solar

Desalination takes salt and other contaminants out of water. Now scientists are looking to take the prohibitive costs out of desalination.

“Researchers have come up with a solar-powered technique that could make small-scale desalination systems affordable, even for individual households. The approach is a new take on an old technology known as a solar still. These stills — large containers covered by clear plastic tarps or glass enclosures — direct sunlight onto a basin of salty water,” Science journal reported.

Europe’s biggest ever floating solar panel array is being installed on London’s Queen Elizabeth II reservoir as part of Thames Water’s ambitious bid to self-generate a third of its own energy by 2020. 

Just over 23,000 solar photovoltaic (PV) panels will be floated on the reservoir near Walton-on-Thames, utilising a normally redundant suburban space on the surface, following an agreement between Thames Water, Ennoviga Solar and Lightsource Renewable Energy.