Water-filled windows use sunlight to heat and cool buildings
British startup Water-Filled Glass has developed panes of glass filled with water that use sunlight to power a "crazy" energy-saving heating and cooling system. More
-
Solar panels to cover all large car parks in France under new mandate
The French Senate has approved a bill requiring all large parking lots across France to be topped with solar canopies in the next six years, which are predicted to generate as much energy as 10 nuclear reactors. More
Solar Pavilion at Dutch Design Week showcased in Dezeen video
Designer Marjan van Aubel has collaborated with Dutch architecture studio V8 Architects to create a pavilion topped with multicoloured solar panels, which Dezeen has captured in the third and final video in a series of Instagram reels for Dutch Design Week. More
Solar Pavilion is a canopy topped with 380 colourful solar panels
Multicoloured solar panels act like roof tiles on top of the Solar Pavilion, a gathering space at this year's Dutch Design Week created by local firm V8 Architects and design practice Marjan van Aubel Studio. More
Solar Metal Smelter uses giant magnifying glass to melt metal
As part of the Design Academy Eindhoven student show at Dutch Design Week, graduate Jelle Seegers has presented a smelting machine with an oversized magnifying glass that focuses the sun's heat to melt metal more sustainably. More
Lund University students design solar-powered lights to reduce our reliance on the grid
As part of Dutch Design Week, students from Lund University are presenting a collection of wireless off-grid lighting systems designed to showcase the benefits of solar power in different settings from street food stalls to refugee camps. More
Alberto Kalach designs monumental hotel entirely powered by solar energy
Mexican studio Taller de Arquitectura X has designed Hotel Terrestre, a sprawling series of villas in the coastal city of Puerto Escondido, Mexico, that runs on solar power. More
Boudewijn Buitenhek builds solar coffee-making tools for life without mains power
Dutch designer Boudewijn Buitenhek has built his own solar-powered kettle and coffee-bean roaster, in an experiment that saw him live in an apartment without mains gas or electric for a week. More
Agrivoltaic solar farms offer "shocking" benefits beyond producing energy
Next-gen solar parks that enable energy and food production as well as water conservation to work in synergy on the same plot can help to solve solar's growing land-use issue, according to the researchers making them a reality. More
NASA space mission to demonstrate "very high velocity" solar-sail technology
The sun will power a key part of NASA's upcoming Artemis 1 mission via a solar sail developed by Alabama company NeXolve to fly a craft into deep space without needing fuel. More
The challenges facing the Solar Revolution
As the sun begins to set on our series exploring the enormous potential of solar power, Dezeen looks at some of the barriers to achieving a Solar Revolution. More
GOAA uses prefabricated panels to create naturally ventilated school in Brazil
Brazilian studio Gusmão Otero Arquitetos Associados has completed a campus for the Pequeno Príncipe School on the outskirts of the city of Ribeirão Preto using concrete and prefabricated panels. More
Solar-harvesting Ecacia by Samuel Wilkinson mimics trees of African savannahs
London-based designer Samuel Wilkinson has created a prototype of a tree-like structure called Ecacia that harvests solar energy while providing a public place to shelter during very hot weather. More
Solar Protocol network explores the potential of a solar-powered internet
Internet traffic is controlled by the "logic of the sun" in Solar Protocol, a solar-powered network whose creators argue for digital design within planetary limits. More
Departamento del Distrito turns telecom mast into solar-power tower
Mexican design office Departamento del Distrito has created a totem equipped with solar power that produces light, plays music, measures the weather and cools down the air on a Mexico City rooftop. More
Solar Energy Kiosk by Cream on Chrome serves orange juice made using solar power
Dutch design studio Cream on Chrome has created the Solar Energy Kiosk, which uses sun rays to make orange juice as a way of demonstrating how much solar power is needed to complete simple tasks like squeezing fruit. More
The Dezeen guide to solar power
This Dezeen guide to solar power, which forms part of our Solar Revolution series, explains the different types of photovoltaics from the well-established to the more experimental. More
Solar power's potential limited unless "you do everything perfectly" says solar scientist
The sun offers an endless source of energy but solar technology is being held back by manufacturing limitations, says Dutch scientist and professor Wim C Sinke in this interview. More
Solar power could "become embedded like a second skin in our everyday life" says Daan Roosegaarde
Social and technological changes could spark a new era of solar power making it commonplace in the everyday, argues Dutch designer Daan Roosegaarde. More
Ubiquitous Energy aims to make transparent solar windows a global standard
US company Ubiquitous Energy has invented a thin coating that turns windows into transparent solar panels, providing other ways to harvest renewable energy in buildings beyond rooftop panels. More