In the foreseeable future, transparent solar panels hold the potential to take the place of conventional windows, although several challenges must first be overcome. Transparent solar panels are crafted from materials that permit visible light to pass through while capturing the sun’s energy to generate electricity. This unique feature grants them an aesthetically pleasing advantage over traditional, bulky, and opaque solar panels.
However, the best technologies still have lower efficiency than their traditional counterparts, resulting in lower electricity generation per square meter. Moreover, the cost exceeds that of traditional ones, making them less economically viable for the majority of consumers.
Transparent solar panels are made of a transparent material, such as titanium dioxide or amorphous silicon. These materials allow visible light to pass through while still absorbing some of the energy to generate electricity. This makes transparent solar panels more aesthetically pleasing than traditional solar panels, which can be bulky and opaque.
They are still in the early stages of development, but they have the potential to revolutionize the way we generate electricity. They could be used to power buildings, cars, and other devices without taking up any extra space. For example, transparent solar panels could be used to create solar-powered windows that would allow natural light to enter a building while also generating electricity. They could also be used to create solar-powered car roofs or windows that charge the car’s battery whenever it is exposed to sunlight.
They will make economic sense in larger applications despite their lower power-generating capacity. For example, a large high-rise building with good solar exposure could have all the windows facing the sun made with solar panels instead of glass. On a large surface area, this would provide a significant amount of power to run the systems in the building. When combined with high-efficiency LED lighting, regeneration from elevators, and energy storage, the building could become energy neutral or even a net producer.
Numerous companies are vigorously working on enhancing the efficiency and affordability of glass solar panel windows. Successful advancements in this direction could potentially position transparent solar panels as a practical alternative to traditional windows in the future.
Here are some companies actively involved in developing transparent solar panels:
SolarWindow Technologies: Pioneering the field, SolarWindow Technologies has created a transparent solar panel utilizing a thin film of titanium dioxide. This material absorbs sunlight and converts it into electricity. The company claims its transparent solar panel boasts 90% transparency and has the capacity to generate up to 10 watts of electricity per square meter.
PolySolar is a company that specializes in the development and manufacturing of transparent solar panels. PolySolar’s transparent solar panels are made of a thin film of cadmium telluride (CdTe), which is a semiconductor material. CdTe is a very efficient material for absorbing sunlight and converting it into electricity. PolySolar’s transparent solar panels are also very transparent, allowing up to 80% of visible light to pass through.
Onyx Solar is a company that specializes in the development and manufacturing of transparent solar panels. Onyx Solar’s transparent solar panels are made of a thin film of amorphous silicon (a-Si), which is a semiconductor material. a-Si is a very transparent material, allowing up to 80% of visible light to pass through.
These companies represent just a glimpse of the ongoing efforts to develop solar panel windows. With continued research and development, it remains promising that glass solar panels will eventually emerge as a compelling option for replacing windows in the future.
The Apple product launch event is a highlight in the calendar for anyone working in digital technology. At its headquarters in California on Tuesday (12 September), Apple launched its new iPhone 15 series and ninth Apple Watch series, plus its second iteration of Apple Watch Ultra.
Apple has stated that the new Apple Watch lineup consists solely of carbon-neutral products. It has delivered a 75% reduction in the life-cycle emissions of its watches since 2015 due to investments in clean energy procurement, energy efficiency and reducing transport emissions.
Product re-design and supply chain engagement have also driven reductions in emissions. Each of the watches includes at least 30% recycled or renewable material by weight, for example, including a 100% recycled aluminium casing and 100% recycled cobalt in the battery.
It bears noting that Apple’s carbon accounting for the carbon-neutral claim also covers consumer use of products.
In a statement, the firm said: “Electricity for manufacturing and charging devices represents the largest source of Apple’s emissions across all product lines. To address the latter, Apple has committed to invest in large-scale solar and wind projects around the world. For the carbon-neutral Apple Watch models, the company will match 100% of customers’ expected electricity use for charging.”
