Solar power

How a new kind of “black silicon” is revolutionizing solar cells

Black silicon solar cells are a relatively new technological advance that allows for the absorption of light in the infrared spectrum — about 25% of incoming sunlight. These cells are capable of pulling in an incredible 99.7% of the light that hits their surfaces, compared to traditional cells which absorb 95%. And now, owing to…

io9 George Dvorsky Oct 11

See-Through Solar Panels Are a Window To Wider Usage

New technologies have a greater chance at being accepted and embraced when they’re easy to adopt. And to help the spread of solar power Sharp has developed a new see-through solar cell, allowing them to be used as architectural accents that blend into a building. So instead of having to cover a roof or fill…

Tech News Andrew Liszewski Sep 26

This Is What a 20 Megawatt Solar Farm Looks Like

One of the key features of Apple’s upcoming North Carolina data center is its mammoth field of solar panels, which aim to provide the center with the majority of its power. Though the solar farm in progress is a whopping 100 acres, and aims to put out 20 megawatts, that’s only 60 percent of the…

Tech News Eric Limer Sep 16

This Is the Coolest Solar Energy Generator You’ve Ever Seen

Solar panels are a great way to generate sustainable electricity. They’re not as great at looking pretty. This spherical-lens solar energy generator designed by André Broessel, on the other hand, is strikingly sleek. By using a ball lens, and positioning it just right, Broessel was able to create a generator that’s not only awesome-looking, but…

Tech News Eric Limer Aug 26

This Modern Island Home Is Entirely Powered by the Sun

Great Barrier House, built by Crosson, Clarke and Carnachan in New Zealand’s Great Barrier Island, is a sustainable solar-powered home constructed of sustainably-sourced timber in deference to its ecologically-sensitive island surroundings. Despite its open frame and floor plan, Great Barrier House maintains a comfortable temperature all throughout the year, thanks to the low E glass…

Tech News Molly Oswaks Jun 7

Solar Powered Sound Device Turns Even Swinging Into a Competition

Dammit. For a while it seemed like the swingset, one of life’s simplest pleasures, would never get caught up in all the high-techery that dominates our lives. But that was just a pipe dream, as the Octavia promises to turn swinging into an interactive sound adventure. Ugh. The device attaches to the ropes holding up…

Gadgets Andrew Liszewski May 28

Stylish Sun Shade Is the Easiest Way To Harness Solar Power For Your Home

If you like the idea of getting free energy from the sun, but don’t want to deal with the complications of installing a solar array on your roof, Umbrosa has created a lovely backyard sun shade that does double-duty—turning those rays into electricity. As umbrellas go the Eclipse’s design is striking, but it isn’t really…

Gadgets Andrew Liszewski May 19

This New Super Glass Is the Fogless, Glare-Free Future

In the short video above you’ll see water bouncing off the surface of glass without leaving a trace behind. And this new advanced glass could be the future of everything from eyeglasses to camera lenses to solar panels. Researchers at MIT applied a new geometric texture to glass to make the surface self-cleaning, and resistant…

Tech News Mario Aguilar Apr 26

The Ion Cannon Behind the Next Solar Revolution

How do you fabricate solar panels at half the cost and 1/10th the thickness of conventional panels? With a custom-built particle accelerator ten times more powerful than conventional accelerators of course. As we reported yesterday, Twin Creeks Technologies is doing some pretty wild things with solar cells. They’re only 20 microns thick and extremely flexible…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola Mar 14

Solar Helmet Turns Skiers Into Mini Power Plants

When you think about it, the Fraunhofer Institute’s new prototype solar powered ski helmet makes a lot of sense. Because when you’re skiing, you’re usually high up on a mountain, as close to the sun as you’re ever going to get. And the closer you are to the sun, the more potent its rays get.…

Tech News Andrew Liszewski Mar 5

Brilliant Spherical Solar Cells Don’t Need To Be Pointed Directly At the Sun

Current solar cell designs need to be aimed directly at the sun to be most efficient. But a Japanese company has come up with a clever new approach using spherical micro cells that can harness the sun’s rays from any direction. The flat solar cells we typically see dotting roofs and filling fields only really…

Tech News Andrew Liszewski Mar 3

Cheap Solar Charger Tops Off One Battery At a Time

I lack the patience to wait around for the sun to charge my gadgets, but for $14 Nokero’s single AA solar charger looks like the easiest way to ensure you’ve always got a backup battery ready for remotes and flashlights. The design is as simple as it gets. You just slap a AA in the…

Tech News Andrew Liszewski Feb 7

MIT scientist explains how to make solar cells out of grass clippings

With photosynthesis, plants are already busy converting sunlight into usable energy. The question then is how to use plants’ natural solar-power abilities to generate energy for us. In this video, an MIT researcher explains how to do just that. As researcher Andreas Mershin explains, it’s all about taking a complex of molecules called photosystem-I, or…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins Feb 6

