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Solar and EVs vs Global Shipping Emissions ⚓️☀️🚢 Last week I posted about how small businesses can reduce costs and emissions by switching to solar and EVs, which sparked a discussion on nuclear energy… This got me thinking: how else can small businesses installing solar panels and purchasing EVs impact the global energy system? 🤔 Global shipping is a notoriously difficult sector to abate due to the long distances traveled and the lengthy asset lives of ships. However, it turns out that small businesses (and their solar-powered cars) can move the dial here too! 🌍 With as much as 40% of global shipping dedicated to moving fossil fuels (and around 70% of that being oil) a great way to reduce shipping emissions is to switch to EVs and power them with solar energy. Not only does this save you money 💰, but it also reduces the need to ship oil around the world and cuts down on the associated emissions from processing and burning oil, which are 30-50 times larger than the emissions used for shipping it. 😝 On a more serious note, for other goods, such as the materials and products that businesses sell (including solar panels and EVs), shipping often makes up a meaningful part of their carbon footprint. To move the dial on these emissions, we need to work with shipping and distribution companies to encourage and reward the development and adoption of solutions that reduce fuel consumption and enable a switch to renewable sources. 🚚➡️🌿 For example: If using the wind to transport goods sounds familiar—and you’re a coffee lover—check out TOWT's modern take on a sail-powered cargo ship: https://lnkd.in/gz6QaB8D ⛵️☕️ Other companies, like BAR Technologies, are exploring how modern sail technology can be retrofitted onto existing ships to reduce fuel consumption. Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/g2Jn7cCy 🌬️⚓️ And if you need to ship bigger things than coffee beans, check out A.P. Moller - Maersk’s dual-fuel methanol vessels. These vessels show that low or Net Zero emissions shipping is possible when methanol is produced from green hydrogen and captured carbon. Although it currently comes at a premium, real-world demonstrations like this are critical to bringing the costs down: https://lnkd.in/gNviHq_t 🌿🚢 #SolarPower #EVs #GreenShipping #DecarbonizeShipping #RenewableEnergy #NetZero #CleanTech #Sustainability #ClimateAction #ShippingEmissions

Trying to share more openly here 🌏 I believe in a sustainable future. I believe in constant, practical forward motion. I well understand that takes hard, continual trade offs (which aren’t the same as denying or delaying). Striking the balance between pragmatism and ambition is hard. And we know climate isn’t a zero-sum game. Let’s start with F1. I can appreciate the double-take on Atlassian’s F1 sponsorship because...cars = fuel. I’ve had conversations with the FIA, and am impressed with their plans to get to net zero. They've shown consistent commitment (the 2026 cars are 50% electric, 50% combustion engine, and running on sustainable fuel). Atlassian Williams Racing is even further along (see their Sustainability Report). Their drive to net zero mirrors Atlassian's own journey. Every climate journey is about setting a target, having a plan, reporting publicly and demonstrating meaningful progress. F1 can set a global example for sustainability in sports - and I believe it will. Now, to private air travel. I’m not denying I have a deep internal conflict on this. There’s a couple of reasons I’ve purchased a plane. Personal security is the primary reason (an unfortunate reality of my world), but also so I can run a global business from Australia, and still be a constantly present dad. So, this is a hard, continual trade-off I’ve decided to make. Although private aviation is far from a big contributor to global emissions, it is a carbon-intensive way to travel. Aviation is one of the most difficult sectors to decarbonise due to the distance of flights and the energy density of fuel. It probably comes as no surprise, I have an extremely rigorous carbon regime for all my flying - including using direct air capture and sustainable fuels for the carbon and contrails, to far exceed my flight footprint. These options aren’t practical for commercial flights - but are viable privately. This means my flights actually have a net negative carbon footprint. My commitment to climate is as strong as ever. I’m still pretty damn focused on making an impact at a large scale, removing huge volumes of emissions through active investments and philanthropy…and have the proud, scars to prove it. I am determined to help transform Australia into a renewable energy superpower. I am still a deep believer that decarbonisation is the single greatest economic opportunity for Australia. On the Atlassian front, we have Science-Based Targets that capture Scope 3 emissions. Any emissions generated in our value chain—from the F1 team we sponsor, to any work travel I do, private or commercial —are reported on and accounted for. We continue to push our sustainability goals and hold the same bar for our suppliers. We have a target, we have a plan, we report regularly and we’re making meaningful progress every year. https://lnkd.in/g8JMrvsN I’ll try and keep posting openly here. Thanks for reading if you got this far.

