A solar panel the size of a book could soon power your entire home
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF A three fold increase in the energy efficiency of solar panels could revolutionise almost every industry on Earth. In our efforts to make solar panels even more efficient a team of scientists in the UK have found a way of funnelling the Sun’s power...
Jeff Bezos wants to colonise the Moon and move heavy industry off Earth
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF There are an increasing number of billionaires who believe heavy industry should be moved off of Earth and onto the Moon, and Bezos might be one to help make it a reality. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is convinced that one day “we are going...
Perfectly transparent solar concentrator turns every window into a solar panel
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF As more materials become capable of producing and storing their own energy companies will be able to wean themselves off fossil fuels faster, and develop innovative new products. Transparent solar cells and films that can be applied to any type of surface, even windows,...
Decentralised energy grids and renewables get a boost from Centrica
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Renewable energy, and decentralised micro and tied-storage grids, are transforming the way energy is produced, transmitted and sold, so Centrica is testing the waters to see whether or not blockchain could play a vital role in the future of energy. Blockchain is increasingly being...
Google reportedly mulls investing in a hypersonic tunnelling boring company
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF There is a race on to increase the speed of boring tunnels by at least ten fold, and if it can be achieved it will change the economics of energy generation and transportation. Google announced recently, quietly, very quietly, that it’s carrying out research...
Crazy thinkers suggest beaming solar energy from space to end energy poverty
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF In 2050 there will be 10 billion people on the planet who need energy, and while renewable energy will help reduce energy poverty some think solar energy beamed from space, or satellites, could also help. Infalling solar radiation constantly illuminates the Moon’s surface with...
MIT’s breakthrough battery makes electricity from thin air, literally
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF We still live in a world where many people live in energy poverty and inventions like this one could one day become an important part of the overall energy mix. Energy devices that can generate electricity from thin air are increasingly appearing in labs...
Researchers unveil self-charging fabrics that could power tomorrow’s Smart Clothes
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF As transistors and computing devices continue to shrink it is inevitable we’ll bake more computing power into our clothing, and all that extra compute will need some way to power it. Today, the majority of smart clothes we use to monitor a person’s vital...
Nanogenerator breakthrough generates electricity from the blood in your veins
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF As researchers continue to develop micro-machines and implanted medical devices that live within our bodies we might need to find new ways to power them. Humanity has been generating electricity from flowing water for millennia using everything from watermills to huge hydro-electric dams, but...
Futurist keynote, Paris: The Future of Sustainable Cities, ChangeNOW Summit
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF The effect that climate change and pollution is having on our society and wellbeing is well documented but it’s clear from this summit that for every problem we face there are hundreds of innovative solutions. Firstly, a big thanks to the wonderful team, lead...
Elon Musk beats his 100 day deadline to power up the world’s biggest battery
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF The world’s thirst for renewable energy is increasing, almost exponentially, and dips in supply have to be met from battery storage systems like these. Elon Musk started building a giant mega battery for the South Australian outback earlier this year with the aim of preventing the...
The renewable energy revolution starts at home, American’s are breaking new records
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Slowly but surely energy grids are modernising and decentralising, and homeowners are at the forefront of the shift, embracing renewable energy and new energy systems faster than ever before. Love the Exponential Future? Join our XPotential Community, future proof yourself with courses from XPotential University, connect, watch a keynote,...
Chip sized particle accelerators will make renewable energy even cheaper
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Renewable energy is taking over the world, with thousands of Gigawatts now installed around the world, and the price is plummeting, new records and new breakthroughs will only make the technology cheaper and that’s going to accelerate the switch from fossil to renewables happen even...
Dubai’s new solar energy park will be the world’s largest, but it’s no super volcano
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Renewable energy is the cheapest form of energy in over 58 countries and Dubai’s vision to create the world’s largest solar park is only going to help accelerate the demise of fossil fuels. Dubai is a country with its sights set on the future,...
Inside NASA’s plan to stop the next Yellowstone supervolcano eruption
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF One day a Supervolcano like Yellowstone will erupt, plunge the Earth into the next ice age and potentially wipe out much of life on Earth, but now NASA has a plan to stop it Nature is as awesome as it is destructive, and it’s...
Strong winds in Europe push renewable energy prices negative
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Renewable energy is the future, and as the technologies becomes more efficient, and as record amounts of new capacity come online they’re changing the economics of the energy industry leading some to question if oil prices will ever recover. Asides from being very hot,...
A green energy revolution in the making, electric plants bring light to homes
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Every day we’re finding new ways to power our planet, but what if the plants around us could power our devices and cities, would we be more inclined to live in harmony with nature? Forget wind power. Forget solar power. What if you could...
California smashes its renewables energy record
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Renewable energy still has a long way to go before it beats out fossil fuels completely but the momentum is gathering. Earlier this week the US state of California announced that on May 13th they smashed through a renewable energy milestone as its largest grid,...
Scientists have created the world’s first durable printed solar cell
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Being able to print stable, high efficiency solar cells could one day help companies produce low cost solar panels in volume that that will reduce the cost of solar power and speed up its global adoption. Renewables, especially solar power, is on a tear...
Futurist keynote, Dubai: The Future of Minds &Machines, Dubai IAICC International Innovation Conference
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Dubai is a city that was gifted nothing, and had to build and earn everything, and it was a great honour to speak there, in a place that is rapidly becoming the very embodiment of the future. Dubai Dubai so good they named it...
