Experts confirm that current and future needs for electricity may soon exceed our global supply. New AI-driven data centers, electric vehicle charging stations, energy-intensive manufacturing operations, and a growing volume of internet connections are placing an increasing strain on outdated electric grids. This looming reality has since challenged utilities, grid operators, technologists, and regulators to reconcile existing electric capacity with rising demand.

It subsequently comes as no surprise that interest in renewable energy sources and related green technologies continues to grow. These solutions reduce carbon footprints, enhance global sustainability, and combat the effects of climate change.

Energy industry professionals have been addressing the disparity between electric supply and demand in various ways. Solutions include everything from increasing overall reliance on renewable energy sources to employing IoT-enabled automation devices. These actions optimize electric distribution, reduce waste, and enhance overall electric efficiency, reliability, and performance.

A Green Energy Revolution

As utilities continue to integrate renewable energy sources into their mix, numerous engineering advancements are helping them meet energy supply targets and align with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals for 2030.

In the solar power arena, scientists use a highly responsive family of crystalline compounds called perovskites to deliver more power from existing solar panel devices. Based on their ability to analyze massive amounts of real-world data, quantum computing and AI are also being harnessed to help achieve more efficient solar cell design. Thanks to these technological achievements, solar energy has become more affordable, with costs dropping by some 90% in the last decade. Based on this and other factors, the World Economic Forum predicts that solar power is on track to be the world’s dominant power source by 2050.

The Future of Sustainable Energy

Though wind turbines are currently a less prevalent source of renewable energy worldwide than solar power, advancements in these devices are similarly helping to make them more powerful, efficient, and accessible. An engineering team at England’s University of Birmingham recently used AI to test more than 2,000 different blade designs and “explore design possibilities beyond the scope of traditional human experimentation.” Their research led to the development of the ‘Birmingham Blade,’ an optimally shaped and weighted blade that’s up to seven times more efficient than existing designs. It is scheduled to be commercially available later this year. The computational powers of AI also accelerated the blade design process, reducing development time from years to weeks.

As a result of these and other breakthroughs in the green energy industry, renewable energy sources are growing globally. In 2024, all renewable energy sources combined – including wind, solar, hydropower, biomass, and geothermal – provided over 32% of the world’s electricity. This is nearly double the level that renewable sources represented 25 years earlier. In the U.S., the use of renewables accounted for over 24% of total electricity production in 2024, up 4% from 2023.

Smart Grid innovations

On top of the growing use of renewable energy sources, utilities are increasingly relying on intelligent “edge devices” to optimize electricity usage. This category includes the use of IoT-driven sensors and smart two-way meters. These devices provide continuous monitoring and enable real-time insights into grid conditions. By tracking each user’s energy consumption patterns, these smart devices promote informed decision-making. This allows utilities and users to optimize their energy usage and better integrate solar, wind, and other renewable sources into their energy portfolio. The additional ability to store this energy through battery energy storage systems (BESS) further helps to address supply shortfalls and stabilize/optimize the grid.

Transportation and Sustainability

Other technological developments are also making great strides towards reducing our global reliance on fossil fuels and combatting climate change. In the transportation sector, ongoing advancements in electric vehicle design, regenerative braking, and electric drive train technology continue to deliver instant power, greater efficiency, and zero tailpipe emissions relative to conventional internal combustion engines.

The world is responding in kind, with global sales of electric vehicles hitting a record 17 million in 2024 (a 25% growth over 2023 levels). This trend will continue to reduce the world’s carbon footprint. According to the European Environment Agency (EEA), electric vehicles emit 30% less greenhouse gases than traditional gasoline-fueled cars. Their lifecycle emissions could decrease by at least 73% by 2050. In the U.S. alone, experts believe that the widespread use of EVs will lower the country’s CO2 pollution by two-thirds.

IEEE Climate Change eLearning Courses

As a globally recognized professional organization that plays a key role in shaping the fields of electrical engineering, electronics, and computer science, IEEE is committed to using its expertise and resources to foster technology for a sustainable climate.

To address growing concerns about climate change, IEEE offers a broad range of eLearning resources. These courses focus specifically on climate change and its impact across various industries, including:

Explore these courses on the IEEE Learning Network, or request institutional access today.

green-engineering-climate-change-innovation

The evolution to the use of cleaner, “greener” energy sources worldwide isn’t a matter of if, but when.

