Alexander Balandin


A technology that gets a lot of hype–and federal US dollars–but produced only about 0.1% of the world’s electricity in 2010, solar has become the planting ground for young entrepreneurs hoping to make the technology more affordable and more attractive to consumers.

Some have devised unique financing plans, while others have simply attached panels to personal devices like motorcycles and boats. Keep reading →


About 1,000 times narrower than the width of an average human hair, nano materials may hold an ability far larger than their size.

Dr. Alexander Balandin, IEEE senior member and chair of the Materials Science and Engineering program at the University of California Riverside spoke with Breaking Energy about his groundbreaking research in the field that won him the 2011 IEEE Pioneer of Nanotechnology Award. His award-winning research results could have major implications for heat removal from computer chips and efficiency of solar photovoltaic panels. Keep reading →