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.
Scottish wind farms surpass 100 percent threshold for domestic demand
Scotland sets a new record for renewable power generation with its wind farms producing more than the country’s entire energy demand. Over the month of November, wind turbines have powered 109 percent of the total energy requirement which is enough to provide electricity for 6 million Read More...
Kenya plans to supply 100 percent green energy with the help of geothermal power
Geothermal power is one of the cleanest and most sustainable forms of energy that can be harnessed on Earth and it accounts for almost half of Kenya’s electricity supply. The East African country is not planning on stopping there as it’s scaling up efforts to attain 100 percent green energy Read More...
Australia’s renewables sector doubles output in boom year
Australia’s renewables sector has doubled its output over the past 12 months, with more than $20bn of projects now under construction, but the current boom will not last without policy certainty, according to the Clean Energy Read More...
Nasa and Honda are pairing up to revolutionize the conventional battery
Scientists from Nasa and Honda are putting a joint effort to develop a new battery that could deliver up to 10 times the energy density of a conventional lithium-ion cell. The battery would be fluoride-based, would take fewer resources to manufacture, and wouldn’t pose a safety risk due to Read More...
Scientists envision replacing batteries with a molten silicon 'sun in a box'
One of the biggest practical problems keeping renewable energy from overtaking fossil fuels is the question of how to store it. When the sun is shining, or when the wind blowing extra hard, the energy system siphons off some energy into a battery to use during cloudy days without a breeze and how Read More...
Why aren't school buses electric? These Coloradans are sick of diesel
Before her two kids returned to school at the end of last summer, Lorena Osorio stood before the Westminster, Colorado, school board and gave heartfelt testimony about raising her asthmatic son, now a student at the local high school. "My son was only three years old when he first suffered from Read More...
US utility pledges to provide 100 percent carbon-free energy by 2050
One of the biggest energy providers in the US has pledged to go entirely carbon-neutral by 2050. Serving electricity to 3.6 million customers across eight states, Xcel Energy is following up on the growing trend of renewables among politicians, cities, corporations, and ordinary Read More...
California gives final OK to require solar panels on new houses
Solar panels will be a required feature on new houses in California after the state's Building Standards Commission gave final approval to a housing rule that's the first of its kind in the United States. Set to take effect in 2020, the new standard includes an exemption for houses that are often Read More...
Water hyacinths: Turning a curse into a cure
A Kenyan teacher Richard Awra uses water hyacinths in a new biofuel to combat both problems of energy poverty and plant overgrowth. The Kenya Marine institute estimates has covered about 10,360 hectares of Lake Read More...
Researchers want scientific publications to be free
Scientific literature may soon become available for free as scholars have signed a petition to back an initiative to end journal subscriptions. More than 1,400 researchers have signed their names to support the plan and claim that by 2020, papers resulting from their funding should be immediately Read More...