To address the 25% residual emissions associated with the watches, Apple will invest in carbon credits “primarily from nature-based projects”.
It has stated an intention to ensure that carbon credits are “high-quality” by assessing whether they represent additional, measurable, quantified and permanent carbon removal. Another key requirement is that the credits are not double-counted.
A surprise move?
Science reporter Justine Calma has argued that Apple’s announcement distracts from the company’s overall impact on climate and the environment. She said a far more important measure of the firm’s work on climate will be whether it delivers its 2030 and 2050 goals.
Apple achieved carbon neutrality for its global corporate operations in 2020 and subsequently pledged to deliver a carbon-neutral value chain by 2030.
It is seeking to reduce emissions upstream and downstream by at least 75% on 2015 levels, only relying on offsetting for a maximum of 25% of residual emissions.
Apple has described this ambition as “aggressive”. Meeting this goal will require increased investments in decarbonising national electricity grids; low-carbon transport innovations and transport efficiencies; product re-design and material innovation.
On the latter, Apple is working to switch to 100% recycled cobalt in batteries, plus 100% recycled tin soldering and gold plating in circuit boards, by 2025. It is also ending the use of leather across all product lines with immediate effect, switching to a new ‘FineWoven’ textile made from 68% post-consumer recycled fibres.
Apple continues to use the language of carbon neutrality despite a forthcoming crackdown on this kind of claim in the EU. Lawmakers voted in May to support a new directive that will prevent companies from badging consumer goods as ‘carbon-neutral’ or ‘carbon-negative’ if they use offsetting. Only time will tell how Apple will choose to communicate its climate efforts to customers in the EU once this directive comes into force.
Charging port changes
Another sustainability-related facet of Apple’s latest product launch is the switch from the Apple-exclusive ‘lightning’ charging port to a USB-C port for the iPhone 15.
The change is being made because the EU is mandating that all electronic devices sold within the bloc from 2024 use USB-C charging, in a bid to reduce the e-waste generated by the need for each home to have an array of different chargers.
In the long-term, the result is likely to be waste reduction. But, in the coming months, there are concerns that there will be a spike in the discarding of Apple ‘lightning’ cables. It is estimated that one-quarter of European residents own an iPhone.
Motorsport has been an object of fascination and admiration for fans worldwide for more than one hundred years. Since cars have taken to the streets, people have been keen on racing them. This has evolved over the years as automobile technology has developed and become more sophisticated, with the cars racing at the highest levels routinely clocking more than two hundred miles per hour.
Formula Races exemplifies the best of the best when it comes to motorsport, their races taking place around the world to tens of thousands of adoring fans. As we continue the green transition, however, motorsport has been subject to more and more scrutiny as an easily recognizable symbol of the idolization of fossil fuel burning.
The races incur massive environmental costs from the fuel the cars burn, the transportation of the racecars, drivers and support teams, and the fans who flock each year to each city the races take place in. A massive spectacle, yes, but a costly one for the ecosystem nonetheless. The Federation International de l’Automobile (FIA), Formula One’s governing body, recognizes this. Since 2019, the FIA has been taking steps to prove that there doesn’t need to be a contradiction between the joy of racing and watching races and the environment.
The FIA has been keeping a close eye on the changing attitudes towards racing and the costs it has for the environment. That is why, in November 2019, F1 and the FIA announced plans to become fully carbon-neutral by the end of 2030.
The plans for this transition are already underway, and the beginning of this transition will start with F2 and F3. Starting with the sprint race in Bahrain for the 2023 season, F2 and F3 cars will use a 45% blend of conventional fossil fuel and 55% “Advanced Sustainable Fuel.” By 2027, the feeder series will use a sustainable carbon-captured fuel called e-fuel. In regards to sustainable fuels, generally, there are two types. There is biofuel, created out of the waste materials of plants and other biomass, and e-fuel, created by carbon capture technology either from the atmosphere or directly from a smokestack.
