Are vertical farms ahead of their time?
The BBC (among other outlets) reported on a vertical farm in Gloucestershire, that they describe as one of the country's most technically advanced. The facility grows lettuce, basil and other herbs under special lights, in a warm humid atmosphere (27 degrees C and 75% humidity). They claim they
What caught our eye - three key stories (week 8, 2024)
Vertical farms ahead of their time?; Better governance can lift valuations?; Limits of sequestration
Sunday Brunch: What does a CSO actually do? Part 2
Many companies seem to want the upside that comes from better sustainability optics, without doing the hard work involved in integrating sustainability into their operational processes and strategy formulation - Alison Taylor
Are we finally getting closer to using your EV to 'power' the electricity grid?
Octopus Energy has launched the UK’s first mass market vehicle-to-grid (V2G) tariff (called the Octopus Power Pack), which they say guarantees free charging for electric vehicle (EV) drivers. The tariff, which is still in beta, uses V2G technology and Octopus Energy’s tech platform, Kraken, to balance charging and
What to do with our natural gas networks?
This is about the pipes that currently move our natural gas around. And the answer is not as simple as you might first think. Carbon Tracker has recently published a series of research reports on the three main European gas transmission network operators, Snam, Italgas (both Italy) and Enagas (Spain)
What caught our eye - three key stories (week 7, 2024)
Ageism in the workplace; what to do with our natural gas networks?; closer to using EVs to power the grid?
Sunday Brunch: how much can we rely on regulation?
Is more regulation always the best answer? Given that so much of it seems to be either failing to produce the outcomes we want, or not even making into the statute books, do we need a rethink?
A positive story about coal mines
Could abandoned coal mines be a useful energy source to heat our homes? Local politicians in the west of England, working with the Coal Authority (the public body that manages the effects of historic coal mining) believe so. The principle is simple. Using the water in the now flooded mines
Supply chains - will the European regulation work?
It's well known that Europe is active in introducing regulation to ensure that products being sold in the region meet minimum human rights and environmental standards. Many companies are already preparing for the new rules and by and large the new rules are well supported by the general
Sustainable mining - will we fund the required investment?
One of the biggest sustainability transition challenges relates to our ability to mine enough critical minerals to allow the various sustainable industries to scale up the (already known) solutions.
What caught our eye - three key stories (week 6, 2024)
Positive story about coal mines; wee test for bowel cancer?; will European supply chain regs work?
Tracking concrete technology developments
Among the various organisations interested in lower carbon concrete is, unsurprisingly, the Institution of Structural Engineers. Concrete is a massively important building material. But, as they say "publicly available information about these technologies is often limited and inconsistent, making it difficult to draw comparisons with conventional concrete." Which