Retired wind turbine blades get reincarnated into bridges and railway links
Even renewable energy has waste byproducts that become a major recycling problem for the industry. Many wind turbine blades are reaching the end of their lifespan, and plenty more are taken out of service early to be replaced by blades that can produce more energy. This means that by 2023, Read More...
These ultra-low-cost batteries use CO2 to store renewable energy
While the price for lithium-ion batteries has dropped significantly in recent years, the technology is still a tad too expensive to be the best solution for the long-term storage of renewable energy, most of which is weather-dependent. As such, innovators are looking beyond lithium-based batteries Read More...
Sustainable and beautiful "tulip turbines" pop up just in time for spring
Here at The Optimist Daily, we are big fans of wind energy as a renewable and sustainable source of power—but that’s not to say that it doesn’t come with a few downfalls. Wind energy requires wind turbines to convert kinetic energy into electricity. These turbines generate noise pollution, Read More...
Scientists use human hair from barbershop to improve solar cell efficiency
In recent years, perovskite solar cells have emerged as a promising technology in the field of renewable energy, showing potential to outperform the monocrystalline silicon solar cells widely used today. One of the main challenges that have so far restricted them from large-scale adoption is that Read More...
Solar Mountain installation could power Burning Man with clean energy
Burning Man is an annual music and arts event that attracts a lot of creative, expressive, and entrepreneurial individuals. However, because of its expansive desert setting, visitors tend to use a lot of motorized fossil-fuel vehicles to navigate their way around, while several displays require the Read More...
The Energy Garden empowers commuters to combat climate change
The Energy Garden is a London-based organization that is tackling climate change in a multi-dimensional way that educates and brings London’s communities together through gardening. Since its inception 10 years ago, the Energy Garden has expanded to include 34 solar-powered gardens and more Read More...
This yacht will fuel itself with the trash it sucks up from our oceans
Professional yacht racer Yves Bourgnon was irritated at the sight of floating plastic trash in seawater and decided to turn that anger into the inspiration he needed to create the concept for the Manta, a water-cleaning sailboat that is powered by the litter it picks up. The Manta will be an Read More...
Report: US Power sector is halfway to zero emissions
17 states plus Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico have set goals to achieve entirely clean energy power systems by 2050 or sooner. In encouraging news, a new report, titled “Halfway to Zero,” has found that power sector emissions in the US are already half what they would be without the adoption Read More...
Ireland to replace its last coal plant with renewable energy hub
The 915MW Moneypoint coal-fired power station is the last coal generation site in Ireland. The country is set to eliminate coal as a power source all together with the announcement that it will close and replace this site with a new green energy hub. According to the Electricity Supply Board Read More...
This grassroots renewable energy organization is powered by local moms
One by one, more cities are banning natural gas in new construction projects. One grassroots organization leading the transition to fully-renewable in Cambridge, Massachusetts is HEET, the Home Energy Efficiency Team. HEET advocates for replacing old gas infrastructure with geothermal micro Read More...