Science
From mathematics and AI to medicine and psychology, The Optimist Daily features the latest news on discoveries, technological advances, and breakthroughs in the world of science. Our Science section is here to engage and enlighten you.
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...
Here’s how to speed up the electric-car revolution
The future of cars may be electric, but bringing that future into the present will require tough policy decisions to be made by governments. A new report by Bloomberg New Energy Finance and McKinsey & Company reaffirms what MIT Technology Review has said in the past: by 2030, electric vehicles 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...
Rapid fall of battery prices drives electric car revolution
The price of electric car batteries is plummeting, and it could just be the catalyst to the electric car revolution. The price of lithium-ion battery packs has fallen 65 percent since 2010, with experts predicting that trend will only continue in the coming years. These low prices are enabling car Read More...
EU to make electric car charging stations mandatory for each new house
Buying an electric car is much more attractive if you have the capability of charging it every night. The EU is well aware of this, which is why they have created a new initiative that will equip each new or refurbished house in Europe with an electric vehicle recharging point. The initiative is 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...