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The Science of Climate Change
Climate change is no longer a distant threat or just a possibility, it is now a reality for all of us. In this pathway, Kevin Trenberth, a renowned climatologist, delves into the science behind climate change. He first introduces the climate system, its main components and forces.
Tackling the Plastic Crisis
Plastic pollution is by far the biggest threat to our oceans and this remains an incredibly tough problem to solve. Plastic credits could potentially serve as one of the much needed solutions for this crisis.
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Our Platform
Expert led content
+1,000 expert presented, on-demand video modules
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Keep track of learning progress with our comprehensive data
Interactive learning
Engage with our video hotspots and knowledge check-ins
Testing & certification
Gain CPD / CPE credits and professional certification
Managed learning
Build, scale and manage your organisation’s learning
Integrations
Connect Sustainability Unlocked to your current platform
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The Scale of the Net Zero Challenge
The price of meeting net zero is estimated to be between $100-150 trillion over the next 30 years. Regardless of this cost, we need to reach net zero before climate change does irreversible damage to the environment and the economy.
ESG, Sustainability and Impact Jargon Buster
ESG, sustainability, impact… they all just mean green, right? Not quite. Despite being used often interchangeably, there are distinct differences between these terms.
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Lewis Howard
The quality of the content is very high, the UI is super easy to use, and we can see how the content will be impactful at scale.
Nicola Stürmer
Our people have a strong growth mindset and access to this sort of material satisfies that curiosity and our need as a business to retain our talent through the provision of a quality learning experience.
More testimonials
Ready to get started?
Categories
Discover our Courses
Featured Pathways
More pathways
The Science of Climate Change
Climate change is no longer a distant threat or just a possibility, it is now a reality for all of us. In this pathway, Kevin Trenberth, a renowned climatologist, delves into the science behind climate change. He first introduces the climate system, its main components and forces.
Tackling the Plastic Crisis
Plastic pollution is by far the biggest threat to our oceans and this remains an incredibly tough problem to solve. Plastic credits could potentially serve as one of the much needed solutions for this crisis.
More pathways
Ready to get started?
Plans & Membership
Find the right plan for you
Our Platform
Expert led content
+1,000 expert presented, on-demand video modules
Learning analytics
Keep track of learning progress with our comprehensive data
Interactive learning
Engage with our video hotspots and knowledge check-ins
Testing & certification
Gain CPD / CPE credits and professional certification
Managed learning
Build, scale and manage your organisation’s learning
Integrations
Connect Sustainability Unlocked to your current platform
Featured Content
More featured content
The Scale of the Net Zero Challenge
The price of meeting net zero is estimated to be between $100-150 trillion over the next 30 years. Regardless of this cost, we need to reach net zero before climate change does irreversible damage to the environment and the economy.
ESG, Sustainability and Impact Jargon Buster
ESG, sustainability, impact… they all just mean green, right? Not quite. Despite being used often interchangeably, there are distinct differences between these terms.
More featured content
Ready to get started?
Our Solutions
About Us
Testimonials
More testimonials
Lewis Howard
The quality of the content is very high, the UI is super easy to use, and we can see how the content will be impactful at scale.
Nicola Stürmer
Our people have a strong growth mindset and access to this sort of material satisfies that curiosity and our need as a business to retain our talent through the provision of a quality learning experience.
More testimonials
Ready to get started?
Introduction to Solar Energy
Colin Palmer
40 years: Renewable energy
A tenfold cost reduction over the last ten years has caught many unaware, and solar PV is now set to be the largest source of renewable energy in the future. In this video, Colin explains how the conversion of sunlight to electricity in solar panels helped the industry develop. He further explains why and how solar energy generation will become ubiquitous.
A tenfold cost reduction over the last ten years has caught many unaware, and solar PV is now set to be the largest source of renewable energy in the future. In this video, Colin explains how the conversion of sunlight to electricity in solar panels helped the industry develop. He further explains why and how solar energy generation will become ubiquitous.
Introduction to Solar Energy
13 mins 47 secs
The heating effects from focussing the sun’s rays have long been understood and during the early 20th century the photovoltaic effect was explained. By the mid 1950s, practical solar cells could be made, but the costs were extremely high. Continued development resulting in performance improvements and cost reductions, to the extent that by the first years of the 21st century, electricity from solar cells was becoming viable for large scale uses. The resulting market pull drove further cost reductions, to the point where, in may locations today, solar power is the lowest cost source of electric from any source.
A tenfold cost reduction over the last ten years has caught many unaware, and solar PV is now set to be the largest source of renewable energy in the future.
Key learning objectives:
How did the industry develop?
How is sunlight converted to electricity in solar panels?
Describe the make-up of the cost of solar PV power systems
Explain why and how solar energy generation will become ubiquitous
Colin Palmer
Related videos
The Drivers of Widespread Renewable Energy Adoption
The oil price shocks of the mid-1970s caused the developed economies to investigate renewable energy based alternatives to fossil fuels. In this video, Colin explains the factors that triggered the rise of renewable energy and enabled its growth. He further describes how the costs of renewable power have changed over time and the technologies required to enable the widespread adoption of renewable energy generation.
Colin Palmer • 14:02
Introduction to Wind Energy
Energy from the wind has been used by mankind for thousands of years, but has become outdated since the early twentieth century. Join Colin as he explains why there was a revival in wind energy in the 1907s and how the industry developed. He further talks about the square-cube law and its relevance to wind turbines.
Colin Palmer • 15:41
Renewables Jargon Buster
Like any industry, the world of renewables has its own share of jargon which can be inaccessible to outsiders. Renewable energy has changed and grown dramatically in recent years. In a world awash with fake news, it has not been difficult for these people to promote and perpetuate a number of myths designed to undermine confidence in these technologies. A few of the more egregious ones are discussed in this video.
Colin Palmer • 17:33
Introduction to Wave and Tidal energy
Wave and tidal energy are, subjectively, both abundant and powerful sources of natural energy. In this video, Colin explains the reason why wave energy is much less commercialised than wind and solar energy and the challenges surrounding wave energy development. He further talks about the cost differential between wave, tidal and offshore wind energies.
Colin Palmer • 11:00
Introduction to Energy Storage Technology
Key to the generation of high proportions of power from inherently variable renewable energy sources is the use of energy storage. Storage is necessary to both smooth out short term mismatches between supply and demand and to balance longer-term, inter-seasonal differences. In this video, Colin describes the present and future energy storage technologies including how new manufacturing models are being used for batteries and solar panels.
Colin Palmer • 10:57
The Historic Underestimation of Renewable Generation
In this video, Colin explains how the International Energy Agency's predictions for renewable energy have changed in the last 20 years. He also explains the S curve model of technical change and finishes by highlighting the space requirements for renewable energies.
Colin Palmer • 09:51
Introduction to Renewable Energy Project Finance
This video explains what project finance actually is, with a few examples of how it differs from corporate finance. It further highlights the non-recourse nature of this type of financing and explores the role of SPVs and how they turn renewable energy and other large-scale projects from high-risk, high-cost, inaccessible undertakings into more manageable endeavours.
Lachlan Tait • 06:58
Project Finance Security and Limited Recourse
In this video, Lachlan will continue to explore the key elements involved in project finance and will explain why security is such a vital consideration for lenders. He will also take us through project revenues, which are used to service the project finance debt and pay contractors for work completed.
Lachlan Tait • 06:24