Happy Tuesday. The french government have been put on the proverbial naughty step with a landmark ruling this week.
In today’s edition:
🇫🇷 France ordered to shape-up on climate action
☀️ Solar energy + irrigation = new business for farmers
⛽️ Oil spill tech averting disasters
Big Business (2-minute read)
Rolls Royce and Shell come together for sustainable aviation fuels (SAF)
Rolls Royce and Shell have formed a partnership to develop and scale SAF – a clean substitute for fossil jet fuels. SAF can reduce emissions by 70% compared to traditional jet fuel, however, is only used in small proportions by airlines in part due to a lack of supply. The partnership will focus on developing Rolls-Royce’s new SAFinity Service, alongside demonstrating how SAF can be a “drop-in” solution to decarbonise aviation. Recent legislation supporting production and use of SAF means a rise in demand is predicted, and this partnership allows Shell and Rolls-Royce to lead the SAF-charge.
Why we like this: It’s a great example of collaboration from players at different parts of the value chain. Rolls-Royce (who supply jet engines), and Shell (who supply jet fuel), bring complementary expertise to drive the aviation industry’s transition to net-zero.
Waste to Wealth: Reclaiming mining land for solar installations
We’ve mentioned before about the land demands of clean energy: Wind and solar require 10x as much land as fossil fuels to produce the same amount of electricity. At the same time, mining companies. like CM mining, absorb significant costs each year on restoring their mining land to a pre-mined state once the sites reach the end of their lives. A recent report by the US Environmental Protection Agency revealed there were now more than 417 renewable energy installations on formerly contaminated lands in the US, whilst identifying 10’s of thousands more with renewable energy potential.
Waste to Wealth: according to Landmark Dividend, the average solar farm profit is between $2,250 and $42,500 per acre – A substantial revenue opportunity for mining companies with the benefit of not taking up land that is wild or arable with renewables.
A landmark court ruling in France
The country’s top administrative court condemned the French Government’s failure to comply with the Paris Agreement. The country’s current measures make it impossible to achieve its objective of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030. The government has been given nine month to take all necessary measures to curb emissions and ensure alignment with their objectives.
🤖 Future of Tech (1-minute read)
Unlocking new markets for farmers in Ghana
In Ghana, shifting diets of a growing middle class is making production of high-value crops (fruits and veg) a profitable opportunity for small-scale farmers. To grow these crops farmers need irrigation, yet most don’t have access to a consistent, affordable supply of electricity to power their irrigation system. A recent study identified solar irrigation pumps as a sustainable alternative – using the sun’s energy to distribute water.
Serious potential: Yet the use of solar irrigation remains limited. Private companies and governments must come together to scale production, lower costs, and create favourable policies to finance and subsidise this tech so it’s affordable for farmers.
This free tool estimates a small business’ carbon footprint in just 60 seconds
For a small business it can be hard to calculate the company’s carbon footprint. With no sustainability department, and a limited budget, the process can seem long, complex, and expensive. Greenplaces helps small businesses get a rough estimate of their emissions, free of charge. The tool asks a few simple questions, including the location and type of business, the size of the office or store, the company’s transportation, and the number of employees. Then it uses data from the University of California Berkeley’s CoolClimate Project to estimate emissions. Companies can then choose to buy carefully vetted carbon offsets, such as supporting forest restoration.
💡Deep Dive (1-minute read)
The footage of flames emerging from the ocean following a rupture in a gas pipeline earlier this week was a grim watch. Whilst Mexico’s state-owned oil company has said no oil spillages were involved it serves as another reminder of the perils of offshore drilling. We take a look at some startups trying to mitigate the impact
- Prediction – mIQrotech merge smart sensors, Artificial intelligence, and Analytics, to monitor pipelines and predict when they might leak
- Detection – SkyScape makes use of unmanned aerial vehicles and Orbital EOS make use of satellites to monitor shorelines and detect oil spills, reducing response times and tackling safety concerns for human workers.
- Clean up – Our favourites are Italian scaleup Test1 whose reusable absorbent foams sponges up oil, and Solios whose floating solar-powered robots filled with nanoparticles made from tree leaves separate oil from water.
Unfortunately, the oil-spill-management market is a roughly US $100-billion-a-year industry. However, with spills ongoing these innovations are helping mitigate the environmental and economic devastation that these spills inevitably cause.
💭 Little Bytes
Quote: “Climate change does not impact every community equally. As we move to an all-electric, zero-emissions future, it is on us to lead positive change and implement inclusive solutions that bring everyone along — especially our employees and communities.” General Motors Chair and CEO Mary Barra.
Stat: Neighborhoods where the majority of residents are people of color averaged about one-third less tree canopy than predominantly white neighborhoods – American Forests Tree Equity Survey.
Watch: How New Zealand uses drones to protect rare dolphins
🗞 In other news…
- Coca-Cola to use 100% recycled plastic bottles in the UK
- Volcanoes could be green sources for copper, gold and lithium
- Boris Johnsons and Angela Merkel back plans for a UK-Germany ‘energy-highway’
- Shell opens Europe’s largest green hydrogen facility
- Europe’s largest renewable energy supplier supports COVID-19 stricken communities in sub-Saharan Africa
🎣 Gone Phishing
Three of these stories are true, one we made up, can you guess which?
- The ultimate battle royale: Drones vs Rats
- Squids in Space – Hawaian cephalopods to keep astronauts healthy
- Mark Zuckerburg sends 4th July message from electric surfboard
- Shaq on Virgin’s first trip to space
