MIT researchers say a hybrid solar-thermoelectric system they’re working on would provide a big advantage over conventional solar cells or solar thermal systems, particularly for household use: the ability to produce heat and electricity simultaneously. They propose accomplishing this mean feat through a clever reconfiguration of the standard parabolic trough.

There was the Super Nova 60, the world’s first carbon neutral megayacht. Then there was the 72-foot Emax Excalibur, which represented the first step in the maritime industry towards the production of post-carbon yachts. But forget about those – the folks at Sauter Carbon Offset Design and their building partners Ned Ship Group say the…