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.
This system uses massive weights to store energy
When you coil a spring, you load it with a bunch of potential energy that gets released when you let go. Using the same basic principle, a Scottish company called Gravitricity is creating an energy storage facility that uses weights instead of springs to store energy. The idea is to hold 500 to Read More...
Kite-like device harnesses the wind to generate renewable energy
When you think about wind power, chances are the first thing that comes to mind are the giant wind turbines that are among the key harbingers of the green energy transition. It turns out, however, that there are also other ingenious ways we can harness wind power. A German startup, for instance, 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...
The Dow Jones just dropped its oldest member: Exxon Mobil
In another sign that times “are a-changing’, the Dow Jones has dropped Exxon Mobil from its influential index. Why does this matter? Well, the Dow Jones Industrial Average is the classic blue-chip stock index. Exxon Mobil is an iconic blue-chip stock and the longest-tenured member of the Read More...
More efficient clear solar panels could mean solar windows for all
Solar panels placed on buildings do a great job of generating green energy for the structure, but imagine if every window in the building could absorb solar energy? This is the vision of researchers at the University of Michigan who are working to increase the efficiency of clear solar Read More...
How black paint can drastically reduce bird deaths at wind farms
Politicians who lobby against the renewable energy industry often use the death toll of birds at wind farms as a way to argue against wind energy. But apparently, there’s a simple solution to reduce the number of deaths that happen at the blades of wind turbines: black paint. According to a Read More...
Parachutist completes world’s first jump from solar-powered plane
Parachuting from an airplane in itself is a momentous feat, but doing the first jump from a solar-powered plane? That’s legendary. A solar-powered plane flew to a height of 1,520 meters (nearly 5,000 ft) over western Switzerland before parachutist Raphael Domjan made his jump this Read More...
How the world’s biggest battery could help solve blackouts in California
California aims to run its grid entirely on fossil-fuel-free energy by 2045 and has been closing down dirty power plants and ramping up renewables at a steady clip. But while fuels can supply a steady stream of energy, the sun and wind are intermittent. That’s where the Gateway Energy storage Read More...
Major hedge fund dumps oil companies for lobbying against climate action
That oil, gas, and mining companies extract resources while damaging the environment is already bad enough, but what is absolutely unacceptable is that some of these companies lobby against climate action. That’s why a Nordic hedge fund worth more than $90bn (£68.6bn) has dumped its stocks in Read More...
These solar-powered barges can scoop up 50 tons of plastic from rivers each day
While removing the plastic waste that currently contaminates the ocean today will be crucial for protecting marine ecosystems, it is arguably more important that we stop any more plastic trash from entering the ocean. Fortunately for humanity, The Ocean Cleanup, a nonprofit taking on plastic waste Read More...