Solar panels are a double-edged sword. On one hand, they’re a great way to get clean electricity. Unlike fossil fuels, sun power isn’t radically altering our climate, and we won’t be staring down the barrel of a “peak sun” problem for at least another 5 billion years. On the other hand, they are relatively expensive … Continue reading
Which location do you think is better prepared for the transition to clean energy: the wealthy, green-minded city of San Francisco, or the poor, rural villages of East Africa? If you picked the African villages, believe it or not, you’re on to something. An incredibly innovative startup called Off.grid:Electric has spent two years working to … Continue reading
Ah, Christmas lists: the classic childhood tradition of filling a page with all the cool toys you don’t have, then mailing it off to a rotund stranger in a distant land. Well, wishlists aren’t just for kids – here’s one that will satisfy future enthusiasts of any age. Send it to your clueless aunt who … Continue reading
Everything these days needs a battery. Phones, cars, pacemakers, solar panels. They all need portable electricity storage, but because of the different sizes, shapes and functions, they each need a specially designed battery. What if there was some kind of flexible, modular power storage that could be made to fit any shape? Enter the paintable … Continue reading
Three times a week, I go to the gym on my way home from work. And three times a week, I ask myself the same question: isn’t this a waste? I don’t mean the exercise. A longer lifespan, plus reduced risk of Alzheimer‘s and cancer, is all the justification I need. No, I’m talking about … Continue reading
Since my day job is at a non-profit with tight budgets, it’s not often it introduces me to new technology. But thanks to a mid-October workshop hosted by our international department, I had the chance to get hands-on experience with a remarkable innovation: it’s a deceptively simple device, yet it has the potential to lift … Continue reading
Cosmic Revolutions 