Carbon capture fuel technology is in the very early stages of development, and the F2 and F3 races will be the first large-scale application of such a technology. The reason why this is important is because of the amount of clout the FIA has and the attention that their races get.
It is currently impractical for e-fuel to be used in conventional automobiles; however, e-fuel has incredibly promising potential in heavy transport, airline, and maritime industries. By successfully utilizing and drawing attention to this new option regarding fuel technology, proof will be established that it can be done and be economically viable for other companies as well. However, there are concerns to be had about the production of e-fuel regardless. Suppose the energy that is being used to power the carbon capture technology comes from fossil fuels. In that case, the environmental cost isn’t being reduced but moved further up the supply chain. As mentioned before, the main market for e-fuel is in commercial and industrial applications, not regular vehicles.
Despite the challenges presented by climate change, racing continues to be an exhilarating sport to participate in and watch. Proving that it is possible to go green and keep racing ensures the sport’s longevity for the next generation and those to follow. The massive amount of attention the Formula races garner shows that there is still considerable interest in the sport.
With the debut of Formula E, showcasing the racing of electric vehicles, perhaps that will become the mainstay for Formula as we continue to transition towards a green economy. For the time being, it is hope-inspiring to see that even in a sport almost entirely dedicated to the burning of fossil fuels, they are still attempting to make positive environmental changes.
PAS 2060, a Publicly Available Specification that has been used as a guideline for demonstrating carbon neutrality, makes it clear that carbon neutral should be used to mean all scopes not just scope 1 & 2 (fuels burned on site and in vehicles and electricity consumption). However there has been a growing habit over recent years to use “carbon neutral” to mean just operational emissions – ignoring the value chain (scope 3) even though for most companies between 70 and 95% of their emissions are from the value chain.
To be truly carbon neutral, a company needs to reduce emissions from all sources as much as possible and then offset or actively remove the remainder.
Net Zero uses the same concept but at a larger scale, aiming for emissions from all sources to be reduced as much as possible and the remainder mitigated through removals from the atmosphere. These could be through supporting natural systems which sequester carbon (forest, peat, wetlands, seagrass, etc) or through technology like carbon capture and storage and buried solid carbon sinks.
The ISO 14068 standard will be a certifiable standard that ensures that emissions from all scopes are considered. (Click here to request a link to a recording of our ISO 14068 webinar or a copy of a factsheet.)
As time goes on, we need to be more cautious about avoided emissions (like technology sharing to reduce dependence on wood burning for example) as that prevents emissions that would otherwise have happened but doesn’t actively remove anything. So, it’s more like moving a share of emissions from one emitter to another, but on a global scale we need to be keeping total emissions to a minimum not just reducing in one place and emitting in another. It’s really important to support low carbon international development, but I think we’ll see a change in attitude to the value of avoided emissions in offsetting in future. A simple 2 tonnes avoided per 1 tonne allocated offset credit (for avoided emissions projects only) would work for example, as for every tonne emitted in location A, 2 tonnes are prevented in location B ensuring the overall emissions are net zero.
In short, a company that is carbon neutral is also net zero (calculated on a year-by-year basis), as in both cases the tracking of carbon emissions and removals need to match.
Apple has unveiled plans to increase the use of recycled materials in its products, with a new target of using 100% recycled cobalt in all Apple-designed batteries by 2025.
The tech giant will also aim to use entirely recycled rare earth elements in magnets for its devices and 100% recycled tin soldering and gold plating in all Apple-designed printed circuit boards by the same year.
“Every day, Apple is innovating to make technology that enriches people’s lives, while protecting the planet we all share,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “From the recycled materials in our products, to the clean energy that powers our operations, our environmental work is integral to everything we make and to who we are. So we’ll keep pressing forward in the belief that great technology should be great for our users, and for the environment.”
Reducing Apple’s carbon footprint
The announcement is part of Apple’s broader efforts to reduce its carbon footprint and become more environmentally friendly.
