with solar panels and energy-storing batteries, ground-source heat pumps and innovative ventilation systems.
Amazon India Introducing Electric Delivery Rickshaws
Amazon India is launching a new fleet of electric delivery rickshaws in India. This year itself, Amazon India will operate its electric vehicle delivery fleet in in over 20 cities in the country, including major cities like Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Coimbatore, Delhi NCR, Hyderabad, Nagpur, and Pune. They have announced that there will be 10,000 such EVs in India by 2025. The move comes as part of the company’s global Climate Pledge, as announced in September 2019.
Converting carbon dioxide to liquid fuel
Scientists at Rice University have devised an environmentally friendly way to take carbon dioxide and turn it into liquid fuel. The device uses a catalytic reactor to transform the greenhouse gas into formic acid which can be used in several ways.
Super cool material are potential game changers in building envelopes
First introduced in 2014, super cool materials reflect a broad spectrum of light, in much the same way as mirrors or white paint do. In the crucial 8–13-µm part of the infrared spectrum, however, they strongly absorb and then emit radiation. When the materials point at the sky, the infrared rays can pass straight through the atmosphere and into space. That effectively links the materials to an inexhaustible heat sink, into which they can keep dumping heat without it coming back. As a result, they can radiate away enough heat to consistently stay a few degrees cooler than surrounding air; research suggests that temperature differences could exceed 10 °C in hot, dry places. Paints, plastics and even wood can be engineered to stay cool in direct sunlight.
The future for use of super cool materials looks promising with several researchers and companies (SkyCool Systems, MetaRE, InventWood, etc) working on finding and improving upon them.
Microsoft targets carbon negative goal by 2030
Microsoft has set for itself an ambitious plan to be carbon negative by 2030 and remove all historical carbon produced by the company by 2050. The company has launched an aggressive program to cut carbon emissions by more than half by 2030, from it entire supply and value chain. For this they have pledged an investment of $1 billion in carbon reduction and removal technology. It is very heartening to see Microsoft come forward, take responsibility and pledge to do their part in saving the environment. Hopefully, Amazon and Microsoft are just the start and more companies will follow suit.
UNDESA report reinforces importance of sustainable urban growth in India
The UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) predicts that the absolute growth in urban population will be highest in India until 2050, and the Indian real estate and infrastructure industry is a key contributor to this growth. However, the environmental footprint of the Indian real estate industry is also mounting. Buildings in India account for majority of energy, water and land while generating substantial solid waste and water effluents. The sector is responsible for 24% of India’s annual CO2 emissions, contributing to global warming and poor air quality. It is therefore critical that India adopts a holistic and sustainable approach to real estate development.
Glass Blocks which can Generate Electricity
Researchers from University of Exeter, England have developed a solar power device that fits into glass blocks. The product can broadly replace glass blocks used for a building’s façade, and transform the exteriors into energy-generating surfaces. Named as Solar Squared, the blocks absorb solar radiation using intelligent optics. These optics direct the sunlight onto the solar cells to generate electicity.  This electricity can then be stored in a battery system, supply energy to the building in real time, or be used to charge electric cars. Further, sufficient daylighting levels can be achieved due to the transparency of the blocks.
‘Unisphere’ – One of the World’s Largest Net-Zero Buildings
Achieving energy self-sufficiency for a 35,000 square foot building in a highly dense urban fabric is a formidable task, for which incorporating net-zero strategies cannot be an afterthought but ingrained in every design decision. The Unisphere is one of the world’s largest net-zero commercial building located in Silver Spring, Maryland, Washington DC. Some of the energy efficiency measures taken are: openable windows which automatically change tints depending on the weather conditions. Moreover, air circulates through a quarter mile-long concrete labyrinth 12 feet underneath the building, providing passive heating and cooling—the labyrinth tends to be cooler than the outdoor air in the summer and warmer in the winter. The building uses a geothermal system to condition the spaces in the summer and winter. Natural daylighting illuminate the spaces and artificial lighting is equipped with daylight controls. The energy is generated through 3000 solar panels.
Irumbai, Tamil Nadu to be the First Fully- Solar Powered Village in the Country
Aiming to study the socio-economic impact of energy conservation and create awareness on sustainable and renewable energy, Irumbai – a village in Tamil Nadu would soon become the country’s first fully solar-powered village. A 170kWp ground-mounted solar farm, established in 4,000 sq ft area in the village would supply 3-phased power for the entire village. The Tamil Nadu Energy Development Corporation (TEDA) plans to complete the work within March, 2019.  The unit has been designed to generate 150% of the actual power requirement of the village to ensure that the village is self-sustainable at all times.
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