Scientists find a way to boost solar efficiency to 80 percent
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Solar is already one of the cheapest forms on the planet, and this makes it a slam dunk. Interested in the Exponential Future? Connect, download a free E-Book, watch a keynote, or browse my blog. I’m just going to say it right here right now – solar will win...
New material could generate an infinite amount of energy from the coldness of space
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Earth has an energy shortage, apparently, and now we have yet another way to produce infinite clean energy forever. Interested in the future and want to experience even more?! eXplore More. The obvious drawback of solar panels, despite the continuous sound of efficiency records being...
JAXA and Toyota team up to create a Moon buggy with a 10,000km range
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF It’s a question of when, not if, we go back to and live on the Moon, and we’ll need transportation… Interested in the future and want to experience even more?! eXplore More. As more nation states, space agencies and billionaires, like China and NASA, Elon...
BIG unveil Oceanix their floating city concept backed by the UN
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF As the Earth’s population grows, and as climate change threatens to displace hundreds of millions of people the UN are now seriously considering building floating cities. Interested in the future and want to experience even more?! eXplore More. In the future it’s not just NASA...
Toyota’s zero emission hydrogen trucks start hauling cargo in California
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Hydrogen powered and Lithium Ion battery powered electric vehicles have been battling for dominance for years, and now fuel cell technology is starting to hit the roads for real. Interested in the future and want to experience even more?! eXplore More. It’s been two...
First of a kind material lets solar panels generate electricity from snow
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF As our knowledge of materials and how they behave improves we can generate electricity from almost anything. Scientists have announced that they’ve developed a first of its kind material that generates electricity from nothing other than, wait for it… snow. Based upon the principles...
Scientists create a liquid fuel that can store the Sun’s energy for 18 years
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF As the number of solar energy installations increase storing the energy they produce, so it can be released to the grid when the Sun goes in, is still holding the industry back from world domination. Recently renewable energy became the cheapest form of energy...
All new UK homes will be off the gas grid by 2025 says UK government
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF As countries try to hit their emissions targets fossil fuels are under fire, now the UK government is calling time on domestic gas supplies. Connecting new homes to the UK’s gas grid could be banned after 2025 as the UK government, just like many...
China reveals plans to build a space based solar power plant by 2025
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Being able to collect solar energy in space and beam it back down to base stations on Earth is a very efficient way to harvest it, and we have the technology. Let’s face it humanity uses a lot of energy, and while solar power here on...
Shooting lasers at drones helps DARPA keep them airborne forever
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF As more companies field drones one of their biggest hurdles is keeping them airborne for long periods of time, DARPA’s latest program hopes to solve that. DARPA, the bleeding edge research arm of the US Military that’s bought and bringing you everything from conscious robots and autonomous...
Google X spins off its molten salt grid scale storage business
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Renewable energy sources only generate electricity when the sun shines or the wind blows, so companies have to find a way to store it so it can be used in times of scarcity. One of the biggest problems with renewable energy is that when...
Futurist Keynote, Germany: Life in 2030, RWE
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF A lot has changed in the last ten years, and even more will change in the next ten. Are you ready? Firstly, a big thank you to Kathrin and the team for inviting me to be the keynote at this years RWE Leadership meeting...
Hyundai unveils the worlds first car with a solar power panoramic roof
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF In the future electric cars won’t solely be reliant on Lithium Ion batteries, as battery technology and new materials evolve we’ll see the emergence of battery-less electric vehicles. If you ever watch one of my keynotes on the Future of Transportation, like the one...
Record breaking solar powered aircraft stays aloft for 26 days straight
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF The aviation industry is one of the world’s biggest polluters so companies around the world are trying to find new ways to power aircraft. Recently I talked about SolarStratos, a company that’s looking to produce “the world’s first commercial solar aircraft,” and a couple...
Second hand electric vehicle batteries help Engie accelerate renewable energy uptake
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Renewable energy is clean and green, but when the sun goes down and the wind drops energy output falls, which means sustainable renewable energy needs grid scale battery storage to support it. Multinational energy utility Engie has launched a new grid connected storage project...
Bangkok residents cut out the energy companies and trade energy over the blockchain
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF As the number of small renewable energy installations around the world grow individual communities are increasingly cutting out the energy companies and trading energy directly with one another. Residents in a Bangkok neighbourhood in Thailand are trying out a new blockchain based peer to...
Breakthrough solar charged battery could revolutionise the solar industry
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Despite solar power’s increasing popularity until now customers it’s been difficult and expensive for customers to store the excess energy from their solar panels to use later, meaning they often still have to be attached to the energy grid. Recently we passed the 1...
California replaces three coal fired power stations with battery systems
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Grid scale energy storage is now a viable economic alternative to coal fired power stations designed to top up the grid during peak demands. Grid scale energy storage is going to get a big boost after California officials, who also recently announced that Los...
World’s first digital teacher starts work teaching kids about energy
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF AI, avatars and bots will play an increasingly central role in the future of education, and Will is the first teacher of his kind. It’s back to school time for millions of children around the world and you know what that means – it’s...
Scientists produce smart windows that generate their own electricity
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF The use of glass is increasing around the world and scientists are trying to find new ways to enhance its properties. Recently we saw new research that lets windows turn into mirrors at the flick of a switch, and now researchers from the Institute...
