5 h. ago Getting solar panels on your roof can be hard. That's where 'balcony solar' comes in

What if you could set up some panels in your backyard or hang them off your balcony and start making a dent in your power bill? Organizations are trying to bring "balcony solar" to the U.S.

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5 h. ago More people in the U.S. are catching on to a European idea: backyard solar panels

What if you could set up some panels in your backyard or hang them off your balcony and start making a dent in your power bill? Organizations are trying to bring "balcony solar" to the U.S.

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8 h. ago Black metal could give a heavy boost to solar power generation

In the quest for energy independence, researchers have studied solar thermoelectric generators (STEGs) as a promising source of solar electricity generation. Unlike the photovoltaics currently used in most solar panels, STEGs can harness all kinds of thermal energy in addition to sunlight. The simple devices have hot and cold sides with semiconductor materials in between, and the difference in temperature between the sides generates electricity through a physical phenomenon known as the Seebeck effect.

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33 h. ago Surprisingly diverse innovations can lead to dramatically cheaper solar panels

The cost of solar panels has dropped by more than 99% since the 1970s, enabling widespread adoption of photovoltaic systems that convert sunlight into electricity. A new MIT study drills down on specific innovations that enabled such dramatic cost reductions, revealing that technical advances across a web of diverse research efforts and industries played a pivotal role. The research appears in PLOS ONE.

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33 h. ago Surprisingly diverse innovations led to dramatically cheaper solar panels

New research can identify opportunities to drive down the cost of renewable energy systems, batteries, and many other technologies.

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6 d. ago New cooling system patent promises significant boost in solar panel efficiency

Scientists at the University of Sharjah have secured a U.S. patent (US12341471B2) for an innovative cooling system designed to enhance the performance of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels.

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7 d. ago Trump admin eyes overturning Biden's green energy legacy to tune of $7B

Trump EPA plans to terminate Biden's $7 billion Solar for All program that aimed to install residential solar panels for low-income households nationwide.

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8 d. ago Agrivoltaics addresses the needs for both clean electricity production and land use for food

As countries race to expand renewable energy infrastructure, balancing clean electricity production with land use for food remains a pressing challenge, especially in Japan, where mountainous terrain limits space. A recent study led by researchers from the University of Tokyo explores a promising solution: integrating solar panels with traditional rice farming in a practice known as agrivoltaics.

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1 week ago Most US homes can save money and affordably weather blackouts with solar plus storage

Most U.S. households could reduce their electricity costs and endure power outages by installing rooftop solar panels and battery packs, according to a new Stanford University study, though people may need to buy the equipment by Dec. 31. The study is published in Nature Energy.

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4 w. ago New solar panel designs could help Europe achieve fair and resilient energy goals

Europe has committed to becoming climate-neutral by 2050. But how can we get there in a way that's technically feasible, economically responsible, and fair to all member states? Researchers from Aarhus University and the Technical University of Denmark offer an answer in a new study published in Nature Communications.

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