In 2022, the company significantly expanded its use of recycled metals, with over two-thirds of all aluminium, nearly three-quarters of all rare earth materials, and more than 95% of all tungsten in Apple products sourced from 100% recycled material.
Apple’s rapid progress in this area brings the company closer to its ultimate goal of making all products with only recycled and renewable materials and advances its aim to achieve carbon neutrality for every product by 2030.
“Our ambition to one day use 100% recycled and renewable materials in our products works hand in hand with Apple 2030: our goal to achieve carbon neutral products by 2030,” said Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vice president of Environment, Policy, and Social Initiatives. “We’re working toward both goals with urgency and advancing innovation across our entire industry in the process.”
If Apple is able to achieve this goal, it will show major steps towards achieving a more sustainable future for the company.
The law, which requires that manufacturers achieve a 100% reduction in CO2 emissions from new cars sold in the EU by 2035, received 340 votes for, 279 against and 21 abstentions.
It sets an intermediate target of a 55% reduction in CO2 emissions for cars compared with 2021 levels and a 50% reduction for vans by 2030.
Low-volume manufacturers – those producing 1000 to 10,000 new cars or 1000 to 22,000 new vans per year – may be given an exemption from the rules until the end of 2035.
Those registering fewer than 1000 new vehicles annually will continue to be exempt thereafter.
By 2025, the European Commission will present methodology for assesssing and reporting the lifetime CO2 emissions of new cars and vans. Every subsequent two years, it will publish a report to evaluate the EU’s progress towards zero-emissions road mobility.
Then, by December 2026, it will monitor the gap between the legally determined emissions limits and real-world fuel and energy consumption data; and draw up methodology for adjusting manufacturers’ specific CO2 emissions.
Existing incentives for manufacturers selling more zero- and low-emissions vehicles (0-50g/km of CO2) will be adapted in line with sales trends, said the EU Parliament in a statement. These are expected to fall as uptake of battery-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles increases.
The legislation was agreed in October 2022 and will now be sent to the Council of the European Union for formal approval. This will take place in the coming weeks.
Jan Huitema, the EU Parliament’s lead negotiator for the law, said: “This regulation encourages the production of zero- and low-emission vehicles. It contains an ambitious revision of the targets for 2030 and a zero-emission target for 2035, which is crucial to reach climate-neutrality by 2050.
“These targets create clarity for the car industry and stimulate innovation and investments for car manufacturers.
“Purchasing and driving zero-emission cars will become cheaper for consumers and a second-hand market will emerge more quickly. It makes sustainable driving accessible to everyone.”
Numerous manufacturers have existing electrification targets that put them on pace to comply with the new legislation.
French brands Renault and Peugeot also aim to go all-electric in Europe by 2030, while Volkswagen aims to reduce its carbon emissions per vehicle by 40% compared with 2018 levels by 2030.
Premium makers have also made headway on electrification: 41% of Volvo’s 615,121 new car sales in 2022 were plug-in hybrid (23%) and electric (18%), while Mini’s best-selling model was the Mini Electric.
Other manufacturers, such as Dacia, have plotted a different course: the Renault-owned company plans to meet CO2 targets by building lightweight, fuel-efficient ICE cars, critical to maintaining the brand’s price advantage.
Nonetheless, its sole electric car, the Dacia Spring, was one of Europe’s best-selling EVs in 2022, beating the likes of the Cupra Born, Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Polestar 2.
Shoppers’ tastes are becoming more refined in the face of climate change, says a survey by global commerce company by Shopify. According to the report, despite cost-of-living pressures, expensive, sustainable shopping is coming into vogue.
To reach that conclusion, Shopify surveyed over 24,000 consumers as well as 9,000 small and medium-sized businesses.
The main lines of the conclusions follow: 62% of consumers will not compromise on their green ethoses despite higher costs in the face of economic uncertainty. As well, 82% of businesses agree that sustainability and improved performance by the company are related factors.
Stacy Kauk, head of sustainability at Shopify, noted the overlapping of interests in the report’s findings: “This report shows climate-consciousness is driving purchasing decisions, even in challenging economic times.
