A better understanding of how light reflects off different surfaces has improved action movies, videogames and now solar panels. Researchers have found a way to get more sun to shine on the panels and crank up the output by 30 percent or more.
Suzanne JacobsIf there’s anything that our inability to tackle climate change has taught us, it’s that we are exceptionally good at ignoring — or straight up denying — problems that lie in our future, especially when they affect generations other than our own. So I hate to say it, but we’ve got another one coming: The human population is aging, and our cities aren’t ready for it. Here’s the scoop from the Washington Post: By 2030, more than 1 billion people (one in eight) will be aged 65 or older, and by 2050, nearly two-thirds of the world’s population will live in urban areas. What’s needed between now and then, according to a new report from McGraw Hill Financial Global Institute, is new thinking about how…
Kate YoderNothing makes us swoon like a lionhearted climate change warrior. So today’s climate crush should come as no surprise: Leonardo DiCaprio, the celebrity face of fixing our planet. On Tuesday, DiCaprio received yet another award — where does he keep all 100 million of them, an award room? — and pledged $15 million to environmental groups. The award was for his leadership in confronting the climate crisis and was presented at the World Economic Forum’s Crystal Awards in Davos, Switzerland. Mashable breaks down where his donations are going: $6 million to Oceana and Skytruth for Global Fishing Watch $1 million to the Nature Conservancy for Seychelles debt for nature swap $3.2 million to Rainforest Action Network and Haka to protect Sumatran rainforest $3.4 million to Clearwater…
Environment and Sustainability | Photovoltaic Cells | Solar PowerHome Inspector Bill Barber recently created an excellent infographic that details how solar panels can power homes and help the environment at the same time. According to the infographic, “1 hour of Energy from the Sun = 1 Year of Power for the Global Population”. And as stated, solar power remains the 3rd most important […]
adminOne big problem faced by electrodes in rechargeable batteries, as they go through repeated cycles of charging and discharging, is that they must expand and shrink during each cycle — sometimes doubling in volume, and then shrinking back. This can lead to repeated shedding and reformation of its “skin” layer that consumes lithium irreversibly, degrading the battery’s performance over time. Now researchers have found a novel way around that problem: creating an electrode made of nanoparticles with a solid shell, and a “yolk” inside that can change size again and again without affecting the shell.
The production of energy from natural gas without generating carbon dioxide emissions could fast become a reality, thanks to a novel technology. Researchers have been researching an innovative technique to extract hydrogen from methane in a clean and efficient way. After two years of intensive experiments the proof-of-principle has now been provided. With the experimental reactor running reliably and continuously, the future potential of this technology has become apparent.
adminResearchers have successfully demonstrated that desert sand from the UAE could be used in concentrated solar power (CSP) facilities to store thermal energy up to 1000°C. The research project called ‘Sandstock’ has been seeking to develop a sustainable and low-cost gravity-fed solar receiver and storage system, using sand particles as the heat collector, heat transfer and thermal energy storage media.
