Everything You Need to Know About Green Technology in 2023

Green technology may feel like the new kid on the block in 2023. However, the realm of sustainable innovation has a long history that you are probably unaware of. 

Consider geothermal heating, which is becoming increasingly popular in energy-efficient houses and buildings. Using thermal energy from under the earth’s surface dates back to the Paleolithic period, when early humans bathed in hot springs and built lava houses. Consider wind energy: our forefathers used it to propel boats down the Nile as early as 5000 B.C. Wind power was pumping water and crushing grains around 2000 B.C. And what about solar energy? In the seventh century B.C., humans began harnessing the sun’s energy to light fires using magnifying glasses. 

Green technology is more than just solar panels and wind turbines. Here’s a list of several popular eco-friendly innovations you may not have heard about: 

• Water purification and wastewater treatment (recycling water to make it drinkable or clean enough for other uses) 
• Waste management and recycling (reducing landfill impact) 
• Waste-to-energy (the process of burning landfill to generate electricity) 
• Electric transportation (electric automobiles, lorries, buses, scooters, and so on) 
• Programmable thermostats (temperatures that can be set to save electricity when you are not at home) 
• Self-sufficient structures (structures that generate enough energy to power themselves, typically through solar panels) 
• Low-carbon building (creating energy-efficient structures with green materials and lower footprints) 
• Carbon capture and storage (the removal and storage of carbon from the atmosphere) 
• LED illumination (light bulbs that use very little energy) 

Clean technology is a broad area that includes technologies that improve industrial performance and efficiency while eliminating negative environmental impact of any type. Clean technologies therefore encompass advancements such as clean energy, wastewater treatment, waste management, and others. 

Meanwhile, climate tech addresses issues especially related to human-caused climate change – in other words, any technology aimed at minimizing the impact of greenhouse gas emissions. Water treatment and garbage management, for example, are considered clean tech but not climate tech. 

For good reason, smart, sustainable buildings are springing up all over the place. Traditional structures and construction account for 38% of global greenhouse gas emissions. 

Low-carbon buildings are built to release little or no carbon over their lifetime. They require little heating and cooling, emit little waste and pollution, and are built of environmentally benign materials such as bamboo and hemp. They typically generate their own energy, commonly using rooftop solar panels. With construction demand higher than ever, low-carbon buildings are critical for a green future.