The following post summarizes the author’s Chapter 7 of Let It Shine: The 6,000-Year Story of Solar Energy. Alarmed by the prodigious amount of coal consumed as the industrial revolution moved forward ...

When he wasn't designing warships, John Ericsson was dreaming up solar technology. The Swedish American inventor, credited with the screw propeller and the first ironclad vessel in the U.S. Navy, ...

Howe Industries has submitted a design for a solar-powered steam rocket engine for propelling CubeSats to the National Science Foundation (NSF). With only two moving parts, the ThermaSat engine uses a ...

(Nanowerk Spotlight) Steam is important for desalination, hygiene systems, and sterilization; and in remote areas where the sun is the only source of energy, being able to generate steam with solar ...

A new material structure generates steam by soaking up the sun. The structure -- a layer of graphite flakes and an underlying carbon foam -- is a porous, insulating material structure that floats on ...

Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You can 3D print plenty of things these days, from candy to a model ...

The introduction of several advanced, efficient, and more robust power options over the years has largely overshadowed steam engine technology. However, it was a revolutionary technology that, upon ...

Solar irradiation is a promising source of renewable energy, as the hourly incident solar flux on the surface of the earth is greater than annual global energy consumption 1. Efficient harvesting of ...

Ever since the beginning of human civilization, we have looked toward the sun to nurture us. We have basked in its rays, ascribed metaphysical meaning to it, and in recent centuries we have harnessed ...

The solar-driven generation of water steam at 100 °C under one sun normally requires the use of optical concentrators to provide the necessary energy flux. Now, thermal concentration is used to raise ...

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Technology tends to have a way of becoming smaller as it evolves. The ever-convenient microchip and lithium-ion battery serve in tandem as the brains of so many devices today, and their sleek and ...