Solar shingles are rapidly becoming a viable rooftop renewable energy option for consumers, and their availability is expanding. They are not as cheap as conventional solar panels, but they certainly appeal enough aesthetically to some consumers to be worth the cost premium. In a press announcement made yesterday, New York … [continued]
There are few clear-cut answers to using biofuels to meet our increasing energy demands. Among questions being debated: Are we growing crops for food or fuel? Who, if anybody, gets shortchanged? What are environmental costs in producing biofuels? How cost-competitive are biofuels? Let’s start with my country, the United States. Federal … [continued]
If the very idea of producing a solar bike path has urged a fair share of naysayers to see red — as in too many dollars — it has also sparked a growing positive response. Now, with a little data out, the news is that the Dutch solar bike path is … [continued]
Concrete and bacteria are not often seen as sharing the same construction armchair, that is, unless you happen to be discussing concrete that heals itself. Henk Jonkers from Netherlands-based Delft University of Technology has created bioconcrete, a product that can heal its own cracks and faults. Jonkers says he originally began work … [continued]
New research from Arizona State University has raised the issue of climate-proofing the United States’ electricity infrastructure due to possible negative impacts from climate change presently taking place. According to EurekAlert, two Arizona State University engineers contend the electricity generation and distribution infrastructure in the Western United States must be … [continued]
Some folks believe renewable energy land requirements are enormous when it comes to powering homes with solar electricity. But when Tesla Energy announced it had created one of the world’s cheapest home batteries, the Powerwall, designed to be paired with a home’s solar panel electricity generators, a new factor was added … [continued]
Many of us already believed solar power was one of our best options as a long-term energy solution. Now a massive study on solar power by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has come to two primary conclusions: solar energy holds the best potential for meeting the planet’s long-term energy … [continued]
Jet Propulsion Laboratory researchers have engineered NASA solar panels that are based on the Japanese paper-folding art, origami. These panels are light, foldable, and easily deployable. The idea of origami solar cells, while not completely new, is capturing considerable press attention. Brian Trease, a mechanical engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory … [continued]
The footprint of one remarkable solar community can sometimes offset the notoriety of a country known for excessive carbon emissions. A 2013 Globe and Mail story cites a report by the Climate Action Network Europe (CANE) and Germanwatch ranked Canada 55th out of 58 countries in terms of tackling greenhouse … [continued]
Grid operators are requiring solar plants to provide more support services to the grid, deploying evolving technologies such as smart inverters. Bruce Barney, writing for Solar Oregon, provides this excellent perspective on the impact for utilities who face managing increasingly complex information concerning the generation and distribution of electricity: “The … [continued]