“For both business and the climate, it’s in everyone’s interest to implement practices like carbon-neutral shipping and support for emerging sustainability solutions. This needs to be a collaboration between merchants, buyers, and the broader commerce community.”
Younger generations are driving this change: 59% of Gen Z shoppers and 61% of millennials are more sustainably-conscious in their shopping patterns. Furthermore, 31% of these were planning on being more sustainable in the upcoming year.
The pace of change of retailers leaves something to be desired, as well; 24% of these increasingly conscious shoppers seek out eco-friendly packaging and buying local.
Businesses move to adapt
Businesses are hearing the call of the consumer. That said, they also acknowledge the high cost of moving in that direction: 40% of businesses with 1 to 50 employees see it as an obstacle. But the bigger the business, the more elaborate the supply chain, and 48% of these see a problem.
But businesses are indeed at work finding sustainable resolutions for their customers. For instance, 35% of UK retailers now offer in-store recycling, and they are increasingly having programs where a percentage of the revenue goes to non-profits.
Renderings of the Six Senses Svart in Norway are straight out of a sci-fi movie. An overwater hotel shaped like a wheel glows at the foot of a glacier – the Svartisen glacier in the Holandsfjorden fjord, to be specific – like a space station floating in orbit.
If all goes according to plan, the otherworldly image will come to life in 2024 as the first carbon-neutral and emission-free resort (Six Senses has not yet broken ground on the project), joining an emerging movement of carbon-conscious hotels.
In Turkey, the Stay Hotels says it is the country’s first carbon-neutral hotel group. In Denver, construction is underway on Populus, a 265-room property that claims it will be the United States’ first “carbon positive” hotel when it opens in late 2023. In New Haven, Connecticut, Hotel Marcel, opened in April, is the first US net-zero hotel.
Hotels contribute about 1% to global carbon emissions, says Claire Whitely, head of environment for the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance charity.
Of the 36.3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide emitted worldwide last year, that would mean hotels contributed roughly 363 million tonnes – about as much as it takes to power about 45.7 million homes for a year.
There are more than 90,000 hotels in the United States using energy on air conditioning and heating; laundering towels and sheets; lighting rooms and lobbies; and refrigerating the mini bar – not to mention the energy and resources to build and furnish them.
Parkroyal on Pickering in Singapore calls itself the world’s first “hotel in a garden”.
“We are talking about properties that are operated 24/7 and talking about over a billion hotel nights,” says Peter Templeton, interim president and CEO of the U.S. Green Building Council.
The carbon-neutral and carbon-positive labels sound good on paper, but some experts question if they are more performative than productive. Travel industry experts and climate scientists explained what travellers should know about the new wave of ‘green’ hotels and how to pick one.
What does it mean to be carbon neutral?
When hotels says they’re carbon neutral, they usually mean they are taking the same amount of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere as they emit. Christoph Meinrenken, a physicist at the Columbia University Climate School says technically the term should be net carbon neutral, as true carbon neutral would mean having zero carbon emissions – but carbon neutral is more commonly used.
That is often done through carbon offsets, which account for a person, business or government’s carbon emissions by removing carbon from the atmosphere. This can be done in several ways, such as planting enough trees to capture the amount of carbon dioxide the hotel emits, or financing renewable energy projects or reforestation.
Svart will come to life in 2024 as the first carbon-neutral and emission-free resort. Source SNøHETTA/PLOMPMOZES
Some hotels may not necessarily have “green” operations; they just buy offsets. Other hotels become net carbon neutral by being more energy-efficient, then covering the rest of their emissions through carbon offsetting. For example, at the all-electric Hotel Marcel, 100% of its electricity is produced by solar panels on-site.
While it will cost hotels to make green changes, “it’s not going to cost much extra to do now that so many [green] strategies are becoming more and more commonplace,” says Peter Rumsey, founder and CEO of Point Energy Innovations, a building-systems and renewable-energy engineering company.