It’s reported that the year 2030 will see a nearly ten-fold increase in the number of electric vehicles on the road relative to current levels. The presence of solar photovoltaic (PV) technology will generate a significantly greater share of electricity than it does today. Another prediction is the sale of electric heat pumps will overtake fossil fuel-consuming boilers for the first time. Plus, 2030 could see three times more investment in offshore wind turbines than conventional coal- and gas-fired power plants.

All of this green activity will result in a significant rise in the global share of electricity generated by renewable sources, a number which currently stands at 29-30% but could nearly double to roughly 50% in the next five years, according to the 2023 World Energy Outlook. 

A Historic Transition

Fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas are major contributors to global climate change. As explained in a short informative video from the Museum of Science, Boston, data reveals that since the 1960s, atmospheric CO2 has increased 100 times faster in the past 60 years than in all previous natural increases.

By contrast, green/renewable energy generated by naturally replenishable sources emit little to no greenhouse gases or pollutants into the atmosphere. (These sources include the sun, wind, water, waste, and the Earth’s own heat.)

Based on the abundance and accessibility of green energy sources globally, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) believes that 90% of the world’s electricity could be generated by renewable energy by 2050. Among its many benefits, green energy is a less-expensive source than fossil fuel-generated electricity. With World Health Organization studies attributing over 13 million deaths globally to air pollution and other environmental hazards each year, green energy is also a far safer and healthier source. According to industry experts, the growth of renewable energy will also drive a wealth of employment opportunities. The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that the coming decade will create more than 30 million jobs to support the design and manufacture of green, low-emission, renewable technologies in the coming decade. This figure would significantly offset the five million jobs that may be lost within the waning field of fossil fuel production.

Green Energy Advancements Abound

A wide variety of innovative technologies are helping usher in a new day in the green energy landscape. These include ongoing advancements in solar power and battery energy storage (BESS), developments in the growing field of windmills and wind turbines, and the emergence of smart grid technologies that enable intelligent and efficient two-way monitoring of energy transmission, consumption, distribution, and maintenance.

Additionally, green radio techniques are boosting efficiency and reducing the power consumption associated with modern wireless cellular networks.

A new class of power semiconductors are supporting the drive trains that deliver power from a vehicle’s engine to its wheels in the growing population of electric vehicles.

Furthermore, across many other industries, artificial intelligence (AI) has been identified as “an enabler of cleaner energy deployment.” For example, AI can analyze trends in big data to improve energy output at the generating level, make strategic decisions regarding electric grid planning, and efficiently manufacture the semiconductors that power many green technologies, including autonomous and electric vehicles, mobile phones, laptops, LEDs, and more.

Leading the Way in Green Engineering eLearning

Let IEEE help inform your understanding of climate change and green engineering. The microlearning course, Engineering Solutions for a Sustainable Future, is a great way to get started!

It covers a broad range of timely and critical climate change-related topics, such as intelligent urban networks that can reduce congestion, V2G solutions for distribution system reliability, and hybrid home energy management systems for emission reduction. Other green innovations covered in the course include sustainable Internet of Things (IoT) device development solutions, optimum energy-efficient data center policies for climate control, optimized resource scheduling based on export rates, battery swapping stations for electric vehicles, and more. The course’s informative and highly accessible 7- to 10-minute modules provide learners with a solid overview of the many pressing engineering and sustainability challenges as well as the innovative solutions making headlines in today’s green energy arena.

As a globally recognized organization that plays a significant role in shaping the fields of electrical engineering, electronics, and computer science, IEEE is committed to help combat, mitigate effects of, and adapt to climate change through the coordination and education of engineers, scientists, and technical professionals. In an effort to address growing concerns about climate change and its impact on various industries, IEEE offers eLearning specifically focused on climate change.

Additional IEEE Climate Change eLearning Courses

As a globally recognized professional organization playing a significant role in shaping the fields of electrical engineering, electronics, and computer science, IEEE offers a wide variety of eLearning courses related to climate change. Available courses include:

Interested in accessing these courses for your organization? Contact an IEEE Content Specialist today to learn about the IEEE eLearning Library.

