1. The U.S. Solar Market Had Another Record Year in 2021
The U.S. solar industry is on pace to easily exceed 20 gigawatts (GW) installed in 2021, setting another annual record over the 19.2 GW installed in 2020. Wood Mackenzie forecasts 2021 will reflect 21% year-over-year growth in residential solar alone, as the market tops 3.9 GW installed on homes. Growth at this rate puts the sector on a path to completing half a million systems in a single year.
Though partly expected by solar’s exponential rise over the last decade, this record growth all comes despite a rising cost of solar. Solar companies have felt the stress from supply chain issues and increasing material costs, tacking up prices as a result. Rystad Energy reported overall solar installation costs rose just over 10% from 2020.
Even still, rising consumer demand continued to drive growth in 2021; awareness around solar energy increased, extreme weather exposed the vulnerabilities of conventional energy sources, and utility costs continued to rise. The true pinch of supply chain issues and material costs may be felt more in 2022 when forecasts are expected to cool.
Wood Mackenzie / Solar Energy Industries Association
2. The Biden Administration Plans to Pass the Build Back Better Act
Though plagued with ongoing negotiations and delays, President Biden hopes to pass the Build Back Better (BBB) Act in early 2022. The Solar Energy Industries Association reports potential impacts of the BBB would increase solar installation projections by more than 31% over the next five years.
Here’s what its passage of this act would mean for solar according to a statement from the White House:
- Goals to reduce the cost of installing rooftop solar for a home by around 30%, shortening the solar payback period by around 5 years
- Expansion of home energy and efficiency tax credits
- Targeted incentives to grow domestic supply chains
- Boosted solar tax credit to 30% for at least 10 years
- Stand-alone tax credit for solar storage systems
3. Solar Farms Gained Popularity
The year saw creative investments in the U.S. solar farm market, making it poised to play a key role in the future of our energy economy.
Solar farms are large arrays of solar panels that collect solar energy, convert it to electricity and feed it into the utility grid. Counter to residential and commercial solar installations, solar farms tend to be much larger and are built to supply utility-scale electricity.
Increasing demand for clean energy coupled with stressed natural resources has led to millions of dollars being funneled into solar farms; NextEra Energy, Duke Energy, Dominion Energy and Entergy are just a few major public energy providers that have developed solar farms in recent years.
In 2021, private organizations and nonprofits alike have taken notice as well, scooping up vacant plots of land across the country to plant solar arrays; some even got creative. In cities, where space is tight, parking garages, airports and vacant lots have been retrofitted into solar farms.
This type of creative investment sets up cities, utilities and private organizations to generate clean energy, jobs, savings and energy equity for decades to come.
4. Secondhand Solar Is Trending
We all know vintage is cool, and solar panels are no exception. As many aging panels reach the end of their warrantied lifespans, a trend is emerging for the installation of secondhand solar panels. Secondhand solar panels are far cheaper than their brand-new counterparts and for the most part still function perfectly well, just at a slightly lower efficiency.
Beyond a lower price tag, the main reasons for this trend are aging components of solar energy systems and rapid accelerations in technology. Wood Mackenzie estimates 800 GW to be repowered before the end of 2025 due to inverters reaching the ends of their 10-year lifespans. Add continued improvements to increase the most efficient solar panels, and you have a recipe for widespread repowering of solar arrays.
Secondhand solar panels are perfect for small-scale installations or projects for which space is not a constraint; the reduced price tag easily offsets the lost efficiency of secondhand panels.
5. Energy Storage Is Expanding
There was unprecedented demand for economic solar energy storage solutions in 2021 — far greater than a stressed supply chain was able to meet. Extreme weather, improvements in tech, new policies and reductions in cost raised the public profile of the best solar batteries and the importance of energy storage.
