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.
As nuclear plants shut down, renewable energy could boom
While the safety, cost, and long-term environmental impacts of nuclear energy have been contested for the past half century, there is no debate that nuclear power plants are a significant source of carbon-free electricity. So is this the best time to be shutting them down? It is in California. One Read More...
More and more businesses branch out and are making money from solar
Companies typically put solar panels on their roofs to support clean energy and cut emissions, but a growing group of them are branching out to earn profits from selling solar energy. Apple and clothing company Patagonia are leading this trend that was initiated by Google which received a license Read More...
Intel, Mobileye, BMW to develop driverless cars: Report
German carmaker BMW AG is the latest automobile company to hop onto the driverless bandwagon, Bloomberg reported. Chipmaker Intel Corp. is working with Jerusalem-basedMobileye NV to develop self-driving car technology for BMW AG, reported Bloomberg, citing people familiar with the matter. Mobileye Read More...
Here comes the sun: US solar power market hits all-time high
Solar energy in the US has had a rocky existence. Ever since Ronald Reagan symbolically removed Jimmy Carter’s solar panels from the White House roof in 1986, federal policy has been unpredictable, such that manufacturers and consumers could never depend on reliable incentives to produce and Read More...
Scientists made it cheaper to produce hydrogen from water
A hydrogen-fuel economy could finally become a reality with the recent discovery of a cheap, stable and efficient means of getting hydrogen from water. If a cheap, stable and efficient way could be found to produce hydrogen from water, a hydrogen-fuel economy could finally become a reality. Read More...
Just a few utilities supply most of the renewable energy sales in the U.S.
If the world is going to meet the climate goals set in the Paris agreement in 2015, there will need to be an estimated $1 trillion in clean energy investments per year in the coming decades. In the United States, much of that money will need to come from electric utilities that deliver power to our Read More...
Renewable energy group launches down-ballot nonprofit
A new player has entered the 2016 campaign: The renewable energy industry. American Wind Action, a newly-formed 501(c)(4) nonprofit group that’s devoted to advocating for wind energy, is launching on Tuesday with ambitious plans to spend over $1 million in congressional and state legislative Read More...
Jamaica will add 150 MW of renewable energy capacity this year
This year Jamaica will take a major step towards adding a significant amount of capacity to its power generation mix. The Jamaican Minister for Science, Energy, and Technology recently told the country’s legislature that the government will allocate 150 MW of renewable energy capacity this Read More...
One way or another, more wind energy for Florida
Florida’s wind energy industry has some heavy lifting to do, but at least one utility in the state is determined to overcome the obstacles and get more wind into its grid mix. That would be Gulf Power, which has just announced that it is asking the Florida Public Service Commission to ramp up Read More...
SunPower sets new solar panel efficiency record
The efficiency of solar panels is a critical element in the transition to a clean energy economy. Most solar panels convert 15 to 18 percent of light into electricity. Now SunPower has made a panel that can convert 24.1 percent of the light that hits it into electricity—a new world record. The Read More...