Cleantechnology Insights

A while back in February last year, I (Rani Jarkas) posted an article on my blog relating to Cleantech (http://www.briefingwire.com/pr/rani-jarkas-Cleantech-wisdom). In the days that follow, I have received many questions about Cleantech. These questions inspired me to write this blog on what Cleantech is and why Cleantech is the key and how we can get involved?

What is Cleantech?
Cleantech is any product or services that improve operational performance and productivity while reducing costs, inputs, energy consumption, waste, or environmental pollution. The idea behind clean energy is simple. It empowers us to use natural resources more productively and to do more with less: less energy, less water, less waste, less land.

Why Cleantech is the key?
Climate change and the depletion of the planet’s natural resources are the two main problems that the world is facing today. Fresh water has become scarce or poisonous in many places; Food prices are soaring at double-digit rates; Sea levels are rising while deserts are spreading; International tensions are growing over the remaining cheap oil, and civil wars are being fought over water.
It certainly is the idea that we can easily locate alternative sources of power for the globe that do not have the negative effects on the planet that classic fuels do. We now recognize that the planet we reside in just is not immune to deterioration. Oil and coal not only cause harm to the planet but to your health as well. The data behind the dangers of non-renewable fuels really are unbelievable. So massive that it is to a point where we can no longer overlook the ramifications of inaction.
Brilliant minds have looked at the challenge of classic fuels and have put together other ways to fight this matter. The outcomes happen to be nothing less than encouraging. The vision of a cleaner ecosystem and a significantly more healthy human population is now a reality as a result of clean technological advances and power that has become available for use.

How can we get involved?
While everyone ought to want to help with the process of safe guarding our environment, only the few that have the funds can make an identifiable mark in this field by investing in companies that are “earth-friendly” aware. In every stock exchange across the world, there are pockets of businesses, which are concentrated on green energy. These companies are listed under the label “green conscious companies”, and those that want to help can put money into these companies to assist them to fund projects that will benefit not only the company but the environment in general.
Power resource efficiency as well as recycling is something anyone can do no matter if you are monetarily free or not. The recycling approach is not just great for the earth but it can make you feel much better by being a part of the remedy.

拉尼.亚卡斯（Rani Jarkas）：绿色纳米技术在太阳能电池中的应用

绿色纳米技术是清洁技术的发展，“使用更环保的纳米产品代替现有产品，通过生产和使用纳米技术产品以减少对环境的破坏并降低对人类健康所造成的威胁。”许多科学家正在寻找方法来开发清洁、廉价和可再生能源，以较少对环境的破坏并尽可能地减少污染。

目前正进行的一个主要研究是如何把纳米技术应用到开发更高效的太阳能电池。太阳能电池的效率更高，而且是可再生能源。许多研究人员正在着手研究能减少能源浪费的高效太阳能发电。

[caption id="attachment_203" align="aligncenter" width="260"] Solar Panels [ranijarkas.wordpress.com][/caption]
斯坦福大学的研究人员发现了一种在有机太阳能电池中捕获光的方法。这个想法的原理很简单，光在太阳能电池中停留的时间越长，其所产生的电子将越多。研究人员发现，把比光的波长更薄的有机层夹在太阳能电池的反射镜和粗糙层之间，能使光在太阳能电池中停留更长时间，从而激发更多的电流。

密歇根理工大学的研究人员发明了一种独特的3D蜂窝结构石墨烯。这种新型且并不昂贵材料可替代太阳能电池的铂金材料，而且转换效率并不降低。这种3D蜂窝状石墨烯具有优良的导电性与高催化活性，因此它们能够用于储能及能量转换。配有3D石墨烯对电极的可将7.8%的太阳光线转化为电力。

美国洛斯阿拉莫斯国家实验室的研究展示了使用薄膜铜铟镓硒太阳能电池模组。它比传统玻璃做的硅片电池模组更加轻薄，且完全无含毒镉的成分。

美国麻省理工学院的研究人员研制出一种在柔性石墨烯片上涂覆纳米线的新方法。这种方法可以生产出低成本、透明以及柔韧性佳的太阳能电池，能够在窗户、屋顶以及其他物体的表面使用。

Green Nanotechnology in Solar cells by Rani Jarkas

Green nanotechnology is the development of clean technologies, "to minimize potential environmental and human health risks associated with the manufacture and use of nanotechnology products, and to encourage replacement of existing products with new nano-products that are more environmentally friendly throughout their lifecycle” As the growing needs to protect our environment are increasing, many scientists are looking into ways to develop clean, affordable, and renewable energy sources, with a smaller environmental footprint and minimise pollution.

