The new design mates an aluminum electrode with an indium tin oxide electrode layered with PTFE, a material with a “quasi-permanent” electric charge. When a drop hits the PTFE/tin surface, it bridges the two electrodes and creates a closed-loop circuit. That helps fully release any stored charges. The technology could handle sustained rainfall, too. If there are continuous drops, the charge accumulates and eventually hits a saturation point.

There’s still work to be done to translate this to a practical product. A brief burst of energy is easy — accumulating enough of it for continuous power is another matter. Still, the potential uses are easy to see You could apply generators like this to the surface of anything where rain (or other water splashes) is likely to strike. Building rooftops could offset at least some of the electricity use from the people below, while electric boats could extend their range. It could even be used to power connected devices that regularly get wet, like umbrellas and water bottles.

According to the analysis, from July through September, renewables generated 29.5 terawatt hours (TWh) while fossil fuels generated 29.1 TWh. As Gizmodo points out, a 0.4 TWh may sound small but it represents the electricity used by hundreds of thousands of customers. For context, in the third quarter of 2009, the UK generated twice as much electricity from fossil fuels (60.4 TWh) and only 5.7 TWh from renewables.

Of the energy produced last quarter, 20 percent came from wind, 12 percent from biomass (which isn’t a perfect source) and six percent from solar. Wind power got a boost from farms like the Hornsea One, East Anglia One and Walney Extension. In the first half of 2019, Scotland generated enough wind energy to power its homes twice, and it’s working to build a massive battery to store some of its excess wind power. While solar is understandably less productive in the UK, the country is still looking for ways to put it to use for things like a solar-powered rail line.

The analysis doesn’t touch on the fact that most of the UK’s carbon emissions come from its transportation sector. The country has pledged to make improvements there, too. It previously committed to banning the sale of fossil fuel cars by 2040. While the findings from the analysis represent an important milestone and an encouraging trend, there’s still plenty of work to do in the UK and beyond.

If you feel like you need the company’s help, input the code “POWERRELIEF19” into the Lyft app. You can access the part of the app where you add promo codes by tapping the three lines icon located at the top left of the interface, and then tapping on the “Promos” section. Lyft says the code is valid for two rides up to $15 each. The company is also working with United Way and 211 to provide free evacuations to individuals with specific needs.

The outreach is part of Lyft’s Wheels For All initiative, which has seen the company offer similar help during natural disasters like Hurricane Dorian.

Why cut the power?

It’s become evident that overhead power lines are to blame for some of California’s worst wildfires. Sparks from those power lines have ignited some of the largest and most deadly fires in recent history, including the Camp Fire in Paradise, California.

As the state enters peak wildfire season, officials are keeping a close eye on local weather conditions. With low humidity and high winds forecasted, the National Weather Service has issued red-flag fire danger warnings in parts of the state. Taking a proactive approach, PG&E has decided to cut power in order to minimize fire risks.

When, where and for how long?

As of this morning, more than 500,000 PG&E customers are without power. The outages will roll out throughout the day, and they’re expected to impact 34 counties. A full list can be found on the PG&E website.

The company says the outages could last several days, possibly extending until next Tuesday. The utility plans to begin restoring power beginning Thursday, but technicians will have to carefully inspect the lines and repair damage before power is restored. That process can’t begin until the winds have died down, and it could take several days.

What does this mean for Californians?

According to The New York Times, the primary mass transit systems in the San Francisco Bay Area — BART and Caltrain — plan to remain open. Some schools in San Jose and Oakland have closed, and the University of California, Berkeley, canceled classes today. Police officers have been called in to direct traffic, and shoppers are wiping shelves clean of batteries, water and other supplies.

Tesla issued warnings to its EV customers to charge their batteries fully ahead of the outages, and its PowerWall home battery packs are running Storm Watch to store excess power before the lines go down.

PG&E has set up 30 facilities with the essentials: bottled water and outlets to charge electronic devices.

What does PG&E have to say?

“The safety of our customers and the communities we serve is our most important responsibility, which is why PG&E has decided to turn power off to customers during this widespread, severe wind event. We understand the effects this event will have on our customers and appreciate the public’s patience as we do what is necessary to keep our communities safe and reduce the risk of wildfire,” said Michael Lewis, PG&E’s senior vice president of Electric Operations.

For more info, PG&E customers can visit pge.com/psps and update their contact info to receive automated alerts via calls, texts and email.

Is this the new norm?

PG&E has come under intense scrutiny for its role in past wildfires. The company filed bankruptcy in January due to tens of billions of dollars in wildfire liabilities. Its $30 billion recovery plan includes proactively removing trees, brush and debris around electrical wires and increased use of “grid de-energization” — that is, outages like this one.

So, in short, yes, planned “Public Safety Power Shutoffs” will likely become a more common occurrence for Californians. For that reason, some are calling for electric utilities to bury power lines, but that would be a massive, costly and lengthy process.

Not surprisingly, Abu Dhabi is keen to tout the environmental benefits. It estimates that Noor Abu Dhabi’s 3.2 million panels provide enough power for 90,000 people, and will lower CO2 emissions by 1 million metric tonnes (984,206 imperial tons). That’s the equivalent of pulling 200,000 cars off the roads, according to the emirate.

It’s hard to deny that the UAE is using the solar farm as a publicity tool. Although it should have a tangible effect on emissions, the reality is that the UAE is still heavily reliant on oil. It recently talked about cutting oil production to balance the market, not to shy away from fossil fuels. It remains an important development, though, and you can expect other record-setting solar projects before long. Emirates Water and Electric has early plans for a 2GW solar project, and Saudi Arabia has a basic agreement for 2.6GW of solar power in Mecca. The region is quickly becoming kinder to the planet, even if it’s not ready to ditch its most prized resource just yet.