TURNING SUNLIGHT INTO FUEL
Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all. SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy Renewable energy solutions are becoming cheaper, more reliable and more efficient every day. Our current reliance on fossil fuels is unsustainable and harmful to the planet, which is why we have to change the way we produce and consume energy. Goal 7 is about implementing these new energy solutions as fast as possible to counter climate change, one of the biggest threats to our own survival.
As global interest in clean, renewable energy sources intensifies, York engineering professor Thomas Cooper is partnering with Synhelion on a solar solution. The solar energy is used to produce sustainable solar fuel that is compatible with existing global fuel infrastructure. Cooper is developing, improving and testing durable materials for Synhelion’s solar receiver, and is researching and developing aerogels – porous materials that can be used as thermal insulators for heat retention. “The heart of our lab is solar-thermal,” says Cooper. “We want to convert sunlight into something beneficial by using a thermal pathway.” Learn about how this project is supporting clean energy.
Students from York University’s Lassonde School of Engineering in the lab.
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United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Report 2023 | York University
SCHULICH ON BOARD FOR MISSION FROM MARS York University students from the Schulich School of Business served as Fellows for the Mission from MaRS: Climate Impact Challenge. The initiative was launched by MaRS in the spring of 2021 to help 10 of Canada’s most promising climate ventures accelerate deployment of their commercial solutions and overcome barriers to creating clean tech solutions, such as low carbon technology. The MaRS Discovery District is North America’s largest urban innovation hub. In exchange for course credit, the students attended monthly roundtables and workshops, conducted research and drafted strategy documents that captured the work being done by a coalition of industry advisors. Learn more about how York is promoting clean energy here.