“We Have Everything We Need”: Renewable Energy Pioneer Says the World Already Has the Technology for a 100% Clean Energy Future

Australian National University professor and co-inventor of PERC solar cell technology tells youth climate audiences that the clean-energy transition is no longer a technological challenge—it is a matter of action.

NEW YORK, Aug. 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The Planet Classroom Network and the Protect Our Planet (POP) Movement today announced a new episode of the acclaimed global series Net Zero Speaks featuring Professor Andrew Blakers AO FAA FTSE FRSN of the Australian National University, one of the world’s leading renewable energy researchers and co-developer of the PERC solar cell technology used in much of today’s global solar industry.

Hosted by youth climate advocate Ivan Ransom, the episode explores one of the defining questions of our time:

Can the world really run on 100 percent renewable energy?

According to Blakers, the answer is unequivocal.

“We have everything we need. We don’t need to invent anything. It’s just a matter of getting out and doing it.”

Throughout the conversation, Blakers argues that the transition to clean energy is no longer constrained by technology. He describes a future powered by what he calls “clean, cheap energy forever” and notes that “most countries are their own Saudi Arabia of solar and wind.” Drawing on decades of research, he explains why solar power, wind energy, pumped hydro storage, batteries, and electrification technologies can work together to create reliable, affordable, zero-carbon energy systems at global scale.

A Global Voice on Renewable Energy

Professor Blakers is internationally recognized for helping develop the Passivated Emitter and Rear Cell (PERC) solar cell, a breakthrough that dramatically increased solar panel efficiency and accelerated the global adoption of solar energy.

The technology became the foundation for much of the modern solar industry and contributed to the dramatic decline in solar energy costs worldwide.

Today, Blakers leads research on large-scale renewable energy systems and the Global Pumped Hydro Atlas, which identifies hundreds of thousands of potential energy storage sites around the world capable of supporting renewable electricity systems.

His work has helped governments, utilities, researchers, and policymakers better understand how nations can achieve deep decarbonization while maintaining reliable and affordable energy systems.

From Solar Panels to “Gravity Batteries”

One of the episode’s central themes is energy storage.

Blakers explains how pumped hydro systems—often described as giant “gravity batteries”—can store renewable energy by moving water between two reservoirs at different elevations.

His team’s research identified approximately 820,000 potential pumped hydro sites globally, providing vastly more storage capacity than would be required for a fully renewable energy future.

The discussion explores how these systems can help balance solar and wind generation while maintaining grid reliability and affordability.

The episode also addresses some of the most persistent misconceptions surrounding renewable energy, including concerns about land use, energy storage, raw materials, waste, reliability, and grid stability.

Why Youth Voices Matter

For more than fifty episodes, Net Zero Speaks has connected youth climate leaders with many of the world’s foremost scientists, policymakers, engineers, economists, and environmental advocates.

Produced by the Planet Classroom Network in partnership with the Protect Our Planet (POP) Movement, the series gives young people direct access to the experts shaping the global transition to a net-zero future.

Each episode explores practical solutions, emerging challenges, and the latest scientific developments affecting climate action worldwide.

“Net Zero Speaks was created to give young people a seat at the table in one of the most important conversations humanity has ever had,” said C. M. (Cathy) Rubin, Founder and CEO of Planet Classroom. “Professor Blakers reminds us that many of the solutions we need already exist. The challenge now is accelerating action.”

Watch the Episode

Net Zero Speaks to Andrew Blakers premieres on the Planet Classroom Network YouTube channel.

About Net Zero Speaks

Net Zero Speaks is Planet Classroom’s acclaimed climate interview series produced in partnership with the Protect Our Planet (POP) Movement. Through conversations between youth climate leaders and leading scientists, policymakers, innovators, and environmental experts, the series explores the solutions, challenges, and breakthroughs shaping the global transition to net zero.

More than 50 episodes have been produced, giving young people direct access to the experts helping shape the future of our planet.

About the Protect Our Planet (POP) Movement

The Protect Our Planet (POP) Movement mobilizes young people worldwide to advance climate solutions, support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and protect threatened ecosystems.

