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EarthSolidarity!™ Initiatives are endeavors to which anyone can contribute in deed as well as in spirit, that
- minimize waste and environmental impacts
- increase community resilience
- respect and protect ecosystem processes and all forms of life
- contribute to good living conditions for everyone around the globe
- affirm and celebrate our interdependence and interrelatedness in the Web of Life!
KCM Knoxville Community Media Engagement Calendar
Knoxville Community Media (KCM)
KCM’s Community Engagement Calendar provides information about both, date-specific events and the regular programs & services provided by nonprofit organizations.
Many people still think it is necessary to have a TV cable connection to watch community TV programs. But that’s old history.
One does not even need to be in the City of Knoxville or anywhere near it, nor have a TV set anymore.
Natural 911: Knoxville Native Plant Rescue Squad whisks threatened plants to safety
Written by Thomas Fraser
Joy Grissom (left) and Gerry Moll pose for a photograph with their collection of rescued native plants at Knoxville Botanical Gardens. Photos by Anna Lawrence/Hellbender Press
Joy Grissom and Gerry Moll: Preserving East Tennessee’s natural heritage with shovels and wheelbarrows
If there’s a massive ecological disturbance in your neighborhood, who you gonna call?
The Knoxville Native Plant Rescue Squad, of course.
Joy Grissom and Gerry Moll spent the past six years identifying, digging, hauling and muscling native East Tennessee plants to salvation from construction, grading and logging sites.
The duo has saved thousands of plants and their communities from certain demise. They have plucked plants to safety from areas ranging from a 170-acre logging operation in Cocke County to relatively small commercial developments in Knox County.
- knoxville native plant rescue squad
- ecology
- habitat
- garden
- plant rescue
- tree rescue
- planting
- knoxville botanical garden and arboretum
- preservation
- east tennessee
- natural heritage
- knox county
- developer
- land owner
- contractor
- forever home
- farmers market
- salvage
- eastern band of cherokee indians
- knox county schools
EPA to announce stricter regulations on HFC emissions
NYT: EPA plans stricter regulation of HFC emissions
Hydrofluorocarbons were used on an industrial scale to replace ozone layer-destroying chlorofluorocarbons used in refrigeration, cooling and other applications, but they turned out to be a powerful driver of climate change. Scientists estimate HFCs are 1,000 times more potent than carbon dioxide in terms of their cimate-change role.
Oak Ridge National Laboratory scientists continue research into zero-emission refrigerant technologies.
According to Times reporting: “In proposing a new regulation, Michael S. Regan, the E.P.A. administrator, said the agency aimed to reduce the production and importation of hydrofluorocarbons, which are used in refrigeration and air-conditioning, in the United States by 85 percent over the next 15 years.”
It’s Epic: 7,500-acre Roan Mountain wild land donation largest in North Carolina history
CItizen Times: Roan Mountain donation will protect vast stretches of forest in Roan Highlands
Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney donated 7,500 acres to the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy, an area described by an Asheville Citizen-Times reporter as “A high-elevation hideaway for birds, bears and salamanders, a massive piece of Western North Carolina’s famous mountains left unmarred, and a refuge for rare species in the face of climate change...
“The property includes the largest American Chestnut restoration project in the country, extensive boulder fields, rich coves, old growth forests, six waterfalls, and a system of rare heath balds,” according to Citizen-Times reporter Karen Chavez.
The land area is at least equivalent to the size of some highland state parks.
Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon’s budget calls for $30m in environmental-improvement measures
Written by Thomas Fraser
Mayor wants green for green; some otherwise supportive city residents already aren’t pleased with some initiatives.
KNOXVILLE — Mayor Indya Kincannon’s proposed Knoxville 2020-2021 budget commits some $30 million to reduce city climate impacts, expand its use of renewable energy, invest in urban forest preservation and outdoor recreation assets and improve bus and bicycle travel in communities across the city. The budget also provides money for revitalization of the Burlington District, a historic pedestrian center of Black commerce in East Knoxville.
The city’s net budget is $384 million, which includes a $253 million operating fund.
The budget is just a recommendation to City Council at this point.
