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Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskidsus@theconversation.com. Why aren’t there solar-powered cars? – Emma, age 16, Springville, Utah Solar cars exist. The best place to see them is the World Solar Challenge, a race that’s held every two years in Australia. Competitors have to drive about 1,870 miles (3,000 kilometers), from Darwin on the country’s north coast to Adelaide on its south coast, using only energy from the Sun. Many cars that compete in this race ...... Read Full article on HadNews

During the most recent total solar eclipse visible in the U.S., on Aug. 21, 2017, the skies darkened as the Moon crossed in front of the Sun. It blocked out all sunlight – except for that from a golden ring visible around the Moon’s shape, called the corona. Not surprisingly, solar power generation across North America plummeted for several hours, from the first moment the Moon began to obscure the Sun to when the Sun’s disk was clear again. On April 8, 2024, another total solar eclipse will track across the U.S., causing perhaps an even greater loss of solar power generation. Although this will be the second total solar eclipse visib...... Read Full article on HadNews

In a breakthrough that paved the way for unlimited carbon-free energy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) engineers successfully tested a novel high-temperature superconducting magnet capable of generating a world-record 20-tesla magnetic field strength, a crucial milestone for enabling practical fusion power plants. Nearly three years after achieving this test, MIT researchers have now published a comprehensive analysis validating their record-smashing superconducting magnet technology, a key step toward commercial reactors that could provide unlimited clean power “Overnight, it basically changed the cost per watt of a fusion...... Read Full article on HadNews

Can a Simple Brick Be the Next Great Battery? | John O'Donnell | TED In the TED talk "Can a Simple Brick Be the Next Great Battery?" John O'Donnell presents an inspiring perspective on the potential of using bricks as a revolutionary solution for cutting down carbon emissions. He starts by addressing the significance of fire in our lives, particularly in industrial production, which is known to be a major contributor to fossil fuel use and carbon emissions globally. O'Donnell emphasizes the need to decarbonize our industries without deindustrializing, and introduces the concept of electrified industrial heat as a solution to this challe...... Read Full article on HadNews