Blogs

The Energy Industry has been in the centre of intensifying calls for a more sustainable future, putting pressure to transform the current energy system to rely less on fossil fuels amid a steady increase in energy demand. The industry has also been susceptible to volatile political situations around the world. 

These factors have pushed industry players to continue innovating to reduce carbon footprint, improve efficiency and reduce costs. Time and again, technology has been an enabler for all these to happen. Yet, despite the undeniable role that technology has played, it is also clear that there is significant room to further accelerate the speed of technology deployment.

The good news is: technology deployment can be done… faster and with higher chances of success! 

Renewable Energy, which is obtained from renewable sources that are naturally replenished on a human timescale, is central to the global transition to cleaner fuels and to fight the climate crisis. Consequently, private and public sectors all over the world are expressing support and taking the right actions toward more renewable sources for individual and business energy consumers.

With the latest numbers from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), we are continuing to recognise frontrunners in the global Energy Transition feat. Keep reading to explore the latest developments from these five (5) frontrunners!

Despite the many benefits of using Tidal Energy as a renewable source of energy, the uptake is slow compared to other sources. As such, we would like to encourage its growth and development highlighting Tidal Energy Technologies in this month’s Technologies in the Spotlight. 

Here you will find three technologies that harness energy from movements of tides. All three have technology readiness levels of at least 8, making them readily available for deployment. Check the list and click their photos to direct you to their pages where you will get more information about the technologies and the innovators behind them.

Ocean renewable energy, which includes tidal energy, wave energy, ocean thermal energy conversion and salinity gradient, offers huge potential to contribute to the Energy Transition. With the vast water resources available to many countries, ocean renewable energy is deemed a natural power source for many countries, especially for their coastal communities.

Given the huge potential of ocean renewable energy technology to contribute to a more sustainable future, we invited Dr Mary Ann Q. Franco, a Research Fellow at the Energy Studies Institute, for an interview.

Given its critical role in the Energy Transition, this month’s spotlight is on Energy Storage Technologies. We have compiled a list featuring eight (8) innovative technologies. There are many technologies available for Energy storage, but they all differ based on these key characteristics: energy density, lifespan, materials used, cost, application, efficiency and safety. Here you will find novel technologies that are in testing phase with key industry players as well as proven ones that have already been deployed in operational environments.

Energy Storage, a system that captures energy at one time and stores it for later use, is seen to be a crucial part of the backbone enabling Energy Transition.To join the global conversation on Energy Storage, we invited Shannon O’Rourke, Chief Executive Officer of Australia-based Future Battery Industries Cooperative Research Centre (FBICRC). Prior to joining FBICRC, Shannon was with Woodside Energy for more than 14 years. He was Head of Commercialisation then General Manager for New Energy at Woodside Energy, where he founded the company’s Hydrogen, Carbon and Carbon Capture and Storage Businesses. Read his insights in this blog.

It is no secret that TechnologyCatalogue.com, with over a hundred thousand users in 2021 alone, is a gold mine for data on technology and innovation for the Energy Transition. We can generate data that can be translated into actionable insights needed in finding and selecting the right solutions for your business, of course fully compliant with GDPR. And from this month onwards, we are providing these insights to the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO), Embassies and Consulates via the Tech Insights Navigator.

Wind energy technologies, which harness energy from wind, are growing remarkably in previous years as a result of decreasing installation and operating costs. Given its huge growth potential and critical role in the Energy Transition, this month’s spotlight is on Wind Energy Technologies.

We have compiled a list featuring 9 innovative Wind Energy Technologies that include tools and hardware that either directly convert wind into energy or are key in doing so. Here you will find novel technologies that are in testing phase with key industry players as well as proven ones that have already been deployed in operational environments. 

Egypt is a major gas producer in North Africa and the Middle-East with strengthened efforts to ramp up its renewable energy sources. Being the most populous country in the region, Egypt aims to maintain energy security by diversifying energy sources as evident in its Integrated Sustainable Energy Strategy (ISES) to 2035.

 To give us insights on Egypt’s energy diversification efforts, we invited our Egypt partner and energy veteran Hossam El Dandarawy for an interview.

Start-ups have a key role in accelerating the Energy Transition as they develop and offer disruptive technologies that help decarbonise economies. They introduce solutions that digitise energy ecosystems, democratise power generation, better monitor and measure energy use. 
To give us insights as to how start-ups can fully contribute in achieving a more sustainable future, we invited our US partner Hani Elshahawi, a thought Leader, entrepreneur, and game changer, for an interview.

TechnologyCatalogue.com welcomed a three-fold increase in the number of unique users visiting the website in 2021. Most page views recorded on the platform are on technology pages, which clearly shows users visiting the website are mostly interested in technologies on the platform. To give you an idea of what technologies are popular on the platform, view this list of the 10 Most Visited Technologies in 2021, in no particular order. 

