Since its invention in the 1970s, the luminescent solar concentrator (LSC) has aimed to enhance solar energy capture by using luminescent materials to convert and concentrate sunlight onto photovoltaic (PV) cells. Unlike traditional concentrators that rely on mirrors and lenses, LSCs can harvest diffuse light and have been used in applications such as building-integrated photovoltaics, […]
Green Energy
This will be the first geothermal energy storage system on the Texas grid
Sage Geosystems will launch EarthStore this year, which uses geothermal energy storage to produce clean electricity on demand. The Houston-based geothermal baseload and energy storage company has entered into a land use agreement with San Miguel Electric Cooperative for a 3-megawatt (MW) geopressured geothermal system energy storage facility. The EarthStore system will be in Christine, […]
The West needs China for clean energy. It will pay a price to break free
The United States and Europe are racing to narrow China’s commanding lead in clean energy technologies, throwing subsidies at local manufacturers and hiking tariffs on Chinese imports in a strikingly protectionist turn. China’s dominance in clean energy supply chains presents a conundrum for governments trying to green their economies and meet fast-approaching climate targets while […]
Winds of change—the new tech steering commercial shipping towards a more sustainable future
In August 2023, a five-year old cargo ship, Pyxis Ocean, made history when it set sail from Shanghai, China, heading towards the southern Brazilian port of Paranaguá. A journey of nearly 25 000 km. What was historic about the journey was that, instead of running solely on heavily polluting bunker fuel, the Pyxis Ocean would […]
Japan megabank to use solar panels on sheep farm to shave emissions
A Japanese megabank is tapping into what may be the country’s first solar panel farm located in a sheep pasture for renewable energy to power buildings housing the bank’s domestic branches. As part of its efforts to reduce carbon emissions, MUFG Bank has signed a contract with Osaka Gas Co. and Machiokoshi Energy Co. for […]
China to build massive solar farm as part of multibillion-dollar project: ‘I wish the US would be a bit more aggressive’
China recently announced plans to build an eight-gigawatt solar farm, which will be the largest in the world when completed. According to Electrek, the solar farm will be part of a nearly $11 billion project that will consist of (mostly) clean energy installations, including wind power and solar thermal power. The facility will be built […]
Razor-thin solar panels could be ‘ink-jetted’ onto your backpack or phone for cheap clean energy
A coating 100 times thinner than a human hair could be “ink-jetted” onto your backpack, cell phone or car roof to harness the sun’s energy, new research shows, in a development that could reduce the world’s need for solar farms that take up huge swaths of land. Scientists from Oxford University’s physics department have developed […]
Could a plant guide the design of next-generation solar panels?
Solar panels work great in full sunlight conditions, but many regions have little sunlight on any given day, meaning there is less energy generated than needed. Now Tufts researchers have discovered that a particular type of jewel orchid, which thrives in low-light conditions, might offer a key to solving this problem. School of Engineering faculty […]
Green hydrogen could power the future of passenger and freight transportation
Green hydrogen is emerging as an important potential solution for decarbonizing transportation, but new energy efficiency findings indicate that it should be used strategically in heavy-duty road, rail, aviation and marine transportation, a University of Michigan study shows. Green hydrogen is produced by electrolysis with renewable energy to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. It […]
Big Oil Doubles Down on LNG as Renewables Falter
The supermajors continue to bet on LNG while scaling back renewables projects and investments as oil and gas returns continue to trump the poor profits from renewables. The world’s top international oil and natural gas firms are sanctioning new LNG projects and buying stakes in new developments as they see demand for natural gas growing […]