Nuclear energy update
Sep 13 Noon EST
Current Issues in the Nuclear Field
Richard H “Chip” Lagdon Jr.
Technical Society of Knoxville (TSK)
Zoom Webinar — Free and open to the public — advance registration required
Richard Lagdon is Professor of Practice in Nuclear Engineering at the University of Tennessee. He also is Engineering Manager, Systems Integration and Chief Engineer, Nuclear Operations & Safety with Bechtel National Inc. Reston, VA.
He will review the status of current projects for Natrium and VTR fast reactors, the challenges of advanced reactor licensing and how the development of the Nuclear Licensing Course NE486/586 at UT reckons with these challenges.
He has forty years of progressive nuclear experience managing projects, developing technical policy, interfacing with stakeholders and developing long range plans. He is an accomplished nuclear professional, practiced in engineering, emergency operations, plant startups and conduct of operations while supporting operational goals.
From working as Shift Test Engineer for the reactors of the nuclear Navy to developing life cycle maintenance plans for aircraft carriers, Captain Lagdon’s broad range of assignments over 30 years in the Navy Reserves, earned him the Leo Bilger award for outstanding leadership. The civilian side of his career included a decade as Chief of Nuclear Safety in the U.S. Department of Energy, where he lead nuclear construction reviews for projects totaling more than $15 billion.
While some hope that nuclear energy will end the climate crisis others point out that it will be too expensive and take too long to scale up while climate disasters grow exponentially. What most can agree upon is that the reliable output of existing nuclear plants remains indispensable for the foreseeable future and that maintaining their safety is paramount.
The webinar organized by the Technical Society of Knoxville, which provides Professional Development Hour confirmation to attending professional engineers, is hosted by the Foundation for Global Sustainability (FGS).
FGS facilitates educational events to inform the public and foster better understanding of complex environmental, social and economic issues that impact the resilience of communities and the natural life support systems of planet Earth. Views and opinions expressed by event organizers and participants do not necessarily reflect the views of FGS. FGS neither endorses any product or service mentioned nor warrants for accuracy, completeness or usability of the information.
Technical Society of Knoxville Centennial Celebration
Jun 14 6:30 p.m. EST
The Turning Point: Things were never the same after 1921, when technology was changing the city in several surprising ways
Jack Neely, Executive Director of the Knoxville History Project
Technical Society of Knoxville (TSK)
Charity Banquet at Crowne Plaza for the Charles Edward Ferris Engineering Endowments at University of Tennessee, Knoxville - the public is invited - RSVP by June 8
Ferris was the first Dean of UTK’s College of Engineering.
More details on the event, sponsorships, and reservations
The Technical Society of Knoxville was founded in 1921. It has met over 4,000 times to discuss the application of technology from early Knoxville’s coal smoke and traffic problems to present Knoxville’s transportation air pollution and the impact of electric car technologies.
ORNL scientists fan out to local schools and bring their research home during National Environmental Education Week
Written by Karen Dunlap
Students listen to a presentation from an Oak Ridge National Laboratory researcher during National Environmental Education Week. Courtesy Oak Ridge National LaboratoryScientists link research to students’ lives and communities
(Editor’s note: Karen Dunlap is a public information officer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory).
Esther Parish is one of eight Oak Ridge National Laboratory scientists talking to students in nine schools across East Tennessee as part of National Environmental Education Week.
On Monday, she spoke to Cathy Kimball’s fifth-grade class at Lenoir City Middle School.
The discussion covered renewable energy resources, science career paths and how climate change may affect East Tennessee.
Other ORNL scientists, including Debjani Singh, Liz Agee, Shelaine Curd, Spencer Washburn, Colleen Iversen, Keith Kline and Matthew Langholtz are participating in classroom events through April 30.
The national event is organized by the National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF), which celebrates environmental education.
“I think it is important to reach out to young people about environmental science because the choices that our society makes regarding renewable energy resource development and climate-change mitigation will have long-term effects on their environment, health and future quality of life,” Parish said. She is a member of ORNL’s Environmental Science Division and specializes in geography and landscape ecology.
Volunteers remove 15 tons of trash from Tennessee River
Written by Thomas Fraser
This photo provided by Ijams Nature Center is an example of the plethora of weird things removed from the Tennessee River and its tributaries during the annual River Rescue held March 27.
