Virginia Tech flexible solar panel goes where silicon can’t

Post-doctoral researcher Congcong Wu, who is working in the lab of Shashank Priya, the Robert E. Hord Jr. Professor of Mechanical Engineering, holds up a layer of the flexible solar panel the group is working on. The process to adhere a thin film of titanium oxide to the panel takes less than 10 seconds using […]

Cost of offshore wind power in UK has dropped 32 percent in four years

The cost of offshore wind power in Britain has fallen to £97 ($121) per MWh. According to an industry report (PDF), this represents a 32 percent drop from £142 ($178) four years ago. The Offshore Wind Programme Board (OWPB), a part of The Crown Estate, which manages the UK seabed, released its report on Tuesday. […]

Tesla and Panasonic team up on solar-panel cells

Tesla Motors Inc. and Panasonic Corp. said Tuesday that they would begin producing cells for solar panels next summer at a sprawling factory opening in Buffalo, N.Y., expanding a relationship between the two technology firms. This article originally appeared at: http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-tesla-panasonic-20161227-story.html?utm_source=MIT+TR+Newsletters&utm_campaign=ca9509e208-The_Download.

India Increases Investments in solar power, green corridor on government’s energy radar for 2017

Green seems to be the catchword for the Indian government heading into the next year as it gears up to achieve 175 gigawatt of clean energy by 2022 through auction of 1,000 MW of rooftop solar power, Rs 13,000 crore investment in solar parks and a Rs 21,000-crore package to boost local manufacturing of panels. […]

New Wind Turbine Tech Could Use a Single Typhoon to Power a Country For 50 Years

We are all familiar with the tragedy of the Fukushima nuclear disaster, which was caused by an enormous tsunami that occurred back in 2011. It brought the nuclear power debate back to life. Now, one Japanese engineer wants to harness the power of another potentially destructive force in order to generate energy. Atsushi Shimizu has […]

Japan’s first new geothermal power plant in 15 years to open next month

Japan’s first new geothermal power plant in 15 years to open next month A new chapter in Japan’s energy industry begins when a new geothermal power plant taps into the nation’s famed seismic activity -opening the floodgates for dozens of similar projects across the country The government is monitoring the potential geothermal power boom, with […]

Wind and Solar Are Crushing Fossil Fuels

Wind and solar have grown seemingly unstoppable. While two years of crashing prices for oil, natural gas, and coal triggered dramatic downsizing in those industries, renewables have been thriving. Clean energy investment broke new records in 2015 and is now seeing twice as much global funding as fossil fuels. One reason is that renewable energy […]