5 INITIATIVES UNDERWAY IN 2016
means increased interest in making solar better . The U . S . Department of Energy ( DoE ) launched the SunShot initiative in 2010 with the goal of making solar energy cost-competitive : five years in , the initiative has made significant strides forward and is funding further advancements . In March 2016 , the DoE assigned $ 18 million in funding to six projects across the country developing more scalable and cost-efficient solar energy storage technologies as part of its Grid Modernization Initiative ( a sector of the SunShot Initiative ).
Wind power at the next level Wherever there are wide open spaces , there are opportunities for wind power . It ’ s a rapidly growing field — wind power provides 4.2 percent of Australia ’ s overall electricity , and approximately 5 percent of energy needs in both Canada and the United States . But as those numbers aim to increase , engineers are searching for ways to maximize power generation in finite space .
One potential breakthrough is high altitude wind power , harnessing the more forceful winds of the upper atmosphere to generate energy . Startups like Altaeros Energies are experimenting with methods like turbines built into helium-filled industrial blimps , with the claim that these highaltitude methods could generate twice as much power compared to conventional wind turbines .
Advances in nuclear energy The thought of nuclear energy often gives consumers pause . But in fact , it ’ s much more common than
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