solar power | architecture, design, and technology news and projects https://www.designboom.com/tag/solar-power/ designboom magazine | your first source for architecture, design & art news Thu, 24 Apr 2025 02:30:38 +0000 en-US hourly 1 BIG reaches final phase of ‘citywave’, marking milestone for milan’s largest solar roof https://www.designboom.com/architecture/big-bjarke-ingels-group-final-phase-citywave-milestone-milan-largest-solar-roof-04-11-2025/ https://www.designboom.com/architecture/big-bjarke-ingels-group-final-phase-citywave-milestone-milan-largest-solar-roof-04-11-2025/#respond Fri, 11 Apr 2025 09:40:55 +0000 thomai tsimpou I designboom https://www.designboom.com/?p=1126677

designboom was on-site to attend the historic topping-out ceremony, witnessing the breakthrough in sustainable architecture.

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toyota’s microcar FT-Me puts solar panel on the roof to power its battery without a charger https://www.designboom.com/technology/toyota-microcar-ft-me-solar-panel-roof-power-battery-without-charger-03-15-2025/ https://www.designboom.com/technology/toyota-microcar-ft-me-solar-panel-roof-power-battery-without-charger-03-15-2025/#respond Sat, 15 Mar 2025 17:30:48 +0000 matthew burgos I designboom https://www.designboom.com/?p=1121536

this extra energy source can generate 20 to 30 kilometers of additional range per day.

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flexible solar cells for rooftops use plastic film filled with semiconductor to produce energy https://www.designboom.com/technology/flexible-solar-cells-rooftops-surfaces-plastic-film-mineral-produce-energy-03-06-2025/ https://www.designboom.com/technology/flexible-solar-cells-rooftops-surfaces-plastic-film-mineral-produce-energy-03-06-2025/#respond Thu, 06 Mar 2025 11:30:07 +0000 matthew burgos I designboom https://www.designboom.com/?p=1119668

researchers fill the film with perovskite, a semiconductor material that converts light into electricity.

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aptera completes real-world test of its solar electric vehicle in the mojave desert https://www.designboom.com/technology/aptera-completes-real-world-test-solar-electric-vehicle-mojave-desert-03-04-2025/ https://www.designboom.com/technology/aptera-completes-real-world-test-solar-electric-vehicle-mojave-desert-03-04-2025/#respond Tue, 04 Mar 2025 22:30:14 +0000 matthew burgos I designboom https://www.designboom.com/?p=1119297

after this phase, the engineers plan to conduct a few more rigorous tests before moving to the vehicle’s production stage.

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airstream’s first fully electric travel trailer ‘basecamp Xe’ runs on solar power and batteries https://www.designboom.com/technology/airstream-first-fully-electric-travel-trailer-basecamp-xe-solar-power-batteries-03-04-2025/ https://www.designboom.com/technology/airstream-first-fully-electric-travel-trailer-basecamp-xe-solar-power-batteries-03-04-2025/#respond Tue, 04 Mar 2025 11:10:10 +0000 matthew burgos I designboom https://www.designboom.com/?p=1119182

suitable for off-grid camping, the mobile unit comes with a 3,000-watt inverter that generates electricity to all outlets.

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lenovo’s solar-powered yoga PC charges itself by generating energy directly from the sun https://www.designboom.com/technology/lenovo-solar-powered-yoga-pc-charges-itself-mwc-2025-03-03-2025/ https://www.designboom.com/technology/lenovo-solar-powered-yoga-pc-charges-itself-mwc-2025-03-03-2025/#respond Mon, 03 Mar 2025 10:30:25 +0000 matthew burgos I designboom https://www.designboom.com/?p=1119041

at the back of the device lie several solar cells, which harvest and convert the sun’s energy to power up the device.

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china to build kilometer-wide solar power stations in space that transfer energy to earth https://www.designboom.com/technology/china-build-solar-power-stations-space-transfer-energy-sun-earth-02-12-2025/ https://www.designboom.com/technology/china-build-solar-power-stations-space-transfer-energy-sun-earth-02-12-2025/#respond Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:20:21 +0000 matthew burgos I designboom https://www.designboom.com/?p=1115729

dubbed the ‘three gorges dam’ of space, the country plans to install a 1-kilometer-wide solar array along the geostationary orbit.

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aptera brings production-ready solar electric car with three wheels to CES 2025 https://www.designboom.com/technology/aptera-production-ready-solar-electric-car-three-wheels-ces-2025-01-14-2025/ https://www.designboom.com/technology/aptera-production-ready-solar-electric-car-three-wheels-ces-2025-01-14-2025/#respond Mon, 13 Jan 2025 23:01:48 +0000 matthew burgos I designboom https://www.designboom.com/?p=1110356

before the reveal, the company has already completed drive tests for the vehicle, as well as its durability check in pininfarina’s wind tunnel.

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zaha hadid architects to design zhejiang‘s cao’e river culture and art center in shaoxing, china https://www.designboom.com/architecture/zaha-hadid-architects-design-zhejiang-caoe-river-culture-art-center-shaoxing-china-12-23-2024/ https://www.designboom.com/architecture/zaha-hadid-architects-design-zhejiang-caoe-river-culture-art-center-shaoxing-china-12-23-2024/#respond Mon, 23 Dec 2024 14:30:02 +0000 matthew burgos I designboom https://www.designboom.com/?p=1108339

set to host productions of opera, dance, and drama, the architecture includes a 1,400-seater grand theater and a 500-seat black-box multifunctional hall.

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lightship’s AE.1 cosmos has a button that expands and elevates the aero-electric travel trailer https://www.designboom.com/technology/lightship-ae-1-cosmos-button-expands-elevates-aero-electric-travel-trailer-12-17-2024/ https://www.designboom.com/technology/lightship-ae-1-cosmos-button-expands-elevates-aero-electric-travel-trailer-12-17-2024/#respond Tue, 17 Dec 2024 11:00:39 +0000 matthew burgos I designboom https://www.designboom.com/?p=1107401

aside from the button, the trailer has three ‘lookout’ cameras so it’s easier for the driver to park, reverse, and navigate tight spaces (or see who’s knocking at the door).

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