The main challenge of the energy transition is to decarbonize energy production and consumption in an economically feasible fashion. In production, the impact of renewable energies such as wind and solar becomes crucial—both of which are intermittent in nature, so the question of how to store the energy becomes prominent. On the consumption side, battery-powered…
Solar Energy provides an excellent renewable energy source and can help reduce energy consumption costs even in private households while also decarbonizing. However, solar cells are mainly used nowadays in detached houses or office and industrial buildings – situations where only one owner is involved. The question of how to distribute solar energy in apartment…
Delivery services are performing at an all-time high and are still growing: In the EU, home delivery is expected to reach a 30% share of all retail sales by 2030. So far, urban shipping is mostly done by trucks, which not only consume a lot of fuel but also block space, get stuck in traffic…
Wind energy is crucial to transforming the world into a greener one. A missing piece is the lack of recycling: Wind turbine blades can barely be recycled because they consist of a tough composite material. Research indicates that there will be 43 million tonnes of blade waste worldwide by 2050, imposing a significant risk of…
The Turner MIINT competition, hosted annually by the ESG Initiative at Wharton Business School, empowers the next generation of investors to “think like an impact investor.” Students worldwide engage in rigorous due diligence processes, assessing early-stage impact venture capital deals and presenting their findings to an expert judging committee. This year marked the 13th edition…
The central question of the energy transition is: How can we reduce our carbon footprint while staying economically on top? Combatting carbon emissions can be approached in two main ways. One method involves using carbon capture technologies to extract already emitted CO2. Capturing CO2 can be done both from point source and air. Air capture…
Solar cells are a favorite among renewable energies, especially in the more sunny countries further south. A remaining problem, however, is the available space: Solar cells produce less energy per square meter than conventional power plants. Hence, much larger areas are needed. This introduces a serious problem: The regions with the most significant energy needs…
Ancient countries were held together by horse riders: Whether fast messengers, transportation of goods, or the usage of cavalry for quick interventions. However, horses are sensible animals who get tired after some path and can’t continue the same day. If someone needed to travel quickly, they needed to change horses in substations. In Roman times,…
Discussions about energy usage are becoming increasingly prominent in the eye of climate change. Still, they are also stirred up by international conflicts, such as the war in Ukraine and the ensuing discussion about Europe’s dependence on Russian gas. The most prominent component of the world’s energy usage is heating and cooling, taking up about…
Energy policies are one of the most discussed topics in the current political and social discourse. When we think of such, mainly three topics come to our mind: security of supply and strategic independence from foreign players such as Russia, China, but also the U.S.; affordable prices; and (more or less) ambitious climate protection plans….