In 1978, Schaeffer founded Real Goods Solar in Hopland, California, one of the nation's first solar energy companies, and his solar panels power the home. A large array of solar photovoltaic panels line
The design pays homage to the Japanese spirit of Wabi Sabi in its sophisticated but luxurious simplicity, at the same time that it completely ingratiates itself to the high altitude mountain setting.
Photo via Shutterstock The future of solar power is about to get a little brighter with new developments in black silicon, a material that can absorb almost the entire spectrum of light - including
The clients are a sporty family that also enjoy hosting a lot of parties. They also love the sun, even though there isn't much of that in Russia. So Kostelov used sustainably-sourced timber to create a
Image by NPR Science Friday Inventors Shawn Frayne and Alex Hornstein are looking to revolutionize the business of small-scale solar panels with The Solar Pocket Factory, a backyard photovoltaic panel
The Phoenix House is a solar home designed to be an outpost for living off the grid. Designed by architect Robert Augustine, the Phoenix House is set in the intensely hot, dry climate of the desert
Solar thermal devices with complex and beautiful designs like this one are cooking food, drying coffee and generating electricity in developing countries. To avoid the cost of large parabolic mirrors,
If there's one constant among the vast majority of solar panel designs, it's flatness; while solar panels can be equipped to tilt to follow the sun's path through the course of the day, there are still
Despite conservative attempts to stem sea level rise, the fact remains that unchecked climate change will result in a marked increase in ocean levels. This sea level rise puts millions of lives and homes
Villa Sera is a futuristic, self-sustained structure that harnesses its power from solar panels, collects rainwater and uses graywater for plants. Designed by Design Nobis, the home features steel and
Do you dream of flying through the ocean waves, sun in your hair and the spray of the surf in your face? Too bad boats are big, expensive, and require dirty fossil fuels. Surfing is an off-grid way to
One of South Africa's most celebrated architecture studios has designed a High Line Park for Cape Town. Winning the Re-Imagine Cape Town design competition with this bold proposal, Tsai Design envisions
Utilizing the combined power of a couple of efficient photovoltaic panels and bicycles employed as dynamos, the Ciclalab team provided the crowds with music and entertainment all weekend. Both the panels
Electric vehicle company Tesla has unveiled six solar-powered rapid Superchargers in California that will provide Model S owners with a free charge! As reported by Katie Fehrenbacher at GigaOm, Tesla CEO
Massimiliano and Doriana Fuksas originally won the rights to design France's newest public building through the 2007 Région Languedoc-Roussillon architecture design competition. Their awe-inspiring
The Islas Office Building is located in Samedan between the Inn River and Kantonal Road. Mierta & Kurt Lazzarini Architekten took inspiration for the building's facade from the nearby riverbed and the
Researchers will use the house to test energy-efficiency technologies and alternative energy systems. NIST Director Patrick Gallagher believes that the facility will “allow development of new design
SPS-ALPHA This margarita glass-shaped space setup is nicknamed, SPS-ALPHA - which is short for Solar Power Satellite via Arbitrarily Large PHased Array. It consists of a large array of thin-film
Designed by the Technical University of Denmark, the Plus Energy FOLD House is a versatile modular home that can be configured in a variety of different ways depending on how its site is laid
The solar energy designers at Rawlemon have created a spherical, sun-tracking glass globe that is able to concentrate sunlight (and moonlight) up to 10,000 times. The company claims that its ß.torics
Team Inhabitat is currently on-scene in Madrid to bring you coverage of all 19 Solar Decathlon Europe Teams as their sun-powered projects compete to be the world's most efficient solar home. Stay tuned
SolarWorld and PC-Aero's Elektra One Solar Plane harnesses energy from the sun to help it fly with zero-emissions. We covered the maiden flight of the solar plane in the past, and Elektra One just debuted
It seems that taking amazing pictures of Earth from space is no longer a task solely for NASA and astronauts on board the International Space Station. A 19-year old teenager in the UK has managed to take
The rooftop PV array will provide the house with all anticipated electrical energy requirements. Half of these panels are positioned on four sliding plinths. This is intended for use on hot days, so the
Urban Green Energy (UGE) today announced their newest alternative to power hungry outdoor lighting: the Sanya Streetlamp [pdf] is a standalone, off-grid street light that uses solar power, wind energy, or
The one story, 60 square-meter house draws a lot of inspiration from traditional Japanese tea houses, but attempts to overcome past efficiency problems by using vacuum insulated wall, ceiling and window
The world's deserts receive a tremendous amount of solar exposure - in fact, it's estimated that if just 0.3% of the Saharan Desert was used for a concentrating solar plant, it would produce enough energy
The final design submitted to competition will link four different modules to the central patio which is enclosed in glass and a faux-vine effect. This is designed to give a natural feel while creating
Everyone knows that Popeye got his strength from spinach, but a team of researchers at Vanderbilt University believe we harness certain properties from spinach in order to generate electricity. The team
A few days ago, we reported how the Wave Glider—a self-propelled, solar and wave-powered robot designed by Liquid Robotics—had been deployed to track great white sharks in the Pacific Ocean. Now word
