NASA trials 3D printing electronics in low gravity in nod to future space colonies
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF When humans start inhabiting space they won’t be able to get everything shipped from Earth so things like food and electronics will have to somehow be made in space. Love the Exponential Future? Join our XPotential Community, future proof yourself with courses from XPotential University,...
No stopping solar after another record breakthrough smashes 32% efficiency
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF If solar is already the world’s cheapest form of energy what happens when the tech gets multiple times better?! Energy generation costs go to zero … Love the Exponential Future? Join our XPotential Community, future proof yourself with courses from XPotential University, read about exponential...
Stanfords new solar panels work at night and there’s more to come
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF We are told solar panels only generate electricity when it’s sunny, but for researchers around the world that hasn’t been true for years. Love the Exponential Future? Join our XPotential Community, future proof yourself with courses from XPotential University, read about exponential tech and trends, ...
Hydrofarms Dubai realises world first, uses Hydropanels to produce water from air
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Hydropanels are a new kind of solar panel that generate electricity and water – and they could be game changing. Love the Exponential Future? Join our XPotential Community, future proof yourself with courses from XPotential University, read about exponential tech and trends, connect, watch a keynote, or browse my...
This new shape shifting material responds to light
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Materials form the foundation of every product and thing in the universe, so the more kinds of materials we have the more possibilities we have. Love the Exponential Future? Join our XPotential Community, future proof yourself with courses from XPotential University, connect, watch a keynote, or browse my blog. The...
Staggering solar cell breakthrough converts light to electricity with 132 percent efficiency
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF The world needs to decarbonise the atmosphere and dramatically reduce carbon emissions, and innovations are coming thick and fast. Interested in the Exponential Future? Join our XPotential Community, future proof yourself with courses from our XPotential Academy, connect, watch a keynote, or browse my blog. Today’s solar panels are a measly...
Common element combinations could replace rare Earth metals in electronics
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Rare Earth metals are expensive, rare, and increasingly being used as a political pawn, so what if we didn’t need them any longer? Interested in the Exponential Future? Join our XPotential Community, connect, watch a keynote, or browse my blog. In the recent China-US trade war so called Rare Earth...
Researchers obliterate world record for solar cell efficiency, almost reach 50 percent
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Solar energy and renewable energy give the world a pathway to green, sustainable energy production, and the solar efficiency record just got obliterated. Interested in the Exponential Future? Connect, download a free E-Book, watch a keynote, or browse my blog. I’ve been pointing out for a couple of years...
Spray on solar panels and solar skins push green energy to the next level
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF As we find new ways to create new types of solar materials we can see a day when you won’t need to plug anything into an electricity grid. Interested in the Exponential Future? Connect, download a free E-Book, watch a keynote, or browse my blog. The amount of electricity...
Researchers just created the first solar panels that work at night
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Now when the Sun goes down now your solar panels can keep on generating electricity 24/7/365 no matter what. Interested in the Exponential Future? Connect, download a free E-Book, watch a keynote, or browse my blog. So far companies have installed over 1 trillion watts of renewables around the...
AI gets busy helping human scientists create the world’s first spray on solar panels
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Trying to find the right formulations to create new materials is a long and arduous process, so scientists are turning to AI to help them speed the process up. Interested in the Exponential Future? Connect, download a free E-Book, watch a keynote, or browse my blog. As we see...
Scientists created a new type of solar panel that produces electricity and clean water
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Water purification systems traditionally use huge amounts of energy, but now researchers have managed to re-purpose waste heat from solar panels instead to do the same job. Interested in the Exponential Future? Connect, download a free E-Book, watch a keynote, or browse my blog. A new device created by...
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...
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...
Solar panels made from cyborg bacteria promise even cheaper energy
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Cyborg bacteria could be used to replace today’s silicon solar panels with higher efficiency, lower cost panels that help accelerate the renewable energy revolution. Although most life on Earth relies upon photosynthesis as its sole source of energy, the process has a weak link...
Scientists set new solar panel efficiency record
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Solar power is now coming of age and every innovation, and every breakthrough only helps to accelerate its adoption. Turning sunlight, which is basically photons, into electricity, electrons, is a surprisingly tricky thing. While there have been experiments that have created solar arrays that can capture...
New solar panels generate electricity from rain
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF A new range of all weather solar panels could help further reduce the world’s reliance on fossil fuels and make renewable energy an even more attractive proposition. Solar panel technology has changed the way many people bring energy into their homes, but it’s always had...