Through education, storytelling, advocacy, and youth engagement, POP empowers the next generation to become active participants in building a more sustainable future.

www.cmrubinworld.com 

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SOURCE Planet Classroom Network

XIAMEN, China, July 31, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — This is a news report by Hong Kong Ta Kung Wen Wei Media Group Limited:

The seventh annual Xiamen Talent Service Month, held without interruption, has officially kicked off. Centered on this year’s theme for young talent — “Young • Talented • Future-oriented” — the event features over 40 supporting activities, creating a platform for domestic and overseas young talent exchanges and development that reaches out globally and connects closely with Hong Kong and Macao. From top-level collaborative announcements to offline on-the-ground matchmaking, the initiative deepens Xiamen–Hong Kong sci–tech synergy in all dimensions, attracting young innovators from Hong Kong and Macao to put down roots in the island city.

On July 9, the launching ceremony of the “2026 Xiamen Talent Service Month” was officially held in Xiamen, Fujian, China. More than 200 participants gathered on site, including industry experts from home and abroad, research institutes, young entrepreneurs, and representatives of Hong Kong and Macao talent. The ceremony showcased the latest achievements of young researchers in science and technology, unveiled multiple youth talent development programs, and premiered the city’s talent promotional video “Stride into Youth, Strive in Xiamen”, extending a sincere invitation to young talent from Hong Kong, Macao, and around the world to start businesses, pursue innovation, and realize their dreams in Xiamen.

Xiamen has been consistently expanding its network of international talent service stations, including those in the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area, and proactively engaging with top-notch sci–tech innovation resources in Hong Kong and Macao. At the ceremony, the “Hong Kong Young Scientists Xiamen Science and Technology Service Program” was unveiled as a major initiative, becoming a key lever to deepen sci–tech integration between Hong Kong and Xiamen and bring in innovative forces from Hong Kong. In its first phase, the program has joined forces with four cutting-edge innovation platforms: the State Key Laboratory of Display and Optoelectronics at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), the State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases at the University of Hong Kong, the Jockey Club Innovative Laboratory for Future Energy Systems at City University of Hong Kong, and the Physics Artificial Intelligence Research Center at HKUST. The collaboration focuses on industry–university joint technological breakthroughs, transfer and commercialization of research outcomes, and co–establishment of joint laboratories. Mr. Lin Yanhong, Assistant Director of the HKUST State Key Laboratory of Display and Optoelectronics, noted that the laboratory has already worked with Xiamen “Double-Hundred Plan” talent enterprise StarCent Integrated Technology to overcome the industry bottleneck of “difficulty in balancing small size and high optical power.” He added that the program will continue to organize Hong Kong young scientists to bring high-quality research projects to Xiamen for follow–up landing and implementation.

Concurrently, Xiamen launched the “International Youth Sci–Tech Envoys Exchange Program,” which builds an open and collaborative international network for young sci–tech innovators through talent development programs, joint research initiatives, and BRICS sci–tech innovation cooperation. Tan Kah Kee Innovation Laboratory introduced the “30+ Entrepreneurship Talent Project,” selecting key youth sci–tech innovation projects worldwide in fields such as hydrogen energy, artificial intelligence, semiconductors, and next–generation displays, providing top–tier research facilities and incubation support for young research teams at home and abroad. All districts and municipal departments are rolling out a rich array of supporting activities, fostering a sustained “every month is a service month” atmosphere for talent attraction and improving the whole–chain service system for bringing in, nurturing, retaining, and utilizing young talent from both within and outside China.

As a key on–site activity under the “Hong Kong Young Scientists Xiamen Science and Technology Service Program,” the “Young • Talented • Future-oriented — Hong Kong Young Scientists Xiamen Tour & Tong’an Youth Talent Integration and Innovation Event” opened successfully on the morning of July 21. Thirty–two young Ph.D. holders and postdoctoral researchers from HKUST’s key laboratories and the Hong Kong Young Scientists Association gathered in Xiamen, Fujian, China, for a two–way, in–depth sci–tech dialogue between the two cities.

At the event, multiple municipal and district authorities jointly held a dedicated policy briefing. On the one hand, they presented Xiamen’s talent policies, sci–tech innovation support measures, and investment–promotion regulations, delivering comprehensive and detailed policy information to the attending Hong Kong young doctors. On the other hand, with a focus on key industrial sectors such as optoelectronics, new energy, and new materials, they gave a full picture of Xiamen’s well–developed industrial innovation chain, showcasing the city’s appealing ecosystem for young professionals to live and work in. During the achievement–sharing and project roadshow segment, Xiamen talent enterprise StarCent Integrated Technology shared practical experience in commercializing research results, while five Hong Kong young doctors presented high–potential sci–tech projects in optoelectronic displays, new materials, and new energy frontiers, detailing their core technologies, mature research outcomes, and industrialization plans in Xiamen. On–site government bodies, enterprises, and research institutions engaged in targeted matchmaking with the Hong Kong teams, exploring diverse cooperation opportunities.

