Emerging and Underutilized Technologies and Practices

Tracking of Global Emissions Sources From Space. Climate TRACE. Climate TRACE provides data on GHG emissions from power plants, factories, cargo ships, controlled burns, landfills, etc. Backed by Google.org www.climatetrace.org. “Climate TRACE:Using Satellites and Machine Learning to Pinpoint Global Emissions”. www.greentechmedia.com 7/15/20. “This Map Shows the Biggest Climate Polluters in Your Area”. www.lifehacker.com 11/16/22. “Climate TRACE – Tracking Greenhouse Gas Emissions”. www.toposmagazine.com/climate-trace/

Urban Farming.  You might not think of farming in any setting as a technology, but there can be a high level of tech involved. Such as Freight Farms, a Boston company. Hydroponic growing systems in a shipping container. www.freightfarms.com . Or have a look at “The Largest Vertical Farm in the World, in One of the World’s Smallest Countries”. (Switzerland). The Story of Yasai. www.agritecture.com  “Urban Agriculture Tool Kit”. www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/urban-agriculture-toolkit.pdf  “Farming in the City”. www.farmers.gov/blog/farming-in-city  and “Farming in the City” at www.youtube.com .Learn the “Top 10 Cities for Urban Ag”. www.agritecture.com.  These cities are: NYC, Atlanta, Victoria BC, Toronto, London UK, Paris, Dubai, Singapore, Brussels, and Manila. And “10 American Cities Lead Urban Agriculture” www.agfundernews.com 5/30/14. In 2014 these cities were: Detroit, Portland OR, Austin, Boston, Cleveland, Chicago, Seattle, Baltimore, Milwaukee, and Minneapolis.  And finally, take a look at “Vertical Farms Could Take Over the World” at www.youtube.com .

Urban Rewilding. (UR). UR is making an effort to maintain and return a level of green and natural spaces to the city.  Green spaces both absorb greenhouse gases and they enable diversity of wildlife, but, of course, only up to a point.  It makes for a tricky balance, but many cities around the world are making efforts in the direction of urban rewilding. UR ties in with tree planting programs and the desire and need for regional green area interconnectivity.  “European Cities Are Making Space For Nature”. www.greencitizen.com 4/9/21.  “Going Wild? A Radical Green Plan for Nottingham’s Unloved Shopping Centre”. www.theguardian.com 12/4/20. “7 Rewilding Projects You Can Visit in Europe”. www.lonelyplanet.com 3/31/22.  There is a “Rewilding Europe” Wikipedia page.  “London Mayor Unveils Plan to Rewild London”. www.greencitizen.com 7/22/22. “Here Are Some Ways the World’s Cities Are Rewilding”. www.rewildingmag.com 6/9/22.  And check out The Rewilding Institute at www.rewilding.org .

Vehicle To Grid (V2G) Technologies. V2Gs enable EV batteries to both charge and discharge their energy into a power grid, or a microgrid, effectively turning car batteries into storage for wider use across the energy network. V2G utilizes the ability of EVs to put their stored energy into the grid when demand is high and grid supply is low.  It is really more of a sub-category to VPP than a separate category itself.  “Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G): Everything You Need to Know”. www.virta.global/vehicle-to-grid-v2g  “What is Vehicle-to-Grid for Electric Vehicles?” www.evconnect.com/blog/what-is-vehicle-to-grid-for-electric-vehicles  “San Diego Electric School Bus Puts Electricity Into the Grid”. www.cleantechnica.com 7/31/22.

Vermicomposting.  Vermicomposting involves the use of worms (Red Wriggles are a favorite form) in composting, and it may result in the lowest level of greenhouse gases from any method of handling food waste. Vermicomposting can handle biodegradable and organic waste, including: fruits, vegetables, meat, bones, fish, bread, pastries, flour, garden waste, most cut flowers, pruned branches, leaves and grass clippings, coffee grindings, tea bags, cheese, butter, human and animal hair, paper including newspaper, shells and shellfish, and more. See “Vermicomposting: an Efficient Way of Municipal Solid Waste Management”. www.linkedin.com Take a look at the Arizona Worm Farm: www.arizonawormfarm.com  “Impact of Vermicomposting on Greenhouse Gas Emission”. www.mdpi.com/journal/sustainability  “Composting, Worms, and the Climate Crisis”. www.citizenyang.com 12/19/20. And “Vermicomposting of Municipal Solid Waste as a Possible Lever for the Development of Sustainable Agriculture”. www.springer.com 8/31/22.

