Thanks to a 70% drop in price since 20101 and plenty of government subsidies, solar panels have become an integral part of the utility grid, as well as many home rooftops. However, this renewable energy technology isn’t all sunshine. There’s shadows looming over its bright future. There’s
Storing solar energy cheaply and efficiently is a key component for the future of renewable energy. Even though lithium batteries are great, they can still be costly and, depending on the chemistry, there can be safety concerns. There are ways we can store solar energy more directly though … and one
There’s always the promise of some big breakthrough that’s going to change everything. Well, scientists have just smashed the solar panel efficiency record, and it could mean a big change for the future of renewable energy. This isn’t just more hype, but a sign of where things
It’s been almost 4 years since I had solar panels installed on my house, which is located in Massachusetts. In general they’ve been performing pretty close to what was promised, but last year threw us some curveballs that made me a little concerned. I saw a pretty sharp
Electric vehicles are gaining in popularity, but not everyone is on board. One of the big perceived drawbacks is how long it takes to charge them and having access to somewhere you can plug in to get that charge. If you live in an apartment building or the city, charging
Tesla and Elon Musk have been on a mission to make their Solar Roof tiles the go-to solution if you’re considering a new roof plus solar panels. Why buy and install two separate products when you can make one that does both? I don’t know about you, but
100 times stronger than steel1 yet 4 times lighter.2 Conductive and biocompatible. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are fascinating materials that could channel a kaleidoscope of futuristic technologies. They’re often hailed as a key conduit for a speedy transition to a zero-carbon energy future. However, while these graphene-based tiny tubes
Costs for solar panel systems have been dropping at a blistering pace in the last few years and are being widely used as a clean alternative to fossil fuels. Solar panels work great for homes and RVs, and some car companies are trying to get it to work there, too,
Among renewables, solar energy has been growing rapidly and driving the world towards a low-carbon future. We've been seeing a wave of innovations in the field, like perovskite solar cells, solar tiles and roofs, and organic panels. But what if we could harvest solar energy from the windows
Just 2 years ago, the Planet of Humans documentary...shot...renewables in the face. To the point that one of the interviewees, Ozzie Zehner, said about renewables and recycling, “you would have been better off just burning the fossil fuels to begin with.”1 I get countless comments on my
We have a world population expected to grow by 1.2 billion people within 15 years1, coupled with a growing demand for meat, eggs and dairy, which soak up over 70% of fresh water for crops2, plus electricity demand that’s growing even faster than population growth3 … what are we
The more the planet warms, the more we’ll need to cool down. Yet, our cooling systems are...heating...the Earth as they consume fossil-fueled energy and release greenhouse gases.1 Air Conditioning use is expected to increase from about 3.6 billion units to 15 billion by 2050.2