Researchers at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) have discovered a new method to increase the efficiency of solar cells by a factor of 1,000. The team of scientists achieved this breakthrough by creating crystalline layers of barium titanate, strontium titanate, and calcium titanate, which were alternately placed on top of one another in a lattice structure.

Their findings, which could revolutionize the solar energy industry, were recently published in the journal Science Advances.

"Even under the most unfavourable assumptions, we did not find a significant increase in noise levels from multiple heat pumps. The cumulative noise impact of multiple ASHP installations in a high-density neighbourhood would not typically be distinguishable from that of a nearby single air source heat pump installed within MCS guidelines."

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.dbzer0.com/post/25985192

This isn't yet a viable technology, even in the lab, but I thought it was interesting enough to share, and definitely screams solarpunk if it became viable in the future after much more research and development.

cross-posted from: https://rss.ponder.cat/post/10432

There are a handful of states that are doing a great job crafting solar policy that makes it affordable and accessible for homeowners and renters alike to go solar. No state has created the perfect set of legislative conditions that make it easier or cheaper for residents to install solar panels, but these are the states that have the best solar incentives right now.

I'll note that aggregate system cost still benefits significantly from including wind and other non-solar sources of energy; having a mix of different intermittent sources (and some firm generation such as geothermal) means less storage is needed.

Louisiana’s major electric utilities are still pushing state regulators to allow them to charge customers for the costs of a new statewide energy efficiency program and for the electricity customers will no longer need because of that program.

While the idea might seem like a straightforward solution to cut back on waste, utility company executives aren’t very happy with it. In general, utility companies earn more profit when homes and businesses waste electricity. Less waste leads to lower electric bills, which could mean lower profits for the utilities.

Entergy Louisiana and Cleco vehemently opposed the idea and successfully delayed its adoption for years. A consultant the commission hired to write the basic guidelines for the program spent 13 years and over a half-million dollars trying to appease utility companies with agreeable rules.

Fed up with the delays, Commissioner Craig Greene, R-Baton Rouge, ended the stalemate in January and joined with the two Democrats on the commission in adopting what they say is a more consumer-friendly program than the one the utilities wanted.

It's fantastic that everyone here is sharing articles and information. What I really, really want to figure out is how to adapt my home both for efficiency and alternative energy sources. I know that people will suggest that we add more insulation to our house, add a ground-source heat pump, and so on... These are all great ideas, but I'm trying to put them all together and it always seems to require a bespoke solution. Of course every situation and geographical location are different. But there should still be a standard for a household system, that can: accommodate solar panels and wind generators, batteries (a little, or a lot), and connection to the grid (or not). Ontario, Canada had a generous Feed In Tariff (FIT) program that paid generous amounts for energy fed into the grid by residential solar. I was not in a position to take advantage of this AND I wanted the option to first charge local batteries before selling the surplus to the grid. We need better off-the-shelf solutions for people that want to power their homes with renewables while remaining connected to the grid without each person needing to explore individual solutions.

Does anyone know about the environmental impact of these? I sometimes hear about boat propellers hurting wildlife, so what about these?

I’m almost an 11h drive from the nearest coast, so this is not an area of knowledge I am well versed in haha.