Lifeboat Foundation

Researchers make the case for a semisolid electrochemical compound as a cost-efficient, grid-scale battery backup for wind and solar power.

Combining two forms of sustainable energy into one range-extending propulsion system, Swiss Sustainable Yachts’ clean, quiet catamaran promises to jumpstart a future in which the word “range” becomes obsolete. The 64-footer harnesses solar energy to create its own hydrogen, powering a fuel cell-electric drive to potentially limitless autonomy, so long as the sun is shining and the captain isn’t pushing past cruising speed. The Aquon One might prove the ultimate luxury smart yacht of the sustainable generation.

The Aquon One has a 134-hp fuel cell-powered electric engine in each hull. Swiss Sustainable Yachts (SSY) explains that it opts for hydrogen power because of its light weight as compared to batteries or fossil fuels, long-lasting storage capability and lack of harmful emissions. Also critical to the Aquon One design is hydrogen’s ability to be created sustainably, in this case using a solar-powered electrolyzer that splits hydrogen from desalinated seawater. The 689 square feet (64 sq m) of solar panels covering the Aquon One’s hard-top generate all the electricity needed to develop the hydrogen, which is then stored away in carbon tanks.

Continue reading “Swiss smart yacht points solar-hydrogen power toward ‘limitless’ range” »

And it could work in wearables and light aircraft.

Researchers at Stanford University are developing an efficient new solar panel material that is fifteen times thinner than paper, a press statement reveals.

Made using transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), the materials have the potential to absorb a higher level of sunlight than other solar materials at the same time as providing an incredibly lightweight alternative to silicon-based solar panels.

Continue reading “A New Flexible Solar Panel Material Is 15 Times Thinner Than Paper” »

Complex terrain and Yutu 2’s reliance on solar power limit driving speed.

China’s Yutu 2 lunar rover recently spotted something intriguing on the far side of the moon, but it’ll take the vehicle a few months to reach the object for a closer look.

Yutu 2 photographed a strangely cube-shaped rock last month, during the robot’s 36th lunar day of activities. The rover drive team estimates that the object, which has been dubbed the “mystery hut,” to be around 260 feet (80 meters) away. That doesn’t sound far, but it’ll take careful planning and effort by the Yutu 2 team to cover that distance safely.

And it offers limitless range.

Zurich-based Swiss Sustainable Yachts has unveiled its new luxurious yacht that is powered by not one but two sustainable fuels, solar and hydrogen. Dubbed Aquon One, the yacht has all the amenities that your heart can desire on a yacht and comes with zero guilt, the New Atlas reported.

Even as cars are going the electric way, maritime transportation is yet to see the same kind of enthusiasm. The first electric ship may have made its maiden voyage, however, the limited range offered by electric batteries is a major challenge that still needs to be overcome. The makers of Aquon One couldn’t agree more and therefore, have opted for a hydrogen fuel cell-powered electric propulsion than massive batteries.

Continue reading “A Luxurious Swiss Yacht Is Powered by Two Sustainable Fuels” »

Humans have been dreaming of living on the Moon, but what would that look like exactly?

Put simply, an outpost (or outposts) on the Moon could benefit humanity in numerous ways. It would allow for regular access to the lunar surface, enable vital research into low-gravity and its effects on terrestrial organisms, and shave billions off of the cost of missions destined for Mars and other locations in deep space.

Continue reading “The Logistics of Going ‘Interplanetary’: What Does It Take to Live on the Moon?” »

Engineers have made bendable solar cells from ultra thin semiconductors—which for all their elasticity still boast a power-per-weight ratio on par with established thin-film solar cells.

A new computational simulator can help predict whether changes to materials or design will improve performance in new photovoltaic cells.

In the ongoing race to develop ever-better materials and configurations for solar cells, there are many variables that can be adjusted to try to improve performance, including material type, thickness, and geometric arrangement. Developing new solar cells has generally been a tedious process of making small changes to one of these parameters at a time. While computational simulators have made it possible to evaluate such changes without having to actually build each new variation for testing, the process remains slow.

Now, researchers at MIT and Google Brain have developed a system that makes it possible not just to evaluate one proposed design at a time, but to provide information about which changes will provide the desired improvements. This could greatly increase the rate for the discovery of new, improved configurations.