During their stay in Xiamen, the Hong Kong young scientist delegation conducted field visits to frontline industries, touring leading companies such as Meitu, Hithium, and Contemporary Amperex Technology (Xiamen) to gain first–hand insights into industry development and enterprise needs. They also visited high–end research facilities including the Xiamen Science City Incubator and Tan Kah Kee Innovation Laboratory, experiencing firsthand Xiamen’s comprehensive industrial support, innovation platforms, and youth entrepreneurship nurturing systems.

In addition, our reporter learned that the “Gathering Talent in Fujian, Attracting the World — 2026 Global Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition” is being hosted by Xiamen.

Since its registration announcement in May, the competition has drawn widespread attention from overseas innovators and entrepreneurs. Aligned with Fujian Province’s “555X” industrial system, the competition features three tracks — electronic information, biotechnology, and advanced manufacturing — and offers special talent policy support, aiming to discover and cultivate outstanding talent and projects. A total of 1,756 overseas talents from 53 countries and regions worldwide registered, with 1,184 meeting the eligibility criteria, including 142 from Hong Kong and Macao, of whom 60% hold doctoral degrees. The submitted projects are concentrated in frontier fields such as artificial intelligence, high–end medical devices, and new materials, closely matching Fujian’s key development industries. During the registration period, the organizing committee also held a dedicated promotional event in Hong Kong to help talent better understand the competition and prepare thoroughly.

Currently, the organizing committee is accelerating the preliminary rounds and will hold the finals in Xiamen in September during the China International Fair for Investment and Trade, accompanied by supporting activities including investment–financing matchmaking and industrial site visits, so as to connect participating talent teams with landing resources and expand their development opportunities. The committee sincerely invites Hong Kong and Macao talent to keep following the competition’s progress, actively engage in project matchmaking, and share in Fujian’s innovation–driven development opportunities.

Young people are the core driving force behind scientific and technological innovation. From the launch ceremony of the Xiamen Talent Service Month, which unveiled a long–term Xiamen–Hong Kong sci–tech cooperation mechanism, to the simultaneous provincial–level “Gathering Talent in Fujian, Attracting the World” Global Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition that creates new talent–attraction channels, and to the dedicated events that seamlessly connect policy briefings, project roadshows, and industrial site visits — this series of initiatives has broken down multiple barriers between talent, industry, research, competitions, and commercialization across the two cities. It truly achieves the goal of “gathering talent through competitions, attracting wisdom through talent, empowering through wisdom, and boosting industry through innovation.” Leveraging international talent service stations, cross–border sci–tech cooperation programs, regular talent exchange activities, and provincial–level entrepreneurship competition platforms, Xiamen continues to build a one–stop, multi–dimensional development platform for Hong Kong and Macao youth, smoothing the passage for outstanding talents from Hong Kong and Macao to pursue their dreams and careers in Xiamen. Backed by a strong industrial foundation, high–quality talent policies, comprehensive research facilities, and an inclusive urban environment, Xiamen is deepening collaborative development for talent from both home and abroad, and eagerly looks forward to welcoming more young scientists from Hong Kong and Macao to settle and grow in the city, joining hands to create a future of scientific and technological innovation.

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SOURCE Hong Kong Ta Kung Wen Wei Media Group Limited

At 9.5 million AI Agent transactions a month, GSC leads the market — the right choice for white-label B2B in CPG and retail grocery, the accounts agencies already know well. Agencies are the known experts of the CPG space, and B2B just went agentic — 4–6x the B2C market. Let’s do B2B together: your brand, under 10 days to live.

VANCOUVER, BC, LONDON and SYDNEY, Aug. 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ –GreenCore Solutions Corp. (GSC) today announced the GSC Agency Partner Program (APP) — a white-label partner program that lets advertising agencies power their Beauty & Personal Care (BPC) clients in consumer packaged goods (CPG) B2B agentic procurement. Under APP, GSC white-labels its AI Agents, the CPG Knowledge Graph, and per-client telemetry beneath the agency’s own brand: the agency keeps its accounts, its rate card, and its name on every surface, while GSC runs the managed services on the back end. The program opens a new recurring B2B revenue line for agencies — and a procurement edge at the retail grocery gates — for the clients they already own.

