4 Green Technologies To Look Forward To in 2022
As we are running the final stretch of 2021, what green technologies should we look forward to in 2022? Maybe some floating solar farms, bigger offshore wind turbines, 10-minute EV charging stations, and the Internet of Things.
Sounds interesting, doesn’t it? Let’s get to know more about them!
Looking back to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020 felt like a rug was suddenly pulled out from under our feet. We were forced to stay at home while governments tried their best to save lives and save the economy.
We weren’t ready.
But there is light at the end of the tunnel when the COVID-19 vaccines were approved for use during the last quarter of 2020.
2021: Adjusting to the ‘New Normal’
2021 was and still is a year full of uncertainties. But, on a lighter note, we began to adjust and go about living our lives in the “new normal”. Despite the seemingly never-ending COVID-19 pandemic, the world has plowed on with trying to stay on track with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Because even if we’re facing a health crisis, this doesn’t exempt us from impending climate disasters — especially the most vulnerable developing countries.
We have come a long way since the past decade. 2020 had the highest net renewable capacity addition. 2021 was slightly lower, but projections in 2022 show that it will increase again to 2020 level.
What’s In Store for 2022 In Green Tech?
Let’s expect the growth trend to continue especially when technological advancement is on our side.
That means that scalability issues will be addressed by improvements brought about by technology. Here are some of the green technologies we should look forward to in 2022:
1. Solar energy will venture into floating solar farms with advanced PV systems
Solar energy is leading in the renewable energy category — accounting for about 55% of clean energy expansion for 2021 and 2022. According to the International Energy Agency, annual additional installed capacities will reach 162 GW by 2022. In comparison, this is 50% higher relative to the pre-pandemic period.
Solar energy has limitations in land space and energy conversion efficiency. For 2022 and the next coming years, we’re going to see more green technologies that will overcome these limitations. Specifically, we’re talking about advanced PV systems and floating solar farms.
Better Energy Conversion Efficiency
To reduce the Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE), the solar energy industry will focus on using more cost-effective solar cell technologies. Some examples are PERC and perovskite solar cells, among others.
- Contrary to traditional solar cells which absorb light into modules, PERC solar cells reflect solar rays to the rear of the solar cells. This back layer can capture more sunlight to be converted to electricity.
- Perovskite crystals are used to make solar cells for better energy efficiency with lower manufacturing costs.
There’s also talk of the solar-plus-storage market which makes sure that the intermittent solar energy supply can be stored for distribution through grid power.
Better use of space
Solar farms taking up a lot of land space is a problem for biodiversity. Animal species on land need space too. Because of this, we became more innovative in making use of the limited space that we have. Green technologies like solar rooftops, solar panels on electric vehicles, and solar panels integrated into commercial and residential buildings aren’t uncommon anymore.
But there can only be so much land on Earth — what about the seas? Now, we’re looking into an emerging market for floating solar farms. This would solve the land space problem and conserve water resources by reducing evaporation in water reservoirs. But of course, there’s still ongoing research to make sure that aquatic life will not be disrupted. The largest floating solar farm in the world as of early 2021 is a 181 MW-plant off the West Coast of Taipei, Taiwan.
2. Offshore windfarms will be globally diverse
There’s a lot of excitement in the offshore wind energy industry with companies coming up with larger, more efficient turbines. Vestas, a Danish company specializing in wind energy solutions, is set to install the world’s tallest and most powerful wind turbine in the last quarter of 2022. Standing 280 meters tall with 115.5 meter-long prototype blades, a single turbine can power 20,000 European households. That’s approximately 80 GW per year!
Since it’s still a prototype model, it will be installed in an onshore wind farm first. However, in 2022 and the next coming years, offshore wind farms will likely make up the majority of newly installed capacity additions.
In the past few years, China is the leading producer of offshore wind energy. But in 2022, it will be geographically spread out with 14 countries set to commission their projects. Contributing countries in Europe are the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Denmark. Meanwhile, in Asia, the major key players are Japan and Korea.
3. Quicker EV Charging Stations
Certain parts of the world are already putting a foreseeable future of banning combustion engine cars by 2030. It will be a losing game for people who are not quick enough to adapt.
So while car manufacturers are keen on increasing their production volume, the supply chain will also have to follow suit. Battery suppliers and charging stations will have to keep up with the demand. Typically, the more common Level 2 chargers take 3–4 hours to fully charge an EV. The much faster DC fast chargers can take less than an hour by about 30–40 minutes. But compared to come-and-go gas stations, that doesn’t seem fast enough.
That’s why start-up companies are innovating ways to further shorten the EV charging time to as quick as 10 minutes through modular battery swapping technology. Ample is a unicorn company you should look forward to succeeding. It has partnered with Uber’s operations in San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago. Uber also plans to take Ample as it covers its European market in London, Amsterdam, Brussels, Berlin, Paris, Madrid, and Lisbon by 2025.
Meanwhile, Ample also closed a partnership with ENEOS, a Japanese energy company. Starting next year 2022, both companies will be starting their pilot operations in Japan.
4. Connecting Green Technologies Through IoT (Internet of Things)
The Internet of Things (IoT) is a system that connects devices with sensors in a highly optimized network. A smart home is a concrete example of how IoT works. For example — when your alarm rings, the sensors would activate the blinds in your room to open, or to start the coffee machine automatically. Everything can be monitored and controlled through the Internet.
So how does this improve green technologies exactly?
Green technologies are interconnected — thus making their own ecosystem of sorts. For example, a sustainable city has solar-powered streetlights. It also has commercial green buildings that are not only powered by solar rooftops but with wind energy from the grid as well. Electric vehicles roaming around the city will have to find the nearest charging station.
You see, all of these green technologies are connected. All of these green systems can coordinate with each other through the Internet for more seamless communication. If this sounds quite familiar, it’s because it is! This is how innovators hope to make use of decentralized blockchains in optimizing green technologies.
Next year — by 2022 — we’re still uncertain of how the COVID-19 pandemic will play out. Nevertheless, our climate mitigation measures must be continuous. If the pandemic has shown us anything, it’s that we humans can adapt. And we’re doing it marvelously with technology! Blockchain, artificial intelligence, e-commerce, and digital health are our best manifestations.
So there is still reason to look forward to what brilliant sustainable developments we can discover in 2022 and beyond. Exciting times ahead, indeed!