Mattresses, rocking horse and plastic shed among the stranger items retrieved from area waterways
Volunteers removed 31,000 pounds from the Tennessee River and its watersheds on March 27 during the 32nd annual Ijams River Rescue despite a storm system that dropped several inches of heavy rain on the area.
The rain dissuaded some of the 717 volunteers signed up for the river rescue, but nearly 500 people still joined together to collect trash from 32 sites. Their nasty haul included 919 bags of garbage and 82 tires, according to a release from Ijams Nature Center.
The heavy rain actually worked out somewhat in organizers’ favor, as debris and flotsam were flushed from tributaries into the main stem of the river.
“Heavy rain always means more trash because the rising waters wash everything downstream and into the Tennessee River,” Ijams Volunteer Coordinator Madelyn Collins said in the news release. “We are so appreciative to everyone who braved the storms and did the work while they could. It was amazing how much volunteers accomplished in such a short time.”
One lucky participant found a $50 bill; other unusual items removed from the river included a toilet, a recliner, mattresses, a rocking horse, plastic shed and a baby stroller.
“The takeaway from this year’s event—and every other cleanup this community does—is that we need to be more careful about how we dispose of trash and recyclables. If you don’t put it where it belongs, it ends up in our water.”
Tennessee Valley Authority; city of Knoxville Stormwater Engineering; Bio Plumbing, LLC; First Horizon Foundation; Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency; WestRock CP, LLC; Genera, Inc.; Knoxville TVA Employees Credit Union; Waste Connections of Tennessee Inc.; CAC AmeriCorps; and the Water Quality Forum sponsored, supported or participated in the annual cleanup.
Show your mother some love this Earth Day
There are lots of ways to show your affection for our planet on Thursday, which marks the 51st annual observance of Earth Day.
You can stay at home and plant a tree; donate to your favorite environmental charity; join a virtual event; or clean up your block.
Or, unlike last year, you can join other like-minded individuals at socially-distanced observances and trash cleanups, and even drink some beer and get in a good jog with a purpose.
Here's a sampling of Earth Day celebrations in East Tennessee, some of which will occur Thursday and some of which will stretch into the weekend. If you'd like to include an event, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
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Hellbender Press editor and publisher Thomas Fraser will join several featured speakers during the Narrow Ridge Earth Literacy Center Earth Day 2021 Celebration. The virtual event runs from 6-8 p.m. Thursday and will include poetry, music and networking opportunities. You can register here. You can also view the Narrow Ridge Earth Day celebration on its Facebook page.
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Infinite Light Center will host an Earth Day ceremony at First Creek Park in Old North Knoxville at 11 a.m. Thursday, followed by lunch and music. Attendees are asked to bring a musical instrument, folding chair, and an individual lunch. Participants can also bring personal items to include in a mandala made with natural objects found in the park.
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Knoxville skaters and others are invited to come out and clean up the area around the Tyson Park skatepark at 6 p.m. Thursday. A skate session will follow.
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Keep Knoxville Beautiful will host a fun run along Sutherland Avenue to clean up litter along the roadway beginning at 6 p.m. Thursday. Enjoy a brew from Albright Grove Brewing Company after the event.
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Seven Islands State Birding Park will offer a science program for home-school students from 1-3 p.m. Thursday. The program will include basic ecology lessons and crafts. Register here.
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The annual Running for the Bears 5k begins at at 10 p.m. Friday at Nantahala Outdoor Center in Gatlinburg. Proceeds from the race benefit Friends of the Smokies and black bear preservation efforts.
- Greensteps and WaterWays in Chattanooga will host a Citico Creek cleanup from 1 to 4 p.m. Thursday.
- Green Steps and North Chickamauga Creek Conservancy organized a cleanup of North Chickamauga Creek from 12 to 3 p.m. Saturday. There are a range of other Earth Day events in the Chattanooga area.
