Block Island, Rhode Island, became the first U.S. community powered by offshore wind on May 1, replacing a diesel plant that burned a million gallons annually. The project signals a shift toward cleaner energy and lower costs, with implications for the national grid.
Scientists in the Netherlands have developed a method to imprint solar panels with silicon nanopatterns that give them a green appearance while sacrificing only about 10 percent efficiency. The technique, described in Applied Physics Letters, could make solar panels more visually appealing for architects and homeowners, potentially expanding their adoption.
MIT researchers have designed a membrane that separates oxygen from carbon dioxide at high temperatures, yielding carbon monoxide that can be used as fuel or chemical feedstock. The system could help power plants reduce emissions while creating a revenue stream. The next steps involve scaling up oxygen flow and integrating the membrane into reactors.
Stanford researchers developed a sodium-based battery that stores energy comparable to lithium-ion at under 80% of the cost, using abundant materials like sodium and myo-inositol. This innovation could lower financial barriers to renewable energy adoption, though volumetric density remains a challenge.
In Kuujjuaq, Nunavik, a solar panel pilot project saved over 400 liters of diesel in its first two months, producing 1,100 kWh of electricity. The $560,000 initiative, managed by Makivik Corporation, aims to gather year-round data on solar viability in harsh Arctic conditions. Early results suggest renewables could reduce reliance on expensive diesel across remote Indigenous communities.
China has activated the world's largest floating solar farm on a lake formed in a former coal mine in Anhui province, generating 40 megawatts to power 15,000 homes. The project highlights China's rapid solar expansion and its broader effort to shift away from coal, though the country still faces significant challenges in reducing its carbon footprint.
China has announced the discovery of a new lunar mineral, Changesite-(Y), found in samples from its Chang'e-5 mission, and has approved three additional uncrewed Moon missions over the next decade. The mineral, which may contain helium-3, could be a future energy source, adding to the ongoing space race with the U.S. and Russia.
Researchers at Virginia Tech have identified a 230-million-year-old amphibian fossil, naming it Funcusvermis gilmorei after a 1972 funk song. The discovery fills a long gap in caecilian ancestry, linking early amphibians to frogs and salamanders. The fossil was found in Arizona's Petrified Forest National Park.
Scientists have identified four new shark species capable of walking on land using their fins, bringing the total known walking sharks to nine. The research, published in Marine and Freshwater Research, highlights their unique ability to survive low-oxygen environments and traverse tide pools, though experts confirm they pose no threat to humans.
The White House's proposed 2018 budget would reduce EPA funding by roughly 25%, cut its workforce by 3,000, and slash research and enforcement programs. Critics, including former EPA chief Gina McCarthy, warn the cuts would undermine public health protections. The proposal faces an uncertain path in Congress.
