Solar Power

Perovskite solar cells can suffer from stability issues and quickly deteriorate during use, but scientists at Brown University have come up with a way of addressing this by targeting a weak point with something they call molecular glue.

For eight years or so, GoSun has been offering outdoor enthusiasts clean ways of cooking up their meals through a range of solar-powered stoves, grills and ovens. Its latest and greatest, the Sizzle, is billed as its fastest and most powerful yet.

One thing holding back perovskite solar cells is an intrinsic instability and a vulnerability to the elements. Scientists believe they may have found a solution to this hiding in hair swept up from the floor of a local barbershop.

There are a lot of reasons to like adding more battery power to off-roading, but there's also a big question: How do you charge that battery? Jeep is looking to help out by adding a network of off-road charging stations to its 4xe family.

Japanese firm Teijin has teamed up with Australia's Applied Electric Vehicles to reimagine the role some cars might play in the future of urban mobility, developing a solar-topped electric vehicle that is low on speed and high on energy efficiency.

A new community being constructed in California is another interesting take on the trend of 3D-printed architecture, with local company Mighty Buildings taking a pre-fab approach to offer kits for more efficient construction on site.

NASA astronauts have completed a seven-hour spacewalk to prepare the International Space Station for the arrival of a new set of solar panels that will help support the ageing array that’s been serving the station since December 2000.

Picture solar panels, and you’re most likely picturing a solid square slab. But the tech is becoming more flexible, and now engineers at Pusan National University in Korea have developed prototype solar cells that are fully foldable.

Italian yacht design firm Lazzarini has unveiled designs for a solar-powered amphibious “crabmaran” that the studio says will be the first in the world. Dubbed Pagurus, the striking 82-ft catamaran merges solar technology and innovative design.

The International Space Station (ISS) is getting a major upgrade starting this year, as Boeing is tapped to deliver six new solar arrays. They will provide the orbital laboratory with up to 30 percent more electricity for research and commercial applications.

One drawback of current perovskite solar technology is the instability of the cells, a problem which scientists have taken a step toward addressing with a new design that incorporates an old organic pigment to keep things in working order.

Perovskite solar cells are rapidly catching up to silicon in efficiency, but continue to lag behind in production speed. Now Stanford has developed a new method of making perovskite solar cells at up to 40 ft per minute – even faster than silicon.