Sep 12 This clean energy invention runs on nothing but cold, night air By Nsikan Akpan A new thermoelectric generator could bring light to one billion people who live without power...if market forces will let it. Continue reading
Dec 19 How artificial intelligence spotted every solar panel in the U.S. By Vicky Stein Curious onlookers can check out the open-access maps. Publicly available information on this scale could help revolutionize the future of energy. Continue reading
Aug 24 Watch 2:58 How a four-legged mowing system keeps solar farms producing energy Despite the advantages they offer in terms of leveraging renewable resources, solar farms also bring with them special challenges. Among these is controlling vegetation growth around the panels--essential for ensuring a consistent, stable power source, but a laborious and time-consuming… Continue watching
Aug 01 Watch 7:33 Does solar power offer a brighter future for off-the-grid Navajo residents? By Fred de Sam Lazaro Bypassed in the ‘30s and '40s, one third of homes in Navajo Nation still have no access to grid electricity. Yet ironically, it's a huge electricity exporter, with one of the biggest coal-fired plants churning out power sold to millions. Continue watching
Apr 04 Watch 5:48 Can solar energy speed Puerto Rico’s recovery? Here’s what it would take By Nsikan Akpan It’s been just over six months since Hurricane Maria slammed into Puerto Rico and roughly 150,000 people still do not have power. A string of grassroots efforts aims to jumpstart the grid with solar energy. Science producer Nsikan Akpan explains… Continue watching
Mar 20 Puerto Rico went dark 6 months ago. Could a solar smart grid prevent the next energy disaster? By Nsikan Akpan Making renewables a mainstay in Puerto Rico will require more than solar panels and wind turbines. There's also a monopoly and Congress with which to contend. Continue reading
Feb 20 Watch 6:43 Morocco turns the Sahara desert into a solar energy oasis By Monica Villamizar Morocco says it wants to be the Saudi Arabia of solar energy. Its flagship project is a first-of-its-kind, $9-billion energy plant called Noor, meaning "light" in Arabic, and the size of the city of Paris. Special correspondent Monica Villamizar reports… Continue watching
Dec 20 5 overlooked politics stories that are worth your time By Saher Khan The 24-hour news cycle is filled with politics coverage, but not everything gets the attention it deserves. Here are five politics stories you may have missed in the past week. Continue reading
Nov 01 Watch 4:39 How the second-busiest U.S. fishing port is powered by wind and water By Rachel Waldholz Kodiak, Alaska, is not only home to abundant fishing grounds, but also to one of the most innovative power grids in the country. As the cost of diesel rose a decade ago, a local electric co-op decided to aim for… Continue watching
Aug 06 If we keep subsidizing wind, will the cost of wind energy go down? By Eric Williams and Eric Hittinger, The Conversation If history is a guide, policies that promote wind power expansion will lead to lower prices – potentially beating fossil fuels in the US by 2030. Continue reading