There’s an overall trend towards environmentalism across all sectors. Whether this means restaurants banning plastic straws, transitioning to clean energy sources, or purchasing carbon offsets, society has witnessed an uptick in sustainability. Recently, green technology examples have become increasingly popular. Learn all about green technologies and why they are essential.
Green technology is designed with the planet in mind and can help reduce carbon emissions, minimise waste and conserve natural resources. It’s an essential part of sustainability, which aims to meet present needs without compromising future generations’ ability to meet their own. Sustainability is a balance between economic, social and environmental factors that must be considered holistically for a sustainable future.
As “green” in its name implies, green technology features an onus on sustainability. And the technology portion, well, that’s pretty wide-ranging. Overall, green energy concentrates on sustainable technology innovation, which factors in short-term and long-term environmental effects.
10 Green Technology The Future of Sustainability
Green Innovation
LED lighting is a great example of green technology. By switching to LED lights, we can save a lot of energy compared to traditional incandescent lights. These lights are not only energy efficient but they have also been used in some amazing ways, like in vertical farming and even to combat malaria. The good news is that you don't have to live in a house to benefit from this technology. Even apartment dwellers can upgrade to smart LED lights, which are an easy and smart way to make your home more environmentally friendly. By using LED lights, we can all play a small but significant role in creating a sustainable future for everyone.
Solar panels are an established technology. However, the recent decrease in cost and introduction of monetary incentives, such as tax credits in various regions, has made it a more attractive and viable option. Even a single solar water heater can significantly reduce energy consumption, and the return on investment is quick due to the high efficiency of solar energy. The cost-effectiveness and energy savings make solar panels an increasingly popular choice for households and businesses alike.
According to a comprehensive guide by Energy.gov, implementing solar panels in conjunction with energy efficiency measures can lead to significant savings on household energy costs. The guide suggests that the exact savings can vary depending on factors such as your home's solar potential, the size and type of solar system installed, and the availability of solar incentives in your area.
Likewise, harnessing wind power is a fantastic example of green tech in action. Commonly, wind energy is associated with a wind farm. But small-scale windmills offer a nifty method of adopting green tech trends in a residential setting. The amount of energy you can offset with a windmill varies, as does the cost of adoption and installation. Offshore wind turbines provide steady, reliable, clean energy.
Among the best and easiest green tech examples, there’s composting. It’s straightforward, and virtually anyone can get started. You can make your own worm bin perfect for use in a home, and many cities even tout composting programs. I make use of a paid service that picks up my food waste. In some areas, such as Seattle, it’s illegal to dispose of food waste in the trash bin.
Although the price tag of a Tesla may be a bit steep, the flagship electronic vehicle manufacturer isn’t the only EV maker on the market. Instead, there’s a slew of other electric automobiles from the likes of Nissan, Chevy, and BMW. Advances in EV technology find wireless charging capabilities as the electric auto industry continues to evolve. Granted, charging an electric vehicle off a coal-powered grid isn’t as sustainable as it could be, but better gas mileage and zero emissions still make it a better alternative than a petroleum-powered car. EVs may be the future of the automotive industry.
A programmable thermostat is a low-cost green technology solution. Virtually any home or apartment now boasts one. With a programmable thermostat, you can set a schedule and automatically adjust the temperature around your comings and goings to save energy and money. Moreover, programmable thermostats don’t even need to be smart thermostats. Instead, tons of “dumb” thermostats feature the ability to set a schedule. A smart thermostat does add the convenience of monitoring and changing the temperature remotely.
A sustainable energy source known as hydropower uses the kinetic energy of moving water to turn a turbine, which then powers a generator to create electricity. Around 16% of the electricity produced worldwide comes from the dependable and economical source of hydropower.
Hydropower has the benefit of being a clean energy source because it doesn't emit any greenhouse gases or air pollutants when in use. Hydropower is also a versatile and effective energy source since it can be utilised to store energy and react swiftly to variations in demand.
Hydropower initiatives, however, can have detrimental effects on the environment and society, particularly if they entail huge dams and reservoirs. Local communities may be uprooted, habitats and biodiversity may be lost, and river and stream flows may shift naturally as a result of these effects. Consequently, before hydropower projects are created, it is crucial to thoroughly assess their effects on the environment and society.
Vertical farming is an eco friendly technology as simple as its name, and this is the concept of growing produce in stacked vertical layers rather than horizontally. The benefit of vertical farming is increased sustainability, and some vertical farming configurations don’t even require soil and reduce water use exponentially.
Reference : https://www.electropages.com/blog/2019/09/what-is-green-technology
Geothermal energy is a renewable energy source that is produced by utilising the heat of the earth's crust. It can generate electricity and give houses heating and cooling. It is dependable, economical, and capable of producing a sizeable portion of the world's electricity. Also, it is clean because it doesn't emit any greenhouse gases or air pollutants when it's in use.
The ecology and society may be negatively affected by geothermal energy projects that entail drilling into the earth's crust. Some of these effects could be the emission of greenhouse gases, the depletion of subsurface water supplies, and probable seismic activity. Hence, before starting any geothermal energy projects, it is essential to carefully assess their potential effects on the environment and society.
Organic material that can be converted into energy is referred to as biomass. It consists of forestry byproducts, energy crops, and agricultural trash. This ongoing process of growing and harvesting biomass makes it a renewable resource. Biofuels like ethanol and biodiesel can be produced in addition to power and heat.
Because the plants used to make biofuels absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, they have the potential to be carbon neutral or even carbon negative. Yet, there are issues with emissions from burning biomass as well as competing for land and water resources with food production. Notwithstanding these obstacles, biomass still has a chance to be a key component of green technology because of its capacity to provide renewable energy and lower greenhouse gas emissions.
