Sustainability

After announcing plans to test hydrogen fuel cell buses in November, the European coach travel route planning start-up has begun a pilot project to reduce diesel consumption by using solar panels on the vehicles of its partner companies. FlixBus says the ultra-thin, lightweight CIGS modules help save 1.7 litres of diesel per 100km.

Chemists from Russia’s RUDN University have developed a series of compounds based on methylammonium iodide and iodine which they say could be used to make perovskite solar devices without toxic solvents. That would enable perovskite cells to be manufactured without chemical by-products.

With fire-extinguishing rain on the east coast, coronavirus flagged an urgent threat and PM Scott Morrison drumming up support for technology and free-market forces to beat climate change, it all made for a weekend to shake the resolve of some Australians to act on their carbon emissions. Understanding the psychology of how we perceive risk and commit to action can help us focus and keep fighting the fight.

Batteries, and the raw materials that make them, are a frequent target of public criticism. The high water consumption required for lithium extraction is speeding up desertification around the salt lakes of Latin America’s “lithium triangle”, for example. The mining debate highlights general problems with the extraction of raw materials including copper, crude oil and lithium but international companies can still influence extraction methods – and there are plenty of different approaches.

New research based on participatory photography and focus groups has shown how solar parks can change people’s landscape perception through a number of factors, not exclusively visual. According to the study, people that see landscapes in an idyllic way tend to oppose the presence of a solar park, while people with a more utilitarian concept of the rural landscape show stronger acceptance.

The luxury car maker is betting on the timely development of market-ready solid-state batteries. Mercedes will work with the Canadian research institute to quickly integrate new technology into field applications to cut development cycle times.

The postal operator, which is present in 12,000 locations nationwide, wants PV facilities to power its operations. Bidders have until February 20 to deliver on a call for expressions of interest and pre-qualify for the tender.

PV Cycle has said it collected more than 280,000 solar panels at the end of their lifecycle in France last year, including 200 tons from the nation’s overseas territories.

Since 2016, Amnesty International has denounced cobalt mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo for human rights violations and the use of child labor. This has led LG Chem and other companies to insist on standards for battery cell suppliers, as a step toward improving the situation.

A Dutch company has modified an electric delivery van to feature a solar roof for the supply of cooling and freezing equipment in its load area.