Solar cell technology nears impressive record efficiency of 30 percent
Our technology for harvesting solar power has just gotten better thanks to scientists in Germany who have achieved a new efficiency record of almost 30 percent. The new achievement comes from researchers at Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) who created a new solar cell that combined silicon and Read More...
This two-person solar electric car has a range of 1,000 miles
Personal transportation is about to take a giant leap into the future now that US startup Aptera unveiled a three-wheeled solar electric car with a range of up to 1,000 miles on a full battery. Although the car can be fully charged via a charging cord, it won’t need that when drivers are out on Read More...
First Solar prevents e-waste by creating new solar panels from old ones
Though the global surge in solar power is good news for our green energy transition, it also means that in the coming years we will face an enormous amount of e-waste. In fact, it’s estimated that the first wave of solar panels will generate as much as 8 million metric tons of e-waste by 2030. Read More...
A giant virtual power plant is coming to California to avoid blackouts
As energy blackouts become more common in California, a German energy company called Sonnen believes virtual power plants (VPPs) can solve the issue. Rather than rely on utility companies, virtual power plants involve connected sets of solar panels and batteries that produce and store energy Read More...
Two new innovations allow solar cells to harness more light
Solar cells work by absorbing light waves, harnessing the photons' energy to knock electrons off of atoms, thereby generating electricity. Here's the thing, though: different light waves have different levels of energy, and current solar cells can't use low-frequency wavelengths of Read More...
New design makes solar energy capture 35 percent more efficient
Even newer and more efficient solar panel models typically only convert about 22 percent of the light they capture into energy. Part of this is because, as they are angled in one direction, they only receive sunlight during certain hours of the day. A new and revolutionary design is looking to Read More...
Get clean water wherever you go with this portable solar power purifier
As camping and hiking activities are expected to continue rising amid the COVID-19 pandemic, a new device could provide adventurers with a more convenient, sustainable way to access clean water anywhere. Dubbed the GoSun Flow, the device is a portable solar-powered device with a filter that can Read More...
How renewables took over the grid during the pandemic
If there has been a winner to emerge from the coronavirus pandemic, it would be the solar industry. The reduction in driving, flying, and industrial activity due to the COVID-19 pandemic has led to smog-free skies, which is proving a boon for solar energy generation. Pollution blocks solar Read More...
These solar windows rival rooftop panels in terms of efficiency
Windows capable of harvesting energy from the sun have been on the horizon for a number of years, but they've yet to help cut down a building's energy costs. A new development from Australian researchers may change that. What the researchers have created are semi-transparent solar cells made of Read More...
Agrivoltaics: The mission to combine agriculture with solar farming
Are fields of open, often fertile land better used for producing renewable energy or food? The United States already hosts more than 2 million solar installations, and photovoltaic capacity is projected to more than double over the next five years. Meanwhile, our growing global population means Read More...