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Student Energy at UBC Articles
Articles written by our writing team for energy literacy.
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The "Green" in Greenland
Since President Trump’s first term in office, he has reinforced his  interest in purchasing Greenland . The president attributed his...
Rafe Chang
Mar 312 min read

End of an Era: Canada Eliminates Consumer Carbon Tax
Photo: © Shutterstock Canada’s consumer carbon tax has now been eliminated by newly sworn-in Prime Minister Mark Carney. Canada’s carbon...
Lyndsey Bryden
Mar 172 min read

Transitioning Power: The Tariff Hike Continues
The Biden administration has announced plans to double the tariffs  on certain solar panel components produced in China starting January...
Rafe Chang
Dec 20, 20242 min read


Targeting Power: Ukraine's Energy Crisis
On November 28th, Russia executed another massive attack  against Ukraine, targeting the power grid across the country and causing...
Rafe Chang
Dec 13, 20242 min read

Energy Transition Beyond Russia: Europe’s Path to Diversity and Sustainability
In the EU, approximately 20.9% Â of the electricity is generated using natural gas, also widely used for heating and cooking. In 2021,...
Rafe Chang
Nov 27, 20242 min read


Refineries are Endangering Health, Climate, and the Future of EnergyÂ
Fossil fuels' environmental and health impacts begin long before they’re burned in power plants. Oil refineries  process crude oil into...
Rafe Chang
Nov 20, 20241 min read


Hurricane Helene: A Call to Action to Invest in Grid Resilience
In late September, category four  hurricane Helene traveled over 500 miles from Florida to the Southern Appalachians, bringing...
Rafe Chang
Nov 13, 20242 min read


Cali Went Too Sunny
California’s Senate Bill 100 requires renewable energy and zero-carbon resources to supply 100%  of the state’s electric retail sales by...
Rafe Chang
Nov 6, 20242 min read

Transportation Goes Hydrogen
The first commercial passenger ferry that is entirely run on hydrogen has started its pilot service  for six months in San Francisco....
Rafe Chang
Oct 19, 20242 min read


Google Plans to Reuse Heat from Data Center Operation
Google is making a $1.1 billion investment to expand its data centers in Finland. As part of the plan, the company partnered with the...
Rafe Chang
Oct 19, 20242 min read


Improve Panel Recycling to Reduce Heavy Metal Pollution
Most solar panels have a 25-30-year  lifespan before degradation leads to a noticeable reduction in productivity. Weather events such as...
Rafe Chang
Oct 5, 20242 min read


EV Adoption Delayed by Reliability Issues
As the global shift towards electric vehicles (EVs) continues, major automakers like Ford, General Motors, Volkswagen, and Mercedes-Benz...
Rafe Chang
Sep 21, 20242 min read


Portugal's Renewable Transition with Hydroelectric Power Plant
In the first four months of 2024, Portugal is averaging 91% Â of its electricity from renewables while having the lowest wholesale...
Rafe Chang
May 26, 20242 min read


Overcoming Perovskite Solar Cells' Instability Issues
Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Venture  is backing  CubicPV , a perovskite solar tandem manufacturer. Perovskite is a common crystal...
Rafe Chang
May 21, 20242 min read


Electric Vehicle Charging Is Stressing the Grid
On January 11th, a polar vortex  caused the average temperature across the province of Alberta to be -31°C. On that day, the province set...
Rafe Chang
May 5, 20242 min read


Energy and Environmental Impacts of Denmark's Largest Offshore Tender
As of 2022, wind energy generated 55.03%  of Denmark’s electricity, marking the highest share in the world. Policy plans  for...
Rafe Chang
May 5, 20242 min read


Data Centers Are Driving Electricity Demand
The forecast for U.S. electricity demand for the next five years has seen a notable increase, with expected growth rising from 2.6% in...
Rafe Chang
Apr 4, 20242 min read

Wind Turbine Recycling Challenges and Solutions
The project-life assumption of wind turbines is around 30 years. Â Notably, around 85% Â of turbine components such as steel and copper...
Rafe Chang
Mar 18, 20241 min read


Arkansas Transforms Old Oil Fields to Lithium Sites
Direct Lithium Extraction, DLE, is a technology that is faster and lower in energy and water use  when compared to traditional brine...
Rafe Chang
Mar 12, 20241 min read


Electric Vehicles Are Exacerbating Tire Pollution
Tesla’s Model Y generates 26 percent more tire pollution  than a similar Kia hybrid, with the same distance traveled. Electric Vehicles...
Rafe Chang
Mar 5, 20242 min read
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