I can see clearly now, the rain is gone...

Climate Change is such a big, overwhelming, seemingly unfixable problem at times.  So in light of optimism, I’m shifting it up a bit this week to talk about some of the amazing and innovative new technologies being explored.  There are too many to include in one post, so perhaps I’ll revisit this topic when I start to get depressed and need some inspiration instead (like when I read about energy innovations from the MIT Technology Review and the headline states: “Notable advances in renewable energy pale compared to the impact of shale gas.”  Sigh.   

How about solar paint that can be painted onto any surface?  Wind turbines that are based on the shape of whale and dolphin flippers, capitalizing on the vortices formed in their wakes?

Hairy solar panels inspired by moth’s eyes, creating a design to mimic their anti-reflectivity, or butterfly wings and their honeycomb structures that increase the efficiency of light harvesting?  

Or what about an underwater turbine that can generate energy from the tidal currents or ocean waves? 

Biofuels from algae, that can grow anywhere, multiply quickly and produce 15 times more oil per acre than other biofuel fodder such as corn or switch grass? 

NASA is developing a plane wing that could cut fuel consumption in half compared to traditional aircraft.  This would have an extraordinary impact on emissions, given the global society we have created. 

One that is certainly intriguing is Cool Planet Biofuels, an up and coming startup funded by Google, BP, General Electric, and ConocoPhillips, among others.  Cool Planet’s founder, Mike Cheiky, claims his biotechnology can create limitless, inexpensive gasoline with negative emissions, while creating arable land at the same time.  The process, being tested at a small scale, takes biomass, turns it into gasoline, then uses plant photosynthesis to remove CO2 from the atmosphere.

“Our proprietary biomass fractionator technology extracts useful hydrocarbons from biomass leaving behind the excess carbon as a high purity solid. The process generates activated carbon with a very high surface area which will allow it to be used as a soil enhancer creating soil similar to "terra preta." By burying this carbon in an appropriate manner, we can greatly enhance soil fertility while sequestering carbon for hundreds of years. In contrast, normal plant decomposition occurs in just a few years, releasing the plant's carbon as CO₂ and even more harmful methane gas. Our process yields about the same amount of carbon as gasoline so, if we sequester this carbon as a soil enhancer, or simply bury it as coal, the associated fuel has a full Carbon Negative Rating.”

Is this too good to be true?  Only time will tell.  At least they have some big money behind them to give it a legitimate try.

Solar Roadways is a company I’m pulling for; if their technology catches on it will kill two birds with one stone, and revolutionize our relationship with both transportation (a huge contributor to global warming) and energy consumption.  The concept is simple—replace asphalt and concrete surfaces with solar panels that can be driven on.  It has evolved to include LED lights to make up the “painted” lines, and a heating element to prevent snow and ice from accumulating on the roadway.  They are currently building a prototype parking lot.  I am particularly fond of this one since they live in Sandpoint Idaho, my neighbors to the northwest, and are just regular (albeit super smart) people whose idea has the potential to change the world.