Solar Energy

Solar panels installed in rural Tanzania by Acumen investee Devergygy (Photo COURTESY OF ACUMEN INVESTMENT, DEVERGY) A Vanderbilt engineering graduate is leading Acumen’s efforts to provide citizens of developing countries access to energy with low-cost home solar projects. “Around the world, 1.1 billion people live without energy access. One in seven… Read More

Berries really do pack extra punch – increasing the voltage of spinach-derived biohybrid solar cells developed by Vanderbilt researchers by up to a factor of 20. The interdisciplinary team discovered that combining a natural dye from blackberries with photosynthetic proteins extracted from spinach leaves creates a device that can produce… Read More

Miles Barr (Photo courtesy MIT Technology Review) Anyone who’s stared helplessly at a dead smartphone, its charger sitting at home on a bedside table, can appreciate the mind of Miles Barr. The Vanderbilt engineering alum and founder of Redwood City-based Ubiquitous Energy developed a transparent film that… Read More

A highly-recognized solar energy leader who is developing transparent films that, when applied to any piece of glass or plastic, absorbs light and converts it to electricity, will deliver the School of Engineering’s Chambers Family Entrepreneurial Lectureship Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2016. Miles Barr Miles Barr is founder and CEO of… Read More

  (iStock) Since 2007, California has had one of the most aggressive incentive programs in the country for putting solar-electric panels on the rooftops of homes and businesses. Its $2.2 billion California Solar Initiative (CSI) has provided a per-watt rebate for installing residential and commercial photovoltaic systems. Read More

From left, Ryan Dick, Thomas Hardy and Nick Honkala assemble a model of Harmony House to be shown at a student research presentation. The breathtaking winner of last year’s Solar Decathlon was an ultramodern, mostly wooden showplace with a minimalist vibe and series of white, lace-cut… Read More

Leslie describes how she’s putting her civil engineering degree to work in this YouTube video. You can explore and engineer clean energy, too Vanderbilt alumna Leslie Labruto’s early career trajectory illustrates just how many ways a young civil environmental engineer can accommodate both her heart’s leaning and her tangible… Read More