Science
From mathematics and AI to medicine and psychology, The Optimist Daily features the latest news on discoveries, technological advances, and breakthroughs in the world of science. Our Science section is here to engage and enlighten you.
The lithium-metal battery may solve our energy storage woes
While lithium-ion batteries are currently our most effective batteries, they’re still not powerful enough to full displace gasoline-powered cars or cheap enough to solve the big energy-storage problem of solar and wind power. A Massachusetts-based startup believes they have the solution: a Read More...
Why it’s time the U.S. creates a national energy grid
If there is one thing almost every clean energy analyst agrees on, it’s that, when it comes to grids, bigger is better. Sharing energy over a wider geographic area improves efficiency, smooths out peaks and troughs in demands, reduces the use of duplicative backup sources, allows for the Read More...
This utility helps you cut your energy and carbon usages in real time
Energy conservation can make the biggest contribution to prevent further global warming. Technology can help with that. This New Zealand utility company helps customers in real-time to change their energy use. Knowledge is Read More...
Goodbye coal: England and Germany keep setting new EU clean energy records
The UK’s electrical grid has not burned any coal for about 1,000 hours so far this year. That figure for the whole of 2016 was 210. Last year it was 624. Germany is more dependent on coal. But the trend away from coal pollution is clear there too. So far, this year coal generated about 35.1 Read More...
A private car? That is so a century ago…
Cars are convenient. They have been at the pinnacle of the mobility revolution of the past decades. And, yet, they are also extremely inefficient and wasteful. In Europe, the average car is parked 92 percent of the time—often on valuable land in cities that could very well be used for other Read More...
Tesla solar roof owner explains costs and savings (video)
In this video, one of the first owners of a Tesla Solar Roof talks about his very positive Read More...
A ‘flow battery’ powers a home when there’s no sun or wind
The quickly growing solar and wind energy capacity requires vast and cheap battery storage. Regular lithium-ion batteries cannot be scaled enough to provide the necessary capacity. Researchers are working on “flow batteries” that can soak up enough excess wind and solar power to fuel whole Read More...
Steep decline in price of solar energy offsets Trump tariffs
The tariffs of the Trump administration are not stopping the advance of solar energy. A steep global decline in the price of solar panels in recent weeks is nearly offsetting the effect of the Trump administration's 30 percent tariff on imported panels, says the CEO of SunPower, a U.S. solar energy Read More...
The world's largest solar farm opens in the Egyptian desert next year
Lack of sun has never been the problem for Egypt. However, the country gets more than 90 percent of its electricity from oil and natural gas. But that’s going to change. Next year, Egypt will open the world’s largest solar park. It’s a major step in a government strategy that by 2025 Egypt Read More...
These windows block the sun and produce power at the same time
There are windows in buildings and card that shut out light to lower heating and cooling costs. There are also windows that feature a coating of see-through solar cells that produce electricity. But, so far, there are no windows that do both. But Chinese scientists have now developed a new material Read More...