America’s solar capacity has been rising—in 2023, solar panels generated enough energy to power 22 million homes, eight times more than in 2014. While that is impressive, solar still only produces roughly 4 percent of our nation’s total electricity. However, a recent development in anti-reflective coatings could improve solar efficiency and increase that percentage.
Author: Kelvey Vander Hart
Report: Repealing Electric Vehicle Tax Credits Would Save Taxpayers Hundreds of Billions
When the federal government introduced the electric vehicle tax credit in 2008, policymakers designed it as an infant industry credit.A new Institute for Energy Research report suggests that repealing IRA-specific EV subsidies could save taxpayers $300 billion over the next decade.
Can Seawater Solve Green Hydrogen’s Water Problem?
The problem? In addition to the high cost of production, green hydrogen uses a lot of water. How can we overcome this roadblock?
Advanced Recycling Could Improve Our Plastic Problem
This Earth Day, let’s explore one possible way to expand and improve our recycling system: the use of advanced or chemical recycling.
Could Incentives for Ranchers Protect Wildlife?
Wild animals intermingle with domesticated animals more than you would think. In the American West, cows frequently share grazing land with one animal: elk. However, ranchers often hesitate to let elk graze the same land as their herds. Now, an innovative new agriculture trust is opening up grazing land and easing ranchers’ worries through the power of voluntary incentives.
Nissan’s Alarm Innovation Could Save Human and Animal Lives
Collisions with wildlife are a massive problem for human welfare and the animals that roam our country’s wild spaces. And while solutions like wildlife crossings are undoubtedly effective at redirecting animals off roads, they come with very high price tags to build. Now, an automaker is trying a new tactic: developing an alarm that can startle animals off the road before a car drives through.
Can An Aging Grid System Work Harder?
Red tape has slowed down grid improvements for years, leaving us with a T&D network that needs to be modernized and expanded. Until we see widespread grid improvements, we must ask a necessary question: Can we get aging infrastructure to work harder?
Could Enhanced Geothermal Systems Help Solve Our Data Center Power Problem?
As data centers consume more power, energy solutions are necessary to meet increased energy demand while lowering carbon emissions. Expanded geothermal power might provide a solution that meets both these objectives.
SOLIS 109 Launches Digital Marketplace for Renewable and Sustainable Solutions
“SOLIS 109 is a first-of-its-kind marketplace connecting a broad range of individual, residential, and commercial consumers with renewable and sustainable products and services,” Burrington explained. “We have just launched our pilot website and mobile app and are now building a robust vendor base before launching to the public in the coming months.”
PERC Maps Wildfire Risk for Policymakers
Policymakers must recognize that wildfires are both an environmental and an economic problem and require common-sense solutions to address fire risk. A new tool may help them do just that.