Better Perovskite Solar Cells With The Flick Of A Switch
While perovskite solar cells can offer an efficiency similar to silicon at a lower cost, they have less thermal stability. Brown University-led research may have addressed this challenge. A converted form of perovskite, called formamidinium lead triiodide (FAPbI3), has better thermal stability and light absorption attributes. It’s been around for a while; but up until […]
Oceanic Floating Solar Farms A Possibility
Most aquatic solar installations have been placed on relatively calm bodies of water to date as rough seas can destroy solar equipment and the platforms on which they are installed. However, a new development from the Vienna University of Technology may enable oceanic solar farms to be established. The TU Wien invention is a platform […]
International Solar Alliance Announces USD $1 Trillion Initiative
25 countries participating in the International Solar Alliance (ISA) have pledged to take action that could unleash investment of up to USD $1 trillion in solar energy assets. The announcement was made at an event in New York late last week. Among the countries participating in the action are India, the USA and France. The […]
Solar Impulse 2 Completes Pacific Ocean Crossing
The fully solar powered airplane Solar Impulse 2 left Hawaii last week our time and safely landed at Moffett Airfield in California on Sunday, finally completing the crossing of the Pacific Ocean and bagging a few (pending) world records in the process. It was in July last year that Solar Impulse 2 arrived in Hawaii […]
Solar Powered Fountain Makes Its Own Water
Solar powered fountains are a common feature in residential ponds these days, but here’s one that also makes its own water. Dutch artist Ap Verheggen unveiled his Desert Cascades sculpture at the Beelden aan Zee museum in the Scheveningen district of The Hague, Holland on Earth day last week. The art project harvests water from […]
Solar Made Compulsory In San Francisco
Legislation has been passed in San Francisco making the installation of solar panels or solar hot water systems compulsory for new residential and commercial buildings. The legislation, which was originally introduced by San Francisco Supervisor Scott Wiener in February, was passed unanimously and will apply to new building applications lodged from January 1, 2017. “Activating […]
Solar Panels That Work In The Dark?
Perhaps the concept of solar panels that can generate electricity at night isn’t such a crazy idea after all. Researchers from the Australian National University and University of California have demonstrated a new artificial material for thermophotovoltaic cells that could not only utilise sunlight, but also harvest heat in the dark and convert it to […]
Re-Using Mobile Phone Batteries In Small Solar Power Systems
Batteries in prematurely obsolete phones could be re-used in small solar power systems in developing nations say researchers at Kyung Hee University in Seoul, South Korea. “Among e-waste, mobile phones have the singular difference of a lifespan shorter than the lifespan of the battery that powers them,” states their recently published paper. The average realistic […]
100% Renewables Powered Australia Within A Generation?
Australia’s energy sector – including for transport and industry – could be fully decarbonised within just one generation according a study from Curtin University’s Institute for Sustainable Futures. The report, prepared for GetUp! and Solar Citizens, states Australia could generate all its electricity, heating and fuel needs with renewable energy by 2050. In the shorter […]
American Wind Power Drives Jobs Bonanza
The American wind power industry is driving an employment bonanza, with the sector supporting a record 88,000 positions across the country at the start of 2016. Wind turbine technicians are now the fastest growing profession in the USA, employing nearly 9,000 people according to the “U.S. Wind Industry Annual Market Report, Year Ending 2015,” released […]