[caption id="attachment_203" align="aligncenter" width="260"] Solar Panels[/caption]

One major project that is being worked on is the development of nanotechnology in solar cells. Solar cells are more efficient as they get tinier and solar energy is a renewable resource. A group of researchers are making solar power significantly more efficient by scooping up more of that wasted energy.

Researchers at Stanford University have found a way to trap light in organic solar cells. The idea is that the longer light is in the solar cell the more electrons will be generated. The researchers found that by making the organic layer much thinner than the wavelength of light and sandwiching the organic layer between a mirror layer and a rough layer the light stayed in the solar cell longer and excited more electrons.

Researchers at Michigan Technological University have developed a honeycomb like structure of graphene in which the graphene sheets are held apart by lithium carbonate. They have used this "3D graphene" to replace the platinum in a dye sensitized solar cell and achieved 7.8 percent conversion of sunlight to electricity.

Researchers at Los Alamos National Lab have demonstrated a solar cell that uses a copper indium selenide sulfide quantum dots. Unlike quantum dots containing lead or cadmium the copper based quantum dot is non-toxic as well as low cost.

[caption id="attachment_202" align="aligncenter" width="300"] A field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) image of 3D honeycomb-structured graphene. [ranijarkas.wordpress.com][/caption]
MIT researchers have made major strides toward developing solar cells that are inexpensive, efficient, flexible, and transparent using a design that combines two special components: nanowires and graphene. Tests with assembled solar cells showed that incorporating the nanowires pushed up device efficiency and that there was no performance penalty for replacing a conventional high-cost, brittle electrode with their version made of abundant, inexpensive carbon.

拉尼.亚卡斯（Rani Jarkas）看中国的环保清洁技术

我在最近的一篇博客文章（https://ranijarkas.wordpress.com/2014/06/04/%e5%af%b9%e7%8e%af%e4%bf%9d%e6%b8%85%e6%b4%81%e6%8a%80%e6%9c%af%e7%9a%84%e4%b8%80%e4%ba%9b%e8%a7%81%e8%a7%a3-%e6%8b%89%e5%b0%bc-%e4%ba%9a%e5%8d%a1%e6%96%af%ef%bc%88rani-jarkas%ef%bc%89/）里解释过环保清洁技术的定义以及其重要性。读者可能也阅读过我的另一篇关于环保清洁技术的文章（http://www.briefingwire.com/pr/rani-jarkas-Cleantech-wisdom）。我很欣慰收到了许多读者的支持和正面反馈，因此我想在此继续和大家一起分享和探讨我对环保清洁技术的一些看法。

今天的主题是中国的环保清洁技术。

中国多年大规模的增长对环境和自然资源造成了巨大的伤害也为之付出了沉重的代价。中国政府现在决心要对清洁技术行业采取积极措施，计划通过落实并管理清洁技术，来应对全国的高污染问题，同时平衡其能源需求和经济增长。

早在2010年，中国全年能源消费总量达32.5亿吨标准煤，成为仅次于美国的世界第二大能源消费国。如今，中国在清洁技术的投资已超越美国和欧洲，成为清洁技术产业发展最活跃的国家。美国国家科学基金会科学和工程指标最近的一份报告指出，中国对清洁技术的商业投资已经从2007年的300亿美元上升到2012年的近1,600亿美元。