The Energy Information Administration reported in August that the combined capacity of U.S. solar battery storage projects could grow tenfold between 2021 and 2023 and could contribute 10,000 MW to the grid. Connecticut and Maine became the eighth and ninth states to set energy storage targets, Connecticut’s target being 1,000 MW by 2030 and Maine’s set at 400 MW by 2030. The inclusion of a stand-alone tax credit for solar storage in the BBB Act also marks a milestone and awaits passage in 2022.
Increasing availability, reducing costs and providing tax incentives for solar storage will continue to be a keystone of renewable energy’s growth in years to come.
Growth Opportunities in 2022
The upcoming year offers promising new avenues for growth in the renewable energy industry, supported by growing public awareness, promising technologies, shifting policy and a climate-concerned administration. Though challenges remain, we see 2022’s most significant opportunities for growth in these areas:
- Passage of the Build Back Better Act: The act’s passage would usher in a new generation of investment into clean energy aimed at improving public infrastructure, reducing the cost of renewable energy projects and improving energy equity in a national effort to build a more sustainable energy economy.
- Next-generation technology: Exciting potential solar technologies include coupled solar + storage packages, solar panel recycling, community solar, long-duration solar storage and even floating solar photovoltaics (FSP).
- Supply chain and infrastructure strategies: As outlined in the BBB Act, growing domestic supply chains will be a crucial area for growth in 2022. Bolstering sustainable public infrastructure for a growing population also remains a key focus for the Biden administration heading into the new year.
- Developing a circular economy: In response to growing concern over the disposal of solar panels, end-of-life management (EoL) will be a key area of focus for some of the best solar companies and manufacturers in 2022. We expect solar panel recycling and reuse to become more mainstream.
Bloomberg reports that a first-time global decline in demand for meat occurred in 2019, according to calculations by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization. Some areas of the world increased meat consumption, such as China’s consumption of pork, but overall, the end of the line for meat preference may soon be here. A.T. Kearney, a global consultancy firm, has predicted that lab-grown and plant-based meat will overtake the market by 2040.
Many meat substitutes are available today. Here’s everything you need to know about meat alternatives from the ancient (tofu) to the more modern (soy-based crumbles).
1. Tofu
Polina Tankilevitch / Pexels
Nutrition Snapshot (Extra Firm Tofu, Prepared With Nigari)
- Serving Size: 100 g
- Protein: 9.9 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg *assumed
- Carbs: 1.18g
- Dietary Fiber: 1 g
- Calcium: 282 mg
- Iron: 2.04 mg
Source: USDA FoodData Central
Tofu is a soy-based protein, also known as bean curd, likely invented by the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD). Benjamin Franklin wrote about tofu in a 1770 letter he mailed to Philadelphia from London. He also sent samples with his letter, but it wasn’t until the 1950s that tofu could be found in American grocery stores in its familiar water-filled containers.
Soy protein is a complete protein since it contains all nine essential amino acids the body needs to function. It’s an excellent source of fiber, vitamins and minerals without the cholesterol meat contains. One half cup provides 20% of the protein (10 grams) and nearly half the calcium you need daily, according to Harvard Health. The institute reports that soy protein provides either beneficial or neutral effects to daily health.
Tofu is made from pressed soybean milk. To form the pressed “block,” soybeans are soaked for several hours, then ground with cold water. Tofu manufacturers boil the soybeans for up to 10 minutes and allow the juices to coagulate. Adding an acid (glucono-delta-lactone) produces a softer tofu while adding salt (calcium sulfate) solidifies a firmer tofu. The nutritional profile of tofu varies slightly depending on how it's produced and cooked.
Recipes With Tofu
2. Jackfruit
Shu-Chun Chuang / Wikimedia Commons/ CC-BY-SA-4.0
Nutrition Snapshot (Raw Jackfruit)
- Serving Size: 100 g
- Protein: 1.72 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg *assumed
- Potassium: 448 mg
- Carbs: 23.2 g
- Dietary Fiber 1.5 g
- Vitamin C: 13.7 mg
- Copper: 0.076 mg
- Magnesium: 29 mg
Source: USDA FoodData Central
Jackfruit recently became popular as a meat substitute for its savory shredability. You may have seen it at the grocery store as a pulled pork barbecue substitute. It’s versatile for many meaty comfort food recipes. However, jackfruit is, yes, a fruit.
