Solar Power

With most of Arizona in a state of moderate to extreme drought, the Gila River Indian Community and the US Army Corps of Engineers have signed a deal to begin a solar-over-canal project designed to cut down evaporation and boost solar efficiency.

Researchers have created a floating, solar-powered device that converts contaminated water or seawater into clean hydrogen fuel and drinking water. Because it works with any open water source, it could be used in resource-limited or remote places.

Canada's Diamond Schmidt and Dutch firm MVRDV are leading a project that riffs on nature to create an energy-efficient university building that will be arranged around a light-filled atrium likened to a fissure in a boulder.

For the second consecutive time, a team from Belgium has landed in first place in the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge, a competition that sees dozens of innovative solar vehicles race across the often punishing continent of Australia.

Keeping panels clear of dust in large solar farms can be a time-consuming, wasteful and costly business. A startup called the Reiwa Engine has developed an autonomous robot called SandStorm to reduce maintenance and cleaning costs by as much as 80%.

GridServe has partnered with Cornwall Services to install an Electric Super Hub in the heart of the popular tourist destination, which includes a solar canopy and a huge battery to support the grid supply to a dozen EV chargers.

According to a study by Astrostrom for ESA, future Moon bases could be powered by a giant space butterfly called the Greater Earth Lunar Power Station (GEO-LPS) covered with solar panels made from lunar materials beaming microwaves to the surface.

Levante upscales origami-inspired portable solar charging with systems that expand like wings to multiple times their packed size. With hundreds of watts of power, the units are an intriguing solution for RVing, sailing and off-grid homesteading.

CO2 emissions and plastic waste are two major environmental problems, but a Cambridge device may help tackle both at once. The team demonstrated a new version of their solar reactor, which uses sunlight to convert CO2 and plastic into useful chemicals.

Reaching far beyond cutesy paper sculptures, origami has underpinned some cutting-edge breakthroughs. Sego Innovations uses it to create the most packable solar charger around, with a panel that packs down to an eighth of its size in about a second.

Japan's N-Ark has revealed plans for an incredibly ambitious floating city that would host tourism, medical facilities, and even space rockets. Named Dogen City, the self-sufficient project would provide power, food and water for up to 40,000 people.

A Caltech team is celebrating the world's first space-based wireless power transmission, and the first time detectable levels of power have been beamed down to Earth. The Space Solar Power Project aims to unlock huge orbital clean energy resources.