Electricity65 Stories

A Back-of-the-Panel Boost for Solar Power

Chinese photovoltaic giant Suntech looks to electronics to help squeeze more power out of solar arrays.

Making Smart Windows that Are Also Cheap

“Tunable” windows would let people adjust light and heat levels, but so far it’s been hard to make them affordable.

A Sticker Makes Solar Panels Work Better

A startup’s polymer sticker increases power output by 10 percent, and can be applied to panels that are already installed.

A Boost for Battery Life and Capacity

Electric cars could benefit from a new manufacturing method.

Fuel from the Sun

The DOE funds a research center aimed at making artificial photosynthesis practical.

Bumpy Coatings for Better Solar Cells

A simple method applies nanoscale texturing over large areas.

Nanopillars that Trap More Light

The new design could lead to cheaper solar cells.

Solar Cell Maker Gets a $400-Million Boost

Abound Solar says it has a simpler process to make cadmium-telluride solar cells.

Solar Plane Lasts All Night Long

Nighttime flight is an important milestone–but solar power is unlikely to transform aviation.

A Guide to Recent Battery Advances

Battery breakthroughs could lower costs and improve performance for electric vehicles and renewable energy storage–but commercializing these new technologies will be challenging.

The German Experiment

The government sets a premium price on solar and other alternative power sources. The policy offers lessons in ways to encourage the use of renewable energy.

Solar's Great Leap Forward

Suntech CEO Zhengrong Shi made China a powerhouse in photovoltaic technology–and became a billionaire in the process. His next ambition: to make solar power as cheap as conventional electricity.

Nanotubes Give Batteries a Jolt

Lithium-ion batteries with nanotube electrodes could go longer between charges.

An Energy-Saving Air Conditioner

Evaporative cooling plus drying with desiccants equals cool air for less cost.

High-Wire Robot to Inspect the Grid

Researchers think the solar-powered device could survey aging electrical lines.

"Light Pipes" Boost Organic Solar Efficiency

A layer of optical fiber bristles doubles the performance of organic solar cells in tests.

Offshore Wind: Expensive but Politically Popular

Approval of Cape Wind could signal a boon in offshore wind projects.

Solar Cost ­Cutter

Fuel-Cell Power Boost

Suntech Stresses R&D

China’s solar giant shifts its strategy.

GE to Boost Research in China

The company plans to develop products in China, for China.

Chinese Wind Power Heads Offshore

Breezy tidal flats offer green power on the doorstep of China’s bustling seaboard.

Wave Energy Scales Up Off Scotland

Ten wave and tidal projects will generate 1.2 gigawatts of power.

GE to Make Thin-Film Solar Panels

Its entrance to the market could help make solar power cheaper.

Increasing Yield from Gasification

A new process can make more fuel from biomass.

Giving Plastic Solar Cells an Energy Boost

Plastic cells are lighter than silicon ones, but they’re not as efficient–one company aims to fix that.

Turning Gas Flares into Fuel

Microreactor developers race to turn troublesome gas into usable crude oil.

Smarter Chargers for Electric Vehicles

The devices could help stabilize the grid, and make charging electric cars cheaper.

Making More Solar Cells from Silicon

1366 Technologies hopes to cut the cost of solar with cheaper manufacturing.

From Waste Biomass to Jet Fuel

Fuel made from waste by-products could lower greenhouse gas emissions.

Bloom Reveals New Fuel Cells

Its 100-kilowatt modules have been sold to Google, eBay, and Walmart.

Scaling Up Solar Power

Applied Materials makes the equipment needed to produce the biggest solar panels in the world.

Solar Cells Use Nanoparticles to Capture More Sunlight

Optical antennas could help solar cells produce more energy.

Nanopillars Boost Solar Efficiency

A new design can make more-efficient thin-film solar cells using existing manufacturing equipment.

"Melting" Drywall Keeps Rooms Cool

Developers think these phase-change materials could reduce the need for air-conditioning.

Clean-Coal Power Plant Set for Texas

The project will capture CO₂ by using it to “loosen” the oil in existing wells.

Cleaner Jet Fuel from Coal

A new process could allow Air Force jets to run exclusively on domestically produced biomass and coal.

Why Geoengineering?

We should study the costs and consequences of solar radiation management.

Using CO₂ to Extract Geothermal Energy

Carbon dioxide captured from power plants could make geothermal energy more practical.

Superconductors to Wire a Smarter Grid

A superstation for connecting three independent grids could help solar and wind power.

Stealth-Mode Wind Turbines

Coatings and composites ease the air-traffic worries dogging wind power.

Ultracapacitor Startup Gets a Big Boost

An energy storage startup gets new government funding.

Commercializing Garbage to Ethanol

Startup Coskata has opened a “semi-commercial” ethanol plant to demonstrate its technology.

Natural Gas Changes the Energy Map

Vast amounts of the clean-burning fossil fuel have been discovered in shale deposits, setting off a gas rush. But how it will affect our energy use is still uncertain.

Biofuel from Sewage

Qteros forms a partnership to use sewage as a feedstock for making ethanol.

Material to Chill "Dirty" Fuel Cells

A new anode allows solid-oxide fuel cells to function at lower temperatures.

Cleaning Up on Dirty Coal

A novel gasification process for low-quality coal heads to China.

GE's Risky Energy Research

Michael Idelchik, VP of Advanced Technologies, discusses energy research.

Mixing Solar with Coal to Cut Costs

A new strategy could reduce coal plant emissions and cut the cost of solar power.

Giving Up on Grids

Clean-Energy Bill Will Have Little Impact

Coping with CO₂

Solar Power Will Make a Difference--Eventually

Intelligent Electricity

Q&A: Mark Little, Head of GE Global Research

The head of research at GE discusses the stimulus package and new technologies for addressing climate change.

A Costly and Unnecessary New Electricity Grid

A national interstate system for distributing power may prove an expensive boondoggle.