Solar Power

Solar panels float on a mountain lake in Switzerland. The first such system was installed in 2008.

Are Floating Solar Panels the Future of Clean Energy Production?

“Floatovoltaics” could drastically raise power generation and conserve water in reservoirs, according to a new study

The new solar panels would filter light more efficiently.

Farmers May Not Have to Choose Between Crops and Solar Panels

With a new photovoltaic panel, researchers harness sunshine to harvest energy and food together, taking advantage of the full light spectrum

Solar panels and wind turbines in China's Jiangsu province. 

Renewable Energy Is Slowing the Rise of Carbon Emissions

Still, greenhouse gas production should be falling drastically to prevent the worst effects of climate change

The bill aims to help the nation slash its greenhouse gas emissions.

What the Inflation Reduction Act Hopes to Do About Climate Change

The spending bill aims to spur investment in renewable energy and slash greenhouse gas emissions

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When Coal First Arrived, Americans Said 'No Thanks'

Back in the 19th century, coal was the nation's newfangled fuel source—and it faced the same resistance as wind and solar today

Like a regular sail uses wind to navigate across an ocean, solar sails use the pressure exerted by sunlight to move through space. (Pictured: a conceptual illustration of a diffractive solar sail)

NASA’s New Solar Sail Could Soon Navigate in Space

Scientists say the flashy tech could help them study the sun’s polar regions

Artist rendering of a solar canal system for California.

California Is About to Test Its First Solar Canals

The innovative project is a win for water, energy, air and climate

The Mayflower Autonomous Ship (MAS) undergoes sea trials in April 2021. In 2022, the MAS will sail the same path that the original Mayflower charted in 1620, collecting data along the way.

Captained by A.I., This New 'Mayflower' Will Cross the Atlantic This Spring

The autonomous ship will embark on the same journey the Pilgrims took more than 400 years ago, collecting scientific data along the way

A group of perovskite solar cells that have been treated with capsaicin.

Chili Pepper Compound Increases Solar Cell Efficiency

Adding capsaicin, the chemical responsible for making chili peppers spicy, improved the efficiency of solar cells in experiments

Let your off-grid home take shape in whatever form best fits your new, adventurous lifestyle.

How to Set Up an Off-the-Grid Getaway

Need a change of scenery? A quiet spot away from crowds? Here are some tips for rigging a remote escape with the bare necessities

Isle au Haut thoroughfare

A Tiny Island Off the Coast of Maine Could Be a Renewable Energy Model for the Rest of the World

Remote Isle au Haut is integrating time-tested technology with emerging innovations to create its own microgrid

Graphic illustrating the MAVEN spacecraft encountering plasma layers at Mars.

Ten Trends That Will Shape Science in the Decade Ahead

Medicine gets trippy, solar takes over, and humanity—finally, maybe—goes back to the moon

Starlit Stratus rendering, by Sunggi Park

These Wild Sculptures Could Bring Sustainable Energy to the Desert

Winners of this year's Land Art Generator Initiative competition proposed beautiful, power-generating works of public art for Abu Dhabi

In July 2016, a solar-powered airplane flying over the desert region of Andalusia in Spain photographed breathtaking images of the Gemasolar concentrated solar power plant.

How Engineers of New Energy Technology Are Taking Cues From Nature

From sunflower spirals to schooling fish, renewable energy innovators are uncovering ideas for improving efficiency and output in natural phenomena

Wyss Institute engineers selected works from the collections to illustrate a "new approach to Design Science." The clusters of polyhedrons in the 1954 textile Time Capsule reflects the 1950s sentiment for a brighter future built on scientific progress.

How Biology Inspires Future Technology

Bioengineers at Harvard’s Wyss Institute showcase their ingenious medical, industrial and environmental designs at the Cooper Hewitt

For the First Time, Green Power Tops Coal Industry in Energy Production in April

Renewable energy outworked coal in April—and will likely do the same in May—though the trend likely won't last once air-conditioners switch on

Solar has had an average annual growth rate of 50 percent in the last 10 years.

A Brief History of Solar Panels

Inventors have been advancing solar technology for more than a century and a half, and improvements in efficiency and aesthetics keep on coming

"Light Up" is the winner of a biannual competition for green energy-generating public art sponsored by the Land Art Generator Initiative.

This Golden Canopy Could Power 500 Homes

Architects propose a new sustainable landmark on a Melbourne beach that is both public art and a power plant

Solar panel in Death Valley National Park.

What to Know About California's Commitment to 100 Percent Clean Energy by 2045

The bold legislation was signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown earlier this week

Installing the water harvester

This Device Pulls Water Out of Desert Air

A new water harvester can extract water from extremely dry air, using only solar energy

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