Today’s Solutions: January 10, 2025

Energy

Transitioning to a world powered by renewable energy is key to tackling climate change. Here you can find the latest good news related to our clean energy transition, covering wind, solar, green hydrogen, hydropower, and more.

Electric Vehicle Battery

US announces $3 billion electric vehicle battery production

We at The Optimist Daily are enormous electric vehicle fans, and we’re not the only ones. Demand for electric vehicles has risen so sharply around the world that manufacturers and supply chains are struggling to keep up.  To help things along, state and federal governments are stepping up to Read More...

Suitcase Desalination

MIT develops desalination system no bigger than a suitcase

One of the great opportunities in desalination research is developing a new way to bring drinkable water to disadvantaged people with limited resources. Engineers and researchers make this possible in many ways, such as innovating less expensive parts or powering their systems with renewable Read More...

Assembly of giant wind turbine in Utah

Wind turbine components to be 3D printed on-site soon

When it comes to the design of wind turbines, the bigger they are, the better — at least in terms of cost savings and energy efficiency. However, one of the hurdles of building larger wind turbines is the challenging task of transporting these giant pieces of machinery to the site of Read More...

Graduation

Be bored, then get going

“Boredom is just the reverse side of fascination.”  — Arthur Schopenhauer Congratulations, graduating classes of 2022! Being young, with a freshly minted degree, you probably feel invincible, like you can do anything.  There’s a lightness and exuberance in your step, and you are full Read More...

Tel Aviv e-scooter

Tel Aviv is becoming an e-scooter city

No two cities are the same, and each one has its own particular changes to make to achieve its climate goals. New York is making plans to become “spongier” to handle excess water. Panama City, Florida is transforming into a tree city, planting over 100,000 new trees, and Tel Aviv, Israel aims Read More...

Solar farms in Fukushima, with mountains in the background

How Fukushima is rebranding as a haven for renewable energy

A year after Fukushima’s nuclear disaster, the regional government set a goal of meeting all of its energy demands with renewables by 2040. Now — 11 years after the tsunami — solar farms, green hydrogen, and micro-grids are ushering in a new energy future for the region. From nuclear Read More...

Solar Advocacy

6 ways to support solar energy without buying panels

Renewable resources are essential to achieve our goal of energy independence and resilience in the face of a changing climate. While many of us support the move toward energy sources such as wind and solar, we might not own our homes or be in a position to put up some solar panels ourselves. The Read More...

young woman cooks on induction stove top

Want to slow climate change? Consider making your home all electric

Despite the alarming reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, experts still think that if we pull together and act quickly to use energy more efficiently, slow deforestation, and make a rapid shift to renewables, we can still cut global greenhouse gas emissions in half by Read More...

Solar Panel Manufacturing

Researchers use new AI to advance solar cell manufacturing

Solar energy is becoming more affordable and easier to produce every day. As the market grows, so too is the field of research. Solar scientists have been working with perovskites, a family of mineral and ceramic materials that are a top contender to replace silicon as the next level up in Read More...

bird's eye view of large solar park in Greece

Greece is home to Europe’s largest double-sided solar farm

In April 2022, the Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis inaugurated an enormous two-sided 204-megawatt solar park—the biggest system in all of Europe. The installation of this bifacial solar farm is part of Greece’s aim to double its installed capacity from renewables to approximately 19 Read More...