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.
New design makes solar energy capture 35 percent more efficient
Even newer and more efficient solar panel models typically only convert about 22 percent of the light they capture into energy. Part of this is because, as they are angled in one direction, they only receive sunlight during certain hours of the day. A new and revolutionary design is looking to Read More...
A female-led energy company is bringing green power to the Navajo Nation
The Rural Electrification Act of 1936 aimed to erase energy access disparities across the US but left out Native American tribes throughout the country. Lack of energy access still plagues these communities today. According to the American Public Power Association, Native American communities Read More...
The enormous biofuel potential of Mexican prickly pear cacti
Nopal, also known as prickly pear cacti, are so common on the Mexican landscape that they are even featured on the country’s flag. The plants are used in salads, shakes, and even some tortilla recipes. Now, one innovative company is finding yet another purpose for the plant as a source of Read More...
South Korea is on a mission to transform from carbon villain to model
A year ago, Soyoung Lee was one of a crowd of climate activists demonstrating on the streets of Seoul in a campaign inspired by the global school strike founder Greta Thunberg. Today, the 35-year-old lawyer is the youngest member of the South Korean parliament and a driving force in the Read More...
This floating hybrid platform harvests energy from wind, solar, and waves
Generating renewable energy from offshore farms is a great way for coastal communities to get off the grid and source their power in an eco-friendly way. Soon that may become a possibility for more coastal areas around the world, thanks to a recently developed modular floating maritime platform Read More...
Ohio could soon be home to America’s first freshwater offshore wind farm
While Europe has 105 offshore wind farms, the US currently has only one up and running. But according to the U.S. Department of Energy, Americans shores have enough wind blowing to produce more than 2,000 gigawatts of power, or nearly double the nation’s current electricity use. In what Read More...
Could a trash-to-hydrogen plant realize the dream of green hydrogen fuel?
Hydrogen fuel has seemingly fallen off the radar considering all the hype that surrounded this potentially sustainable fuel source in past years. Other than a blatant lack of infrastructure, a big problem with hydrogen fuel is that we haven’t figured out a way to produce hydrogen fuel in a clean, Read More...
This tech makes sunlight more potent so normal greenhouses can grow more
Indoor farming startups are known to grow crops using efficient LED light bulbs with custom “light recipes” that adjust the color of the LEDs to help plants grow faster. With that said, all these lighting systems using LED bulbs still use a huge amount of energy, which is why scientists have Read More...
Tokyo Fire Department welcomes all-electric ambulance
Tokyo Metropolitan Government's "Zero Emission Tokyo" initiative is making emissions reductions across all sectors, including health care. The Ikebukuro branch of the Tokyo Fire Department has welcomed its first all-electric ambulance. The new van, created in a partnership with Nissan based off Read More...
Training AI is carbon-intensive. MIT researchers are changing that
The different ways artificial intelligence (AI) can be used to improve our lives is vast, but one thing we often overlook is the environmental cost that comes with AI. After all, running a training model to improve AI requires a whole lot of energy. For that reason, researchers at Massachusetts Read More...