The brightest ideas of 2008

From ideas that are bright because of their simplicity to ideas that are simply bright. Check out the best and the brightest from 2008.

The expression “reliable as the tides” is an expression for a reason. The tides are as reliable as sunrise and sunset.  Finding ways to harness this cheap, renewable, and predictable energy source definitely counts as a bright idea.

If the downside to biofuels is diverting crops from food production…well, then what about using crops that have no food value?  Research into cellulosic biofuels such as switch grass aims to give us the best of both worlds.

Of course, a review of the year’s brightest posts should include the one titled “A Bright Idea.”  MIT’s announcement of new storage capabilities for solar power definitely qualifies.

Hydrogen fuel cells are the bogeyman of renewable energy sources – often threatened, seldom seen.  It’s never been cost-effective or efficient enough to be practical, but researchers at Penn State have discovered it might just be possible – even if just eventually.