Eleven years ago today, more than 50 million people lost power during the great Northeast blackout – spreading total darkness from New York City to Ohio and up into Canada.
But out of this darkness shined a new “light” on our reliance on electricity and the need to explore alternative energy sources.
The Weizmann Institute was an early pioneer in this effort, and has focused on solar energy research for decades. More recently, in 2006, the Institute launched the Alternative Energy Research Initiative (AERI). And today, AERI scientists like Prof. David Cahen are making incredible progress in a number of technologies – including solar, wind, and biofuel.
The first scientific director of the AERI, Prof. Cahen studies ways to improve solar cells. He and his colleagues recently showed how something as simple as an inexpensive mirror can increase the power of sunlight in solar cells!
With a growing population, an increasing demand for energy worldwide, unpredictable oil prices and the environmental toll of fossil fuels, work like Prof. Cahen’s is absolutely essential in protecting us and our planet.
Learn more about groundbreaking alternative energy research at Weizmannhere.
