Indian scientists design device to collect solar energy
Indian scientists have designed a new device they hope will solve one of the biggest problems with the use of solar energy. They call the device a solar tree. Solar trees have metal “branches” extending from a tall, central pole at different levels. Each branch holds a photovoltaic Read More...
South Africa to become wind energy hot spot (and why we should care)
As recently as 2012, South Africa had very little wind energy capacity—10 MW to be precise—and it had taken ten years to get to that point. Now, in 2016, it is right around 2 GW. That's something like a 1900% increase in four years by my (admittedly math-addled) brain. And according to Read More...
Chinese people want renewable energy more than anyone, but nobody’s selling it to them
It turns out a staggering number of Chinese people are willing to pay more for renewable energy. But businesses that sell green power to consumers, prolific elsewhere, haven’t yet got a single foothold in the biggest market on earth. A survey of 3,000 Chinese city-dwellers by Ipsos Mori, a Read More...
This will be the largest 'Passive House' apartment complex in the world
Sitting on a piece of land roughly the size of a football field in a former freight yard in Heidelberg, Germany, a new 162-unit apartment complex called Heidelberg Village will soon be the largest passive house development in the world. To meet the exacting "Passivhaus" standard, buildings can only Read More...
The organization is a purposeful living system
We are in the midst of a metamorphic period of change unlike anything the world has seen since the late Middle Ages. With “meta” (meaning “form”) and “morph” (meaning “change”), the word suggests the transformative change in form of human institutions Read More...
How to make your mind happy, according to neuroscience
Everybody is talking about mindfulness… but nobody seems to be able to explain clearly what the heck it really is. Ask people and you’ll hear, “Umm, be in the moment and SOMETHING SOMETHING SOMETHING, uh, meditation.” But is it merely the latest fad? Actually, no. And there isn’t some Read More...
'Smart energy' revolution to balance electricity demand
A "smart energy" revolution could help ensure that the UK does not suffer blackouts, according to National Grid's new UK chief. Nicola Shaw, its executive director, said technological advances will reduce the need to build new conventional power stations in the UK. An "internet of energy" will Read More...
Why you'll be seeing a lot more electric cars on the road this year
Have you noticed more electric cars on the roads these days? How about an increase in electric charging stations or lanes dedicated to zero-emissions vehicles? If you have, it’s because the world is getting set for the transition to electric vehicles. The infrastructure to support such a Read More...
Russia wants to launch rockets that use clean fuel
Sending a space vehicle into orbit takes a massive amount of fuel and energy, which is why the first nation to launch a satellite into space has now created a rocket engine that runs on “clean” fuel. Russia announced recently that it completed the first successful test of a full-size Read More...
This app is helping the fight against illegal animal trade
Just by using an app, tourists or researchers in Southeast Asia can help save endangered animals from poachers. The app is called Wildlife Witness, and it allows anyone who sees people engaged in suspicious hunting, trapping, or sales activities to take a photo and pin it to a virtual map, which Read More...