 

Resources:

(24 October 2023). The Energy World is Set to Change Significantly by 2030, Based on Today’s Policy Settings Alone. International Energy Agency.

Renewable Energy – Powering a Safer Future. United Nations.

Climate Change. IEEE TryEngineering.

(16 March 2021). Fast-Track Energy Transitions to Win the Race to Zero. International Renewable Energy Agency.

Sinha, Sumant. (26 February 2024). AI Can Power The Green Energy Transition. Forbes.

climate-change-engineering-innovation

According to the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), climate change is defined as a long-term change in the earth’s average weather patterns. Many natural events over time can contribute to climate change, including cyclical ocean patterns and volcanic activity. However, industry experts confirm that the precipitous rise in heat-trapping greenhouse gas levels resulting from the burning of fossil fuels by humans over the past 50-75 years has greatly accelerated changes in the earth’s climate. It has contributed to significant global warming— a reality which affects every living thing and natural process.

As a result of its far-reaching impact on the future of our planet, António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, identified climate change as “the defining issue of our time” in a September 2018 address to the UN’s General Assembly.

In response to the growing crisis, industry professionals worldwide are applying the utmost in engineering expertise and technological advancements in everything from electric vehicle (EV) charging technology to renewable energy sources and more to help combat the effects of climate change. The goal is to drive greater sustainability that will benefit generations to come.

Advancements in Electric Vehicle Energy Use

Optimal Vehicle-to-Grid Solutions (V2G)
Electric vehicle charging company Virta estimates that 250 million EVs could be on the road worldwide by 2030. With global sales of electric vehicles (EVs) on the rise, “vehicle-to-grid” (V2G) solutions refer to technologies that help offset climate change. This is done by enabling the energy generated from electric vehicle batteries to be pushed back to the power grid, thereby optimizing energy use. To help achieve this, engineers are currently developing new ways of balancing and efficiently storing energy generated by the range of renewable sources.

EV Battery Swapping Stations
Electric vehicle owners must routinely charge their car batteries in order to keep their vehicles on the road. To address that inconvenience, a number of companies are proposing a slightly different approach known as EV battery swapping. Through the “battery swap system” offered by San Francisco-based company Ample, for instance, EV owners can reduce their car’s downtime by swapping out their spent battery at a designated station for a fully-juiced one in just five minutes— which would make it faster than any EV charger on the market today.

Solutions for Enhancing Residential Sustainability

Hybrid Energy Management Systems to Reduce Home Energy Use
The development of an innovative Hybrid Home Energy Management System (HEMS) over the last several years helps enhance residential energy efficiency by offering homeowners options. Specifically, the system’s analytics will determine whether it’s more sustainable to source electricity from the electric grid or from the home’s own renewable generation technologies (such as solar panels and battery storage units). This solution has been lauded for its ability to reduce both greenhouse gas emissions and electric bills while giving homeowners greater ability to personally combat climate change.

Behind-the-Meter Home Resources
“Behind-the-Meter” energy refers to power generated on a homeowner’s property without passing through a utility meter. This is accomplished via the use of residential renewable technologies such as solar panels, small wind turbines, battery energy storage, and local microgrid systems. Some sustainability-forward leaders, like the state of California, are currently re-evaluating tariffs and price signals on the use of these technologies to help promote more equitable adoption of these practices.

Conserving Energy at the Commercial/Industrial Level

Energy-Saving Approaches for Data Centers
While data centers lie at the heart of today’s highly-connected world, they’re also some of its greatest energy hogs. Research shows that data centers accounted for 1 to 1.5% of the entire world’s energy consumption in 2022. The average hyperscale data center consumes between 20 and 50 Megawatts of power annually— enough to power some 37,000 homes— and experts at DataCentre Magazine predict that the energy consumed by data centers worldwide will quadruple by 2030.

One key way of achieving greater energy efficiency and sustainability in data centers involves the application of advanced approaches to cooling the space. This is being accomplished through liquid cooling technologies and direct-to-chip cooling methods, two approaches in which the U.S. Department of Energy is heavily invested. 

