Today’s Solutions: November 23, 2024

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.

Aerial photo above solar panels

This crop actually benefits from being shaded by solar panels

Solar panels often take up a lot of real estate that is also optimal for growing crops (flat land with access to lots of sunlight). Instead of having panels compete with plants, there is a growing field called agrivoltaics that studies how solar power and agriculture can exist together and even Read More...

Abstract Battery Charging Icon form lines and triangles, point connecting network on blue background.

MIT researchers develop cost-effective battery made of common materials

The environmental benefits of using electricity rather than fossil fuels to power our world goes without saying— however, the process of electrifying everything has its obstacles. One of the greatest obstacles is the limited resources of lithium, nickel, and cobalt which are all used to create Read More...

Man holds a fuel dispenser with hydrogen logo on gas station. h2 combustion engine for emission free eco friendly transport.

Are hydrogen fuel cell cars a better choice than plug-in EVs?

There is no doubt that The Optimist Daily is excited about the increasing number of electric vehicles on the roads. In the US, infrastructure for plug-in EVs has been fleshed out in many regions, easing drivers’ range anxiety.  With new tax credits in the Inflation Reduction Act, we can expect Read More...

Chicago Skyscrapers Skyline View from Lincoln Park with Sunlight

Chicago pledges to run all city operations with clean energy

As countries large and small struggle with the undeniable impacts of climate change, more and more cities are taking a lead in mapping out strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. One particularly fruitful avenue to follow involves stamping out the excessive burning of fossil fuels. Well, the Read More...

Earthworms

Earthworms: a natural solution to farms’ wastewater

Royal Dairy in Royal City, Washington has a problem that's common to dairy farms. The hundreds of millions of gallons of water used by their dairy and beef cows eventually become wastewater carrying animal waste, nitrates, and other harmful chemicals into the groundwater which people could one day Read More...

Electric tractor

Oregon project lets farmers test drive electric tractors

American drivers have plenty of options when it comes to electric cars, but what about farmers? The electrification of the agricultural industry is a lucrative and relatively untapped market. However, first, the technology needs to be sold to farmers, many of whom are hesitant about the Read More...

Car Maintenance

9 driving changes you can make to save more and burn less

Gas prices keep going up. While many of us can’t yet afford an electric vehicle, and we still need to get places, there are little tweaks we can make to save money on gas by burning less of it. Here are nine tips for your car, your driving, and your lifestyle to save some cash at the pumps and Read More...

Seletar airport

Singapore’s Seletar airport considers plans for electric flying taxis

Seletar Airport is the city-state of Singapore’s lesser known second airport. It’s a small airfield normally frequented only by private jets, but soon it could be known for the future of sky travel. Singapore has recently signed agreements that would make Seletar into a vertiport, where Read More...

Sand piles next to industrial machinery

"Sand batteries" could solve the energy storage challenge

We’ve previously written about how water batteries could help address the energy storage challenge facing the green energy transition. In Finland, however, some scientists are working on a much dryer power storage facility — a ‘sand battery’. Solving the energy storage Read More...

Gas pump nozzle with gasoline or biofuel drop and growing green sprout symbolizing environmental friendliness, isolated. Ecological biofuel concept. 3D illustration

Bacteria-based biofuel offers higher energy density than jet fuel

At a time when the need to replace fossil fuels is urgent, it is amazing to see the results of human innovation and creativity to meet the challenge. Researchers at Berkeley Lab are working on a new producer of biofuel that produces a material that boasts an energy density far higher than jet Read More...