To give light on the potential of Hydrogen to drive the Energy Transition, we invited Dr. Victor Nian, an expert in energy and sustainability strategies with 15 years of experience in energy and technology fields. Here, he provided an overview of how hydrogen can enable a transition to a cleaner, low-carbon energy system and cited challenges and opportunities for its large-scale development and implementation. Read his insights in this blog.

As promised at the start of 2021, TechnologyCatalogue.com has planned and realised exciting features that give our users the best possible user experience from a dynamic platform. Have a look at a list of the key features we implemented this year.

Previously on the TechnologyCatalogue.com blog, we talked about the importance of selecting the right kind of technology for a business. Each company approaches tech adoption at the pace best suited to it. Adapting to new tech is inevitable for any business. As carbon emissions regulations become more strict, companies big and small will be forced to transition into renewable technology. In this blog we analyse different types of renewable energy sources, and why it's so important for a company to find the right option.

Five countries leading the installation and use of renewables

More and more countries are becoming vocal on their plans to decarbonise their energy sector. More than two-thirds of governments worldwide are considering, if not committing, to reduce their carbon footprint by increasing their generation and/or use of renewable energy, among other decarbonisation initiatives. Based on the “Renewable capacity highlights” released by International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) (2021) in March 2021, total global renewable energy capacity was 10.3 percent higher than the previous year. Let us explore how the top five countries performed in 2020.

Increasing use of renewable sources of energy is seen as one of the major solutions to decarbonise the society. Individually, how are these renewables faring in the last 10 years? Read about it in this blog, where we discuss the five major renewable energy sources that are driving Energy Transition in the last decade.

Working at height and other hard to reach areas is common to a lot of industries. In the past, scaffolds were the only option for workers who had to execute tasks at height or other areas with very limited access. However, these steel installations can be considered a thing of the past. There are gamechanger technologies, such as  LOBO System, that combine the flexibility and strength of traditional scaffolding with the simplicity and mobility of tower systems. In this blog, written by Robert Bokros [Director, LOBO Systems Ltd.] five compelling reasons to move away from traditional scaffolding are discussed.

To explore the full potential of solar in driving global Energy Transition, along with the challenges that must be addressed to realise this, we invited Nancy Haegel from the United States National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to answer a few questions touching on the potential of solar photovoltaics (PV) in supporting the Energy Transition.

Nancy is Center Director of the Materials Science Center in the Materials, Chemical, and Computational Science Directorate at NREL. Prior to joining NREL in 2014, she was a Distinguished Professor of Physics at the Naval Postgraduate School. Previously, she held faculty positions at Fairfield University and UCLA.

Hydrogen is gaining momentum these days given its huge potential as a clean energy solution. As such, we are highlighting hydrogen production, storage and power generation technologies on the platform for this month’s Technologies in the Spotlight. In this list, you will find novel and proven technologies with technology readiness levels ranging from 7 to 9. 

Enjoy browsing!

Oil and gas companies are faced with the ongoing challenge to become more efficient and reduce costs amid volatile global prices. Energy Transition and the call for more renewable energy sources are also affecting the industry’s medium- to long-term prospects.

To discuss how the oil and gas industry can manoeuvre through these challenges, we invited NOV Chief Technology Officer and Chief Marketing Officer David Reid. Here, he answered questions on how oil and gas companies can adjust their core business strategy to make themselves more resilient. He also discussed some key technological opportunities for the oil and gas industry in light of the global Energy Transition journey.

Creating and maintaining a safe work environment is an utmost priority for every industrial organisation. And in securing compliance to health and safety standards in facilities management, deploying the right technologies plays a key role.

So for this month’s Technologies in the Spotlight, we are featuring 11 amazing technologies that can improve, if not transform, health and safety standards in your company’s facilities. 

Digital twin technology is gaining widespread popularity given its ability to get real-time insights on physical assets and provide data to forecast future performance.

With the value that digital twin technologies can bring to companies, we are featuring them on this month’s Technologies in the Spotlight.

The journey towards Energy Transition differs across countries, and it is highly anchored on the social, economic and ecological priorities of their respective governments and constituents. To further explain the developing countries’ journey to Energy Transition, we invited Atty. Monalisa Dimalanta, a renewable energy expert  and former chairperson of Philippine government advisory body National Renewable Energy Board (NREB). 

Read her insights below on the Energy Transition journey of developing countries, with the case of the Philippines as a major reference.

How a tech page on the platform helped a tech supplier get its foot in an energy operator’s door

This is a case study of one of the suppliers on TechnologyCatalogue.com, Advanced 3D Laser Solutions or A3D.

A3D Director Colin Pittman said he received many interests for their technology from all over the globe, including a direct inquiry from a huge operator in Houston, Texas.

Drone technology has been widely used for inspections of difficult to reach areas such as confined spaces and workplaces at height. Since this type of inspection poses risks to the workforce when done the traditional way (i.e. use of scaffolding), unmanned aerial vehicles or more commonly known as drones have become a popular safer, cost effective and more efficient alternative.

As such, for this month’s Technologies in the Spotlight, we are featuring some of the drones we have on the platform.