Episode Details
Back to EpisodesWeekly Solarpunk, of 08 May: African Farm Solar, Low-Tech Cooling Systems, Balcony Solar Bill, Perovskite Tandem Efficiency
Description
Weekly Solarpunk for 08 May follows 6 future-facing stories and member reactions, including African Farm Solar, Low-Tech Cooling Systems, Balcony Solar Bill, Perovskite Tandem Efficiency.
1. African Farm Solar
This story is about a video claiming that solar power is increasingly taking over on African farms. According to filmmaker Gano Did It, the linked video presents solar as a practical energy shift for large agricultural operations, but the post itself offers no added detail, so the claim remains lightly evidenced in the thread.
2. Low-Tech Cooling Systems
This story is about a reader recommending Low Tech Magazine as a useful source on simpler, lower-energy infrastructure, and pointing in particular to an article about a city-scale compressed-air network. According to Low Tech Magazine, that kind of system could use different stages of compression and expansion to provide heating and cooling while reducing dependence on electricity.
3. Balcony Solar Bill
New York State's Senate has unanimously approved the SUNNY Act, a bill that would legalize plug-in balcony solar so renters and other households can generate some of their own electricity. According to a New York State Senate press release, the measure is meant to lower energy bills, cut pollution, and widen access to small-scale solar, but it still needs Assembly approval.
4. Perovskite Tandem Efficiency
This story is about a new way to make perovskite tandem solar cells crystallize more evenly, which pushed certified efficiency to 30.3% in rigid devices and 28.0% in flexible ones. According to Tech Xplore, a team led by Prof. Ge Ziyi and Prof. Liu Chang at the Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering used a chemical-hardness-based additive strategy, reported in Nature Nanotechnology, to reduce defects and improve film uniformity.
5. Cheaper Hydrogen Catalyst
This story is about a new water-splitting catalyst that could make hydrogen cheaper by producing it at much lower temperatures than current thermochemical methods. According to researchers at the University of Birmingham led by Professor Yulong Ding, a barium, niobium, calcium, and iron perovskite produced hydrogen at roughly 150 to 500 degrees Celsius and could be regenerated at 700 to 1000 degrees, about 500 degrees lower than standard catalysts.
6. Fly-Based Fertilizer
A post this week argued that black soldier fly composting could become a practical fertilizer system and even a broader nutrient economy in parts of Africa. According to a Headwaters essay by Nolan Monaghan, fly larvae can turn food waste, manure, and crop residues into frass that has performed well in trials on maize, beans, broccoli, and other crops, while also reducing dependence on volatile synthetic fertilizer markets.
That's it for today.