Virtual Power Plants/Virtual Peaker Plants (VPP).  One and the same, more or less.  In its entry “virtual power plant”, Wikipedia describes a VPP as a “cloud-based distributed power plant that aggregates the capacities of heterogeneous Distributed Energy Resources (DER) for the purposes of enhancing power generation, as well as trading or selling power on the electricity market.” View the report: “Repowering Clean: Gigawatt-scale Potential For Residential Solar & Battery Storage in Los Angeles”. 2019 – 2030. www.sunrun.com/sites/default/files/repowering-clean-sunrun.pdf  This report shows how the L.A. Department of Water and Power (LADWP) can raise its targets for local clean energy with residential solar to create a city-wide clean energy Virtual Power Plant (VPP).  Rooftop solar and battery storage on as few as 75,000 L.A. homes can replace peak capacity on one of LADWP’s retiring gas plants.  Also: “Tesla is Trying Out a Virtual Power Plant. How Customers Can Make Some Money”. www.barrons.com 8/22/22. “Hawaii is Paying Home Battery Owners to Help the Grid”. www.canarymedia.com 10/6/22. “Swell Raises $120M For Virtual Power Plants to Link Solar and Batteries”. www.canarymedia.com 11/22/22.  “Puerto Rico Will Link Up 7000 Solar Systems to Help its Shaky Grid”. www.canarymedia.com 11/1/22.  Also see SunRun’s other U.S. VPPs: www.sunrun.com/go-solar-center/the-future-of-power-plants and “SunRun Completes ‘First-of-its-kind’ Residential VPP Season in New England ISO” www.pv-tech.org  And re. Virtual Peaker Plants: “Maximize the Value of Distributed Energy Resources (DER). Flexible, Scalable End-to-end DER Management Platform”. www.virtual-peaker.com  “What is a Virtual Peaker Plant?” www.virtual-peaker.com/blog/what-is-a-virtual-peaker-plant/ 12/22/21. “How VPPs Reduce Both Costs and Emissions in Meeting Peak Demands”. www.blog.auto-grid.com 3/30/22. And finally: “Virtual Power Plants Can Replace Costly, Polluting Peaker Plants”. www.theenergymix.com 4/21/22.

Waste to Hydrogen (W2H). “Turning Organic Waste into Renewable Hydrogen”. www.lacounty.gov   “Green Hydrogen From Waste Now a Reality”. 1/31/22. www.powermag.com  The company being written about here is H2 Industries (www.h2-industries.com)  “Creating the Hydrogen World”. www.h2-enterprises.com/waste-to-energy  Via what is called the thermolysis process.  H2 produces, stores, and transports clean hydrogen. Also: “Much Cheaper to Produce Green Hydrogen From Waste Than Renewables”. 4/30/20. www.rechargenews.com  The waste referred to is municipal waste.  The technology is from a company called Ways2H. (www.ways2h.com) Almost any kind of waste can be part of the feedstock: agricultural, plastics, sewage sludge, MSW, etc.  Ways2H has waste-to-hydrogen operations in Japan, Martinique, France, the UK, Oregon, and California.  “New Hydrogen Production Technology”. 11/1/21. www.powermag.com  Also: “Plant Waste and Leftover Food Provide Green Hydrogen For Industry”. 7/1/22. www.imeche.org  This article features a company called Fraunhofer IPA in Stuttgart, Germany. Their hydrogen process can utilize plant waste, refuse from public parks, agriculture, food production, sewage by-products, food waste, etc.  The CO2 emitted during its hydrogen production process is separated, stored, or used in industrial applications.

