EBI November 2023 Newsletter

Announcements – Opportunities – Articles

1. Seminar Series Part 4

2. EBI Recharge Facility

3. EBI Business Incubator

4. MIT Technology Review: Introducing MIT Technology Review’s 2023 list of 15 Climate Tech Companies to Watch

5. CNN: They went hunting for fossil fuels. What they found could help save the world

6. David Zilberman’s Blog: The Strength of Science and the Vulnerability of Humanity

7. RTE: California startup to ‘sponge’ CO2 from the atmosphere

8. MPRnews: Mixing solar and farming could be key to clean energy future

9. Bnamericas: Chile: Record renewable energy in the National Electrical System

Announcements

Seminar Series Part 4: “Science Communications”

The Energy & Biosciences Institute is excited to announce the fourth installment in this year’s “Science Communications” virtual seminar series! The goals of this series are to:

Explore the ways in which science is communicated to different audiences
Outline potential career paths for those interested in science communications
Discuss what laymen can do to understand science in the media better

We hope you enjoy this new series and all that it will cover. Please share with students and anyone else that could be interested!

Please find the video at this link here or click the box below.

Watch video

Opportunities

Articles

MIT Technology Review: Introducing MIT Technology Review’s 2023 list of 15 Climate Tech Companies to Watch

MIT Technology Review has recently released its first annual list of climate tech companies to be on the lookout for. In rather pessimistic times regarding global warming and carbon emissions, these fifteen companies are emblematic of the hope technology can offer us. The list covers both startups and established companies, among them covering electric vehicles, air conditioning, and battery recycling. To get a full sense of the list, read more.

Two scientists were searching for fossil fuels beneath the earth in northeastern France, assessing the amount of methane in the subsoils using a specialized probe. But as the probe went deeper and deeper, what they ended up finding was some hydrogen, and then more hydrogen, and then more.

The reservoir they stumbled up was estimated to contain between 6 million and 250 million metric tons of hydrogen. Previously, finding a source of natural hydrogen this abundant was thought to be rather impossible; scientists resolved that they simply didn’t know where to look. Now, this discovery has the potential to start a revolution of exploration—one that may significantly benefit the renewable energy realm. Explore the implications by reading more.

Professor David Zilberman’s blog post explores the recurring themes he observed during his attendance at the 2023 World Laureate Association (WLA) meeting in Shanghai. As a UC Berkeley professor of Agricultural and Resource Economics Department, as well as a member of the EBI Executive Committee, Zilberman’s commentary on the event uniquely highlights the intersection of humanity and scientific development.

He considers concepts such as suspicions of science, technologies’ unintended consequences, and global risks. Peruse all his insights by reading more.

In an attempt for a more downstream solution to our earth’s rising carbon emissions, a California startup has opted to use limestone to scrub carbon from the atmosphere. The company Heirloom Carbon is based in San Fransisco, and it hopes this CO2 capturing technology will act as a “time machine” to take us back to cleaner air.

Carbon capturing is rather controversial. Set to be a central topic at the COP28 climate talks, many regard it as a necessity to get closer to a zero-emission world, while others claim it’s an easy ticket to avoid making real sacrifices in our carbon emitting practices. To learn about how this technology is made, read more.

US Solar is a pilot project that aims to cultivate both energy production and agriculture. With about 80 solar gardens in Minnesota, the company has been encouraging farmers to plant their crops beneath solar arrays, which is a practice known as agrivoltaics.

Agrivoltaics has been growing in popularity over the past decade, and it provides many benefits. For example, in particularly dry climates, the solar arrays provide shade for crops. Likewise, the solar panels with crops growing beneath them tend to stay cooler, producing energy more efficiently. Explore agrivoltaics further by reading more.

In a press release from Chile published by Bnamericas, Chile’s National Energy Commission reports that the nation’s electrical system saw a record participation of renewable energy in the generation mix. The greater participation can be explained by several factors, such as increased hydraulic, solar, and wind generation. The National Electrical System currently has a roadmap to eventually operate a network with 100% renewable energy. Get further details by reading more.