Posted on: August 22, 2023 Posted by: Natalie M. Brownell Comments: 0

California Is About to Test Its First Solar Canals

The evidence is mounting that the Western United States is now in the worst megadrought for at least 1200 years. Groundwater resources are being over-pumped in many areas and the drought of wildfires and shrinking water sources have made climate changes very personal to millions of Americans. As an Engineer, I am working with my colleagues on ways to conserve water sources and increase renewable energy to save the environment. We’re calling it the solar-canal method, and…

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Posted on: August 22, 2023 Posted by: Natalie M. Brownell Comments: 0

Captained by A.I., This New ‘Mayflower’ Will Cross the Atlantic This Spring

1620 on September 6th, 1620, the Mayflower began its voyage 1620 from Plymouth, England, bearing around 102 passengers and 30 crew members. After a grueling 66 days through the North Atlantic and harsh winter, the remaining Pilgrims and the Mayflower team came across Wampanoag. Wampanoag were well-known to Europeans as kidnappers, traders, and plague agents. The Wampanoag resided in the area today in southeastern Massachusetts for more than a century, and the two communities…

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Posted on: August 22, 2023 Posted by: Natalie M. Brownell Comments: 0

Chili Pepper Compound Increases Solar Cell Efficiency

Recent research suggests that spicy solar cells perform better. Researchers experimented with solar cells using capsaicin, the chemical that produces the mouth-burning heat characteristic of chili peppers. According to Karina Shah in New Scientist, they also discovered that the cells were more efficient at converting solar energy into electricity. The research findings, released last month in Joule, apply to a new solar cell that uses perovskites that usually comprise lead-based materials.…

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Posted on: August 22, 2023 Posted by: Natalie M. Brownell Comments: 0

How to Set Up an Off-the-Grid Getaway

I don’t have huge plans for an ideal home at this point. I’m content with using the shack as a warm shelter for backcountry skiing nearby in winter months and as a place to write in solitude. With minimal expense and limited projects to complete, I’ve needed to learn how to create an off-grid environment work. What can I do to cook my food, control the waste I produce, keep…

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Posted on: August 22, 2023 Posted by: Natalie M. Brownell Comments: 0

A Tiny Island Off the Coast of Maine Could Be a Renewable Energy Model for the Rest of the World

The island lifestyle requires one to pioneer in all sorts of ways. For the more than 50 people who live there all year round, Isle au Haut, an island located off on the shores of Maine Innovation can appear like making use of PVC pipe to create curtain rods because there are no curtain rods in the vicinity — or appear to be the future of our nation’s electrical grid.…

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Posted on: August 22, 2023 Posted by: Natalie M. Brownell Comments: 0

Ten Trends That Will Shape Science in the 2020s

The decade 2010 was beginning. The private space program had started started to get off the ground. Google began rolling out personalized search results, and CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing was still in its early stages. At the time of its end, artificial intelligence was able to beat gamers in a variety of board games. SpaceX was the most popular name in the world, and human embryos genetically modified were a hot…

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Posted on: August 22, 2023 Posted by: Natalie M. Brownell Comments: 0

These Wild Sculptures Could Bring Sustainable Energy to the Desert

The average temperature within Abu Dhabi at this time of the year is around 100 degrees. This is why a lot of life in Abu Dhabi, the capital of The United Arab Emirates, revolves around indoor malls with cocoons that are made of cool air. Imagine strolling through an outdoor space under the shade of a canopy, with a cool breeze refreshing your body. When the day becomes night, the…

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Posted on: August 22, 2023 Posted by: Natalie M. Brownell Comments: 0

How Biology Inspires Future Technology

It’s similar to Alice in Wonderland. Kilobots, tiny robots with stick legs, gather and somehow organize themselves into configurations identical to ants. Artificial Robobee that is as big as honeybees, driven by solar cells, is set to ascend. It can function as a mini-drone to aid in rescue and search missions, conduct environmental mentorship, and even pollinate flowers. A bionic leaf can harness sunlight and store energy via artificial photosynthesis. Here are some…

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Posted on: August 22, 2023 Posted by: Natalie M. Brownell Comments: 0

For the First Time, Green Power Tops Coal Industry in Energy Production in April

Green energy is a slow-moving process across the United States; some politicians advocate for new investments in coal and federal subsidies for renewable power falling to half and conflict among local citizens stopping wind farms. Under the radar, solar, wind biomass, geothermal and hydropower projects are continuing steadily, to the point that in April, green energy hit the milestone. In the first instance in history, renewable energy produced more power than coal-powered power stations across the…

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Posted on: August 22, 2023 Posted by: Natalie M. Brownell Comments: 0

A Brief History of Solar Panels

Before the first Earth Day was celebrated on April 22, 1970, creating awareness of the environment and the need for environmental protection, Scientists made their first breakthroughs in solar energy. The process began in the hands of Edmond Becquerel, a young scientist in France who, in 1839, discovered and observed a phenomenon of photovoltaic— a method that produces an electric current or voltage when exposed to light or radiation. In the…

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