Net-Zero Transition

A geodesic dome covers the injection well of a geothermal power plant, in Hellisheiði, Iceland. 

The plant captures geothermal energy from the volcanic Hengill mountain. Geothermal power plants draw fluids from underground reservoirs to the surface to produce steam, which then drives turbines to generate electricity. The process is not emissions-free, as the remaining fluids contain harmful condensates, but the plant injects these back into deep bedrock, where the CO2 can turn rapidly into minerals. The dome covers the borehole and equipment, reducing the visual impact on the environment. By January 2022, this plant had fixed over 100,000 tonnes of CO2 in this way. In cases where carbon emissions cannot be avoided, such carbon fixing can be a valid alternative, although critics say that carbon-capturing technologies detract from the more  pressing need to reduce carbon emissions in the first place. 

An operator runs a routine check of a photobioreactor at a microalgae facility in Reykjanesbær, Iceland. The company uses algae to produce a food supplement rich in antioxidants, which can be beneficial to eye, skin, and cardiovascular health. The process is carbon negative, since carbon dioxide is used to feed the microalgae.

An operator tends plants at what was at the time Europe’s largest and most efficient vertical farm, with 14 floors and an output capacity of more than 3,000 kilograms of produce per day, in Copenhagen, Denmark.

By having full control over the environment, the indoor farm can produce herbs and lettuce with no need for pesticides or other toxic chemicals. The farm is supplied by wind energy, and thanks to hydroponic technology (cultivation in a water-based solution of nutrients, rather than soil) uses considerably less water than outdoor fields would do. 

A worker harvests tomatoes in a greenhouse in Ostellato, Italy. High-efficiency LED lights using 100 percent green energy provided by a nearby biogas plant ensure sustainable year-round production. Herbicides and glyphosates are not needed in the controlled environment.

An aerial view of a rooftop farm that supplies local residents, neighboring hotels and restaurants with zero food-miles sustainable produce, in Paris, France. Occupying 14,000 square meters of space (about the size of two football pitches) the farm is home to more than 20 market gardens providing over 900 kilograms of fruit and vegetables a day in season, from about 30 different varieties of plant. 

An insect-protein production plant in Nesle, France. The site produces up to 10,000 tons of insect protein and oil annually, derived from black soldier fly larvae, transforming it into animal feed and fertilizer. The insect protein makes a more sustainable alternative to fishmeal and vegetable oils in, for example, fish and poultry farming and enriching soil for crops. More than 20,000 insect eggs are collected per second without human intervention, using artificial intelligence and optical recognition technology. 

Black soldier flies lay eggs in a gauze enclosure ,  at an insect-protein production plant in Nesle, France. The site produces up to 10,000 tons of insect protein and oil annually, derived from black soldier fly larvae, transforming it into animal feed and fertilizer. The insect protein makes a more sustainable alternative to fishmeal and vegetable oils in, for example, fish and poultry farming and enriching soil for crops. More than 20,000 insect eggs are collected per second without human intervention, using artificial intelligence and optical recognition technology.

Von Yi Yap, a biotechnician, examines a small sample of a bio fertilizer at an indoor vertical farm in Copenhagen, Denmark. The farm produces microbial biofertilizers for its own use, made onsite from fermented plant waste.

A robotic arm mounts solar cells onto photovoltaic panels, at a  ‘gigafactory’ in Catania, Italy, which was the first in Europe to manufacture photovoltaic panels that produce solar energy from both sides. The plant’s operators plan to manufacture sufficient panels each year to generate three gigawatts of energy (a gigawatt is a massive amount of energy, equalling one billion watts).

This solar park in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France, is capable of generating 35,000 megawatt-hours of electricity, supplying enough clean energy to power around 12,000 households, potentially offsetting up to 40,000 tons of CO2 emissions a year. Local citizens and environmental groups objected to the clearance of some 63 hectares of pine and oak forest to make room for the solar panels.

This waste-to-energy heat-and-power plant in the industrial outskirts of Copenhagen, Denmark, burns around 440,000 tons of waste a year to supply more than 30,000 homes in and around Copenhagen with electricity, and 72,000 homes with heating (recycled from flue gas condensation using heat pumps). The plant uses a filter to remove harmful pollutants from its incineration exhaust, and hosts an all-seasons ski run and public green space on its roof.

A worker transports seedlings at a vertical farm, near Milan, Italy. Crops grown in vertical stacks increase efficiency of land use, and reduce water consumption. According to research published in the International Journal of Agriculture, Environment and Food Sciences, the yield from vertical farm crops is around times higher that of normally produced field crops, and saves about 70-95 percent on water.

Greenhouse operations in this facility in Ostellato, Italy, are based on a circular economy. At the end of their life cycle, plants become the fuel for a biogas plant that powers the greenhouse. Hydroponic techniques enable plant growth all year round, using 70 percent less water than traditional methods, and, in addition, rainwater is collected for irrigation. 

Workers monitor seedling growth at a vertical farm, near Milan, Italy. Crops grown in vertical stacks increase efficiency of land use, and reduce water consumption. According to research published in the International Journal of Agriculture, Environment and Food Sciences, the yield from vertical farm crops is around times higher that of normally produced field crops, and saves about 70-95 percent on water.

