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.
The world witnessed a 2% drop in overall carbon emissions last year
Good news from the green energy transition front: Carbon emissions generated by the electricity sector fell at the fastest rate in at least 30 years as countries turned their backs on coal, analysis suggests. Overall, coal-fueled electricity declined 3 percent in 2019, leading to a 2 percent fall Read More...
How adventure tourism provided a lifeline to struggling coal towns
Although we staunchly support the transition away from coal energy, we cannot ignore the struggles of the many communities that have long relied on coal mining. Fayetteville, West Virginia, is just one of the many towns within Appalachia to be hit hard by the transition from fossil fuels to Read More...
Fruit waste shows great potential as energy-storage technology
Biowaste has been used for energy production for some time already (see this story about using coffee grounds in your tank!), but tapping into its potential for energy storage is quite a recent phenomenon. Particularly, two unusual tropical fruits have been standing out as attractive candidates to Read More...
An old coal plant and a new deal would benefit LA and the Navajo Nation
If you live in Los Angeles, you probably didn’t know that until last year the Navajo Nation had helped power the city with energy from a reservation coal plant. The plant was shut down, but this partnership will live to see another, greener, day. The Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously to Read More...
Scientists have found a new, safe, and efficient way of producing hydrogen
Production of hydrogen fuel is a key goal towards the development of sustainable energy practices, but this process does not have feasible methods yet, with it currently being excessively energy- and water-intensive. Now, a team from the Tokyo University of Science believes it's found a novel Read More...
Decades later, Jimmy Carter is still raving about solar panels
Since he came into office, President Jimmy Carter has shown a tremendous interest in renewable sources of energy. Before ending his term, Mr. Carter became the first president to power portions of the White House with solar panels. In 1979, he was even quoted saying that solar panels could Read More...
New consensus shows US solar jobs increased 167% over the past decade
Over the past decade, solar energy has gone from a niche product to a mainstream source of energy—and nothing depicts that like the meteoric rise in US jobs in the solar industry. According to The Solar Foundation, the number of US solar jobs has risen 167 percent since 2010, with a total of Read More...
This electric vehicle battery achieves a longer range with shorter charging times
A big priority for the electric vehicle industry is improving battery technology to boost the range of these cars. A couple of months ago we shared a story about a start-up that is creating longer-range batteries without environmentally-taxing precious metals. Now, the Korea Institute of Science Read More...
Microgrids are restoring power to rural Australians after the bushfires
For years, the Optimist Daily has been a vocal advocate of microgrids for their ability to provide a reliable, low-cost source of clean energy to local areas. On top of that, microgrids are optimal because they don’t rely on a national grid and can function separately even if a national grid Read More...
Novel generator produces electricity by using moisture in the air
Harvesting renewable energy offers the promise of a cleaner and greener planet, but solar and wind technologies tend to rely on specific environmental conditions that restrict where they can be deployed and limit their potential for continuous energy production. An experimental new device, however, Read More...