Conserving Energy at the Commercial/Industrial Level

Energy-Saving Approaches for Data Centers
While data centers lie at the heart of today’s highly-connected world, they’re also some of its greatest energy hogs, with research showing that data centers accounted for 1-1.5% of the entire world’s energy consumption in 2022. The average hyperscale data center consumes between 20 and 50 Megawatts of power annually – enough to power some 37,000 homes – and experts at DataCentre Magazine predict that the energy consumed by data centers worldwide will quadruple by 2030.

One key way of achieving greater energy efficiency and sustainability in data centers involves the application of advanced approaches to cooling the space. This is being accomplished through liquid cooling technologies and direct-to-chip cooling methods, two approaches in which the U.S. Department of Energy is heavily invested. 

Reducing Traffic Congestion Globally

Addressing “Congestion Collapse” in the Developing World
In many developing countries throughout Africa, South America, and Asia, the combination of narrow, poorly-built roads all converging together in highly congested areas results in lengthy traffic jams and delays. This process, known as “congestion collapse,” is notorious for promoting fuel waste and the emission of pollutants into the atmosphere. Among other solutions, experts encourage the use of “de-congestion protocols” using live CCTV camera feeds from multiple traffic signals in combination with targeted algorithms to expand road capacity and help prevent the congestion and pollution that occurs in these settings.

IEEE: A Renowned Source in the Climate Change Arena

Given the global threat that climate change represents, and as a recognized hub for engineers and technologists, IEEE is a go-to source for the latest in climate change-related technologies and sustainable design. Among the many available resources is a new course, Engineering Solutions for a Sustainable Future. This online training provides a solid overview of the range of activities and innovative developments in the sustainability arena.

Broken into easily-digestible, seven to ten-minute modules on leading topics drawn from research papers within the IEEE Xplore Digital Library, Engineering Solutions for a Sustainable Future covers everything from intelligent urban networks that can alleviate congestion and Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) solutions for distribution system reliability to hybrid home energy management systems for emission reduction, energy-efficient data center climate control policies, optimal resource scheduling based on export rates, and electric vehicle battery swapping stations.

Within the convenience of just one hour, learners can stay on top of innovative developments in the climate change realm and receive a thorough overview of modern-day engineering solutions to some of the world’s most pressing sustainability challenges. Plus, learners who complete this microlearning course will earn professional development hours (PDHs) and continuing education units (CEUs).
Learn More>>

Resources

What is Climate Change? The National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

(26 September 2018). UN’s Guterres on Climate Change: ‘We Need to Do More and We Need to Do It Quicker.’ United Nations.

Jain, Vipin, Sharma, Ashlesh, and Lakshminarayanan, Subramanian. Road Traffic Congestion in the Developing World.

Everything You Need to Know About V2G. Virta.

Barja-Martinez, Sara, Rucker, Fabian, Aragues, Penalba, and Villafafila-Robles, Roberto. (February 2021). A Novel Hybrid Home Energy Management System Considering Electricity Cost and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Minimization. Research Gate.

Barrowclough, Nicholas. (16 November 2023). Transforming Data Centre Cooling for a Sustainable Future. DataCentre Magazine.

Marsh, Jacob. (6 December 2023). Behind-the-Meter: What You Need to Know. EnergySage.

Balaraman, Kavya. (14 December 2021). California’s Proposed Net Energy Metering Update Could Hit Distributed Solar Hard, Industry Warns. Utility Dive.

Crownhart, Casey. (17 May 2023). How 5-Minute Battery Swaps Could Get More EVs on the Road. MIT Technology Review.

In 1964, The Control Data Corporation’s “CDC 6600” earned the illustrious title of “world’s fastest computer.” Three times faster than its closest competitor at the time (the “IBM 7030”), it performed up to 3 million instructions per second. It held onto that world-renowned recognition for four years, when it was surpassed by the company’s next-generation product, the “CDC 7600,” which could perform up to 30 million instructions per second.

Today, some 60 years later, high performance computing (HPC) capabilities process data and complex calculations at incredibly high speeds of quadrillions of calculations per second, a feat which mid-20th-century industry pioneers might never have imagined possible. HPC achieves these results with a technique called parallel processing, through which thousands of computers are networked together in a cluster that combines their power for greater speed and efficiency. Processing data at speeds measured in units called “floating-point operations per second,” or FLOPS, these super-computing systems also feature high-speed transportation of data between computer servers and ample storage to capture the output of all the data they manage.

