Hello. This is 6 Minute English from
BBC Learning English. I’m Neil.
And I’m Sam.
These days, our lives are filled with
devices that were unimaginable only
a few years ago – the sorts of things
you read about in science-fiction novels,
but never thought you’d own.
Yes, like those robots that vacuum your
floor or voice-activated lights –
we call many of these things ‘smart tech’.
But while they can help with the little
tasks at home, some people are
wondering whether they can help
fight climate change.
Yes, smart homes, regulating things
like the temperature, are a step in the
right direction. Using AI to learn when
the house is occupied and the optimal
time to fire up the heating, is one way
to limit wasteful use of resources.
The problem comes from the origin
of the energy which powers these home
systems. If it’s fossil fuels, then digging
them up – an informal way of saying
removing something from the earth -
and burning them creates carbon
emissions.
I suppose that’s why many people
are trying to find more renewable
forms of energy to reduce their
carbon footprint.
Well, it’s interesting that you
mentioned carbon footprint,
because my question is about that
today. How many tonnes of carbon dioxide
are humans responsible for emitting into
the atmosphere every year? Is it more than:
a) 30 billion
b) 40 billion; or
c) 50 billion?
Well, Neil, that all sounds like a lot to
me, but I’ll go straight down the middle
and say b – 40 billion tonnes.
OK, Sam, we’ll find out the correct
answer at the end of the programme.
So you mentioned earlier that people
are looking into ways to use more
renewable energy, but there are also
some problems with that form
of energy production.
Yes – for example many of these
technologies rely on certain weather
conditions, which affect the level
of energy production.
Dr Enass Abo-Hamed, CEO of H2go,
is working on a project on Orkney,
an island off the coast of Scotland,
testing ways of storing renewable
forms of energy. Here she is on BBC
World Service programme Crowd Science,
speaking with Graihagh Jackson, talking
about the limitations of renewable energy sources.
Renewable energy is intermittent by
its nature because it’s dependant
and relying on the weather. When
the Sun shines and when the wind blows,
and these by nature are not
24-hour 7 reliable constant.
And that means that demand doesn’t
always meet supply of renewables –
it can mean that we get blackouts,
but on the other hand, when the Sun
is up and we are producing all that
power or when the wind is blowing
and were producing that power, we
might not be able to use that energy -
There’s no demand for it and so it’s wasted.
So, Dr Enass Abo-Hamed said the
renewable energy is intermittent,
which means that something is
not continuous and has many breaks.
She also said that because there
isn’t always a steady stream of energy,
we can get blackouts –
periods of time without energy.
People like Dr Enass Abo-Hamed
are trying to find solutions to make
renewable energy storage devices –
which would make the supply
of energy more constant.
Smart tech can also help with this
problem with renewable sources.
Now, of course, not only can computers
be used to design efficient models,
but smart tech can also be used to
improve performance after things like
wind turbines have been installed.
Here is Graihagh Jackson, science broadcaster
and podcaster, speaking about how
smart tech can improve efficiency
on BBC World Service programme, Crowd Science:
Some engineers use something
called a digital twin. This is really
interesting, actually. This is where
lots of sensors are attached to the
wind turbine, so it can be modelled
on a computer in real time. And then,
using machine learning, you can then
simulate what’s happening to the wind
turbine in specific weather conditions.
And this is important because it means
they can make sure they’re
performing their best.
Graihagh Jackson used the expression
in real time, which means without delay or live.
She also mentioned machine learning,
which is the way computers change their
behaviour based on data they collected.
And she also said simulate –
produce a computer model of something.
So, while there are issues with
the reliability of the source of
renewable energy, it’s clear that
people are working on solutions
such as energy storage to make
sure there is always a supply.
And that computers can be used to
design and operate technology
as efficiently as possible.
Much in the same way that AI can
be used in your home to make it
run as efficiently as possible.
Yes – all in the hope of
reducing your carbon footprint.
Which reminds me of your quiz question, Neil.
Yes, in my quiz question I asked Sam
how many tonnes of carbon dioxide
humans produce each year!
I went for b) 40 billion tonnes.
Which is… the correct answer!
Well done, Sam!
Wow – I guessed right – but all three
of those numbers sound really high!
Let’s recap the vocabulary from today’s
programme about smart tech and
climate change, starting with
dig something up – an informal expression
which means to remove something from the ground.
Intermittent is used to describe something
that is not continuous or steady.
Blackouts are periods of time without
energy, for example electricity.
In real time means without delay or live.
Machine learning is the process by which
computers learn and change
behaviour based on data.
And finally, simulate means
produce a computer model.
That’s all for this programme.
Bye for now!
Goodbye!