Hydrogen is getting a lot of attention as the EPA prepares to propose new emissions rules for power plants. But it has a problem: almost all of it used today is made from fossil fuels.
As the energy revolution gains pace, huge numbers of PV panels are already going to landfill. Many are still usable and even those that aren’t contain valuable materials that shouldn’t be discarded.
Scientists at Swansea University have pioneered a printable and rollable solar cell.
Swansea University
A new generation of flexible solar cells has been pioneered using a material known as perovskite.
Agrivoltaic farming — growing crops in the protected shadows of solar panels — can help meet Canada’s food and energy needs.
(Alexis Pascaris, AgriSolar)
Canada can meet its carbon emission reduction targets, make food cheap again and open up a gigantic trade surplus with the U.S. by shading farm crops with solar panels.
A salt pyramid in Uyuni, Bolivia. The rainy season produces a mirror effect in the salt flat.
Mario Orospe Hernandez
Lithium extraction in Bolivia poses more than environmental questions: It illustrates how notions about ‘raw materials’ can be at odds with Indigenous relations with the land.
This Sydney car park has solar panels and charging stations.
Shutterstock
Australia’s transition to electric vehicles has been much slower than in many other developed nations. But the country is actually well placed to catch up fast.
Solar thermal technology has the potential to provide both long-duration storage and industrial heat, yet it has been largely overlooked in the Australian context. That is about to change.
Craig Stevens, National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research
Building offshore wind farms is complex and expensive. But with plenty of wind coming in from the sea, New Zealand could harness the renewable resource as it aims to decarbonise the energy sector.
A study of 230 electric vehicles found only 25% of charging happens during peak demand periods. Their patterns of use also mean spare battery capacity could be fed into the grid at these times.
Wildfires are becoming a greater risk in many countries as the landscape dries.
Michael Nigro/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images
The final report in the IPCC’s sixth assessment series says countries will have to cut their greenhouse gas emissions 60% in the next 12 years to keep global warming in check.
French lawmakers voted to require solar panel covers in most large parking lots.
Teamjackson via iStock/Getty Images Plus
How has the national electricity market responded to one of the biggest reforms in years, the introduction of five-minute settlement? Analysis reveals more than a few surprises.
The very people most in need of the cost savings from installing solar panels are missing out. Better policies are needed to make home solar systems accessible to all Australians.
Moving beyond our dependency on oil requires developing viable alternative energies.
(Shutterstock)
Political will is necessary for governments to move away from oil. But alternative energies are not all that they seem, and should be considered carefully beyond the appearance of sustainability.
Are blackouts really looming by the middle of this decade? An AEMO report warns they might be – but there are plenty of projects on the drawing board that will help ease the squeeze on the grid.
Reaching net-zero by 2050 will require 2,000 billion dollars’ worth of investment in clean electricity per year, according to the International Energy Agency.
Suncit/Flickr