Category: solar

Researchers created a Game Boy that doesn’t need batteries

[ad_1] Instead, all you need to play this Game Boy, officially called the Engage, for hours on end is some sunlight and frantic button mashing. The solar panels attached to the front of the device provide its primary source of power, with your button presses helping to generate additional power. It’s not a perfect system […]

Facebook used 86 percent renewable energy in 2019

[ad_1] Facebook says its Menlo Park headquarters is 100 percent supported by renewable energy, and it diverts 90 percent of its waste away from landfills through recycling and composting. Four of Facebook’s US data center buildings earned LEED Gold certification, and one building in Sweden earned LEED Platinum certification, the highest rating possible. In the […]

Extra-light, flexible solar cell could keep your smartwatch powered

[ad_1] The trick was to develop “mechanically robust” light-absorbing materials that achieve some of the highest power conversion efficiency of any organic cell, at 13 percent. That’s lower than many conventional solar cells (over 20 percent), but should be enough for wristwear. They’re relatively easy to make thanks to continuous printing tech. Be sure to […]

Tesla moves the Model Y release date up to ‘spring 2020’

[ad_1] The good news continued on Wednesday when the company released its Q4 2019 earnings and 2020 financial forecast. Thanks to a quick turnaround in building its Shanghai Gigafactory, which was completed in just 10 months, Tesla can now focus on ramping up production of its new crossover SUV, the Model Y, at its existing […]

JBL says its solar-powered headphones deliver ‘unlimited’ listening

[ad_1] The key, according to JBL, is Powerfoyle material from Exeger that, like Logitech’s solar keyboards, can draw energy from indirect and indoor light as well as the Sun. Unless you prefer to listen in total darkness, your cans will always be charging. JBL estimates that an hour and a half of outdoor time is […]

Solar energy ‘breakthrough’ could replace fossil fuels in some industries

[ad_1] The trick is the use of computer vision (aka a form of AI) to align a large array of mirrors as they reflect sunlight on a solitary target. That allows for the kind of accuracy that hasn’t been possible until now. There’s still a lot of work to go before the technology enters real-world […]

The UK likely got more power from renewables than fossil fuels last quarter

[ad_1] According to the analysis, from July through September, renewables generated 29.5 terawatt hours (TWh) while fossil fuels generated 29.1 TWh. As Gizmodo points out, a 0.4 TWh may sound small but it represents the electricity used by hundreds of thousands of customers. For context, in the third quarter of 2009, the UK generated twice […]

Tesla may open ‘Centers’ to get around pro-dealership laws

[ad_1] The company is reportedly implementing the approach to make the most of its EV output. While Tesla delivered a record 97,000 cars in the third quarter of 2019, it also had 3,000 cars sitting in inventory. The Centers might reduce that inventory by offering a “continuous flow” of vehicles to delivery centers. We’d add […]

‘World’s first’ solar-powered rail line opens in the UK

[ad_1] Several UK train stations already run on solar. Network Rail, which manages most of the railway infrastructure on the British mainland, has earmarked billions of pounds to electrify rail lines, and aims to do so with solar power if the pilot project is successful. The UK government aims to eliminate the use of diesel […]

Walmart sues Tesla after solar panels catch fire at stores

[ad_1] The big-box chain formally accused Tesla of breach of contract, gross negligence and failure to meet industry standards. It wanted Tesla to not only pay damages related to the first, but to remove its panels from over 240 Walmart stores. We’ve asked Tesla for comment. There’s a good possibility Tesla will fight back, though. […]