FOTOTHERM

( http://www.fototherm.com/ ) When you think about humanity’s impact on the climate, images of airplane and car exhaust fumes may spring to mind. Yet aviation and cars only account for 2% and 6% of global carbon emissions, respectively. Another sector — which hardly anyone ever talks about — has higher emissions than both of these put together, accounting for 10% of our planet's greenhouse gases: industrial heat. The high temperatures that heavy industry requires to produce steel, aluminium, concrete, cement, glass and other important resources are mainly derived from burning fossil fuels — often carbon-rich coke or coal. And huge amounts of this heat energy — not to mention the heat generated from sources such as conventional power plants — are simply wasted on a daily basis. If this heat was captured, stored and re-used when required, it could massively improve energy efficiency, cutting both costs and emissions across a wide range of industries. Norwegian start-up EnergyNest has...

Environment minister Matt Kean says the push to build 8,000 megawatts of wind and solar is part of a plan to replace coal-fired power.   New South Wales government aims to back renewable energy plants in the New England region with the capacity to power 3.5m homes, with the state’s environment minister saying enough will be built to replace most of the state’s coal-fired power stations earlier than scheduled. Matt Kean, the minister for energy and the environment, will on Friday announce a second renewable energy zone for the state, following a previously planned designated area in the state’s central west. He said the latest announcement – that the government would look to attract investors to build 8,000 megawatts of wind and solar in the New England region in the state’s north – was effectively “a huge, modern-day power station”. Transport slump during lockdown reduced Australia's carbon pollution by 7% in April, but experts warn of rebound ...