TDOT opens virtual-only Pellissippi Parkway extension comment period for two weeks
Written by Thomas Fraser
$20 million per mile: TDOT opens virtual-only comment on highly controversial roadway
The Tennessee Department of Transportation has opened a virtual-only public comment period for the controversial Pellissippi Parkway extension, which would slice through the remaining rural areas of Blount County and move urban expansion and increased traffic flow ever closer to the Great Smoky Mountains, one of the most biologically diverse areas on Earth.
The public comment period began April 15 and will last until April 25. The project has generated controversy and lawsuits for at least two decades, but TDOT decided the comment period should be held virtually for only two weeks because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The project encompasses about four miles and will cost nearly $100 million. Opponents of the parkway say the extension is a waste of money and will destroy rural landscapes and wildlife habitat and pollute aquatic resources.
Here's a link to a story about the Pellissippi Parkway extension published in February by Hellbender Press.
According to The Daily Times, which reported the public hearings on April 19:
“'The COVID-19 pandemic has forced the department to look for alternate ways to engage and interact with the public,' TDOT spokesman Mark Nagi said in a video introducing the presentation, framed as a somewhat awkward-to-navigate virtual reality room.”
“It includes a history of the project, a right of way acquisition process overview, a project design summary and a comments and questions section. A digitally generated flyover video of the planned extension shows intricate details of how the road may look once completed.”
According to the TDOT website:
“The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) will host a Virtual Design public meeting from April 15, 2021, to April 29, 2021, to gather public input on the proposed project in Blount County on SR-162 Ext. (Pellissippi Parkway), from SR-33 to SR-73 (US-321).”
“The virtual meeting was opened to the public at 8:00 am EST on April 15, 2021 and will close at 10:00 pm EST on April 29, 2021. The website link is:
https://gather.cdmsmith.com/v/v8jkyAVO149.”
The proposed highway would require the acquisition of private property and extend through the Wildwood and Sam Houston areas to an abrupt terminus with East Lamar Alexander Parkway to the west of Walland, which is host to an increasing number of high-dollar hospitality attractions such as Blackberry Farm.
Right-of-way acquisitions could start by the end of the year, according to The Daily Times.
To the east of the proposed parkway's end is Townsend, which bills itself as the “Peaceful Side of the Smokies.”
Hard Knox Wire: Renowned white supremacist killed by accidental headshot in South Knox
Written by JJ Stambaugh
Well-known Knoxville white supremacist and ‘cultured thug’ dies of apparent accidental gunshot wound to head
Originally published by Hard Knox Wire
A Knoxville man who earned widespread notoriety as a leader in the violent white nationalist movement died last week after he was shot in the head in South Knox County.
Spaulding was among eight white supremacists who were arrested in the summer of 2020 during a Black Lives Matter protest in Rogersville.
Follow the latest Knoxville crime and justice news from Hard Knox Wire.
Alabama is home to remarkably diverse ecosystems: They face dire threats.
This story was originally published by The Revelator.
When longtime environmental journalist Ben Raines started writing a book about the biodiversity in Alabama, the state had 354 fish species known to science. When he finished writing 10 years later, that number had jumped to 450 thanks to a bounty of new discoveries. Crawfish species leaped from 84 to 97 during the same time.
It’s indicative of a larger trend: Alabama is one of the most biodiverse states in the country, but few people know it. And even scientists are still discovering the rich diversity of life that exists there, particularly in the Mobile River basin.
All this newly discovered biodiversity is also gravely at risk from centuries of exploitation, which is what prompted Raines to write his new book, “Saving America’s Amazon.”
Vandals deface 1,200-year-old Cherokee and Creek rock carvings in North Georgia
NYT: Ancient Native American rock carvings vandalized in Chattahoochee National Forest
From the “this is why we can’t have nice things” file: Vandals violated ancient and sacred Cherokee and Creek art with scratches and paint in the Track Rock Gap area of Chattahoochee and Oconee national forests.
“It’s one of the most significant rock art sites in the Southeastern United States and the only such site located on public land in Georgia,” according to a National Forest Service Facebook post, the NYT reported. That post was later removed by the forest service, which cited the ongoing criminal investigation.
The rock carvings date to 800 A.D. The vandalism occurred at some point in 2020 or early this year.
There are at least 100 Native American petroglyphs in the north Georgia national forests. Some of the more prominent sites are fenced but allow people to view the ancient art.
