Energy
Transitioning to a world powered by renewable energy is key to tackling climate change. Here you can find the latest good news related to our clean energy transition, covering wind, solar, green hydrogen, hydropower, and more.
Tiny microalgae could lead renewable hydrogen revolution
Despite skepticism from some quarters, it appears the hydrogen economy is beginning to take shape with accelerating speed. In the latest news, a research team at Tel Aviv University developed a way to speed up the rate of algal hydrogen production by about 400 percent. The news is significant Read More...
Clean energy innovation is great but energy efficiency can provide huge gains
Clean energy innovation is an inspiring development that The Optimist Daily reports on every day. But it’s only part of the journey to a clean, green and healthy society. There’s a lot of energy and money to be saved as well as money to be made through energy efficiency. The good news is we are Read More...
Hydrogen heating a step closer as government adviser backs UK trials
Radical plans to use hydrogen to heat UK homes and businesses have moved a step closer after the Government’s official climate advisers said the plan was “technically feasible” and called for major trials to be undertaken. In a report, the Committee on Climate Change identified Read More...
Global wind energy capacity reaches 456 GW, set to hit 500 GW by year-end
Global wind energy capacity reached 456 GW at the half-year mark of 2016, and is set to hit 500 GW by the end of the year, according to new figures from the World Wind Energy Association. Published this week, the World Wind Energy Association (WWEA) released its half-year report, revealing that 21 Read More...
The race to build a solar plant that generates power for 1 million homes
Renewable energy is decentralized energy: solar panels on the roofs of homes and windmills in the countryside—no big power plants. There’s one exception: concentrated solar power plants. These plants use mirrors that capture the sun's rays and concentrate it onto a tower equipped with a molten Read More...
The next solar opportunity: Turning windows into solar panels
Imagine that the windows of your home could capture solar energy in an invisible way without any loss of sight or light. That would be a dream technology and researchers are getting closer to it. They have developed a thin film of quantum dots on window glass that could be the key to achieving Read More...
The rapid growth of clean power begins to reverse global warming trend
The renewable energy revolution that The Optimist Daily reports on every day, is beginning to have a real impact on global warming. During the first six months of the year, carbon dioxide emissions from America’s energy industry dropped to the lowest point since 1991, according to U.S. Energy Read More...
Crowdfunding campaign wants to make solar panels less ugly
The Italian company Dyaqua is getting ready to launch a crowdfunding campaign for what it’s dubbed “Invisible Solar”—a new technology invented by the company to create innovative solar modules that can take the appearance of the various building materials. Earlier this year, Read More...
Future cities could run on shared fleets of electric self-driving cars
Over the coming decades, a dozen dense and developed cities may aggressively use shared fleets of electric and self-driving cars that could be summoned to pick up passengers and shuttle them to offices and stores. Such cars, which could carry anywhere from two passengers to 20 passengers, could Read More...
As prices plunge, Africa surges into clean, cheap solar energy
Until almost two years ago, James Mbugua, a farmer living in Karai, a village on the outskirts of Kenya’s capital, relied on kerosene to light his house, and a car battery to power his television so he wouldn't miss the news. Part of the reason he couldn't plug into the power grid, despite Read More...