A limited power grid and regular blackouts are a way of life in North Korea. Including in winter when freezing temperatures reduces hydropower capacity. Over the past year, foreign observers have been noticing an unusual sight on a growing number of residential buildings in the capital Pyongyang and in other cities: solar panels. Some even claim the number has tripled over the past 12 months. Once reserved for Workers’ Party cadres, solar panels are now sold openly. Made locally or in China, their cost has plummeted there as it has around the world. A bounty for the 10% of the population who now own mobile phones requiring regular charging. A crack in the monolith?
North Korea’s quiet revolution is powered by solar panels
More of Today's Solutions
An extremely rare white grizzly bear has been filmed in the Rocky Mountains
Cara Clarkson and her family were driving down a remote highway in Canada’s Rocky Mountains when a figure glimpsed against the dark evergreen forest ...
Read MoreWell-digging wild horses and donkeys provide an oasis for wildlife
Wild horses and donkeys roaming the American West tend to have an unfavorable reputation among some conservationists, who consider the species as detrimental to ...
Read MoreThe Bison Bridge – World’s longest human-made wildlife crossing
Chad Pregracke is an impassioned conservationist who spends his time on barges, cleaning up refuse from the Mississippi River. While on the river, he ...
Read MoreThis is the UN plan to tackle plastic pollution
The Optimist Daily very much likes writing about plastic cleanup in the oceans. So, we were ecstatic when we learned about the beginnings of a ...
Read More