Also from the Times report:
The Cherokee Tribal Heritage Preservation Office said in a statement that the Eastern Band of Cherokee people were “sad and frustrated” to learn of the vandalism.
“They are special sites for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and for all people as part of the Heritage of this region,” the statement said. “Whether through ignorance or malice — the result is irreparable damage to a unique site that connects us directly to the people of the past.”
Ecological Society of America honors Oak Ridge National Laboratory scientists for sustainability research
Written by Thomas FraserORNL researchers receive 2021 Sustainability Science Award for mapping human influence on U.S. river and stream changes
Researchers from Oak Ridge National Laboratory mapped and quantified hydrological changes throughout the country due to urban development, energy production and other human factors and won a prestigious award for their efforts.
The team’s analysis was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and received the 2021 Sustainability Science Award from the Ecological Society of America.
“The Sustainability Science Award recognizes the authors of a scholarly work that make a substantial contribution to the emerging science of ecosystem and regional sustainability through the integration of ecological and social sciences. The researchers will be recognized during the society’s annual meeting in August,” according to an ORNL release announcing the award.
The research coupled U.S. Geological Survey stream-flow records with geospatial modeling to quantify human impact on national water resources and concluded the 7 percent of affected aquatic systems hold 60 percent of North American freshwater fish, mussels and other species.
“This work exemplifies how ORNL’s interdisciplinary research in environmental and geospatial science helps equip decision makers with the tools needed to move our nation toward a more sustainable future,” Stan Wullschleger, associate laboratory director for ORNL’s Biological and Environmental Systems Science Directorate, said in the release.
Lead author Ryan McManamay, an aquatic ecologist and faculty member at Baylor University, was with ORNL’s Environmental Sciences Division at the time of publication. Co-authors include ORNL’s Sujithkumar Surendran Nair, Christopher DeRolph, the late April Morton, Robert Stewart, Matthew Troia and Budhendra Bhaduri; Northern Arizona University’s Benjamin Ruddell; and the University of Tennessee’s Liem Tran and Hyun Kim.
“It was a privilege to work with this team that spanned across multiple disciplines and institutions,” said Bhaduri, an ORNL Corporate Research Fellow and director of ORNL’s Geospatial Science and Human Security Division. “Given the impacts of climate change, there has never been a more pressing opportunity to address environmental sustainability. It’s a tremendous honor to make this scientific contribution and to be recognized for it.”
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Developer slams brakes on proposed Oak Ridge motorsports park
Knox News: Developer pulls Oak Ridge motorsports park proposal after pushback
In a victory for local environmentalists, the developer who proposed and pushed for a motorsports park on the western end of Oak Ridge has abandoned the project in hopes of finding a more “attractive” community.
The park would’ve been located in the Horizon Center industrial park and required the development of natural areas preserved via a city agreement with the Department of Energy.
Individuals and groups such as the Oak Ridge-based Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning said the proposal was inherently inappropriate for the site, citing the loss of diverse, mature hardwood forest, and noise pollution.
At least $35 million headed to Smokies for southern Foothills Parkway overhauls and maintenance facilities improvements
Written by Thomas Fraser
The crest of the Smokies and its peaks are shown from Look Rock on the Foothills Parkway. National Park Service
Southern stretch of Foothills Parkway to get $33 million overhaul
The National Park Service will repave and improve the entire southern stretch of Foothills Parkway and design a replacement of the outdated maintenance facilities at Sugarlands thanks to funding from the Great American Outdoors Act.
Both projects will cost a combined $40 million and be paid for via a foundation established as part of the overall legislation passed by Congress in 2020.
The Department of the Interior will spend a total of $1.6 billion from the Legacy Restoration Fund this year alone as part of a long-range goal to improve infrastructure and catch up on maintenance needs in national parks and other federally managed lands, according to a release. National public lands across the country, including Great Smoky Mountains National Park, have long faced maintenance deficits totaling billions of dollars.
The Foothills Parkway and Sugarlands work is one of 165 deferred maintenance projects that will be funded this year. Infrastructure improvements are also planned for sections of the Blue Ridge Parkway and Shenandoah National Park.
