SolarCity PV modules have useful lives of 35 years or longer
The solar photovoltaic modules used by SolarCity in its residential and commercial installations have useful lives of 35 years or longer, going by new data and information recently presented by the company. The new findings are the result of independent, third-party, accelerated stress testing of Read More...
Google snaps up 236MW of wind capacity to power EU data centres
Data giant agrees purchase of clean energy from new wind farms in Norway and Sweden Google, the world's largest corporate buyer of clean energy, has struck a new deal to buy 236MW of new wind capacity to power its European data centres. The new capacity will come from two wind farms currently under Read More...
Study: Even at current prices, energy storage makes economic sense for many renewables projects
Even at current market prices, various different energy storage options make economic sense for renewable energy projects in some locations, according to new research from MIT. The energy storage options profiled by the study included: battery systems, pumped hydroelectric storage, and compressed Read More...
Shake, rattle and charge: Harnessing the power of music
The British musician and drummer, Sudha Kheterpal, is proudly cradling her new creation. Called a Spark, it's the size and colour of a peeled mango and when shaken gently, it makes a noise a bit like a maraca. Sudha made her name bashing out trance-like rhythms with electronic band, Faithless, and Read More...
Sustainable road building: Pig manure can replace asphalt
Roads are made of asphalt, an environmentally polluting petroleum product. Researchers have been looking for a low-cost, sustainable replacement. Now they have found that pig manure is rich in oils very similar to petroleum, at a grade too low to make gasoline but suited for asphalt. The group Read More...
Floating solar produces clean energy and saves water
The Southwest of the U.S. is dealing with a multi-year drought. Many man-made drinking water reservoirs are at all-time lows, and they continue to deplete as vast quantities of water are lost to evaporation. What if the same scorching sun that causes so much of this water loss were harnessed for Read More...
Research: “Deep” readers think and write better, have more empathy
A recent study shows that college students who read, write better. And it matters what you read. The research shows least benefits for the ones who only read web-based content. The real benefits come from what’s called “deep reading”. Deep reading occurs when the language is rich in details, Read More...
How a flex-time program at MIT improved productivity, resilience, and trust
In today’s increasingly competitive hiring market, organizations need to think differently about how to attract new employees and retain existing ones. Unfortunately, many of the obvious solutions require a financial investment: increasing salaries, bonuses, medical benefits, or vacation Read More...
Google buys 12-year output from Norwegian wind power farm
Google has bought the entire 12-year power production from a yet-to-be-built Norwegian wind power farm to supply its European data centers with renewable energy, its developers said on Thursday. Norway's Zephyr and Norsk Vind Energi said the 160-megawatt capacity onshore Tellenes wind power farm Read More...
World Bank commits $1 billion for India's solar-energy program
The World Bank Group signed an agreement with the International Solar Alliance (ISA), consisting of 121 countries led by India, and committed to provide $1 billion in support to Indian solar energy projects. The World Bank-supported projects include solar rooftop technology, infrastructure for Read More...