💰 Lowest cost vs highest profits 💸 We’ve all heard the great news that wind and solar are now the lowest cost forms of new energy. Despite this, fossil fuels and their associated oligopolies still remain more profitable - and I can’t be sure, but it appears to be influencing global politics… 😜 However, when you mix energy economics with energy efficiency, that can change. Since the cost of renewables is all about the upfront capital costs, they are highly sensitive to the cost of capital - which has gone up over the last few years and slowed the transition a little. But once built, the fuel is free and maintenance is relatively low, making them a great investment. 💡 For large incumbent fossil fuel energy suppliers like coal and oil, the capital cost is often long behind them and was likely subsidised by the government. Their business model focuses more on the cost of fuel and maintenance and the price they can sell for. 🔥 In the electricity sector, wind—and in particular solar—is eating into their profit margins by driving down electricity prices in the middle of the day, where coal used to make its profits. When combined with rising maintenance costs, their business model is disappearing, meaning they are struggling in the market and finding it difficult to secure investment for upgrades or rebuilds, especially with the added carbon investment risk. 📉 On the other hand, oil and gas remain profitable as OPEC keeps oil prices high and wind and solar haven’t historically directly competed with their primary markets of transport and heat. However, when you combine wind and solar with EVs and heat pumps, the game changes. EVs and heat pumps are typically 3-5 times more efficient than their combustion counterparts, making powering them from renewable electricity not only zero emissions but also cost competitive. ⚡🚗 For businesses that need energy to run their operations, factories, and to move their people and products around, there is now a choice: Spend hard-earned money on fossil fuel company profits 💸 Or Invest that money in solar, heat pumps, EVs, and renewable energy companies -with an ROI of reducing energy costs, reducing emissions and pollution, and diminishing the power of oligopolies, creating a future we all want to live in. 🌱 Reach out and book a call if you want some help getting started n0de.co/contact #RenewableEnergy #NetZero #CleanTech #SustainableBusiness #SolarPower #ElectricVehicles

🌳 Trees vs. Sales Spam 📧 If you are anything like me, then when you receive a sales email or see an ad on social media you don’t want to click on it out of for fear of getting sucked into a tiger pit…. Well, it turns out I am my own worst enemy when it comes to doing sales outreach. 😅 At n0de, our mission is to make Net Zero good for business and ideally, a whole lot of fun! 😄 To do that, we need to find customers and show them what’s possible… in other words, sell the dream 🌟. So we thought: what if we could use our marketing budget to help businesses take their first step toward Net Zero by planting a tree for every customer that engages with our outreach emails? 🌱 Best-case scenario: they open and engage with our offer, we plant a tree for them, they feel great, and they partner with us on their Net Zero journey. Worst-case scenario: we plant some trees, remove some carbon, and go out of business because we spent all our money on trees… 😅 So as always, I ran some numbers:   •  Spend $10 on Facebook Ads: ChatGPT tells me it might net a few leads, and a tiny fraction of that $10 will go toward Meta’s commitment to renewable energy and reforestation 📉.   •  Spend $10 on Planting a Tree (via Greenfleet): Every cent goes to planting and supporting the tree and revegetation, which can absorb 10–20 kg of CO₂ per year—adding up to hundreds of kilograms over its lifetime 🌍🌳. We’re not the first to try this, and we’re small, so our impact might not be huge—but if it works, it’s a win-win! 👍 And if it doesn’t, maybe we’ll try spending our marketing budget on LGCs (Large Generation Certificates) next 🌿. If your business loves trees and you’re keen to unlock the benefits of transitioning to Net Zero, book a call at n0de.co/contact — and yes, we’ll plant a tree for you! 🤝🌳

🌳 Trees vs. Solar Panels ☀️ Back in 2007, I went to the States chasing my first love: photosynthesis. I spent years trying to replicate nature’s water-splitting enzyme with the goal of making hydrogen from solar energy. I had a lot of fun, but ultimately, I had to eat humble pie 🥧—because when it comes to water splitting, evolution created something so elegant and dynamic that it’s many orders of magnitude better than anything we could cook up in the lab. However, my trip wasn’t in vain! While I was there, I was lucky enough to meet Amory Lovins of RMI, who ignited my passion for system efficiency. Ever since, I’ve been using that lens to rig the game and show just how much better we are than photosynthesis when it comes to powering cars from the sun 😆. When evolution discovered photosynthesis, it redefined our planet 🌍 and was one of a handful of breakthroughs that made intelligent life possible. But evolution wasn’t solving for dropping the kids off at swimming lessons 🏊♂️. That’s where solar panels and EVs come in! A Rough (and Cheeky) Comparison 🚗 ICE Vehicle Using Biofuel • 🌱 Photosynthesis efficiency: 0.2% (conversion of solar energy into plant biomass) • 🏭 Biofuel processing efficiency: ~60% (energy retained in ethanol after conversion) • 🔥 Engine efficiency: ~25% (typical range for an ICE vehicle) ✅ Final efficiency: 0.03% of the original solar energy is converted into motion. ⚡️ EV Powered by Solar Panels • ☀️ Solar panel efficiency: 20% (conversion of sunlight into electricity) • 🔋 Battery storage & charging losses: ~90% efficiency • ⚡ Electric motor efficiency: ~85% ✅ Final efficiency: 15.3% of the original solar energy is converted into motion. How do you like that, @photosynthesis? 🌿😏 Okay, bad jokes aside—solar panels + EVs are an amazing way to eliminate transport emissions 🚀. And, staying true to Lovins’ philosophy, weight matters when it comes to transport. That means solar-powered electric bikes 🚲 wipe the floor with solar-powered cars 🚗 when it comes to efficiency. But before we get too smug—photosynthesis still wipes the floor with solar panels when it comes to growing food 🌾 and capturing carbon 🌎. So at n0de, we recommend: ✅ Power your buildings and vehicles with solar (and wind) ⚡💨 ✅ Support nature to produce the lowest-emissions food possible 🌱 ✅ Use nature’s carbon-capturing power to offset emissions we can’t yet eliminate 🌍 #Cleanenergy #Netzero #EVs #CarbonRemovals

