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.
What do Iceland and Kenya have in common? Lots of clean and renewable geothermal energy
Walking out of Keflavik airport as the arctic breeze hit my face at 50 km per hour, I thought to myself, “I love my job.”A job that makes a tropical citizen like me enjoy the hospitality of the very warm Icelanders and allows me to learn from their experience is hard to top. With Read More...
Driven by power outages and savings, towns look to microgrid
"The solution to our overburdened, outdated pwer grid? One word: microgrids—localized power networks that are cheaper, cleaner and more reliable." That's how one of our feature articles in the Fall 2015 issue of The Optimist began. Now, we come across an article on AP about U.S. towns that are Read More...
Five lessons from the European wind energy industry's record year
New figures show 2015 was a big year for both the German wind market and the offshore wind industry Annual figures released today by the wind trade body the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) show wind is still the fastest growing source of new power capacity in Europe. Here BusinessGreen Read More...
Tesla to offer free charging at home and power its Supercharger network with 100% renewable energy in Sweden
Building on the momentum Tesla is currently experiencing in Sweden with 271% growth in sales in 2015 based on registration data, the automaker is announcing an interesting partnership with Swedish electric utility Skellefteå Kraft to supply the Supercharger network in Sweden with 100% Read More...
Google wants to charge self-driving car batteries without ever plugging into a wall
In the future, Google wants you to ditch the plug-in and charge your electric self-driving car. According to Google's parent company Alphabet, the self-driving cars would be able to juice up their batteries simply by rolling over a special charging transmitter in the ground, similar to a manhole Read More...
30 solar energy facts worth knowing
The next time somebody questions the viability of solar energy, arm yourself with these 30 solar energy facts. After all, there’s nothing better than access to a large warehouse of useful information, especially when considering this planet’s energy future. But before we start with Read More...
Morocco launches world's largest solar plant to supply renewable energy to more than 1 million people
Morocco is building on the edge of the Sahara Desert what would be the world’s largest solar power plant by 2018. Last Thursday, its King Mohammed VI switched on the first phase of the concentrated solar energy plant, which will be the size of the capital city by the time of its completion Read More...
We’re one step closer to producing hydrogen gas in a one-step-process
The biggest question facing the solar power industry today is how do you get solar panels to supply a reliable, steady supply of electricity—even after nightfall or during cloudy days. Batteries are one proposed way, but a team of chemical engineers from the University of California, Berkeley may Read More...
New York proposes plan to reach 50% renewables
In December, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo directed the state’s regulators to come up with a plan to reach 50 percent renewables by 2030. Early last week, the New York Department of Public Service (NYDPS) released its proposed plan to do just that. The “50 by 30” Clean Energy Read More...
Renewables top fossil fuels as biggest source of new power in the U.S.
Renewable energy was the biggest source of new power added to U.S. electrical grids last year as falling prices and government incentives made wind and solar increasingly viable alternatives to fossil fuels. Developers installed 16 gigawatts of clean energy in 2015, or 68 percent of all new Read More...