Electricity

The Mystery of the Continuously Functioning Battery From 1840

A battery at the University of Oxford has been incessantly ringing two bells for 175 years—but no one knows exactly why it’s lasted so long

Gogoro is releasing an electric Smartscooter, a lithium-ion battery pack and a charging station at the Consumer Electronics Show this week in Las Vegas.

Will Electric Scooters Take Over the World’s Mega Cities?

A well-funded startup called Gogoro unveils its e-scooter and a plan to install ATM-like battery stations in urban areas

Tesla's New Car Can Go From Boston to Baltimore on a Single Charge

One charge can carry the Tesla Roadster up to 400 miles

Just add water. The Zephyr has an electrolyzer on board that uses nine liters of water to produce hydrogen to inflate.

A Photovoltaic Balloon Could Bring Electricity to Disaster Zones

Moored to a base with batteries, the Zephyr collects enough solar energy to power 15 relief tents and a telecommunications network

NASA is using nighttime pictures of Earth to track energy use during cultural holidays.

NASA Can See Your Holiday Lights From Space

Scientists can use holiday lights during Christmas and Rammadan as a proxy for overall energy use in urban areas

Like Underwater Jedi, Electric Eels Can Remotely Control Other Fish

Electric eels can shock prey into both revealing their positions and freezing in place

This year, the Solar Cloth Company unveiled the world's first solar fabric tensile structure parking lot in Cambridge, UK.

A Football Stadium Covered in This Solar Cloth Could Power a Small Town

Perry Carroll, founder of the Solar Cloth Company, has integrated super-thin photovoltaics into flexible fabric

One hour of walk time with a pair of EnSoles, designed by Hahna Alexander (inset), provides 2.5 hours of talk time on a smartphone.

Generating Power One Step At a Time

The Pittsburgh-based startup SolePower is developing an insole that collects kinetic energy as you walk to power your mobile phone

A system in testing off the coast of Cape Town uses an electric field to safely ward off predators.

An Electric Fence Wards Off Sharks

South Africa has begun testing a humane way to make its beaches safer

This is how you build the world's first solar bike path.

A Bike Path Near Amsterdam Is Now Generating Solar Power

As cyclists ride above, solar panels embedded in the pathway pump energy into the power grid

"Today we can use light to create an artificial sun on Earth, if only for a split-second," writes Steven Johnson. Here, Vaughn Draggoo examines a test site for light-induced nuclear fusion at the National Ignition Facility in Livermore, California.

The World Is What It Is Today Because of These Six Innovations

In a new book, Steven Johnson describes the many technologies that glass, refrigeration and other fundamental inventions have made possible

With ambient-light and motion sensors onboard, the Alba bulb will know when it should turn on—and just how bright it should be.

This Smart Lightbulb Adjusts To You

Armed with motion and ambient light sensors, Stack's Alba bulb learns and follows your patterns

Google hosts its fourth-annual science fair. Shown here, the 2013 winners.

Google Thinks These 18 Teenagers Will Change the World

The global finalists of this year’s Google Science Fair take on cyberbullying countermeasures, tar sands cleanup and wearable tech

The E-Fan 2.0 completes a demonstration flight at the Farnborough International Airshow.

Airbus Demos A Near-Silent, Zero-Emission Plane

The E-Fan 2.0 is the first step on the road to all-electric and hybrid flight

Chicago Is Trying to Blackout-Proof Its Downtown

Chicago is installing a cable that will prevent blackouts, at least within the Loop

This Bench in Boston Will Charge Your Phone While It Collects Environmental Data

These solar-powered benches aren't just made for sitting

The Baker river, one of the Patagonian waterways that would have been blocked by proposed dams.

Chile Sides With Environmentalists and Communities, Rejects $8 Billion Dam Proposal

Environmentalists are calling the decision "a land-mark"

WiTricity's “resonance inductive coupling" technology allows devices to receive energy wirelessly across long distances.

No Outlet, No Problem: This New Technology Could Power Your Gadgets Wirelessly

A startup says its innovative system can deliver power to devices up to 7 feet away

This Flashlight Is Powered by the Touch of Your Hand

A high school student has invented an LED device that uses body heat to light up

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Do You Live Within 50 Miles of a Nuclear Power Plant?

A new interactive map tells you exactly how far you live from a nuclear reactor

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