Rumsey says hotels can become more energy efficient for less money these days with solutions that are readily available, such as LED lighting, induction cooktops and management systems with sensors that make sure energy is being used efficiently.
Whitely agrees. “The technology that we need to decarbonise the hotel industry is here,” she says. “We just need to put it into place.”
What about carbon positive and net zero?
Carbon negative, energy positive or climate positive refer to a hotel offsetting more carbon than it emits. The term carbon positive is sometimes used in the same context, although the term is counterintuitive; we want less carbon, not more. “Some people use it in marketing, but technically, it doesn’t make sense,” Meinrenken says.
A property may strive to do this by producing more renewable energy than it needs, or make up for the carbon used in the construction of the hotel, not just daily operations.
Svart’s proposed design is an example. The hotel and its adjacent services, such as boat shuttles and guest activities, plan to be self-sufficient in electricity, water and waste management. It will also create a surplus of renewable energy using solar panels and geothermal wells to offset the carbon associated with the building’s construction.
To make Populus climate positive, Grant McCargo, founder, CEO and chief environmental officer of Urban Villages, says they’re planting trees to offset the carbon cost of the hotel’s construction and operations. They are also using a low-carbon concrete mix and installing windows with “lids” designed to reduce the hotel’s energy needs and require less washing. They also omitted a parking lot to encourage visitors to use public transportation.
Properties claiming to be net-zero mean they are offsetting all of their greenhouse gas emissions – methane, nitrous oxide, among others – not only carbon.
Templeton has seen thousands of projects move toward green building certification such as LEED or Passive House, with some embracing the concepts of zero energy or zero waste. He expects more to come, particularly as new policies incentivize greener choices.
Criticism of carbon claims
Critics say pledges such as carbon neutral and net zero don’t always accurately factor the full scope of emissions. Others are wary of their legitimacy.
Then there’s the concern that a hotel may have noble sustainability goals but doesn’t stick to them.
“Once you put the label of green or sustainable on something, many people tend to stop asking questions,” says Robert Krueger, a sustainability expert who created the Environmental & Sustainability Studies program at Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
“The architects and engineers work to create a building on paper that works a certain way. But when you put people into that building, it changes the way it functions,” Krueger says.
Rumsey says buying carbon offsets can be a good thing, but it shouldn’t be considered a final solution to hotel sustainability concerns.
“That’s just sort of a temporary Band-Aid approach,” he says. “At the end of the day, we can’t buy our carbon-way out of climate change through offsets. These hotels and these flights have got to change their emissions in a fundamental way.”
The majority of Svart will sit on stilts. Source SNøHETTA/PLOMPMOZES
How travellers can do their research
Rumsey doesn’t think it’s up to consumers to fix the problem, but the hotels that travellers choose can influence the industry.
While shopping for a place to stay, Meinrenken says travellers should scrutinise a hotel’s sustainability claims. Consider it a red flag if a hotel claims to be green, eco-friendly or carbon neutral but offers no explanation on how.
“Usually, architects are proud of their designs, and the website will describe whether that hotel is off the grid or whether it uses solar panels on the roof, whether it’s a Passive House design, which would indicate very low intrinsic energy consumption, etc.,” Meinrenken says.
As for digging into what offsets a hotel uses, it may be difficult for a traveller to research whether the claims hold up. “Unless they voluntarily disclose that, it’s probably difficult to find out – too much work for travelers,” Meinrenken says.
Of course, greener hotel choices aren’t the only considerations travellers should be making.
“The most significant emissions associated with travel involve lifting a couple hundred people to 30,000 feet and propelling them to their destination at 500mph,” Michael Wara, director of Stanford University’s Climate and Energy Policy Program, said in an email.
“But making the hotels more sustainable can’t hurt and changing people’s perception of what luxury feels like can be very significant in terms of moving policy,” Wara added.