Jackfruit comes from the plant family Moraceae and is related to mulberry trees. The jackfruit tree grows in subtropical and tropical regions, such as the Philippines, Malaysia and Sri Lanka, but it’s native to India. The fruit grows up to two feet tall, weighing in at 40 lbs!
Raw jackfruit is an excellent source of vitamin C, and it also contains other vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin A, B9, riboflavin, copper, magnesium and zinc. Some people say that raw jackfruit retains some sweetness when cooked, even for pulled pork. Simply adjust the spices and sauces according to your taste. Canned jackfruit typically contains less nutritional value, but it’s simpler to use for recipes.
Recipes With Jackfruit:
3. Seitan
kabVisio / iStock / Getty Images Plus
Nutrition Snapshot (Cubed Seitan, Westsoy)
- Serving Size: 100 g
- Protein: 24.7 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg *unknown
- Sodium: 447 mg
- Carbs: 5.88 mg
- Dietary Fiber: 1.2 g
Source: USDA FoodData Central
What’s seitan made out of? Seitan (SAY-tan) is also called “wheat meat” since it is a wheat-based meat alternative. That means that it contains gluten, a protein that gives the wheat meat its stringy quality. Those with a gluten allergy or sensitivity should avoid this meat substitute.
Seitan is a good source of protein at a reasonable calorie count. You might find it as a meat substitute for chicken in the frozen food aisle, but it’s a versatile protein alternative for other meat dishes, like pork chops or steak. The downside of commercially made seitan is the added salt. The brand used above is just an example, so keep in mind that the nutritional profile differs per brand. However, you can easily make your own seitan with vital wheat gluten (sold in most grocery stores), plus a few other simple ingredients. Adjust the salt to taste.
Seitan is a term coined by George Ohsawa in 1961 when his student Kiyoshi Mokutani created a wheat gluten product that would later become popular and exported to the United States. However, the heritage of wheat-based protein is much more ancient, by about 1,500 years in China.
Recipes With Seitan
4. Tempeh
Ella Olsson / Flickr / CC BY 2.0
Nutrition Snapshot
- Serving Size: 100 g
- Protein: 20.3 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg *assumed
- Potassium: 412 mg
- Carbs: 7.64 g
- Dietary Fiber: Unlisted
- Calcium: 111 mg
- Iron: 2.7 mg
- Phosphorus: 266 mg
- Riboflavin: 0.358 mg
Source: USDA FoodData Central
Tempeh is one of those perplexing proteins: Some experts can’t decide whether it’s ancient or more modern than expected. Tempeh is made from fermented soybeans and originates from Indonesia, likely Central or East Java. This soybean protein could be a few centuries old or as much as 1,000 years old.
Tempeh is an excellent source of protein and other nutrients, including calcium, iron, phosphorus and riboflavin. Compared to meat alternatives like tofu, it offers a higher protein and nutrient count in general. Just as some cheeses are inoculated with a mold (or starter culture), soaked and cooked soybeans are treated similarly until fermentation occurs. Mycelium naturally binds the soybeans into a compact cake.
Pasteurized tempeh is safe to eat, but you shouldn’t eat unpasteurized tempeh. Steam tempeh for at least 15 minutes before eating it. Tempeh is versatile in that it doesn’t crumble when steamed, but you can crumble it into salads, bake it, marinate it, or fry it.
