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.
Plant in Chile opens South America’s doors to geothermal energy
The El Tatio geyser field in the northern Chilean region of Antofagasta. Geothermal energy comes from the earth’s internal heat, and the steam is delivered to a turbine, which powers a generator. Credit: Marianela Jarroud/IPS OLLAGÜE, Chile, Aug 26 2015 (IPS) - Chile, a land of volcanoes Read More...
'Plonkable' mirrors promise cheaper solar energy
It is a problem that has so far stumped even Google's brainy engineers - how to generate cheap solar electricity using a small-scale array of mirrors to concentrate the sun's energy. Now a team at a South African university - led by a former Intel strategic planner - believes they have cracked it. Read More...
This Danish power plant will poetically inform residents of how much carbon they’re using
In less than a decade, Copenhagen expects to become the first carbon-neutral city on the planet. There are plenty of reminders around the Danish capital to will the locals towards achieving a zero-carbon future by 2025: a 20-turbine wind farm, half of its population zipping around in bikes (and an Read More...
New Record-Breaking Solar Device Could Be Game-Changer for Powering Homes
Researchers at Monash University have designed a solar fuel generating device that has established a new record in energy efficiency for the production of solar fuels. The new device can produce hydrogen fuel at 22 percent energy efficiency, breaking the previous record of 18 percent. Lead Read More...
Windows can harvest solar energy to power your house
Waking up to the sunlight shining through your window will give you an extra reason to feel good in the morning. Thanks to a new luminescent solar concentrator, gleaming sunlight can now be harvested into energy that could turn any window into a daytime power source. These new windows can become Read More...
Batteries will do to energy what cellphones did to telecom: Advanced microgrid & Tesla
Cheap battery storage will prove as disruptive to the energy industry as the cellphone has been to telecommunications, executives from two California startups—Tesla Energy and Advanced Microgrid Solutions—said today at the National Clean Energy Summit in Las Vegas. “I would bet Read More...
Renewables cover almost 100% of German demand
Almost 100% of the electricity demand in Germany noon last Sunday was covered by PV and wind power. According to the evaluation by the forum "Together against interim storage, and for responsible energy politics" the PV plants at noon produced more than 24 GW of solar power. Wind power contributed Read More...
2016 Toyota Mirai hydrogen fuel-cell car runs on...leftover lemonade? Huh?
As part of its promotional efforts for the 2016 Toyota Mirai fuel-cell car, the company has been working to demonstrate the myriad ways it says hydrogen can be extracted from the environment in a sustainable way. RELATED: Second Toyota Mirai Video: Hydrogen Is Like First Oil Well The latest video Read More...
The best used car bargains now are EVs and hybrids
Used vehicle sales are soaring these days, and so are their prices. Though it tends to counter the conventional wisdom that only highly valued collectible cars ever increase in value, Edmunds.com reports that used car prices jumped by 7.6 percent in the second quarter of 2015 to reach a record Read More...
Total divestment: French energy giant ditches coal
It’s not been a great year for the world’s coal giants. We’re hearing that China is using less coal and the value of their shares has plummeted. Now one of the world’s biggest energy companies has given up on producing coal altogether. Total SA, the French oil company and Read More...