So far, we’ve seen strong rooftop solar uptake in businesses and organisations that are either owner occupiers 🏢 or have long-term leases 📜, while in contrast, we repeatedly hear that short-term leasing ⏳ and the tenant-landlord split incentive 🏠💼 is a barrier to other businesses putting their roofs to work, generating affordable clean energy 🌍. This is visibly evident in the below snap from Google Maps 🗺️ showing high solar penetration on Monash University and CSIRO buildings, with very little in the neighbouring light industrial park 🏭. So with support from the irrepressible Susie Ho 💪, n0de asked one of her Monash Innovation Guarantee teams 👩💻 to take on the split incentive challenge and find options to unlock the huge potential of unused commercial and industrial roof space 🏢☀️. Which, according to the calculations by Bruce Mountain et al., could contribute up to 25% of Australia’s annual electricity use ⚡! The team is due to present their solutions tomorrow night (22nd Jan) 🗓️ at Monash's City campus which is itself a leased building waiting for solar! So get your commercial leases out 📑 and solar panels ready to install ⚡🔧. Scott Ferraro Yue Xu Annie Mack #MIG2025 #Innovation #SDGs #Impact #Leadership #Partnerships #CleanEnergy

I was on a panel the other day where someone presented an electric fire truck 🚒⚡ that boasts a flat floor, better manoeuvrability, faster speeds, and presumably lower running costs. It’s still early days, but with long-range electric trucks also hitting the market, it only 'fueled' 😉 my confidence that EVs and their operating cost savings are coming for most road applications! ⚡ 🚛 The conversation naturally shifted to the potential for biofuels for trucks, planes, and ships while we electrify or move to H2 based fuels like methanol. But this left me feeling uneasy, so I decided to do some digging. 🕵️♂️🔍 I didn’t find a definitive answer, just uncomfortable trade-offs between carbon emissions, food, water, and land use—hopefully, this sparks someone out there to tell me what the answer is! 🤔💡 Here’s what I found: Burning ~1,333 L of oil-based fuel generates 1 tonne of CO₂ emissions. 💨🔥 To produce this much fuel from a crop like canola, I’d need around 1 hectare of arable land and millions of liters of water, with a net emissions saving of 50-80%. 🌾💧 To make this Net Zero, I’d need to convert the crop residue into biochar, a durable but pricey carbon storage option (~$200/tonne of CO₂e) or more land to grow forest to absorb the remaining carbon (~$20-50/tonne of CO₂e). 🌳♻️ I then considered something uncomfortable: If I burned the fossil fuel, I’d need around 0.2-0.5 hectares of canola residue to convert to biochar or 0.1-0.5 hectares of forest to sequester 1 tonne of CO₂. This approach supports continued fossil fuel use but uses half the land, less water, and offers co-benefits like; canola for food 🥗 and forests for habitat, water filtration, biodiversity, etc. 🌿🦜 As I said, I don’t know whether biofuels are the right bridge as we transition to zero-emission transport options. But I do know that protecting and growing forests and other nature-based carbon sinks is always a good idea. 🌍💚 https://lnkd.in/gUmKgAnB

Greenfleet's Glendalough project is showing how environmental action and sustainable farming can coexist. The forest is in the rolling hills of Boonwurrung Country in South Gippsland, Victoria. We have revegetated nearly 120 hectares at Glendalough, restoring areas that are too steep or unsuitable for farming. Within three years, some of the trees at Glendalough are over four metres tall! Rebeka and Martin Axon-Johansson run Glendalough Farms on the property, with a focus on regenerative practices. Now, you can buy directly from the farm through Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). If you would like to learn more about Glendalough, click here: https://lnkd.in/gQV9AKth #Climateaction #GrowingHope #RegenerativeFarming #Revegetation