Politicians in Puerto Rico want to shift to 100 percent renewable energy by 2050
The Puerto Rico House and Senate are considering a bill that would transition the island to 100 percent renewable energy. After the island suffered the longest blackout in US history, Puerto Rico wants to ensure that never happens again by installing solar and wind energy systems across the Read More...
Tree of Life
This bonsai tree is striking as well as smart: it uses solar energy to recharge your phone. The Electree’s 27 photovoltaic panels can load a battery inside the pot in 36 hours. The user plugs in a phone or other device using a USB cable. The 15-inch tree is sold partly assembled, so the user can Read More...
Hot stuff
Bhutanese refugees in Nepal have a new way to prepare meals, without firewood, kerosene or the risk of smoke inhalation - the solar cooker. Marco Visscher | Jan/Feb 2008 issue Bhutanese refugees in Nepal have a new way to prepare meals, without firewood, kerosene or the risk of smoke Read More...
Profile of Martin Vosseler
Editors | Jan/Feb 2009 issue The physiologically-designed, Birkenstockish rubber sandals and home-knit-looking socks on Martin Vosseler's feet have obviously seen a fair amount of travel. As has the red out-door jacket and the bulging backpack slung over his shoulder when meet up at Read More...
Flower power (no, not that kind...)
Why a 19th-century invention is only now finding its place in the sun as a 21st-century energy source. Greg T. Spielberg | October 2010 issue The SunCatcher is an enormous solar dish made of mirrors and metal, but it’s best thought of as a giant silver flower. At thirty feet (11 meters) tall, the Read More...
How the Stirling engine works
Greg T. Spielberg | October 2010 issue A Stirling engine uses internal gas that’s alternately heated and cooled to produce energy. Hydrogen, for instance, is sealed in a chamber connected to a series of pistons. When the hydrogen is heated, it expands, driving the pistons through the chamber. Read More...