Solar panels could be about to get much better at capturing sunlight
6 July 2023
Silicon-based solar cells have a theoretical efficiency limit of around 30 per cent, but adding a perovskite layer enables new designs to harvest more energy
-
Subject
-
Section
-
Type
-
Topics
-
Author
-
Issue
-
Premium
Bendy solar panels are just as good as regular ones
24 May 2023
Existing solar cells are normally only used on flat, static surfaces to avoid them cracking, but now there is a flexible alternative with the same energy-generating efficiency
Green home designs put to the test in giant climate-controlled chamber
17 February 2023
Roof-mounted heat pumps and heat-harvesting showers are among the green home technologies being put through their paces in a research facility in Manchester, UK
Putting solar panels in grazing fields is good for sheep
1 February 2023
Sheep living in pasture with solar panels benefit from shade in hot weather and more nutritious grass – and they stop weeds from growing on the panels
Solar panel cleaning robot can be dropped off and picked up by drone
27 January 2023
Dirty solar panels reduce global solar energy output as much as 5 per cent, but a start-up in Israel has tested drone delivery of a new autonomous robot to clean rooftop arrays
A factory will soon start making green food from air and electricity
28 December 2022
Solar Foods will grow bacteria using carbon dioxide from the air and hydrogen produced by renewable energy, a process more efficient than growing plants
Why the US military could replace spy satellites with solar planes
3 November 2022
The US military has spent billions of dollars on spy satellites and supersonic surveillance aircraft, but now it seems to be focusing on slow, lightweight solar-powered planes to do the same job
Banning solar plants on farmland in England would be a grave error
2 November 2022
The construction of solar plants on farmland in England has come under attack, but there are three reasons why they shouldn't be banned, says Michael Le Page
Hydrogen produced from air could provide low-carbon fuel in deserts
6 September 2022
Device using solar power to capture water from the air could make hydrogen production viable in places such as central Australia and the Middle East
Floating artificial leaf converts energy from sunlight into fuel
17 August 2022
A solar fuel cell that produces carbon monoxide and hydrogen is light enough to float on water, which could help address the shortage of land available for solar projects
