A study of 230 electric vehicles found only 25% of charging happens during peak demand periods. Their patterns of use also mean spare battery capacity could be fed into the grid at these times.
Shifting to renewables means many more high voltage powerlines. But these powerlines are seeing strong pushback from farmers and rural communities. Are there any alternatives?
Making sense of what’s tripping the switch on South Africa’s electricity supply.
AJ Paulsen via GettyImages
If South Africa fails to implement the 2019 Integrated Resource Plan, it will lead to the demise of Eskom as an energy producer as users turn to alternative electricity sources.
Lake Powell’s water level has been falling amid a two-decade drought. The white ‘bathtub ring’ on the canyon walls marks the decline.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Joachim Seel, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; Bentham Paulos, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and Will Gorman, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
The largest category of power plants applying to connect to the US grid are now solar, and over a third of those are hybrids that include battery storage.
It’s evidence of political solidarity and a strengthening of ties between Ukraine and the EU.
Typical amounts of solar particles hitting the earth’s magnetosphere can be beautiful, but too much could be catastrophic.
Svein-Magne Tunli - tunliweb.no/Wikimedia
Every few centuries the sun blasts the Earth with a huge amount of high-energy particles. If it were to happen today, it would wreak havoc on technology.
The U.S. has thousands of lakes and reservoirs that could be paired for pumped hydro storage without the need for rivers.
Ollo via Getty Images
Andrew Blakers, Australian National University; Bin Lu, Australian National University, and Matthew Stocks, Australian National University
A team of researchers found 35,000 pairs of existing reservoirs, lakes and old mines in the US that could be turned into long-term energy storage – and they don’t need dams on rivers.
Integrating solar panels with farming can provide partial shade for plants.
Werner Slocum/NREL
Renewable energy is expanding at a record pace, but still not fast enough. Here are the key areas to watch for progress in bringing more wind and solar into the power grid in 2022.
Almost one in three Australian homes now have solar panels – but as even more solar systems are installed, we face a growing challenge of managing temporary solar shutdowns.
Developments in the energy sector shouldn’t be reduced to technological sophistication. They should be guided by how they improve the livelihoods of the intended beneficiaries.
Lead in pipes can contaminate the water supply, resulting in poisoning.
AP Photo/Julio Cortez
Australia has a lot of work to do to overcome the challenges facing electric vehicles users, starting with the lack of a comprehensive national charging network.
Lagos only gets about 10 percent of its electricity needs, leaving its 20 million inhabitants to their own devices.
Pius Utomi Ekpei/AFP via Getty Images
Researchers have made some of the most accurate clocks imaginable in recent years, but the trick is harnessing those clocks to electronics. Using lasers to tune microwaves bridges the gap.