据跨国咨询公司安永会计事务所（Ernst & Young）发布的可再生能源吸引力指数季度报告，中国2010 年二季度在风能上的投资达100亿美元，占全球投资的一半。中国三季度在清洁新技术行业的投资达135亿美元，而欧洲仅为80 亿美元。中国还在安永发布的可再生能源国家排名榜上名列首位。2010年全球共有38家纯清洁能源公司完成首次公开招股（IPO），其中中国公司就占了20家，筹集了共47亿美元，占全球总清洁技术IPO募集资金的49％。中国经济的蓬勃发展和投资者的热情都会令中国清洁技术的IPO继续刷新纪录。上市公司中大部分都是经营太阳能、风能、能源储存和节能的公司，反映出这些领域是中国清洁技术发展的主力。

据新华网报道，国务院总理温家宝于2013年1月30日主持召开了国务院常务会议，提出加快形成能源消费强度和消费总量双控制的新机制。会议同意国家发展改革委提出的预期目标：到2015年，全国能源消费总量控制在40亿吨标准煤左右，用电量控制在6.15万亿千瓦时左右。

受到国家政策的大力支持，清洁技术将成为中国的下一次工业革命。随着中国能源消费的转型加速，全球各行业的企业、政府和纯清洁技术市场的领导者正在寻求更多的竞争优势。你准备好抓住这些机遇了吗？

Cleantech in China by Rani Jarkas

In my recent blog post (https://ranijarkas.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/cleantechnology-insights), I explained what cleantech is and why it matters to us. You might have seen my another cleantech themed article here: http://www.briefingwire.com/pr/rani-jarkas-Cleantech-wisdom. I am very happy to have received so much positive feedback and support, therefore, I would like to continue the topic and share some of my thoughts and insights that I have gleaned from my work and research in the cleantech industry.

This blog’s topic is Cleantech in China

After years of massive growth that took a heavy toll on the environment and natural resources, China now has an ambitious plan to tackle its energy needs by developing clean energy alternatives.

Back in 2010, China's primary energy consumption rose to 3.25 billion tons of coal equivalent, making it the world's second largest energy consumer after the United States. Today, China has a commanding lead in commercial cleantech investment past the US and Europe. Commercial cleantech investment had more than quadrupled from $30 billion in 2007 to nearly $160 billion in 2012, according to a recent report from the National Science Foundation on science and engineering indicators.

China is a market rife with opportunities for cleantech companies. According to Ernst & Young (EY)’s report, China grabbed the number one spot on its Renewable Energy Attractiveness Index and was the largest recipient of clean energy investment in 2010. China generated 20 of the 38 global pure-play cleantech IPOs completed in 2010. Raising US$4.7 billion, Chinese transactions accounted for 49% of total global cleantech IPO proceeds. Combined with strong investor interest in China's booming economy, these factors have led to a record-breaking spate of Chinese cleantech IPOs that is likely to continue. Solar, wind, energy storage and energy efficiency companies made up the majority of offerings, reflecting the major areas of cleantech development in China.

In January 2013, China Cabinet approved an energy control target. The government aims to keep total energy consumption below 4 billion tons of standard coal equivalent by 2015, with electricity consumption below 6.15 trillion kilowatt-hours, according to Xinhua News Agency after a State Council meeting presided over by Premier Wen Jiabao.

Cleantech in China will continue to be the next industrial revolution. As the transformation accelerates, global corporations across industries, governments and pure-play cleantech market leaders are moving quickly to gain competitive advantage. Are you ready to seize transformational opportunities in China?

对环保清洁技术的一些见解 - 拉尼.亚卡斯（Rani Jarkas）

今年二月，我在博客发表了一篇关于环保清洁技术的文章（http://ranijarkas.wordpress.com/2014/02/24/rani-jarkas-cleantech-wisdom/）。接着我收到了很多读者对环保清洁技术的问题。这些问题启发了我写这篇博客：到底什么是环保清洁技术？为什么环保清洁技术如此重要？我们又应该如何参与其中？

什么是环保清洁技术？
环保清洁技术是指任何能提高经营绩效和生产力，同时降低成本、投入、减少能源消耗和废物或减少环境污染的任何产品或服务。环保清洁技术的理念很简单。它能够帮助我们更有效地使用自然资源。简单的说就是少花资源多办事：使用更少的能源和土地、节约用水、减少浪费。

