Storage advance may boost solar thermal energy potential
Engineers at Oregon State University have identified a new approach for the storage of concentrated solar thermal energy, to reduce its cost and make it more practical for wider use.
View ArticleCould solar eclipses disrupt electricity in Germany?
Could a solar eclipse over Europe during the day affect the power generated by Germany's photovoltaic systems or solar panels, thereby challenging the reliability of the electrical supply across the...
View ArticleHow trillions of tiny solar panels could power the internet of things
It could herald a great leap forward in the way we live our lives. The internet of things, the idea that objects can be interconnected via a global network, will run your home, keep you healthy and...
View ArticleThe problem with our electricity industry
For decades now the electricity industry has relentlessly gouged monopoly profits and functionless rents out of hapless residential consumers, while government ministers, officials, inquiries and...
View ArticleValencia is home to the first desert-like microbial community found in a city
Researchers at the Universitat de València (Universiity of Valencia, UV) have discovered that besides accumulating microorganisms from the air and dust particles, photovoltaic solar panels can also...
View ArticleDetermining the solar energy potentials of private homes
Recently, Google started the Sunroof project, a service that calculates potential energy savings of home owners due to solar facilities on their roofs. However, this project covers a few cities in the...
View ArticleOrganic solar cell breakthrough gives big performance boost
A patented breakthrough by researchers at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology improves the efficiency of organic photovoltaic cells by 50 percent, and could someday provide a huge boost for the...
View ArticleMolecular architectures see the light
Organic photovoltaics bear great potential for large-scale, cost-effective solar power generation. One challenge to be surmounted is the poor ordering of the thin layers on top of the electrodes....
View ArticleTurkey's solar market has started 'teething'
Turkey has started considering its own sources to generate electricity as a way to make it less dependent on fossil fuels, which account for 90 percent of the country's current energy supply.
View ArticleNanocones may boost solar cell efficiency by 15 percent
(Phys.org)—A team of scientists at Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in Australia has announced the development of a nanostructure material made of what they are calling nanocones—it is a type of...
View ArticleHeat and light get larger at the nanoscale
In a new study recently published in Nature Nanotechnology, researchers from Columbia Engineering, Cornell, and Stanford have demonstrated heat transfer can be made 100 times stronger than has been...
View ArticleTaiwanese government should provide more support for solar panel industry
The Taiwanese government should provide subsidies for the solar panel industry to help it survive in that country, University of Exeter researchers have recommended.
View ArticleMolybdenum disulfide holds promise for light absorption
Mechanics know molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) as a useful lubricant in aircraft and motorcycle engines and in the CV and universal joints of trucks and automobiles. Rice University engineering researcher...
View ArticleUltra-thin solar cells can bend around a pencil
Scientists in South Korea have made ultra-thin photovoltaics flexible enough to wrap around the average pencil. The bendy solar cells could power wearable electronics like fitness trackers and smart...
View ArticleHow energy is hidden in colours—can we use it to power a renewable future?
'Roses are red and violets are blue' – so says the old poem.
View ArticleElectricity-starved Gazans turn to sun for help
Nahed Abu Assi's farm has been bombed in each of the three Gaza wars since 2008 and like in the rest of the Palestinian enclave, he receives only a paltry amount of electricity each day.
View ArticleGraphene-infused packaging is a million times better at blocking moisture
Plastic packaging might seem impenetrable—and sometimes nearly impossible to remove—but water molecules can still pass through. And this permeability to moisture can limit the lifespan of a product. To...
View ArticleHow atmostpheric dust affects photovoltaic output
A hazy sky and dirty cars are well-known consequences of Saharan dust carried to Europe by air currents. As part of the "PerduS" project, the German Weather Service (DWD), the Karlsruhe Institute of...
View ArticleSerendipitous observation may lead to more efficient solar cells and new gas...
While investigating perovskite crystals, University of Groningen scientists made an observation that could make perovskite solar cells more efficient. It could also lead to new sensors for oxygen and...
View ArticleNew technique opens up advanced solar cells
In a photovoltaic cell, light generates opposite charges in the active layer. The charges must then be separated as quickly as possible to keep them from recombining. Positive charges are driven by a...
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