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Solar Power

A solar and battery-powered microgrid got San Juan’s Children’s Hospital quickly back online after Hurricane Maria.

Future of Energy

Why Puerto Rico’s Power Can’t Come From Solar ‘Microgrids’ Alone

The island could benefit from on-site solar and battery backup, but the strategy isn’t a cure-all for its energy woes

A triple solar flare recorded in April, 2017

New Research

Could a Magnetic Shield Protect Earth From Space Weather?

A bad geomagnetic storm would fry the electric grid and cripple civilization for years—a space shield is cheap by comparison

The compound eyes of a robber fly

The Innovative Spirit fy17

These New Solar Cells Are Modeled After a Fly’s Eye

Stanford University researchers may have found a way for perovskites to compete with silicon in the solar panel market

X9 solar flare emitted by the sun

Trending Today

NASA Captures Strongest Solar Flare in a Decade

This morning, the sun emitted two X-class flares, disrupting GPS and radio signals

Connexus Energy's SolarWise garden in Ramsey provides habitat for pollinators.

Solar Power and Honey Bees Make a Sweet Combo in Minnesota

The Pollinator Friendly Solar Act has solar companies and commercial beekeepers working together

Trending Today

Renewables Generated Ten Percent of U.S. Energy In March

Longer days, stronger wind and reduced electricity demand helped green energy break double digits for the first time

The floating solar power station in Anhui province

Trending Today

China Turns On the World’s Largest Floating Solar Farm

Floating on a lake over a collapsed coal mine, the power station in Anhui province can produce 40 megawatts of energy

The Watts Bar Dam, one of the dams that is part of the Tennessee Valley Authority.

Here’s How FDR Explained Making Electricity Public

“My friends, my policy is as radical as the Constitution of the United States,” he said

Put on your sunglasses—when in action, this artificial sun is 10,000 times brighter than the usual solar radiation here on Earth.

Cool Finds

This New Man-Made Sun Is 10,000 Times More Intense Than Sunlight on Earth

It’s a bright idea that just might help humans create solar fuel

The prototype

Could This Be the Most Efficient Solar Panel Ever?

Taking advantage of temperatures upwards of 1,000 Celsius, these hot solar cells could produce twice as much energy as the industry standard

The 20-megawatt power facility is located east of Los Angeles in Ontario, California.

Five Questions You Should Have About California’s New Tesla-Powered Battery Bank

The storage facility will collect energy when it’s readily available, and release it when demand is high. What does this mean for the future of energy?

New Research

France Is Paving More Than 600 Miles of Road With Solar Panels

In five years, France hopes the panels will supply power to 5 million people

University of California, Irvine chemist Shane Ardo is working to develop special plastic membranes and dyes that would enable a container to desalinate seawater.

Future of Energy

A Mission To Invent a Bottle That Takes the Salt Out of Saltwater

Scientists are exploring the potential of creating plastic containers that, with a little sun power, could desalinate seawater

SPS-ALPHA concept and visualization

Future of Energy

What’s Next for Solar Energy? How About Space

Scientists are closer than ever to making the far-out concept of a space-based solar collection system a reality

Coated in a conductive polymer material, this half-inch square of fabric contains an array of six rectangular solar cells.

Future of Energy

A Chemist and a Designer Team Up to Weave Solar Panels Into Fabric

Trisha Andrew and Marianne Fairbanks are developing a solar textile that could end up in clothing, curtains, car seats and tents

Customers usually opt for a pay-as-you-go contract that allows them to purchase the Simpa Networks solar system in monthly payments over two to three years.

Future of Energy

Is Rent-to-Own Solar Power the Answer?

A Canadian entrepreneur is using a business model familiar from ‘70s daytime TV to get Indians to embrace solar

The prototype solar vapor generator

Future of Energy

How a Sponge, Bubble Wrap and Sunlight Can Lead to Clean Water

With simple materials, MIT researchers have developed a cheap, easy-to-build device to desalinate water and treat wastewater

Checkpoint "Dityatki," an entrance to the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone.

Future of Energy

Chernobyl Might Get a Second Life as a Solar Power Plant

From nuclear disaster to renewable energy

Future of Energy

This Solar Cell Can Float on a Bubble

MIT scientists have created the world’s lightest solar cell, thin enough to be used on paper or clothing

A satellite photo of an almost-finished solar farm near Walt Disney World in Orlando reveals a familiar face.

Future of Energy

The Shifting Shapes of Solar Farms

They’re more than just massive fields of black panels

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