The advent of high performance computing— which operates at speeds over a million times faster than the fastest commodity desktop, laptop, or server system in the market today— is enabling science, research, technology, business, artificial intelligence (AI), and society to advance in unprecedented ways.

Here are some of the many applications for high performance computing:

  • Healthcare: Through activities such as molecular modeling and gene sequencing, high performance computing is used by medical researchers to predict how human cells will interact with specific drugs. This can improve diagnosis and treatment while also supporting the development of cures for diseases like cancer and diabetes. In one recent high-profile instance, HPC was effectively utilized by the medical community in conjunction with “The COVID-19 High-Performance Computing Consortium” (comprised of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, the U.S. Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation, and IBM) during the pandemic to quickly investigate the way COVID-19 cells invade and replicate within the body, supporting the rapid development of antiviral drugs to combat it.
  • Energy/Climate Research: Through the creation of models involving massive amounts of historical meteorological and climate data, high performance computing currently supports everything from the forecasting of earthquakes, hurricanes, and other storms to wind simulation, climate modeling, insights on the formation of stars, the location and optimization of new oil wells, identification of new sources of renewable energy, and more.
  • Media: The entertainment industry uses high performance computing to edit feature films, create amazing special effects, and stream live events worldwide.
  • Finance: Among other financial services, high performance computing helps track real-time stock trends, automate trading, provide fraud protection, and identify cyber threats.
  • Manufacturing: High performance computing helps manufacturers build products faster and more cost-effectively. In the semiconductor industry, for example, manufacturers are using the strength of HPC to increase productivity on the factory floor. Additionally, auto and engine manufacturers are currently using HPC to develop more fuel-efficient engines that could reduce fuel costs by over US$1 billion annually.

Entering the “Exascale”

With the ongoing digitization of business and society and the expanding availability of faster mobile connections, 3D imaging, and AI tools, experts predict that high performance computing will be in greater demand than ever by businesses across the spectrum as a way to address some of the world’s biggest challenges in science, engineering, and business.

According to industry professional Susheel Tadikonda, Vice President of Engineering in the Systems Design Group at Synopsys, an electronic design automation company, the field of high performance computing will continue to evolve based on the need for enhanced speed, memory, storage, and cloud security “to efficiently manage massive data volumes and deliver high processing and analytical capabilities to various sectors.”

This is already happening through the development of “exascale” computing. The term “exa” means 18 zeroes – specifically, exascale computing can perform more than 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 floating-point operations per second (FLOPS), or 1 exaFLOPS. In May 2022, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Hewlett Packard Enterprise “Frontier” supercomputer officially became the world’s first and fastest exascale computer. It performed at a record 1.1 exaFLOPS, and experts believe it could evolve to perform at 2 exaFLOPS in the not-too-distant future.

Exploring the Future of High Performance Computing

Are you prepared for the Exascale Era and its capabilities?

Through High Performance Computing Technologies, Solutions to Exascale Systems, and Beyond, a five-course program from IEEE, learners will gain a better understanding of the history and evolution of HPC, from “big iron” computers decades ago to current and future exascale systems. Topics covered include the lessons history can teach about high performance computing, ways of accelerating application performance through hardware and software, the application of exascale computing to real-world problems, achievement of performance and efficiency in the HPC arena, and the use of AI and emerging technologies in science.

Connect with an IEEE Content Specialist today to learn how to get access to this program for your organization.

Interested in access for yourself? Visit the IEEE Learning Network (ILN).

Don’t Miss This Limited Time Special Offer!

In honor of IEEE Education Week, take advantage of this special offer on select eLearning courses— one of which is High Performance Computing: Use of AI and Emerging Technologies in Science— for US$10 each. Use the code ILNIEW24 at checkout on by 30 April 2024.

 

Resources

What is High-Performance Computing (HPC)? IBM.

BasuMallick, Chiradeep.  (1 December 2022).  What is a Supercomputer?  Features, Importance, and Examples. Spiceworks.

