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Solar Power System Converts Waste Heat into Backup Energy
Confirmed
In Short: The waste heat generated by solar thermal systems can be harnessed for industrial processes and absorption cooling, providing an additional layer of utility and energy efficiency.
Concentrated solar, also known as solar thermal, is a straightforward technology that converts sunlight into heat, which can then be used to generate electricity.
During a recent spacewalk, astronauts successfully deployed a new solar array called the International Roll-Out Solar Array (IROSA), which stretches to a length of 60 feet.
The IROSA, weighing around 750 pounds when folded, is a significant challenge to handle during spacewalks, according to Garrett Hehn, a spacewalk flight director.
Solar thermal systems generate waste heat, which can reach temperatures of around 250°C, as noted by von Keszycki. This heat is considered a valuable resource that can be redirected for various applications.
One of the main advantages of integrating solar panels with energy storage systems is the ability to use solar power even when the sun is not shining, providing a reliable backup during outages.
Portable power stations have become more affordable, but larger home systems remain stable in value, offering a robust backup solution for those who frequently experience power outages.
The Atesh partisan movement claimed responsibility for a sabotage operation at a Russian semiconductor plant in Voronezh, which produces critical components for Russian missiles and air defense systems.
The plant in Voronezh produces integrated circuits, power switches, and power supply units for the onboard computers and navigation systems of Kh-101 missiles, among other components.
NASA awarded contracts worth $17.5 million to BAE Systems, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman to develop stabilizing technology for a new observatory.
Meta announced new AI-powered measures to combat child sexual exploitation on Facebook and Instagram, taking action against 5.3 million pieces of such content in India during the first half of 2026.
Scientists studying Earth's formation found that the best-fitting model requires at least 75% of the planet's rocky mass to come from two pebble-accreted bodies, with up to about 25% contributed by other planetesimals.
The waste heat generated by solar thermal systems can be harnessed for industrial processes and absorption cooling, providing an additional layer of utility and energy efficiency.
What this adds
The deployment of the IROSA marks a significant step in expanding the space station's power generation capabilities.
The waste heat from solar thermal systems can be redirected for various applications, potentially reducing the need for additional energy sources.
What's confirmed
- Concentrated solar, also known as solar thermal, is a straightforward technology that converts sunlight into heat, which can then be used to generate electricity.
- During a recent spacewalk, astronauts successfully deployed a new solar array called the International Roll-Out Solar Array (IROSA), which stretches to a length of 60 feet.
- The IROSA, weighing around 750 pounds when folded, is a significant challenge to handle during spacewalks, according to Garrett Hehn, a spacewalk flight director.
- Solar thermal systems generate waste heat, which can reach temperatures of around 250°C, as noted by von Keszycki. This heat is considered a valuable resource that can be redirected for various applications.
- One of the main advantages of integrating solar panels with energy storage systems is the ability to use solar power even when the sun is not shining, providing a reliable backup during outages.
- Portable power stations have become more affordable, but larger home systems remain stable in value, offering a robust backup solution for those who frequently experience power outages.
- The Atesh partisan movement claimed responsibility for a sabotage operation at a Russian semiconductor plant in Voronezh, which produces critical components for Russian missiles and air defense systems.
- The plant in Voronezh produces integrated circuits, power switches, and power supply units for the onboard computers and navigation systems of Kh-101 missiles, among other components.
- NASA awarded contracts worth $17.5 million to BAE Systems, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman to develop stabilizing technology for a new observatory.
- Meta announced new AI-powered measures to combat child sexual exploitation on Facebook and Instagram, taking action against 5.3 million pieces of such content in India during the first half of 2026.
- Scientists studying Earth's formation found that the best-fitting model requires at least 75% of the planet's rocky mass to come from two pebble-accreted bodies, with up to about 25% contributed by other planetesimals.
- The waste heat generated by solar thermal systems can be harnessed for industrial processes and absorption cooling, providing an additional layer of utility and energy efficiency.
What's still developing
- Four hours and 23 minutes after the spacewalk began, as the space station moved back into orbital daylight, Menon used a power tool to unbolt a final restraint, and the IROSA slowly unrolled, stretching out to its full length of 60 feet in about 10 minutes.
- While there are other types of solar technologies that exist (like thin-film cells ), the majority of photovoltaic solar panels available for installation are either monocrystalline or polycrystalline, and are made out of silicon.
- Article updated on January 28, 2026, 10:00 am EST As someone who experiences regular power outages due to storms and random occurrences, I’ve learned that having a backup plan for electric outages is essential for my home.
- During the mission's fourth flyby in September 2024, this instrument detected how particles from a solar eruption penetrated Mercury's magnetic field and impacted the surface.
- Another major investigation, carried out by the Solar Intensity X-ray and Particles Spectrometer (SIXS), is how solar charged particles and space storms impact Mercury.
- These cameras are run by a company called Flock Safety and this sabotage, which happened in late July, is a signal of growing concern over the nationwide spread of sophisticated AI-powered surveillance systems.
- They see the little black poles popping up in their neighbourhoods as visible reminders of state power, at a time when public confidence in institutions is historically low and many are concerned about the accelerating pace of technological change and the influence of AI on people's lives.
- Start powering your devices with it now by picking it up for $40.
- These days, power solutions aren’t just about capacity and speed.
- Two new studies are giving planetary scientists hope While we still don’t know if there’s extraterrestrial life out there, we do know the conditions for it exist, even in our own solar system.
- “Enceladus actually does a lot of the work for us in preparing samples for analysis that usually take a lot of effort in chemical labs on Earth,” study author Frank Postberg of the Freie Universität Berlin explained in a statement.
- The dating of lunar samples collected during the Apollo missions tells us that many of these impacts formed around 3.9 billion years ago, which was relatively early in the evolution of our 4.6 billion year old solar system.