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ENERGY FROM THE SUN.

THE ENERGY REACHING THE EARTH EVERY TWO MINUTES FROM THE SUN, IS EQUIVALENT TO THE ANNUAL USAGE OF ENERGY FOR ALL HUMANITY, THAT IS, ALL ELECTRICITY, TRANSPORTATION, HEATING, INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION, FACTORIES, HOMES, OFFICES AND SO ON – ALL THAT ENERGY USED IS EQUIVALENT TO TWO MINUTES OF SUNLIGHT.


Wind Surpassed Nuclear Power Output in the US for the first time.


On March 29, 2022, wind became the second-largest source of daily electricity in the US, surpassing coal and nuclear for the first time on record. Just two weeks later, on April 12, 2022 wind power beat coal and nuclear again (but still trailing far behind natural gas). The twin milestones highlight the rise of renewable energy and the fall of coal in the US. The country’s combined wind and solar output doubled in the decade between 2008 and 2018, while coal electricity generation fell by more than half over the same period. Since March 2019, wind and solar output have nearly doubled again, according to data from the US Energy Information Administration. Wind power gusted ahead of coal and nuclear on March 29, 2022 and April 12, 2022 but on most days it remains the United States fourth-largest source of electricity. Yet wind is closing the gap. The US installed a record quantity of wind turbines in 2020, and analysts at S&P Global Market Intelligence expect the country to break new records for wind turbine installations in 2022. This added capacity has put wind within striking distance of coal and nuclear power in terms of daily output. On the windiest spring days, when wind output is typically highest, turbines now produce more power than coal and nuclear plants. But natural gas remains the dominant (and growing) energy source in the US, despite a US goal of net-zero emissions no later than 2050 (and carbon-free electricity by 2035). The US Energy Information Administration predicts renewables will still make up just 44% of the US energy mix by 2050, up from 21% in 2021. If the US net-zero targets are going to succeed, the country will need far more months like March 2022.

Self-healing solar panels may be the future of reliable clean energy

A material commonly used in solar panels has been found to repair itself when damaged - and scientists think this ability could be vital for the future of clean energy. The substance, called antimony selenide, is what’s known as a solar absorber material. This means it can be used to harness solar energy and convert this power into electricity. The team at the University of York, UK who made the discovery are now looking at how this technology could be used to create longer-lasting solar panels, which could potentially 'self-heal' when damaged. One of the biggest hindrances to progress in this type of technology is the reliability and longevity of cells. Currently, solar panels have an average lifespan of between 25 and 30 years, so developing a technology that can repair itself could be a crucial breakthrough. Antimony selenide’s surprising self-healing capability is similar to when a starfish or reptile regrows a limb after an accident, explains Professor Keith McKenna who led the research. "The process by which this semi-conducting material self-heals is rather like how a salamander is able to re-grow limbs when one is severed,” he says. “Antimony selenide repairs broken bonds created when it is cleaved by forming new ones. This ability is as unusual in the materials world as it is in the animal kingdom and has important implications for applications of these materials in optoelectronics and photochemistry. Researchers at GlobalData believe that space-based solar power (SBSP) could be the key to a total transition to green energy. SBSP involves using mirror-like reflectors, which are positioned on satellites moving around Earth’s orbit. These reflectors would concentrate the sun’s energy onto solar panels, allowing for power to be harnessed outside of daylight hours. At the moment solar panels collect power for an average of 29% of the day, but SBSP would mean they could be illuminated 99% of the time. For now, SBSP is purely conceptual, but scientists do believe it could be a reality soon. The US Naval Research Laboratory conducted its first test in this field in May 2019. Earlier this year scientists in South Korea created the first fully transparent solar panel, which could be a major step forward for domestic solar power usage. Traditionally, they are opaque because of the semiconductor layers within the cells, but researchers at Incheon University were able to use titanium dioxide and nickel oxide instead. Last year double-sided solar panels were developed for the first time too, which were found to be 35 % more effective.

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