Solar Power

A new McDonald's has been designed with sustainability in mind. Hailed by the fast-food giant as the UK's "first Net Zero Carbon Restaurant," it was built using recycled materials and features solar panels and wind turbines for its energy needs.

Nobody can accuse MVRDV of taking a half-hearted approach to ensuring its upcoming Sun Rock is sustainable. Most of the building will be covered with solar panels, meaning it's expected to generate around 1 million kWh of green energy annually.

GAF Energy has launched Timberline Solar Energy Shingles (ES) at CES 2022. The ultra-thin, flat-mounted shingles install just like a regular shingle, bringing low-profile solar energy to a home's rooftop.

Nissan starts 2022 much like it started 2021, showing an inspiring adventure van concept that encourages a more active lifestyle. Its Caravan Mountain Base Concept looks and feels like a mountain lodge and offers a respite for weary trail runners.

RV rooftop space is in high demand by vents, air conditioners, skylights and other components. So Xponent Power bypasses the roof and builds solar panels into a smart retractable awning that delivers shade and up to 1,200 watts of charging at camp.

The toxic lead contained in perovskite solar cells presents a risk of it seeping out into the environment when they are damaged, but a newly-developed film likened to Scotch tape could soak up the toxic element before it escapes.

Engineers have demonstrated a pilot system that produces fuels from sunlight and air. The device captures carbon dioxide and water from the air and uses solar energy to convert it into syngas, which is then converted into carbon-neutral liquid fuels.

A colossal US$22 billion infrastructure project will send Australian sunshine more than 3,100 miles to Singapore, via high-voltage undersea cables. Opening in 2027, it'll be the largest solar farm and battery storage facility in history.

Scientists in Switzerland have been working to bring the efficiency of CIGS flexible solar cells up to the levels offered by rigid solar cells, and have taken another step toward this goal by setting a new record of 21.4 percent.

Lately we're seeing how sophisticated, ocean-going robots might help us map the seafloor, and one particularly interesting example has just successfully proved its mapping capabilities during its maiden voyage between San Francisco and Hawaii.

Austrian boat-maker Silent Yachts has rolled out its latest solar electric catamaran. Helping things along are a dozen more solar panels than the previous model, and an innovative kite wing for extra propulsion.

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station have undertaken three spacewalks over a 10-day period in order to install and power up a new set of roll-out solar arrays to the exterior hull of the orbital outpost.