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.
More than 100 cities around the world run mostly on renewable energy
A new report shows that over 100 cities around the world are running on predominantly clean energy. That figure is up from 40 in 2015, and it shows that more and more cities—from Seattle, Washington to Inje, South Korea—are ditching fossil fuels and turning to renewables than ever before. Take Read More...
America's biggest solar buyer is a firm you've never heard of
The biggest buyer of solar farms in America is a company you’ve probably never heard of. Meet Capital Dynamics, an asset manager that handles $15 billion. The firm’s been snapping up clean-power plants for years, but it wasn’t until this month -- when the company agreed to spend almost $1 Read More...
Ultra-thin coating makes "dumb" glass smart
There are already energy-saving "smart glass" windows that can be electronically tinted to block the sun's hot rays, thus reducing the need to run air-conditioning systems. Such systems still require electricity to operate, however. Now, scientists from Australia's RMIT University have developed a Read More...
MIT’s thermal resonator generates power “out of what seems like nothing”
A brand new power-generating system from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) researchers creates energy “out of what seems like nothing,” according to chemical engineering professor Michael Strano. Their system, which they’re calling a thermal resonator, harnesses daily swings in Read More...
Energy storage leap could slash electric car charging times
Researchers have claimed a breakthrough in energy storage technology that could enable electric cars to be driven as far as petrol and diesel vehicles, and recharge in minutes rather than hours. Teams from Bristol University and Surrey University developed a next-generation material for Read More...
How blockchain and batteries flipped a power-line developer to microgrids
Ed Krapels is a curious sort of electrical-transmission developer who thinks we don't need to develop more transmission. "We need less transmission in the future, but we need better-located and better-sited transmission,” the founder and CEO of Boston-based Anbaric Development Partners told me Read More...
World's first all-hours solar fuel reactor could soon lead us to clean hydrogen
In a traditional solar fuel reactor, the process depends upon the solar thermal heat provided by the sun. When the sun disappears at night, so too does its energy. That’s why scientists have developed the world’s first solar fuel reactor that is able to function at night by relying on solar and Read More...
The cost of high-efficiency solar panels fell 37 percent in 2017
In 2017, the price for high-efficiency solar panels dropped from 72¢/W to 45¢/W, representing a 37 percent decline in cost. The falling price point is driven by several factors, including American consumer demand for higher solar efficiency to compensate for the higher-than-average energy Read More...
The countries poised to become “renewable superpowers”
The fossil fuel era won’t last forever. And a new set of nations will find their reserves of lithium, copper and rare earth metals in high Read More...
Coal power continues its slow march toward death
In 2017, sustainable energy has become "the new normal" in America, and coal power continues slipping away. Coal production slightly increased in 2017, as did coal prices. But that's not because more Americans are using coal energy. Instead, American coal has become more valuable for its Read More...