为什么环保清洁技术对我们如此重要？
全球暖化和天然资源日益枯竭是当今世界面临的两个主要问题。很多地方淡水已逐渐稀缺甚至有毒；食品价格以双位数的速度飞涨；沙漠蔓延；海平面上升；为了争夺剩余的廉价石油而令国际紧张局势不断加剧；还有些国家为了争夺水资源而不断引发内战。

我们很想能轻易找到能替代“电”的能源，而这种能源又不会伤害到我们所居住的星球。在经历了多年的尝试后，现在我们才意识到，我们所居住的这个星球是经不起伤害的。石油和煤炭不仅伤害地球，而且还伤害你的健康。不可再生能源所造成的巨大伤害简直到了令人难以置信的地步。而这种危害的严重性令我们必须正视并寻找解决的方法。

有远见的人早已看到了传统能源所带来的负面影响并积极地寻找可代替品，环保清洁技术应运而生。清洁生产技术的进步和推广无可置疑可以保护生态系统并减少环境破坏对人类健康所造成的消极影响。

我们如何参与其中？
虽然每个人都应该为保护我们的地球出一分力，却只有少数人可以把资金投入到一些具有环保意识并致力于发展清洁技术的企业。在世界各地的证券交易所都有很多标签着“绿色能源”的企业。如果您想参与保护地球的行列，请投资这些企业，以帮助他们发展新技术并实现环境优化的经济发展。

但是无论你有钱与否，我们其实在日常生活中也可以通过别的方式来保护环境，比如节省用电或者资源回收再用等。地球是我们人类赖以生存的家园，保护地球，保护环境，就是在保护我们自己，我们要从生活中的点滴入手，为这个共同的家园贡献一份力量。

Cleantechnology Insights

A while back in February this year, I (Rani Jarkas) posted an article on my blog relating to Cleantech (http://www.briefingwire.com/pr/rani-jarkas-Cleantech-wisdom). In the days that follow, I have received many questions about Cleantech. These questions inspired me to write this blog on what Cleantech is and why Cleantech is the key and how we can get involved?

 

What is Cleantech?

Cleantech is any product or services that improve operational performance and productivity while reducing costs, inputs, energy consumption, waste, or environmental pollution. The idea behind clean energy is simple. It empowers us to use natural resources more productively and to do more with less: less energy, less water, less waste, less land.

 

Why Cleantech is the key?

Climate change and the depletion of the planet’s natural resources are the two main problems that the world is facing today. Fresh water has become scarce or poisonous in many places; Food prices are soaring at double-digit rates; Sea levels are rising while deserts are spreading; International tensions are growing over the remaining cheap oil, and civil wars are being fought over water.

It certainly is the idea that we can easily locate alternative sources of power for the globe that do not have the negative effects on the planet that classic fuels do. We now recognize that the planet we reside in just is not immune to deterioration. Oil and coal not only cause harm to the planet but to your health as well. The data behind the dangers of non-renewable fuels really are unbelievable. So massive that it is to a point where we can no longer overlook the ramifications of inaction.

Brilliant minds have looked at the challenge of classic fuels and have put together other ways to fight this matter. The outcomes happen to be nothing less than encouraging. The vision of a cleaner ecosystem and a significantly more healthy human population is now a reality as a result of clean technological advances and power that has become available for use.

 

How can we get involved?

While everyone ought to want to help with the process of safe guarding our environment, only the few that have the funds can make an identifiable mark in this field by investing in companies that are “earth-friendly” aware. In every stock exchange across the world, there are pockets of businesses, which are concentrated on green energy. These companies are listed under the label “green conscious companies”, and those that want to help can put money into these companies to assist them to fund projects that will benefit not only the company but the environment in general.

Power resource efficiency as well as recycling is something anyone can do no matter if you are monetarily free or not. The recycling approach is not just great for the earth but it can make you feel much better by being a part of the remedy.