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.
Giant kites provide renewable energy when wind turbines aren’t up to the job
“Let’s go fly a kite” used to be a cheerful refrain from the end of Disney’s Mary Poppins. As it turns out, it could be a crucially important idea in the drive toward efficient use of renewable energy. That’s based on the work of a United Kingdom company called Kite Read More...
Google spun out a new company that heats your home with geothermal energy
Google parent Alphabet is spinning off a little-known unit working on geothermal power called Dandelion, which will begin offering residential energy services. The announcement Thursday took the wraps off one of the secretive projects at the Alphabet unit X, known notably for its work on Read More...
Google spun out a new company that heats your home with geothermal energy
X, the "moonshot" division of Google's parent company Alphabet, has spun out a new geothermal heating and cooling company called Dandelion, the company announced Thursday. Dandelion comes from a previously undisclosed project at X that began two years ago. It'll be run as a separate Read More...
New bill allows German tenants to generate solar power on rented roofs
Supporters of solar power have won a big victory in Berlin after lawmakers passed legislation that will allow owners of tenant blocks a subsidy for generating solar power on rooftops. As many as 3.8 million rental properties in the German capital could benefit from the newly introduced subsidy. At Read More...
This has to be the cutest solar farm in the world
For those who don’t think solar panels can be aesthetically pleasing, take a look at the Panda Power Plant in Datong, China. The solar farm, which will have an aggregate installed capacity of 100 MW, is shaped like the country’s treasure animal—the panda. While the black parts of the panda, Read More...
The world’s first energy-harvesting smart street has opened in London
Pavegen, a company that produces tiles that generate electricity from footsteps, has transformed a path in London’s West End into the world’s first energy-harvesting smart street. The company installed a 107-square-foot array in Bird Street to harness and convert footsteps into electricity, Read More...
Germany produced record 35 percent of power from renewables in first half
Germany raised the proportion of its power produced by renewable energy to 35 percent in the first half of 2017 from 33 percent the previous year, according to the BEE renewable energy association. Germany is aiming to phase out its nuclear power plants by 2022. Its renewable energy has been rising Read More...
Californians take a shine to solar power
Jacquie Barnbrook had grown tired of the high electricity bills and her gas-guzzling luxury car when she finally decided to take the plunge last year. The 52-year-old Los Angeles resident joined an ever-growing number of Californians who are switching to solar power for their energy needs in a bid Read More...
The moment that leaving the electrical grid makes economic sense is coming fast
Solar panels and windmills together with battery storage allow people to leave the grid. According to a study by consulting firm McKinsey the rapid development of renewable energy is making that a realistic economic scenario very soon. While “full grid defection” is only projected some 10 years Read More...
Future Energy: LA crystals turn cars into energy source
Los Angeles is the car capital of the world with traffic a part of daily conversation as people estimate how many hours they will be stuck in a jam on their commute home each night. But what if the cars they spend so much time in could be used to generate electricity using crystals embedded in Read More...