The World’s Highest Webcam Is Shooting Mt. Everest As We Speak

Hoping to gain insight into climate change, international researchers, with the help of surveillance experts Mobotix, have installed a solar-powered webcam in the Nepalese Himalayas to capture images of the top of Mount Everest. That’s right. Mountains are shooting movies now. The webcam is powered by solar cells and is situated on the Kala Patthar…

Tech News Kwame Opam Oct 1

MIT’s “artificial leaf” turns sunlight into storable fuel

Take a look at this video. See the little bubbles racing to the water’s surface? What you’re looking at is an “artificial leaf,” unveiled yesterday by a team of researchers at MIT. On either side of this leaf are specially-designed catalysts that, with the help of a little sunlight, allow it to convert the water…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez Sep 30

Finally! A Solar Tree That Can Charge Your iPhone

It only took few years and a few fascinating if controversial breakthroughs in solar power. Now, thanks to designer Vivien Muller, you can finally have a decorative-houseplant-cum-solar charger for your iPhone right on your desk. Just give it plenty of light. The Electree was originally a concept debuted by Muller a few years back, and…

Tech News Kwame Opam Sep 19

Can you afford to go solar?

Lots of people around the country are outfitting their houses with energy-harvesting solar panels, and not just for the environment, but for government kickbacks, as well. Some companies will even foot the bill and install your panels for free, provided they can collect on the federal subsidies. So if you’re thinking about picking up a…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez Aug 25

Was Our Beloved 13-Year-Old Solar Power Genius Just Proven Wrong?

Many of you in the comments remarked that 13-year-old Aidan Dwyer’s breakthrough was nothing new. Fair enough. But it’d be different if someone totally disproved it. One blogger claims to have done it. Can I get an expert in here? https://gizmodo.com/genius-13-year-old-has-a-solar-power-breakthrough-5832557 The blogger’s entry has since been taken down (here’s the cached version), but the…

Tech News Kwame Opam Aug 20

Genius 13-Year-Old Has a Solar Power Breakthrough

When I was 13 I was smoking cigarettes I’d found on the ground and playing Super Nintendo like it was my life’s work. This kid discovered a way to draw 20-50% more power from solar cells. He is way cooler. 7th grader Aidan Dwyer was walking in the woods during the winter, and looking up,…

Tech News Brent Rose Aug 19

Wearable Flexible Solar Panels for Soldiers Are a Stupid Idea

Some boffins at the Australian National University have developed wearable flexible solar panels for soldiers. You know, so they can charge their gadgets easily and be spotted by snipers from a mile away. The panels, called SLIVER cells, are the result of a $2.3 million contract with the Australian Department of Defense. Professor Andrew Blakers,…

Tech News Jesus Diaz Aug 15

How a new kind of “black silicon” is revolutionizing solar cells

See-Through Solar Panels Are a Window To Wider Usage

This Is What a 20 Megawatt Solar Farm Looks Like

This Is the Coolest Solar Energy Generator You’ve Ever Seen

This Modern Island Home Is Entirely Powered by the Sun

Solar Powered Sound Device Turns Even Swinging Into a Competition

Stylish Sun Shade Is the Easiest Way To Harness Solar Power For Your Home

This New Super Glass Is the Fogless, Glare-Free Future

The Ion Cannon Behind the Next Solar Revolution

Solar Helmet Turns Skiers Into Mini Power Plants

Brilliant Spherical Solar Cells Don’t Need To Be Pointed Directly At the Sun

Cheap Solar Charger Tops Off One Battery At a Time

MIT scientist explains how to make solar cells out of grass clippings

The World’s Highest Webcam Is Shooting Mt. Everest As We Speak

MIT’s “artificial leaf” turns sunlight into storable fuel

Finally! A Solar Tree That Can Charge Your iPhone

Can you afford to go solar?

Was Our Beloved 13-Year-Old Solar Power Genius Just Proven Wrong?

Genius 13-Year-Old Has a Solar Power Breakthrough

Wearable Flexible Solar Panels for Soldiers Are a Stupid Idea

‘Marvel Rivals’ Wants to Start Being More Than Just a Hero Shooter

‘How Do We Make Sure That Claude Behaves Itself?’: Anthropic Invited 15 Christians for a Summit

See the Next ‘Hunger Games’ in This Trip Down Memory Lane

Indie Animation Is Having a Moment on YouTube

Trump’s World Liberty Financial Makes FTX-esque Move, Borrows Against Its Own Crypto Token

Steven Soderbergh Wanted to Take ‘Bond’ Back to the ’60s

If You Make Fart Music, ChatGPT Will Be the Most Supportive Girlfriend You Could Ask For

This Loud-Ass Party Speaker Almost Got Me High AF

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HP Omen Max 45L Review: 4K60 Gaming Has Never Been So Easy

Ecovacs Winbot W3 Omni Review: Window Cleaning Robots Have a Long Way to Go

AirPods Max 2 vs. Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen): Which ANC Headphones Win?

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