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SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy

Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all.

Renewable energy solutions are becoming cheaper, more reliable and more efficient every day. Our current reliance on fossil fuels is unsustainable and harmful to the planet, which is why we have to change the way we produce and consume energy. Goal 7 is about implementing these new energy solutions as fast as possible to counter climate change, one of the biggest threats to our own survival.

SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy

Turning sunlight into fuel

Pictured here: Students from York University’s Lassonde School of Engineering in the lab

As global interest in clean, renewable energy sources intensifies, York engineering professor Thomas Cooper is partnering with Synhelion on a solar solution. The solar energy is used to produce sustainable solar fuel that is compatible with existing global fuel infrastructure. Cooper is developing, improving and testing durable materials for Synhelion’s solar receiver, and is researching and developing aerogels – porous materials that can be used as thermal insulators for heat retention. “The heart of our lab is solar-thermal,” says Cooper. “We want to convert sunlight into something beneficial by using a thermal pathway.”

Facts

239

publications relevant

to SDG 7

(2020-2022)

20+

programs relevant or related to SDG 7

51%

of publications
co-authored with
international institutions

3+

Canada Research Chairs
engaged in sustainable energy solutions research

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