University of California

Photosynthesis Differs in Rice Varieties — Natural Diversity Could Boost Yields

4 years ago Guest Contributor 0 Comments

Rice is a direct source of calories for more people than any other and serves as the main staple for some 560 million chronically hungry people in Asia. With over 120,000 varieties of cultivated rice (Oryza sativa) across the globe, there is a wealth of natural diversity to be mined by plant scientists to increase yields. A team from the University of Illinois and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) examined how 14 diverse varieties photosynthesize—the process by which all crops convert sunlight energy into sugars that ultimately become our food.

Record 29% Concentrating Solar Cell Aims At Low-Cost Manufacturing

5 years ago Derek Markham 0 Comments

A novel combination of high-grade spacecraft solar cell material and advanced light-concentrating lenses has yielded solar panels with a record 29% efficiency that may become available for general rooftop use by 2022. The crux in the commercialization of the planar optical micro-tracking technology will be cost-controlling manufacturing process, which is the current stage of study for Insolight, the cell developer.

GRID Alternatives & UC–Berkeley RAEL Partnering For Community Solar Energy Access Research

8 years ago James Ayre 0 Comments

The solar energy project developer GRID Alternatives will be partnering with the University of California, Berkeley’s Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory (RAEL) in order to investigate the approaches used in off-grid solar energy projects installed by the former. To be more specific, RAEL researchers will be working with GRID Alternatives … [continued]

Solar Leaders In Universities, In The Air, & In The Solar Industry

8 years ago Industry Sponsor 2 Comments

A society-wide transition to clean energy requires action on many levels. Private consumers, commercial-level consumers, institutions, and government need to aid the transition. Additionally, of course, the production side of the industry has to continually advance the technologies and improve their competitiveness. An exciting story out of California combined with a … [continued]