Recipes With Tempeh
5. Soy-Based Crumbles
ablokhin / iStock / Getty Images Plus
Nutrition Snapshot (Soy Protein Crumbles, Boca)
- Serving Size: 100 g
- Protein: 2.28 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg *unknown
- Carbs: 10.5 g
- Dietary Fiber 5.3 g
- Calcium: 105 mg
- Iron: 2.53 mg
Source: USDA FoodData Central
Vegans and vegetarians probably recognize Boca from trips to the grocery store. Because of its history and people’s likely familiarity with the brand, it’s used as an example here. Nutritionally speaking, it’s not the worst: the protein count is good, and it has some dietary fiber, calcium and iron. However, some frozen meat alternatives can also be high in saturated fat. Double check the label of your preferred plant-based product. Again, keep in mind that the nutritional profiles per brand differ.
Using frozen meat alternatives like soy crumbles allow you to make many of the same comfort food recipes that have meat in them. One advantage to using a plant-based “beef” crumble is that it cooks much faster. You can still brown it in the pan or create a savory grease that is much healthier with avocado oil or olive oil.
Recipes With Soy Crumbles
What About Other Ready-to-Eat Meat Substitutes?
Even 10 years ago, eating plant-based was difficult due to a lack of comparable meat substitute products for those who wanted them. Some individuals choose a vegan diet from a young age while others grow up eating meat. However, it takes time to find out which diet best suits your needs and preferences. Many struggle with their diet for health reasons and function best on specific diets, which can feel limiting. This is where eating more plant-based opens up options for meal planning. Honestly, most of what we love about meat comes down to mouthfeel and flavor, and meat alternatives are ready to take this to task.
Meat substitutes aren’t exact replicas of real meat but some come really close. Plant-based sausage patties are a good place to start, since “hickory smoked” is a flavor many brands have captured down pat. Some “slow to melt” oils/fats are included in the patty, so they are released much in the same way and time as regular sausage patties. Beyond Beef has gotten this down to an art with its meatless patty options. FieldRoast’s miniature corn dogs dipped in mustard taste remarkably like the real thing, but you cringe less about what’s inside.
The Demand for Vegan Meat and Versatility
Vegan "sausage" products are displayed at the vegan butchery Vetzgerei by owner Sarah Pollinger on January 25, 2018 in Berlin, Germany. Steffi Loos /Getty Images
The demand for “vegan meat” has increased significantly during the pandemic alone. Retail sales of plant-based meat substitutes grossed $7 billion in 2020, up by 27% compared to 2019, according to CB Insights. Now, “plant-based” has begun to appear next to meat options in the deli and frozen food aisles. There’s even a vegan meat butcher based in the UK offering “soysage” patties and seitan chicken, along with dairy-free products.
There’s a huge variety in the kind of meat substitutes you can purchase in restaurants and stores. A plant-based burger can be made of anything from walnuts and beets or mushrooms and beans, or it could contain soy, seitan, or pea protein for a meat-like texture.
Where some products fall flat in taste and mouthfeel, others excel. When eating meat substitutes, you have to learn to appreciate the recipe for what it is and where it comes from. Jackfruit “pulled pork” may taste a little sweeter raw, but when marinated, cooked up, and paired with a chili fig jam barbecue sauce — suddenly, it’s all perfection.
You’ll also find a great appreciation for the impact of spices on your taste buds. For example, sesame seed oil has a savory crispy bacon-like taste.
Is Plant-Based Meat Better for You?
Eating more plant-based meat can be better for you in the long-run and improve heart health overall, the American Heart Association reports. However, a bad diet is still a bad diet. If you are regularly eating fried food, even if plant-based, your doctor may note high cholesterol levels at your annual physical checkup.
Plant-based proteins branded “crumbles” and “sausage patties” that come from the frozen food aisle can be comparably bad for you as meat products because of high saturated fat content, high sodium and other additives. For example, Highland Farm’s Soy-Based Crumbles have some calcium and iron, but it also contains 30% saturated fat. Reading the Nutrition Facts label is always important, no matter your diet.
Some people do have a sensitivity or allergy to certain ingredients in plant-based meat alternatives, such as soy. Pay attention to your body and consult with your doctor as you consider shifting your diet to include more plant-based meat alternatives.