Waste-to-Energy (WTE)/Waste to Usable New Products. The world is awash in waste: waste on land, waste in lakes and oceans – waste accumulating seemingly everywhere. And since this website is aimed at people involved in the climate issues of cities, municipal waste is one big issue. But – help is on the way.  In this section we will introduce you to but just a few of the ways that humans of all (well, most) societies and cultures are trying to come to grips with waste, particularly as to the GHG emissions generated by waste. But just plain incineration of municipal waste, generating some amount of electricity in the process, just doesn’t cut it any more.  “Can Major U.S. Cities Reach ‘Zero Waste’ Without Waste-to-Energy?” www.wastedive.com 10/26/16. “Nobilis” Nobilis is a “Bioenergy Plant That Recovers Waste and Produces Carbon-free Green Energy Through the Pyrogasification Process”. From a French company called Naoden. www.solarimpulse.com Sept. 2022.  “$46 Million for New Technologies That Convert Carbon & Waste Into Clean Energy”. www.cleantechnica.com 8/31/22. “Turning Waste Into Power: the Plastic to Fuel Projects”. www.power-technology.com.  There’s also Wastewater to Electricity (W2E). For this innovation, look at a Boston company called Cambrian Innovation – www.cambrianinnovation.com . CI’s field combines onsite wastewater management, water re-use, and energy generated (are you ready for this?) from wastewater. Cambrian’s technology to date has been directed at, and utilized by, companies in the beverage industry – the makers of beer, wine, and carbonated sodas.  Some of its users include Lagunitas Brewing Company, Russian River Vineyards, and Dr. Pepper. In a similar vein: “Major Advance Made in Generating Electricity From Wastewater”. www.today.oregonstate.edu. Assisted by OSU scientists and engineers, microbial fuel cells produce electricity directly from wastewater, and effectively clean the wastewater as well.  Plasma-Enhanced Melter (PEM) technology is used by InEnTec to turn municipal solid waste into syngas and other useful products. “High-powered Plasma Turns Garbage Into Gas”. www.wired.com   Plastic waste remains a major problem, with approximately only 10% of discarded plastic being recycled. “Filipino Company is Turning Plastic Waste into Building Materials”. www.weforum.org 10/27/21. It gathers plastics from restaurants, companies, and consumers, and transforms them into usable raw materials like waterproof planks.  Similarly: “7 Recycled Building Materials”. www.smart.arqlite.com/recycled-plastic-building-materials/ .The products generated include floor tiles, lumber, fences, roof tiles,gravel, bricks, concrete, and more. And don’t miss: “This New Construction-grade Building Material Recycles the World’s Worst Plastics”.  www.bobvila.com/articles/byblocks-recycled-plastic-building-material/  The company involved here – ByFusion Global – is using discarded plastic to make an eco-friendly alternative to standard concrete blocks. www.byfusion.com The product is known as ByBlocks.  ByFusion Global offers a “Community Blocker” which can be installed even in small community waste facilities, such as those operated by municipalities. www.byfusion.com/blocker . Finally, a company called Up Paint creates new paint out of discarded and recycled paint. www.uppaint.com   Ideal as part of the emerging Circular Economy. Make it a part of your city’s Green Products preferred Purchasing program.

Water From the Air.  Water, in both quantity and quality, are both climate-related issues.  Hydropanels “Create Fresh Drinking Water Out of Thin Air”.  5/12/23.  www.thecooldown.com  From an Arizona company called SOURCE. “Meet the Hydropanels”.  www.source.co/how-hydropanels-work/

Wave Power. Wave energy converters capture the energy contained in ocean waves and use it to generate electricity. “Advantages and Disadvantages of Wave Energy”. 1/4/23. www.greentumble.com  “Does Wave Energy Have a Role to Play in a Net-zero Future?” 7/15/22. www.renewableenergyworld.com  This article describes wave power in concert with solar and wind power.  Wave power runs 24/7/365 and can reduce the cost of energy storage associated with the use of just solar and wind.