Zhang, Kevin. (15 December 2021). High-Performance Computing has Become Crucial to Competitive Advantage—in Every Industry. Fortune. 

Tadikonda, Susheel. Durrant, Scott. Knowlton, Scott. Molina, Ruben. (19 January 2022). Trends Driving the Future of High-Performance Computing (HPC). Embedded.

(22 November 2022). What is Exascale Computing? McKinsey & Company.

(4 February 2022). Researchers Tackle COVID-19 with AI. Caltech. 

Platts, Leon. (10 November 2023). How the Semiconductor Industry is Leveraging High-Performance Computing to Drive Innovation. IBM.

(14 March 2022). The COVID-19 High-Performance Computing Consortium. National Institutes of Health.

What Is High Performance Computing? NetApp.

Climate change, the long-term shift in temperature and average weather patterns, is a huge societal concern. Extreme precipitation, wildfires, and droughts, as well as shifts in temperature, wind patterns, and rising sea levels are all recently observed examples of climate change. While temperatures can be altered naturally by the sun or volcanic activity, today’s climate change crisis has mainly been caused by human activity. 

Major sectors such as energy, transport, and buildings, burn fossil fuels exponentially. By producing greenhouse gasses like carbon dioxide and methane, they are contributing to global warming.

The Importance of Climate Change

Climate change affects regions in different ways. Rising sea levels have already forced some communities to relocate. Others are in fear of food shortages due to droughts. In order to maintain a livable climate, the average annual global temperature increase can be no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius (34.7 degrees Fahrenheit). While there are solutions that could help achieve this goal, countries need to prioritize their deployment.

Cutting emissions, adapting to climate impacts, and financing the required adjustments are three broad categories of action. When it comes to lowering emissions, divesting from fossil fuels in favor of renewable energy is often explored first. Popular choices include solar and wind power. However, using solar or wind energy can be expensive and impractical in some circumstances. This leaves room for new innovation in the space. Engineers and technologists have the ability to create climate change engineering solutions and tools that address environmental degradation. They play major roles in creating a greener planet.

Benefits of IEEE Climate Change eLearning Course Programs 

As a globally recognized organization that plays a significant role in shaping the fields of electrical engineering, electronics, and computer science, IEEE is committed to help combat, mitigate effects of, and adapt to climate change through the coordination and education of engineers, scientists, and technical professionals. In an effort to address growing concerns about climate change and its impact on various industries, IEEE offers eLearning specifically focused on climate change.

These eLearning courses hold significant importance for several reasons:

  • Awareness and Understanding: eLearning courses raise awareness about the importance of addressing climate change. They equip participants with the knowledge necessary to make informed decisions.
  • Integration of Climate Considerations: Climate change has far-reaching implications for technology development and deployment. Our eLearning courses emphasize the integration of climate considerations into engineering practices and technological solutions.
  • Technological Innovation: Climate change presents a pressing challenge that requires innovative solutions. IEEE eLearning courses highlight the opportunities for technological innovation in mitigating and adapting to climate change. By fostering creativity and knowledge exchange, the courses seek to inspire professionals to develop new technologies, systems, and policies that can address climate change effectively.
  • Professional Development: Hundreds of select IEEE eLearning courses offer professional development credit upon completion. The courses also provide valuable insights into emerging trends, best practices, and evolving standards in the field of climate change mitigation and adaptation. This knowledge can empower professionals to contribute effectively to projects, research, and policies related to climate change.
  • Global Perspective: Climate change is a worldwide issue that requires extensive collaboration. As a global organization, IEEE eLearning courses allow learners to gain insights into climate change challenges faced by different regions and countries. They also facilitate cross-cultural understanding and collaboration in addressing this problem.

By equipping professionals and students with the necessary knowledge and skills, these courses contribute to addressing the urgent challenges posed by climate change in the fields of engineering, electronics, and computer science.

To learn more about IEEE climate change resources, please visit climate-change.ieee.org.

 

Resources:

Climate Change. IEEE.

What Is Climate Change? United Nations.

(9 August 2021). Climate change widespread, rapid, and intensifying. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Global Warming vs. Climate Change. NASA.

Murgusean, San. (21 April 2022). How Engineers Can Help Protect Earth From Worsening Climate Change. IEEE Spectrum.