5 smart renewable energy innovations

This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum.

Author: Douglas Broom, Senior Writer, Forum Agenda

This article was first published on 16 May 2023 and was updated on 21 September 2023.

• Progress on the global energy transition has seen only “marginal growth” in the past three years, according to a World Economic Forum report.
• Fast and effective renewable energy innovation is critical to meeting climate goals.
• Here are five solutions that could help countries meet emissions targets.

The need for renewable energy innovation has never been greater.

In its 2023 report, Fostering Effective Energy Transition, the World Economic Forum says that 95% of countries have improved their total Energy Transition Index score over the past decade, but there has been only “marginal growth” in the past three years.

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Greenhouse gas emissions need to be almost halved by 2030 if warming is to be limited to 1.5°C, warns the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in its Sixth Assessment Report.

So, it’s encouraging that innovators continue to pioneer fresh approaches that are making the goal of switching the world to renewable energy more achievable. Here are five such energy innovations.

Solar and wind power working together

It’s tempting to think that renewable energy installations need to be either solar or wind powered. But French start-up Unéole has come up with a small-scale, easy to install solution that uses sun and wind power in a single unit.

Designed to be used on the flat roofs of offices and apartment buildings, the platform uses multiple wind turbines under a photovoltaic roof to create a silent solution that produces 40% more energy than a pure solar system and can generate power round the clock.

These turbines never turn

Wind power doesn’t have to mean huge turbines. A US start-up has invented a system that uses three-metre tall wind generators with no external moving parts. Sitting on the edge of roofs, Aeromine uses the natural airflow up the front of the building to generate power.

The system’s aerodynamic fins guide fast-rising air past an internal turbine, which the company claims produces 50% more power than other sustainable options. Combined with rooftop solar and battery storage, it can meet 100% of a building’s needs, the company says.