Solar Power

Solar panels can’t operate efficiently if they’re caked in dirt, but cleaning them regularly can be a time-consuming process. Engineers in Germany have now developed an ultra-thin coating that can make solar panels and other surfaces self-cleaning.

There are currently quite a few stand-alone solar power systems designed for use by campers. US portable energy company Jackery has taken a more consolidated approach, however, as its LightTent-AIR tent comes with such a system already built in.

Australian company 5B has developed a hinged, folding solar array for ridiculously quick and easy installation at industrial scale. In May, 5B showed just how quick: a team of 10 covered the area of a soccer field with a 1.1-MW array in a single day.

Perovskite and silicon are proving to be a formidable duo in the world of solar cells, and now they’ve hit a new record efficiency. A team at Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin (HZB) have developed solar cells with an efficiency of over 32%.

Pierpaolo Lazzarini is certainly no stranger to unusual designs, but the Pangeos is his most ambitious to date. Taking the form of a gigantic turtle, it would create a movable "city" that he estimates would be the world's largest floating structure.

Caltech's wildly ambitious space solar project, buoyed by a massive hundred-million-dollar donation, is preparing to launch its first prototypes into orbit. These cutting-edge ultralight structures will collect, convert and wirelessly send energy.

New Zealand company Emrod says it's got the technology to enable efficient wireless energy transfer from orbit. It's proposing a global wireless energy matrix, which would instantly beam renewable energy via satellite between any two points on Earth.

Australia has a lot of sun and desert space, positioning the country well to continue being an energy exporter in the net zero era. But the renewable assets it'll need to build to get there are absolutely epic in scale, according to a new report.

Why design robots from scratch when nature has already done the hard work for us? That’s the reasoning behind cyborg insects, and now scientists have found a way to power remote-controlled cyborg cockroaches using custom solar cells.

Looking to offer an on-demand energy solution for emergency scenarios, camping trips and the growing hordes of remote workers, BioLite has introduced a pair of power banks designed to deliver electricity for folks on the go.

The new BluOasis BluMobile trailer puts deployable solar power, lithium battery storage and water-making capabilities atop a military-grade off-road trailer, giving RVers, overlanders and remote workers more off-grid autonomy. It even sleeps four.

Taking carbon dioxide, water and sunlight as its only inputs, this solar thermal tower in Spain produces carbon-neutral replacement versions of diesel and jet fuel. It's a pilot plant, proving a new all-in-one sustainable fuel production process.