logo
episode-header-image
Aug 2023
25m 24s

Surprising solar

Bbc World Service
About this episode

The fast growth of solar power is a success story in the fight against climate change. However, in some countries progress is being stymied by opposition to large solar farms in the countryside.

But enterprising people are trying to keep the solar momentum going, by finding less obvious places where we can harness energy from the sun - like lakes, farms, car parks, office windows and even outer space.

Presenter: Myra Anubi Reporter: William Kremer Series Producer: Tom Colls Sound mix: Hal Haines Editor: Penny Murphy

email: peoplefixingtheworld@bbc.co.uk

Image: Floating solar (Credit: Ocean Sun)

Up next
Jul 8
Cutting food waste
Food waste is one of the biggest environmental and economic challenges we face — and much of it happens long before the food reaches our plates. In this episode, we meet the people working to tackle the problem in different ways. We hear about the smart sensors which could help c ... Show More
23m 26s
Jul 1
The traffic lights tackling poverty
Despite a lot of progress in the last few decades, more than a billion people still live in acute poverty, according to the UN. Many don’t have access to basic needs like food, water, shelter and clothing. We look at an innovative project in Paraguay where people identify their o ... Show More
23m 17s
Jun 24
What to do with stray animals
How the numbers of stray dogs - and feral pigeons - can be kept down kindly in urban areas. From street dogs to feral pigeons, many towns and cities are having to deal with exploding bird and animal populations which can pose risks to health and safety. This week we take a look a ... Show More
23m 23s
Recommended Episodes
Oct 2022
Are home solar panels the solution?
Home solar – putting panels on your roof or side of your house, used be something fairly unusual. However, rising energy costs means that people are increasingly looking for alternatives.Presenter Rick Kelsey explores why the trend for solar panels is happening across Europe – an ... Show More
18m 51s
May 2016
The Solar Coaster: Troubles at Yingli Solar and the Flatlining Global PV Market
This year, GTM Research is forecasting that 66 gigawatts of PV capacity will be installed around the world -- a 21 percent increase over last year. But next year, capacity will only expand by 4 percent. In fact, without some of the top markets like India, America and China, the g ... Show More
52m 44s
Jun 2022
The emerging market for energy storage
Oil and gas prices have risen sharply after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and as a result many countries have signalled a move towards more renewable energy. One of the challenges for the future will be how to store energy produced by wind and solar power so it can be used at the ... Show More
17m 29s
Feb 2024
When The Sun Erupts
We are at the height of the Sun's activity in its eleven year cycle, known to astronomers as the solar maximum. This means that over the next several months there's going to be a lot of solar activity. It's got us thinking back to 1859. That's when astronomer Richard Carrington w ... Show More
12m 15s
Jul 2014
What Was He Smoking? How a Solar Pioneer’s Big Dreams Came True
Today, solar’s dominance feels inevitable. But in 1979, when Neville Williams started promoting the industry at the Department of Energy, it felt like a far-off dream. That didn’t stop the early pioneers from thinking big and pushing the government to invest in the early technolo ... Show More
42m 47s
Dec 2023
Audio long read: A new kind of solar cell is coming — is it the future of green energy?
Perovskites are cheap, abundant photovoltaic materials that some have hailed as the future of green energy.Around the world, companies are layering perovskites on top of traditional silicon to develop so-called tandem solar cells that some think could deliver at least 20% more po ... Show More
23m 37s
Feb 2024
The Solar-Powered Scammer
When Jeff Carpoff starts a business making portable solar generators, it becomes an instant hit among big corporations, Hollywood studios, and deep-pocketed investors. They think they’re getting a good deal on green energy – and a huge tax credit to go along with it. But Jeff’s c ... Show More
42m 55s
Oct 2013
TechStuff Shines Light on Solar Panels
How are scientists improving solar panel efficiency? What do moth eyes have to do with solar panels? How long until solar panels are cheap enough for the average homeowner? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for pri ... Show More
47m 9s
May 2016
The Sun King of China
Meet Huang Ming, the Chinese inventor who describes himself as, 'the number one crazy solar guy in the world'.One of the prize exhibits of his museum in northern China is a vintage solar panel. It's a water heater, installed by President Jimmy Carter on the roof of the West Wing ... Show More
27m 25s
May 2020
The Future of Green Energy
As the world looks to reduce dependence on fossil fuels, there’s hope in the growing renewable energy market. In this episode of Heat of the Moment, Daniel Schrag, the director of Harvard University’s Center for the Environment, speaks to host John Sutter about the benefits of re ... Show More
30m 33s