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.
Spain has long been a wind-energy pioneer. It should only be fitting that the latest, hottest wind innovation comes from the South European nation. Spanish startup Vortex Bladeless has developed a technology to harvest energy from wind without using blades—as it names suggests. Because it has no Read More...
Governor Jerry Brown made headlines last January when he announced an ambitious plan to source 50 percent of energy from renewables by 2030. A new analysis by Strategen Consulting now confirms that the plan is not only achievable, but also “economically sound (and) environmentally beneficial.” Read More...
Emerging economies have been hindered by the lack of reliable, safe and affordable energy. It turns out that renewable power fits the bill better than fossil fuels, with its adoption growing twice as fast in those countries than in industrialized nations, according to a recent report from Bloomberg Read More...
Lester Brown is a legendary figure in the US environmental movement. Founder of Worldwatch Institute and of the Earth Policy Institute, he has made his mark as an influential thinker on issues of sustainability, including food, population and energy. His new book details the accelerating pace of Read More...
If a six-month experiment in the Netherlands is any indication, roads paved with solar panels can provide a solid alternative for renewable energy generation. So far, results have exceeded expectations. In this context, it is encouraging to know that similar projects are brewing in the United Read More...
Community Choice Aggregation programs are bringing competition into power generation by letting cities and counties decide where their energy comes from. California's local authorities are leading the way, supporting governor Jerry Brown’s new ambitious climate goals to have the state produce 50 Read More...
The Mediterranean island nation is bound by a European Union target of 13 percent of energy coming from renewable sources by 2020. It also needs energy to power desalination plants in order to remedy its water shortages. If the CSIRO’s (Australia’s national science agency) “solar thermal Read More...
Electricity in Hawaii costs three times as much as the national average. That’s because most of it is generated by power plants fueled by expensive imported oil. That is bound to change as the state legislature passed a bill this week that sets a 100-percent renewable electricity goal by 2045. Read More...
Nuclear power is a thing of the past in Germany, ever since the country committed to phasing our nuclear plants in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima disaster in Japan. It has already been reduced from 25 percent to 17 percent in the past four years. Although Germany resorted to cheap coal in a Read More...
Many potential customers are kept out of the rooftop solar market by logistics requirements such as home ownership and roof availability. Portable, and with 40 percent more output than traditional solar panels, the sun-tracking Smartflower POP system is a 3.2 kW solar energy generator that you can Read More...