The future looks good

What does the future have in store for us?

We live in a constantly changing world, facing new developments in all aspects of our lives, from gadgets we are using every day to the cars we drive. If somebody had told me as a kid that we’d have fully electric cars and all-reaching wireless internet by the time I grew up, I would have told them they were dreaming.

Recycling and clean technologies are also changing as we go. Recycling in general has changed drastically over the years to the point where you can recycle almost anything. When I was growing up, the only materials being recycled were cardboard and metal. Nowadays the list of items required to be recycled is never ending – clean wood, painted wood, tires, drywall, metal, wires, electronic components, various types of plastic, office paper, batteries, paints, used oil, light bulbs, and more.

Recycling technologies are making our world cleaner and more efficient by allowing us to recycle items that 20 years ago we thought could never be recycled. What does the future have in store for us? What recycling or clean energy technologies will be available to our kids when they grow up?

 

Closed loop paper recycling

While paper recycling is not new, there’s a new technology coming online that will allow us to recycle paper multiple times. All paper, when recycled, breaks down, and can only be used for lesser quality paper. Grey’s Recycling, out of Edmonton, is solving this problem by using a cutting-edge process of adding cotton to paper. This keeps the paper strong, so that good quality office paper can be made. It also diverts tonnes of clothes away from the landfill. 

The benefit to the planet? It has been established that production of one tonne of office paper requires the cutting of 17 fully-grown trees. Closed loop paper recycling helps to reduce that number by recycling already-produced paper and cotton material destined for the landfill. 

I hope this Canadian company takes off in a big way to benefit us all in the future.

 

Self-charging vehicles

Electric vehicles are becoming more prominent today thanks to their obvious benefits. The Tesla car is all over the news lately, because Tesla makes driving electric vehicles truly cool. They’re extremely clean to run, quiet, and much easier to maintain than their gas engine counterparts. Who wouldn’t want to drive a Tesla?

There are still some downsides to owning an electric vehicle, though. Since they run on batteries, the effective range is limited by the battery’s capacity. Once the battery is depleted, you have to find a rechargeable station or head home to plug it into your home recharging unit. This isn’t very convenient, especially if you’re planning on using an electric car for travelling long distances. 

But fear not, new technology is here to save us. Companies around the world are working on introducing technology that will allow your car to be charged wirelessly, by means of induction, while you’re driving down the road. Just as it is possible to wirelessly charge your cellphone, it will be possible to charge your car by merely driving it at a normal speed along a specifically-designed motorway. Equipment installed underground will transmit electricity into a receiver installed on your car. Neat-o!

 

Dynamic windows

Believe it or not, buildings are the largest source of energy consumption in the world. When it’s cold outside, they need to be heated. When it’s hot, they need to be cooled. Almost 30% of this energy is lost through windows. New technologically-advanced dynamic windows solve this problem with zero effort.

‘Dynamic windows’ is a broad term for windows that are able to electronically change tinting in response to the outside environment. Just as the thermostat in your house controls the temperature, dynamic windows can change the level of tinting to match the weather outside, or time of day, or even sun movement. Electrochromic technology will change the colour of windows to absorb or reflect solar energy. This allows the windows to cool the building down by reflecting light when it’s sunny, or absorbing light when cooler. According to some manufacturers, dynamic windows can save 20% on heating and cooling system costs, 20% on lighting costs and reduce peak load by 25%.

The future is looking good.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.