Ultimately, it’s not just about greenhouse gases. Meinrenken says it is also important to be concerned whether a hotel treats its workers fairly, whether it destroyed an ecosystem where it was built and whether it contributes to the community or just takes its resources.
Krueger recommends supporting social causes as well, and taking steps such as setting your own carbon emissions budget and making compromises to offset your trip (e.g., biking or taking public transportation to work).
Reliance to build 100 gigawatts of renewable energy projects
Mukesh Ambani’s group aims to be net carbon zero by 2035
The conglomerate led by Mukesh Ambani, Asia’s richest man, announced plans to invest $76 billion toward clean energy projects, dwarfing an earlier commitment of $10 billion by the world’s biggest fossil-fuel billionaire.
Reliance Industries Ltd., controlled by Ambani, has signed pacts with the state government of Gujarat for a total investment of 5.96 trillion rupees ($81 billion), according to an exchange filing Thursday. Of this, about 5 trillion rupees would be used over the next 15 years to build 100 gigawatts of renewable power projects and a green hydrogen network while 600 billion rupees will be for factories making solar modules, hydrogen electrolyzers, fuel cells and storage batteries, the filing said.
The remaining sum is to be spent in the retail-to-refining group’s new and existing projects, including the upgrade of its telecom network for 5G services and expansion of its consumer retail businesses. Reliance has already “started the process of scouting land” for its renewable energy power projects and has requested the Gujarat administration for 450,000 acres (182,110 hectares) in the arid Kutch region.
Though the investment pact is just a memorandum of understanding right now, it outlines the scope of Ambani’s green ambitions and is a big step up from the $10 billion investment over three years he had announced in June. Ambani is in the midst of transforming his fossil fuel-fed empire and pivoting it toward green energy and digital technology.
Ambitious Target
These projects will also boost Reliance’s target to make its operations carbon neutral by 2035 – an ambitious target for a company that derived 60% of its revenue from oil refining and petrochemicals.
The announcement follows billionaire Gautam Adani-led conglomerate’s pact with South Korean steel giant Posco to explore business opportunities in India, including setting up a green steel mill in Gujarat, with a potential investment of $5 billion. Adani has committed to invest a total of $70 billion by 2030 across its green energy value chain.
Both the billionaires and their ability to walk the talk on their green energy commitments are crucial if the Narendra Modi-led government has to achieve its target of making the country net carbon zero by 2070.
Like their global peers, Reliance and Adani groups, who made their fortunes from fossil fuels, are now aggressively expanding their clean energy footprint amid mounting pressure to join the fight against climate change.
Contractor A E Yates teamed up with supplier Aggregate Industries and designers at Amey to deliver the landmark dual carriageway resurfacing project between M6 junction 6 and Brettarg Holt.
Highways England set highly ambitious carbon reduction targets that were met with extensive asphalt recycling through a Foamix asphalt.
Existing road surface planings were recycled and encapsulated back into the pavement by producing a site batched cold recycled asphalt using Aggregates Industries SuperLow asphalt.
This approach captured a huge 43% carbon reduction, compared with conventional resurfacing methods.
In total, 50,000 tonnes of material was extracted from the original pavement and 39,000 tonnes recycled over the course of just six weeks.
This included 11,600 tonnes of asphalt and 27,000 tonnes of foamix laid using wide pavers.
Through its partnership with not-for-profit offset specialist Circular Ecology, Aggregate Industries purchased a number of credits to offset the remaining carbon on the scheme.
Guy Edwards, CEO at Aggregate Industries UK, said: “As the world’s first building materials supplier to commit to hitting net zero emissions by 2050, completing the UK’s first carbon neutral pavement scheme is a landmark achievement for us and demonstrates our commitment to achieving this goal.
“By working collaboratively with Highways England, AE Yates and Amey on the A590 M6 J36 to Brettarg Holt scheme during the early contractor involvement stage, we were able to identify a low-carbon approach designed to provide significant environmental; and in turn, cost benefits, by establishing a best practice approach to greener road surfacing.”
