Solar Power

At any given moment, 89,000 terawatts of solar power hits the Earth’s surface. Current technology captures only part of it, limited by the solar spectrum. Researchers at Korea University report using gold nanotechnology to harness the full spectrum.

Since the 1800s, civilization has been fascinated by the idea of capturing lightning in a bottle. Over time, the idea evolved from literal to figurative. Today, we may be seeing a reversal. Scientists may have figured out a way to "bottle the sun."

Anker's latest offering is the first-ever smart hybrid backup system for your entire house, powering it for days. The company claims its sophisticated equipment makes it simple for homeowners to finally stop worrying about blackouts and outages.

Overview Energy, a Northern Virginia-based startup, has raised $20 million to fund its attempt at transmitting solar power from satellites down to solar panels on Earth, enabling a 24/7 supply.

Commercial spaceflight is booming and looks to go into full-on kaboom stage in the near future, sparking the need for an ever-increasing supply of solar panels. To fill this need, Dcubed is developing its ARAQYS system to manufacture arrays in orbit.

Star Catcher Industries has set a new record for beaming power at a distance. Its Star Catcher Network technology beamed 1.1 kW of power at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida using off-the-shelf solar panel components.

Janta Power has just snagged US$5.5 million in a round of seed funding to continue the deployment of its pivoting solar power towers. The vertical design and smart tracking functions of the towers offer big improvements over flat panel arrays.

When it comes to solar power, solar cells and panels tend to get all the attention. But there's a different kind of solar power generator known as a STEG, and researchers have just figured out a way to improve its efficiency by a factor of 15.

To keep solar power stations from getting lazy, Sandia National Laboratories scientist John Sandusky is looking to give heliostat mirrors a side hustle. At the National Solar Thermal Test Facility he's experimenting with getting them to hunt for asteroids at night.

The billionaire co-founder of finance app Robinhood has a new startup focused on beaming solar power from satellites to receivers on Earth. With $50 million in funding, this Starlink-for-electricity outfit aims to launch a test in orbit next year.

A report from UK-based climate and energy think tank Ember notes that clean energy sources accounted for 40.9% percent of electricity produced around the world in 2024. From solar to wind energy, here are all the big figures you need to know about.

Toyota's just unveiled a quadricycle concept that I really hope it gets around to building. The compact FT-Me seats two, takes up just half a parking space, and is designed to offer plenty of flexibility in a small package.