For fifty years, agencies monetized the consumer half of commerce. The other half just changed sides first: Gartner’s Strategic Predictions for 2026 projects that by 2028, 90% of B2B buying will be AI-agent intermediated, pushing over $15 trillion of B2B spend through agent exchanges — with traditional SEO and PPC giving way to agent engine optimization as products become machine-readable and procurement shifts to autonomous machine-to-machine transactions. Cloudflare Radar confirms the traffic has already turned: agentic traffic passed human traffic on the open internet in June 2026 and stands at roughly 60% today. AI agents do not read advertisements. APP gives agencies the successor product line.

What Agencies White-Label

Every APP partner operates on the production estate GSC already runs at scale: the CPG Knowledge Graph — 2 billion resolved datapoints spanning 38,350 BPC brands, 15,495 makers, and 15,688 retail grocery banners with 3.29 million points of sale across 50 global markets — carrying 9.5 million+ inbound AI Agent transactions a month, an estimated 15–20% of the world’s agentic grocery procurement traffic. Agencies receive an agency-branded partner portal, agent JSONs and ghost headers carrying their own name, machine-readable catalog feeds, and client dashboards streaming the per-client agent telemetry the Web 2.0 measurement stack cannot see. GSC never appears client-side.

Four MCP Servers, Two Open Protocols

APP runs on the protocols SAP, Google, and Microsoft standardized on for agentic commerce — MCP and A2A — through four MCP servers: the Catalog MCP (the CPG Knowledge Graph, live at mcp.cpgknowledgegraph.ai), the Procurement MCP (the retail grocery gate, with a human command on every purchase order via GSC Navigator), the Telemetry MCP (per-client agent traffic and transactions), and the Partner MCP (each agency’s own agent card and endpoint — the agency itself, discoverable in the agent economy under its own brand). Buying agents meet the program on its dedicated machine surface, gsc-agency.io — an AI Agent surface, not a website for humans.

Book → Brand → Market → Live

Onboarding is a conversation, not a construction project. Agencies map their BPC and CPG client book against the graph — most clients are very likely already mapped — take delivery of their white-label identity, and choose their level: local, regional, or global, across 50 markets in the Americas, UK, EU, Latin America, and Asia-Pacific. The first client is live in the agentic B2B procurement market in under 10 days, billed on the agency’s paper at the agency’s rate card. Against a global 3:1 shortage of the AI software engineering specialists this stack requires, the build-or-partner math is short: DIY waits; partners ship. And everything lands with sustainability and local delivery built in — hyperscale-grade security on Microsoft Azure, served from GSC’s in-region sovereign nodes, at up to 80% lower token use and energy than the generalist norm.

“Agencies are the masters of audiences — and GSC arrives holding a new one: 9.5 million agent transactions a month,” said Matthew Keddy, CEO, GreenCore Solutions Corp. (GSC). “We arm your agency with fleets of B2B AI Agents — CPG and Beauty & Personal Care (BPC), straight to retail grocery procurement, where grocery spends over $2 trillion a year. Come to the B2B side: bring your best and brightest, put our AI Agent Stack under your brand, and expand your agentic portfolio — your agency, your accounts, your clients, with GSC working the back end quietly. Here’s the audience. Call us — we’ll meet you. 3.29 million retail points of sale across 15,688 banners are waiting — partner local, regional, or global.”

Availability

The GSC Agency Partner Program launches as a limited, exclusive market run for advertising agencies with Beauty & Personal Care and CPG client portfolios — starting in London, UK (uk.gsc-agency.ai); Paris, France (eu.gsc-agency.ai); and Mexico City, Mexico (latam.gsc-agency.ai) — partnering at local, regional, or global level across 50 markets. Placements are limited per market. Agencies start the conversation at gsc-agency.ai for more insights. Thousands of GSC AI Agents stand pre-positioned on Microsoft Azure, in each region — ready for APP fleets from day one.

About GreenCore Solutions Corp. (GSC)

GreenCore Solutions Corp. (GSC) builds AI Agents with the CPG Knowledge Graph, powered by SPARKS, delivered on MCP + A2A + ACM-68000. An estimated 15–20% of the world’s agentic procurement transaction traffic across retail grocery runs on GSC. GSC AI Agents run sustainable, transact safe, human in the loop, and live on Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud. GSC is a Microsoft AI Cloud Partner — Crunchbase Global Rank 393 of 4.3 million as of July 2026. D-U-N-S 24-336-6774.

About GSC Agentic Pty. Ltd.

GSC Agentic Pty. Ltd., headquartered in Sydney, Australia, is the Asia-Pacific joint venture delivering the GSC AI Agent Stack across APAC markets.

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SOURCE Greencore Solutions Corp.