Are Meat Alternatives Better for the Environment?
Plant-based meat alternatives emit 30% to 90% less greenhouse gas (GHG) than conventional meat, according to the Good Food Institute. Land use and animal agriculture are one of the primary culprits that contribute to climate change when it comes to food production, even over transportation. The Good Food Institute cites analysis from Our World in Data, indicating that livestock takes up 77% of the agricultural land on Earth. The analysis suggests that the food we consume makes up about a quarter of all GHG emissions.
Additionally a 2018 study published in Science found that food systems impact 26% of GHG emissions with 39% from agricultural production, 32% from land use, and 4.8% from food transportation. Meanwhile, plant-based meat substitutes can be produced on-site with far less environmental impact.
The demand for meat alternatives will most likely continue to increase, which means the versatility of food options, food security and our ability to protect the environment and biodiversity soars alongside that. Including more meat alternatives in your diet is also a great way to explore food diversity and culture while improving your overall health.
But conventional deicers can wreak havoc on ecosystems, as the salts often wash into nearby streams. Salts in water can create aquatic dead zones that suffocate plant and aquatic life.
Road salts can also damage concrete and stone and cause rust and other damage on vehicles. Even worse, road salts are often used far too excessively, leading to high amounts of waste. One study found that 70% of applied road salts in a city ended up in the watershed, and they were generally ineffective if the roads or sidewalks were colder than 15°F.
Fortunately, many municipalities and clever minds are coming up with new methods to melt snow and ice or prevent it from sticking to walkways and roads. Creative and sustainable options are out there, and many times, you need to use less of them to work and they cost less than road salts.
Municipal workers sprinkle alleys in Planty park with coffee grounds in Krakow, Poland on February 10, 2021. The city of Krakow, inspired by its sister city in Ukraine, Lviv, started collecting used coffee grounds from local cafés and use them instead of salt or sand as an ecological way to safeguard against slippery winter conditions. Beata Zawrzel / NurPhoto / Getty Images
Sustainable Deicers
The chloride in road salts is a pollutant that remains in the environment for decades. According to one study, 37% of drainage areas in the contiguous U.S. have experienced increased salinization in the past five decades.
“Salt is something of a ticking time bomb for freshwater,” Paul Gallay, Riverkeeper president and Earth Institute adjunct professor, told Jeremy Hinsdale, reporter for Columbia Climate School. “Studies suggest that the increasing concentrations we see in many places may be the result of road salt spread decades ago, which reached groundwater, and is only now slowly reaching surface waters.”
Some manufacturers are turning toward more sustainable deicers, and the EPA has created a Safer Choice database where consumers can find “green” deicers.
Still, there are other options that you can find in your own home or that contain even more eco-friendly ingredients, including brines, coffee grounds, and even sugar beet juice.
Alfalfa Meal
You may have used alfalfa meal as fertilizer, but it’s also effective for melting ice. Alfalfa meal has a grainy texture that also offers more traction as you walk. You can typically find this product at garden supply or home improvement stores.
Still, this deicer is best used in moderation. It contains nitrogen, which can be good for soil. But in water, excessive nitrogen can lead to algal blooms, which decrease oxygen in the water for fish and plants.
Coffee Grounds
There’s no need to toss out old coffee grounds used to make your morning cup of joe. Instead, spent coffee grounds are somewhat effective in melting ice, plus they add traction to the walkways. Nitrogen in the coffee grounds reacts with the ice to help melt it, but again, be cautious in how much nitrogen you add, which can run off into local aquatic ecosystems.
Sugar Beet Juice
Sugar beet juice is a popular ice melt option that lowers the freezing point of ice and helps deicers stick to the ground better. Unlike road salts, it's safe for pets and not corrosive to vehicles. On its own, sugar beet juice isn’t as effective as other deicers, but it does reduce the amount of conventional deicers you would need to clear up your walkways.
