Finnish companies Polar Night Energy and Vatajankoski have built the world's first operational "sand battery", which provides a low-cost and low-emissions way to store renewable energy. More about Finnish "sand battery" offers solution for renewable energy storage
In an effort to bring renewable energy to those who need it, Central Saint Martins design graduate Mireille Steinhage has invented a solar-powered blanket that is made from conductive yarn. More about Mireille Steinhage creates "affordable and sustainable" Solar Blanket
Dutch startup Lightyear has unveiled its Lightyear 0 electric car that has solar panels covering its roof, bonnet and boot so that it can be charged while driving. More about Lightyear launches "world's first production-ready" solar-powered car
Dutch architecture studio MVRDV has released plans for six skyscrapers called the Hills, which will be built in Ecuador as the studio's first South American project. More about MVRDV designs cluster of six interconnected skyscrapers in Ecuador
American architecture studio Gensler has completed the Fifth + Tillery office in Austin, Texas, which uses a canopy of photovoltaic panels to create shade for the plaza and roof terrace. More about Gensler uses solar-panel canopy to shade mass-timber Texas office
UK studio Zaha Hadid Architects has revealed its concept for the Oneiric solar-panel-covered yacht, developed with Italian shipyard Rossinavi. More about Zaha Hadid Architects designs sinuous solar-powered catamaran
A decorative exoskeleton that references the Bavarian flag will surround the Multifunctional Concert and Congress Center stadium, which architecture studio Populous is designing in Munich, Germany. More about Populous designs solar-powered arena as "landmark for Munich"
Architecture firm Perkins & Will has released designs for a three-building, low-income housing complex in Los Angeles that includes permanent supportive housing. More about Perkins & Will uses wind direction to shape LA low-income housing complex
A lush green wall and back-lit fibreglass panels are found on the exterior of an electrical substation extension that was designed by TEF Design to achieve net-zero energy consumption. More about TEF Design creates living wall for net-zero Larkin Street Substation in San Francisco
At a time of soaring energy bills and impending climate catastrophe, installing solar panels makes more sense than ever. But the market is rigged in favour of fossil fuels, writes Dezeen founder and editor-in-chief Marcus Fairs. More about "The solar revolution is underway, but one rooftop at a time"
Architect Marc Thorpe has unveiled renderings of a set of houses in Uganda that will be constructed almost entirely from bio-bricks made from local soil and feature solar-panelled roofs. More about Marc Thorpe designs Kampala houses made from local soil bricks
Strips of colourful photovoltaic cells are arranged into a geometric pattern to form this artwork, conceived by Dutch designer Marjan van Aubel to bring solar panels from our roofs into our homes. More about Marjan van Aubel turns solar cells into art with glow-in-the-dark tapestry
Architecture studio MVRDV has released visuals of Sun Rock, a self-sufficient office and operations facility it has designed in Taiwan for the government-owned power company Taipower. More about MVRDV designs photovoltaic-covered office for Taipower in Taiwan
Design and physics researchers at Finland's Aalto University have worked together to create clothing with concealed solar panels, making the technology invisible to the naked eye. More about Aalto University researchers create jacket with hidden solar panels
In an effort to make solar panels beautiful, Marjan van Aubel has created translucent, stained-glass-like photovoltaics, which have been unveiled as part of the Netherlands' pavilion at Dubai Expo 2020. More about Marjan van Aubel creates colourful solar panel skylight for Dubai Expo
Rotterdam's Het Nieuwe Instituut is set to host the first-ever Solar Biennale in 2022, which will see creatives and scientists collaborate across disciplines to envision a future where everything is solar-powered. More about Inaugural Solar Biennale aims to mobilise designers around the "solar revolution"
Dutch architecture studio MVRDV has released designs for a terraced office block clad in solar panels for Chinese agriculture development company Lankuaikei Agriculture Development. More about MVRDV unveils terraced LAD headquarters in Shanghai designed as "agricultural oasis"
VenhoevenCS, DS Landschapsarchitecten and Studio Solarix have designed the Butterfly Effect, a proposal to stretch a treetop-level web over a Dutch motorway to provide insects with cleaner air above roads. More about The Butterfly Effect is a bridge to help insects cross the road
Dezeen promotion: solar product and technology manufacturer Mitrex has unveiled a range of solar-integrated products for high-rise and residential buildings that "transform a building's shell into a self-sufficient power system," according to the brand. More about Mitrex's solar products allow buildings to produce energy "without compromising beauty"
Architecture graduate Henry Glogau has developed a distiller that purifies water using solar energy and can be assembled from cheap, readily available materials. More about Henry Glogau wins Lexus Design Award with Portable Solar Distiller for informal settlements