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3 days ago | 
theenergypioneer.com | Otto Gunderson
The opportunity to curb emissions, promote economic growth, and facilitate a more equitable transition to renewable energy is evident in the global expansion of clean cooking solutions. The scope of the problem is immense, over people cook with either kerosene or smoky biomass, resulting in between 2 and 3 million premature deaths per year. The climate degradation caused by unclean cooking, which accounts for 2% of greenhouse gas emissions, has led to significant deforestation.
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5 days ago | 
theenergypioneer.com | Otto Gunderson
With the phasing out of many coal and oil power plants worldwide scheduled for the next several years, renewable energy generation is set to replace them. However, this will not be possible without a cost-effective long-term energy storage solution. The growing interest in long-duration energy storage (LDES) is the result of several interacting factors. These include addressing the current challenge of intermittency, which continues to hinder the development of wind and solar energy.
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2 weeks ago | 
theenergypioneer.com | Otto Gunderson
The combination of new technologies and new financing methods has set the stage for microgrids to play a significant role in decarbonization. Companies that are providing energy as a service, and therefore moving the upfront cost for microgrids away from consumers, have shown considerable popularity.
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3 weeks ago | 
theenergypioneer.com | Otto Gunderson
Colombia, which generates nearly 70% of its electricity from renewable sources, has made significant strides in decarbonization over the past few years. However, the country's electricity matrix remains heavily dependent on hydropower. While this has proven critical for economic development thus far, there are several drawbacks to relying heavily on hydropower.
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1 month ago | 
theenergypioneer.com | Otto Gunderson
Of the trillions that will need to be invested annually to transition to net zero, public financing, institutional investors, and private debt will all play significant roles. However, restricting investment and the accompanying returns to public financing and venture funds risks leaving retail investors out of the wealth this transition will generate.
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1 month ago | 
theenergypioneer.com | Otto Gunderson
With just over half of Colombia's land area currently classified as Non-Interconnected Zones (NIZ), the country has the opportunity to simultaneously reach its emission reduction goals and provide access to renewable power to the entire country. The push for renewables is partly in response to the emission reduction targets that Colombia has set, which include a in emissions compared to a 2030 reference scenario.
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1 month ago | 
theenergypioneer.com | Otto Gunderson
While seemingly every industry is developing artificial intelligence tools to streamline processes and improve efficiency, few industries have a better use case than carbon accounting. The flexibility of new AI tools, the ability to analyze extensive data sets, and the power to make accurate estimates when necessary all demonstrate the importance of new computing tools in this sector.
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1 month ago | 
theenergypioneer.com | Otto Gunderson
With the anticipated growth in energy demand, the creation of a "smart grid" can improve distribution, incorporate more renewable projects, and handle the expected increase from EVs, data centers, and AI. Rather than pressuring utilities into a costly, time-intensive, and hardware-based improvement for every line in the country, new technologies that provide similar benefits can reduce cost and prevent delays.
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2 months ago | 
theenergypioneer.com | Otto Gunderson
With the continued adoption of electric vehicles and the falling cost of traditional forms of clean energy, many aspects of the transition to a cleaner economy are well underway. However, industries considered hard to decarbonize, such as mining, steel, cement, and aviation, still face significant challenges. For many of these industries, green hydrogen will be a key replacement for traditional power sources such as coal, oil, or natural gas.
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2 months ago | 
theenergypioneer.com | Otto Gunderson
As electric vehicles become more commonplace and charging stations continue to spring up around the United States, there is growing concern about the strain that this will cause on the grid. This problem needs to be approached first by the demand side; as more electric vehicles enter the market, the pressure on the grid will continue to increase. Improving existing transmission infrastructure and reducing delays for connecting new charging hubs will both prove important.
