Image courtsey of Rolls-Royce

First published in Cleantech magazine, November 2008. Copyright Cleantech Investor Ltd., 2008

The airline industry has been aware for some time that it must address the the volume of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The carbon footprint of frequent air travelers has been the target of criticism from environmental groups and a topic of much media debate, especially in the UK. The offsetting of emissions from air travel is a prime target market for suppliers of voluntary carbon products. The airline industry is engaging with the move towards mandated carbon caps in the EU on emissions of GHGs. While carbon offsetting is likely to become integral to the airline industry over the medium term, the aircraft manufacturers – and many airlines - are looking towards longer term solutions. Irrespective of the carbon emissions challenge, alternative fuels may become essential if oil prices rise again – or for security of supply. Synthetic fuels and next generation biofuels offer possible solutions – and the backing of the aircraft manufacturing and airline industry for such alternative fuels is likely to underpin investment in these sectors. Much research is also being undertaken in fields such as fuel cells and hydrogen for powering air travel.

Image courtsey of Boeing

First published in Cleantech magazine, November 2008. Copyright Cleantech Investor 2008

by Denis Gross

The first ever flight of a manned aircraft powered by hydrogen fuel cells in February 2008 was both a milestone in flight history and an indicator of the advantages and possible limitations of fuel cells in airborne applications.

The tidal races of the Pentland Firth superimposed on a google earth image

First published on the Cleantech Investor website, November 2008. Copyright Cleantech Investor Ltd., 2008

At the Scottish Marine Energy Seminar, hosted by Scottish Renewables, in Aberdeen this week, Director-General Environment for the Scottish Government, Richard Wakeford, looked to the potential for this nascent industry to create jobs in the future for “Jimmy the Welder” – as he dubbed Scotland’s equivalent to “Joe the Plumber”.

The Marine Energy event is in its third year and saw record attendance. There was a clear sense that Scotland is strongly positioned to benefit from the opportunity presented by wave and tidal energy: of total European resources, up to 25% (for tidal) and 10% (for wave) are located in Scotland. And Scotland’s track record in offshore oil and gas provides it with a wealth of transferable skills and expertise. However, there were notes of caution. Andrew Mill of NaREC warned that there is still a “long way to go before we really have an industry”.

The Clean Tech Revolution by Ron Pernick and Clint Wilder identifies the forces behind the clean technology phenomenon and provides a wealth of advice to investors and entrepreneurs on how to benefit from “The Next Big Growth and Investment Opportunity”.

The paperback version has been updated with the latest global growth trends and updates on sections like biofuels (where the move is away simply from renewable fuels and toward low-carbon fuels). The latest revised version also provides updates on new companies and funding.

Receive a FREE COPY of the new revised and updated version of The Clean Tech Revolution with subscription to Cleantech magazine.

Read the review of the original book (which first appeared in Cleantech magazine, September 2007).

Book offer available while stocks last.

BedZed roofs - courtsey of Peabody Trust

First published in Cleantech magazine, September 2008. Copyright Cleantech Investor 2008.

With over half of the global population now based in cities the challenges posed by urban living are becoming increasingly acute. Potential solutions are being forwarded by architects engineers,industrialists and city planners around the world. We review the issues and some of the potential solutions.

 The challenge of urbanisation

Cities, since ancient times, have been symbols of civilisation. Ancient cities, however, were mere villages compared to the massive metropolises which we have created in the modern world.

At the start of the 20th century, only 14% of the global population lived in cities. By 2000 this proportion had grown to 47% – and this year the world’s urban population is estimated to have increased to more than 50% of all humans – or 3.3 billion people. The number of city dwellers is expected to grow to almost 5 billion by 2030, according to the United Nations Population Fund.

There are now some 20 ’megacity’ conurbations – cities with populations of more than 10 million – in the world. These include New York, Tokyo, Mexico City, Sao Paulo and Bombay. Growth in the megacities has been less than expected: medium-sized cities of 500,000 or below – where urban problems are less challenging – are the biggest growth areas. One billion people – or one-sixth of the world’s population – live in shanty towns, mainly in developing countries: not surprisingly, the provision of basic services is a challenge in these regions.

Urban living poses major difficulties. The cities of today are massive consumers of energy for numerous applications, the by-products of which are enormous volumes of pollution and waste. The ‘carbon footprint’ of a city is high on the agendas of city governors, especially those in the developed world. Emissions of gases which affect the health of the population through air pollution are a major challenge for many cities in developing countries – and remain a challenge even in the developed world.

In Europe, there is a high correlation between the areas of greatest concentration of pollutants and the areas of most concentrated industry and population mass – including the Po Valley region in Italy, the Benelux/German Ruhr Valley region and major cities such as Paris and London.