This option is often highly regarded as an environmentally friendly option for snow and ice removal, but it’s not without its caveats. One 2018 study observed sugar beet juice deicer’s impact on insects and found it created psychological stress in mayflies. More research is needed on beet juice deicers to determine how environmentally safe they are, but they are still an improvement compared to conventional road salts.
Grape Skin Compounds
One study found that a solution made with grape extracts melts ice quicker than conventional salts, all without damaging roads or harming the watershed. Researchers at Washington State University used chemical degradation and fermentation to extract chemicals from wasted grape skins. The resulting solution melted ice quickly, and the process to make it also produces no waste.
The researchers have also had success in using this process to create deicers from many types of agricultural waste, including peony leaves, sugar beet leaves, dandelion leaves, and apples.
“We delivered a more sustainable solution because we’re introducing less chlorides into the road operations and are achieving comparable or better performance. It’s one step in the right direction,” said Xianming Shi, associate professor in Civil and Environmental Engineering and co-author of the study. “The beauty of this approach is that it allows us to diversify. We can use this same platform technology in different regions of the country but choose a different agricultural product, depending on what source of waste is available.”
While this product isn’t to market yet, it’s a promising alternative on the horizon for safe snow and ice removal that also makes use of waste plants.
Brines
That extra pickle juice in the jar? If you’re not going to drink it, maybe you can use it to clear your frosty sidewalks. In another effort to turn waste into something useful, people have creatively used brines like pickle or cheese brine instead of road salts.
A shortage of road salts in Bergen County, New Jersey in 2011 led public officials to swap in pickle brine to keep snow and ice from getting out of control. One major benefit? The pickle brine cost about 7 cents per gallon, where road salts at the time were over $60 per ton.
Cheese brine is also effective when used to prevent snow and ice accumulation. In Wisconsin, cheese-makers end up with tens of thousands of gallons of cheese brine annually. Instead of wasting it, residents of Polk County started applying the brine to sidewalks and roads ahead of projected snowfall. The brine can prevent ice as long as the temperatures stay above -23°F.
Snow Removal
You can also skip deicers completely or pair them with some of the following snow removal methods for additional eco-friendly ways to keep your property safe. These options are more suitable for residential use rather than city- or county-wide.
Shovel
With some time and a little elbow grease, a shovel can go a long way in clearing your sidewalks of snow. If you don’t want to go it alone, make it a family activity to get the job done faster. For those who’d rather stay cozied up inside by the fire, consider hiring someone to clear the sidewalks for you. Local teenagers are often more than happy to help tackle the work for some extra spending money.
Electric Snow Blower
Swapping a gas-powered snow blower is a worthy investment. According to the Utah Department of Environmental Quality, using a standard 4-stroke, gas-powered snow blower for one hour creates an equal amount of emissions as driving a car for 339 miles.
In its tests, Consumer Reports found a reliable gas-powered snow blower that costs $420, while electric snow blowers that were comparable in quality cost $650 to $1,300. But when you factor in the cost of gas, especially lately, and the considerable amount of emissions every time you clear off those slippery sidewalks, the electric option is worth the initial upfront cost.
Heated Snow Mats
For another ingenious option for melting away snow and ice from your porch and walkways, consider heated snow mats. These mats are powered electrically and often made with rubber to stand up to the elements. Not only do they have a non-slip surface to walk on, but they can also melt snow at a rate of about 2 inches per hour to keep your walkways safe.
Based in Los Angeles, Paige is a writer who is passionate about sustainability. Aside from writing for EcoWatch, Paige also writes for Insider, HomeAdvisor, Thrillist, EuroCheapo, Eat This, Not That!, and more. She earned her Bachelor's degree in Journalism from Ohio University and holds a certificate in Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies. She also specialized in sustainable agriculture while pursuing her undergraduate degree. When she's not writing, Paige enjoys decorating her apartment, enjoying a cup of coffee and experimenting in the kitchen (with local, seasonal ingredients, of course!).