The $33.6 million in planned improvements to the parkway between Walland and Tallassee (from mile marker 55 to 72) will include enhanced safety features and milling and replacement of the pavement.
“The road rehabilitation will include pullouts and parking areas, replacing steel backed timber guardrail, and repair, reconstruction and repointing of stone masonry bridge parapet walls and the walls along Look Rock Overlook,” according to interior department documents.
“Other work will include removing and resetting stone curb, replacing/repairing of the drainage structures, stabilizing roadside ditches, overlaying or reconstructing paved waterways, stabilizing and reseeding the shoulder, installing pavement markings, replacing regulatory and NPS signs, and constructing ramps with curb cuts to provide access to interpretive panels and to meet federal accessibility guidelines.”
“The work proposed in this project would reduce the hazards and improve safety for park visitors and employees,” according to the data sheet.
The Legacy Restoration Fund will also cover the $3.5 million cost of a design/build plan to improve and update the expansive and deteriorating maintenance yard at Sugarlands.
“The buildings, driveways, and parking areas associated with the maintenance yard have not been renovated or rehabilitated in decades,” according to a data sheet.
“There are safety hazards, inadequate space or capacity for park maintenance and operations personnel, and facilities that are entirely insufficient for essential park operations and maintenance. The condition of many buildings is so poor that replacement and disposal is likely the only practical option. This project will complete predesign project programming and budgeting and develop a Design Build RFP for the rehabilitation or replacement of facilities and associated utilities, parking, and grounds.”
Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials did not immediately respond to an email requesting additional information on possible future projects and to what extent national infrastructure plans proposed by the Biden administration might benefit the park, which is the most-visited in the nation.
Here’s a link to the full Department of the Interior National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund Fund release. Here are the Foothills Parkway and Sugarlands maintenance yard project data sheets.
Babies born today may be unable to procreate without medical technology
The Guardian: Interview of Shanna Swan. 'Most couples may have to use assisted reproduction by 2045'
In her new book,“Count Down: How Our Modern World Is Threatening Sperm Counts, Altering Male and Female Reproductive Development, and Imperiling the Future of the Human Race,” Shanna H Swan, professor of environmental medicine and public health at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City, provides more evidence how the wide use of plastics and other materials containing hormone-mimicking chemicals interfere with fertility and fecundity.
She advises how one may at least reduce exposure to these substances, to some degree, by making informed purchase decisions, such as avoiding processed food.
Knowledge particularly important for pregnant women!
See also, the ‘Plasticenta’ report referenced in the plastic pollution action alert.
Frauenhofer tandem photovoltaic solar cell achieves record efficiency
The rainbow colors show the diffraction of sunlight by a mirror with a nanostructured grating, which was applied to the back of the silicon subcell. The sun’s spectrum is thus captured even better in the silicon bottom cell. © Fraunhofer ISE / Photo: Michael SchachtnerFraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems: Tandem Photovoltaics Enables New Heights in Solar Cell Efficiencies – 35.9 % for III-V//Silicon Solar Cell
The photovoltaic (PV) solar panels most commonly used for commercial applications today have an efficiency in the range of 16 to 22 percent. On the lower side of this range, one finds less-expensive panels, mostly made with poly-crystalline solar cells, while monocrystalline cells dominate the upper side.
The highest-efficiency panel presently on the market is SunPower’s A-Series residential panel, with a claimed 22.8 percent efficiency in converting photons to electrons under standard conditions. That's up just slightly by 0.73 percent from five years ago. Although many other manufacturers have caught up to offer panels rated at more than 21 percent, development progress of silicon-based monocrystalline PV toward the theoretical limit of around 30 percent has slowed to a crawl.
Over the same period, newer technologies for multijunction PV cells with thin subcell layers of gallium-arsenide and similar semiconductors, grown on top of silicon or perovskite crystalline materials, has been progressing rapidly and may be capable of exceeding 50 percent efficiency in the future. Lab results still require years of research and manufacturing development before panels come to market. Initially their high price will limit them to market niches where low-weight and small-surface per Watt will justify the cost, such as for aerospace applications or covering electric vehicle surfaces. The following links provide a good overview of such technologies and discuss their longer-term outlook.