5 Clean energy technologies that aren't electric cars

But scientists and engineers are working hard to bring us more sustainable ways to power our homes, cars, and devices.

Solar panels that work at night: These "anti"-solar panels would harness heat coming off Earth, by being pointed towards the relative cold of outer space. The heat transfer from Earth to space converts to energy.

See-through solar panels on your smartphone: Researchers developed a special kind of glass that could absorb visible light and redirect ultraviolet and infrared light to tiny solar panels embedded in the phone.

Energy-collecting-paint: Semiconductors made out of organic molecules can be dissolved into water. Once you’ve got a liquid semiconductor, it could potentially be used as a solar-energy-collecting paint.

Greener hydrogen: Creating hydrogen fuel uses fossil fuels, and that process emits CO2. Recently, scientists figured out a new way to obtain hydrogen from water by using a process that does not emit CO2 — a greener way to create a highly efficient fuel.

Better Batteries: Scientists are working on batteries that use sustainable organic molecules to store energy to replace the lithium-ion batteries that currently power our rechargeable electronics (including cars).