💚 Are Solar Films the New Solar Panels? 🌞
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Hey fellow impactful ninja ?
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Stay impactful,
Happy Thursday 👋
Here are the impactful insights that I have for you today:
- New flexible, lightweight solar films 🌞
- Less plastic in the ocean than assumed 📉
- Let’s celebrate the elephants 🐘
- And more… 💚
Can you still feel the sun shining strong this summer?
Well, I can. And after these record-breaking temperatures (July 2023 is officially confirmed as the hottest month ever recorded), I’m naturally thinking about all the ways we could harness the power of our sun.
Just when I’m looking outside of my window right now, I can see so many potential surfaces but none of them are equipped with solar panels…
Maybe that changes soon enough, once flexible solar films are available that could be integrated into many more surfaces 🤞
🌞 Breakthrough: Why Flexible, Lightweight Solar Films Are a Game-Changer
1️⃣ The big picture: EnFoil, a spinoff of Hasselt University and imec in Belgium, has developed solar films that are not only lightweight and wafer-thin but also bendable. This breakthrough offers a more versatile approach to harnessing solar energy, especially in places where traditional solar panels might not be suitable.
2️⃣ Why is this good news: This is a significant leap in solar technology! Traditional solar panels have limitations in terms of weight, shape, and adaptability. But these solar films are more flexible—and also more durable—meaning that they can be integrated into unconventional surfaces, opening up new possibilities for solar energy capture.
3️⃣ What’s next: One of the primary focuses for these solar films is the logistics sector, where they could be integrated on truck roofs and sidewalls. This would allow trucks to power sensors and tracking systems, reducing battery usage and even charging the battery in abundant sunlight. Other applications could be to integrate the solar films on swimming pool covers or corrugated roof tiles.
📢 More Good News…
🐯 Endangered wild tiger population grows by 27%: India and Bhutan have recorded an additional 131 tigers, which is 27% higher compared to its last count in 2015. This new report even coincides with International Tiger Day, which was celebrated on July 29.
💨 London’s Ultra Low Emissions Zone could bring cleaner air to 5 million people: To help reduce air pollution, the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has extended London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) to cover an additional 5 million people. This extension will charge the most polluting vehicles in the city and take place in outer London on August 29.
📉 Less plastic in oceans than assumed: When it comes to plastic pollution in the ocean, estimates typically range from 50 million to 300 million tons. However, Dutch researchers at Utrecht University have shared that the actual amount is closer to 3.2 million tons. “And what is in the ocean remains floating in large pieces for much longer. There are far fewer microplastics in the water than previously thought”, said oceanologist Mikeal Kaandorp. While these numbers are much smaller than we expected, it is still vital that we reduce plastic waste as much as possible.
🐘 Event of the Day: World Elephant Day
👉 Did you know that we’re celebrating World Elephant Day this Saturday, August 12?
1️⃣ The big picture: World Elephant Day was established to bring attention to the urgent plight of Asian and African elephants. This day helps create awareness about the various challenges these magnificent creatures face, including habitat loss, human-elephant conflict, and poaching.
2️⃣ Why is this important: Elephants play a critical role in their ecosystems, and they have cultural and economic significance in many of the regions where they are found. However, their populations have declined significantly due to various threats. World Elephant Day seeks to inspire individuals and organizations to support various conservation efforts, advocate for the protection of elephants, and celebrate these animals’ importance to our world.
3️⃣ How can you get involved: One of the best ways for you to get involved is to check out the list of charities below that are especially relevant to World Elephant Day. And for the ones that resonate most with you, you’ll then find a dedicated section on how you could best contribute:
- 10 Best Charities for Protecting Elephants
- 11 Best Charities Impacting Africa
- 9 Best Wildlife Conservation Charities
📜 This Week in History
🏛 August 10, 1846: The US Act of Congress passes the establishment of the Smithsonian Institution. Since then, it has become the world’s largest museum and research complex, serving as a cultural and scientific resource for more than 150 years.
👩🏻 August 10, 1931: Lesbian feminist and writer Dolores Alexander is born in Newark, New Jersey. Later in life, she became the first executive director of the National Organization for Women (NOW) and helped co-open “Mother Courage”, the first feminist restaurant in the US.
📶 August 11, 1942: Austrian-born actress and inventor Hedy Lamarr patented a device for a “frequency-hopping spread spectrum communication system”. Many years later, it helped serve the foundation for modern technologies such as Bluetooth.
💭 Quote of the Week
“The world isn’t getting any easier. With all these new inventions I believe that people are hurried more and pushed more… The hurried way is not the right way; you need time for everything—time to work, time to play, time to rest.”
― Hedy Lamarr; American actress and inventor
Share the news with your friends to make a bigger positive impact on the world and society!
Stay impactful 💚
Dennis