Wind Energy Variations.  As with rooftop solar and solar farms, wind turbines dotting the landscape can no longer be classed as an emerging or underutilized technology.  So in this section we will be making the effort to introduce you to some of the lesser known, lesser used, but still (we think) promising forms of wind energy generation.  Such as: Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT) technology. A VAWT has blades mounted on the top of the main shaft structure rather than in the front, like an propeller-powered airplane rotor.  In this sense, a VAWT operates more like a helicopter. The generator of electricity is usually placed at the tower base. “Vertical Axis Wind Turbines Advantages and Disadvantages”. www.arcadia.com 7/27/17. Take a look at the VAWT equipment from WindCity, in Italy: www.windcity.it  The WindCity site points out how the VAWT is able to generate power from low-altitude, intermittent wind gusts.  Its start-up time is 4 times faster than conventional HAWTs – horizontal axis wind turbines. Many of the VAWT’s attributes make it a far better and productive choice when seeking to generate green power in urban situations.  “Vertical Axis Wind Turbines Can Offer Cheaper Electricity for Urban and Suburban Areas”. www.publishing.aip.org 8/3/17.  “Roof Top Wind Turbine for Urban Areas”. www.cordis.europa.eu Summary: An EU-funded initiative has developed a wind turbine capable of exploiting the low-velocity turbulent wind conditions found in urban environments. “Wind-turbine Placement Produces Tenfold Power Increase” www.phys.org  This phys.org article points out that VAWTs have the potential to generate as much as 10 times more power over a comparably sized area of land, when placed in arrays, than an array of widely-spaced HAWTs.  Wind Tulips are a variety of VAWTs from Leviathan Energy, of Israel and the U.S. www.flowerturbines.com .  Wind Tulips are generators of electricity that combine aerodynamics and sleek industrial design to make beautiful small VAWTs that start up at low wind speeds. They are low-noise and bird-friendly, and can be clustered closely together to maximize power output. “Vertical Axis Wind Turbines Can Offer Cheaper Electricity For Urban and Suburban Areas” 8/3/17. www.sciencedaily.com  This article is from a study by the American Institute of Physics. “Vertical Axis Wind Turbines Will Soon Be Coming to a Rooftop (or Ocean) Near You” 11/9/22. www.cleantechnica.com  “Leading-Edge Wind Turbine at Burlington International Airport” 11/2/22. www.burlingtonelectric.com  The Burlington VT Electrical Department has announced a partnership with ARC Industries of Bridgewater MA to install ARC’s “Orb” WAVT wind turbines at the airport. www.arcindustries.co    Next is Kite-based Windpower (KWP). From the German company Kitepower “Up Where the Kites Fly”. www.thebeam.com Just as we pointed out above that there are floating solar farms (Floatovoltaics) there are also floating windfarms.  Highwind, for example, in Scotland. 5 turbines @ 6MW each = 30MW.  Developer is Statoil. www.greenmatters.com/renewables/2018/10/10/2w9C81/invenergy-solar-wind-power-farm  “So, What Exactly is Floating Offshore Wind?” www.greentechmedia.com 10/19/20. More information on floating wind can be found at www.iea.org/reports/offshore-wind-outlook-2019  And as there is Community Solar, there is also Community Wind, although to a much smaller extent. CW promises to increase local energy independence while reducing GHG emissions.  CW projects can be jointly owned by a variety of individuals and groups: local small business owners, farmers (who might be able to provide the needed land), local organizations including schools and universities, indigenous tribal groups, rural electric cooperatives, municipal utilities, faith-based organizations, etc.  See www.windustry.org/community_wind . Windustry, in Minnesota, is a nonprofit organization working to create an understanding of wind energy opportunities for rural communities.  Windshare (www.windshare.ca)  is a cooperative in Toronto that has pioneered CW power in Canada.  It developed and built the first urban wind project in North America.  Windshare’s turbine, 308’ high, is located on the Lake Ontario waterfront.  Built in 2003, it is a 750KW turbine that powers about 250 homes.  “Community Wind, Denmark” is an informative Wikipedia entry. It describes how, by 2001, 100,000 families belonged to wind turbine cooperatives, which had installed 86% of all the wind power in Denmark.  Re. CW in the UK, take a look at www.communitywindpower.co.uk  Also have a look at “Holiday Hill Community Wind” and “Georgia Mountain Community Wind, both at www.verarenewables.com .  Youtube has the video “The Future of Solid State Wind Energy” www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNp21zTeCDc&t=668s  A pair of good looks at windpower combined with batteries include: Shades of Green: Wind Battery Hybrid System Debuts in Ireland”. www.ge.com 11/26/18 and “Comparing Battery Chemistries For Energy Storage Solutions” www.cleantechnica.com 8/31/22.