Greenhouse operations in this facility in Ostellato, Italy, are based on a circular economy. At the end of their life cycle, plants become the fuel for a biogas plant that powers the greenhouse. Hydroponic techniques (cultivation in a water-based solution of nutrients, rather than soil) enable plant growth all year round, using 70 percent less water than traditional methods. In addition, rainwater is collected for irrigation. 

Francesco Riccobono operates a 3-D printing system in Barcelona, Spain, to produce a meat substitute that mimics the texture and appearance of a real steak. The printed product comprises pea protein, beetroot juice, and other plant-based ingredients. Such substitutes can play a role in reducing the large environmental footprint left by farming cattle and other livestock. 

Kristinn Haflidason monitors a photobioreactor at a microalgae production facility in Hellisheiði, Iceland. The company cultivates omega 3-rich algae using waste and geothermal power. The algae are used to improve the survival and growth rate of fish larvae, crustaceans, and mollusks and to improve  their nutritional value.

A tokamak nuclear fusion pit is under construction in Saint-Paul-lez-Durance, France. The tokamak is an experimental magnetic fusion device, designed to harness energy produced on the principle that powers the sun and stars. The aim of this 35-nation collaboration is that energy produced through the fusion of atoms will be absorbed as heat in the walls of the vessel, then used to produce steam and thence electricity by way of turbines and generators. 

One of the nine vacuum-vessel segments that make up a tokamak nuclear fusion pit, under construction in Saint-Paul-lez-Durance, France. The tokamak is an experimental magnetic fusion device, designed to harness energy produced on the principle that powers the sun and stars. The aim of this 35-nation collaboration is that energy produced through the fusion of atoms will be absorbed as heat in the walls of the vessel, then used to produce steam and thence electricity by way of turbines and generators. 

A quality control machine analyzes and classifies solar cells, at a ‘gigafactory’ in Catania, Italy, which was the first in Europe to manufacture photovoltaic panels that produce solar energy from both sides. The plant’s operators plan to manufacture sufficient panels each year to generate three gigawatts of energy (a gigawatt is a massive amount of energy, equalling one billion watts).

This solar plant in Fuentes de Andalucía, Spain, can supply uninterrupted power, and was the first commercial plant in the world able to provide a full day of uninterrupted power supply to the grid. Instead of sunlight, it uses solar heat (which is more easily stored) to generate electricity, and can remain operational for up to 15 hours without sunlight.

A reforestation project in Krafla, Iceland. The country lost most of its trees more than a thousand years ago, when Viking settlers cut down forests to supply wood for boats, homes and fuel. Iceland’s government views reforestation as one way to help the country meet its climate goals. In addition, it benefits farmers by improving and stabilizing soil, and helps counteract the effects of erosion and sandstorms.

Hrefna Hrólfsdóttir, a volunteer with the Icelandic Forest Service, plants trees in Staður, Iceland. The country lost most of its trees more than a thousand years ago, when Viking settlers cut down forests to supply wood for boats, homes and fuel. Iceland’s government views reforestation as one way to help the country meet its climate goals. In addition, it benefits farmers by improving and stabilizing soil, and helps counteract the effects of erosion and sandstorms.

Carbon emissions from a geothermal power station, in Krafla, Iceland, are reinjected into geothermal wells to minimize their environmental impact. 

Geothermal power plants draw fluids from underground reservoirs to the surface to produce steam, which then drives turbines to generate electricity. The process is not emissions-free, as the remaining fluids contain harmful condensates, but the plant injects these back into deep bedrock, where the CO2 can turn rapidly into minerals. Geodesic domes cover the boreholes and equipment, reducing the visual impact on the environment. In 2020, this plant fixed over 50,000 tonnes of CO2 in this way. Such carbon fixing remains a controversial issue, with critics saying that the technologies distract from the pressing need to reduce carbon emissions rather than capturing them.

The collection chamber of a waste-to-energy plant, in Turin, Italy. The plant powers the largest district-heating network in Italy, serving around 9,300 homes and more than 500,000 citizens.

This ‘gigafactory’ in Catania, Italy, was the first in Europe to manufacture photovoltaic panels that produce solar energy from both sides. The plant’s operators plan to manufacture sufficient panels each year to generate three gigawatts of energy (a gigawatt is a massive amount of energy, equalling one billion watts).

This multi-fuel power plant in Copenhagen, Denmark uses natural gas, oil, straw, and wood pellets for simultaneous generation of heat and electricity, and claims to exploit up to 94 percent of the energy in the fuels. The European Union’s 2020 climate and energy program classifies wood pellets as a carbon-neutral form of renewable energy. Although natural gas is a non-renewable fossil fuel, the plant aims to replace nearly a half of its gas consumption with wood pellets.

People swim at Amager Strand, Denmark, near a wind farm which is co-owned by 8,552 electricity consumers, and serves more than 40,000 Copenhagen households. Upwards of 150,000 Danish families are members of similar wind-turbine cooperatives.

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