1. Residential Wind Turbines
Wind turbines are one of the most well-known and productive types of renewable power. However, most people associate them with towering farms. Many startups and tech experts are creating smaller turbines made for households, which are ideal with the rise in microgrids. Communities can reach resilience by diversifying renewable electricity with residential wind.
Some models take traditional turbine designs and reimagine them. Bladeless turbines resemble tall cylinders with fans inside that produce energy. Their footprint makes them easy to place in tight spaces, including urban areas. Land use is a constant concern with space-consuming turbines, so this should dissolve some of these debates.
2. Solar Canopies
Electric vehicle (EV) chargers are expensive and sometimes get their power from fossil fuels. Initiatives are trying to change the game with solar canopies. These awnings have embedded solar panels to give vehicles a constant source of clean electricity. In April 2024, one company used bifacial panels to provide Level 2 charging ports with 5 kilowatts and 75 miles for every charge.
At the end of 2024, Capital Group installed 4,230 solar panels to form a canopy over a parking lot in Carmel, Indiana. The scope and scale of this project proved its potential for expansion into the new year to help with any size of residential or commercial alternative energy projects.
3. Sand Batteries
In October 2024, Italian energy experts revealed a sand battery — a novel form of storage residing in fluidized beds of silica sand. Renewable energy sources transfer power to the sand, transforming it into hot steam. Because of its less than 2% thermal losses, it is an efficient way to capture electricity.
This method could revolutionize the construction industry by providing more opportunities to connect to eco-friendly power plants. It can alleviate intermittency concerns and steer power away from coal and natural gas.
4. Smart Inverters
Most people expect construction to revolutionize in 2025 because of technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT). How will this manifest? Smart inverters could be the biggest change for related workforces because they will make maintenance easier.
The inverter converts power from the panel into the grid, so everything is compatible. Smarter ones will react and follow patterns from the grid to manage load more successfully and prevent blackouts. Doing so will make the panels more responsive and reactive instead of letting machinery get too hot or damaged from mismanagement.
5. Phase-Change Materials for Insulation
Construction makes up 39% of the planet’s carbon emissions because of how much it encompasses. Building requires tons of resources and energy, and the structure's life cycle continues to sap tons more. Construction needs to boost renewable electricity generators and related technologies to perform better. However, many building elements also need enhancing for more synergetic relationships. Insulation is a perfect example, and phase-change materials are the innovation 2025 needs.
For example, solar chimneys are becoming adequate replacements for wood-burning versions. These capture the warmth and release it into the home. The chimney becomes better at harnessing power when the materials it is made from can change phases, such as from solid to liquid. Hydrated salt has been a successful material, making the chimney 19% more efficient.
6. Renewable Natural Gas
The most critical alternative energy systems include when experts find ways to turn fossil fuels into renewable resources. Doing so makes it more justifiable to transition to clean electricity. Renewable natural gas is one of those renewable resource examples.
The goal is to capture the methane cows produce, which would otherwise add to greenhouse gas emissions. Instead, biomethane enterprises and agriculturalists are harnessing it to transform construction in food and farming sectors. It could also be used as a power source for heavy machinery and renewable vehicles.
7. Electric Vehicles as Storage
Many structures may not be able to install expensive external battery storage solutions. However, critical infrastructure resilience needs them to be a backup to boost climate change defenses. EVs are becoming a powerful supplement to the battery storage problem.
It may be feasible for residences to invest in an EV but not a sustainable generator. The car would then serve as a battery to keep buildings secure.
8. Food Waste-Powered Panels
Waste-to-energy is one way to reduce landfills and take advantage of food waste in a circular economy. Now, innovators are using these scraps to design solar panels. One world-famous project takes luminescent particles in fruits and vegetables and incorporates them into panels that absorb light.
When putting these particles in resin, they make high-performance solar walls and windows. The coming year could see more of these as businesses find more sustainable ways to craft renewable energy solutions.
Alternative Energy Sources for Construction
Green power sources come in countless shapes and sizes. There are batteries and turbine blades, but renewable energy systems also encompass powerful insulation and electricity conservation methods. Combining diverse technologies will make alternative energy viable and sustainable in the construction industry.
