Solar Power

As a way of demonstrating advances in energy and where they might lead us, a team of researchers has built a Game Boy that requires no battery, instead powering itself from a combination of solar energy and the user’s interactions with the device.

This Snøhetta-designed office already features greenery on its exterior, but over time the plants will continue to grow and envelop it. The building's grid-based energy use is minimized with a rainwater collection system and solar panels too.

New ultrathin solar cells boast a few advantages over others of their type. They're more efficient, made using more common elements, and can be inkjet-printed onto surfaces, making them light and flexible enough to power wearable electronics.

A team from the University of Cambridge has produced a wireless sheet packed with photocatalysts that converts sunlight, water and carbon dioxide into clean fuels, with hopes of one day using the device as part of giant energy farms.

Worksport has decided the flat surface on the back of a pickup truck is a great place for a solar array, so it's launching TerraVis, a photovoltaic, folding tonneau cover that takes power from the sun and stores it bed-mounted and removable batteries.

Researchers have developed a photovoltaic device that has an external quantum efficiency of 132 percent. This impossible-sounding feat was achieved using nanostructured black silicon, and could represent a major breakthrough for solar cells.

The Tiny Housing Co. recently unveiled its Natura model. Partly clad in cork, the home has some nice features, including solar power, a drop-down deck, and an upstairs bedroom boasting a little more headroom than many tiny houses.

Apple and Foster + Partners have collaborated on another new store, this time in Beijing, China. Named Apple Sanlitun, the project is defined by its generous glazing, which helps fill the interior with natural light, and is topped by solar panels.

The 2019 World Building of the Year winner Mecanoo is leading a team that's creating a new tower in Amsterdam. Featuring an interesting stepped form and finished in brick, it will also incorporate greenery, solar panels and rainwater collection.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has changed the world in many ways. Now, scientists have quantified an effect that lies a few links down the chain, finding that solar panels in certain cities have seen a boost in output, due to reduced air pollution.

Perovskite is emerging as a promising material for solar cells, but it has some durability problems. Now, engineers have developed a new electrode that could make them more stable, using a protective layer of "graphene armor."

Assuming it goes ahead as planned, this solar-powered urban poultry farm will host roughly 7,000 egg-laying hens, as well as an area for growing food, in a harbor in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.