One day, snowboarders may be able to charge down the slopes while charging their batteries with a solar panel equipped snowboard. The snowboard will be equipped with a pair of solar panels fitted to the board's shape and connected to a converter in the center of the board. The board's two rechargeable batteries will be able to power smartphones and music devices, taking advantage of the bright sun on snowy mountain slopes.

A new take on the transparent solar cell screen cover could bring solar powered screens to the market sooner than anticipated. The new, lower tech method will involve alternating stripes of thin-film solar cells with transparent film and then adding a layer of tiny lenses. The layer of lenses will help to spread the image on the screen, causing the stripes to become invisible while also concentrating the sun's rays. The technology could extend the battery life of a mobile...

A hybrid solar system could help increase the efficiency and eco-friendliness of natural gas power plants while also creating a synthetic fuel for vehicles. The system will feature a parabolic mirror that will focus sunlight on a small chemical reactor lined with narrow channels containing natural gas. A catalyst will break down the molecules of the sunlight-warmed gas to create a mixture of carbon dioxide and hydrogen called syngas (synthesis gas). The waste heat from this...

The generator will be designed to capitalize on the energy potential available both in the winds above the ocean, and in the currents flowing beneath the waves. The device will use an omnidirectional wind turbine sitting 47 meters above the sea on one end of a vertical shaft, with a different type of omnidirectional turbine design, a 15 meter diameter, spinning at the other end under the surface. The floating unit is supposed to be stable and self-righting, thanks to a...