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Reflect10 solar panel geometry increases daily energy production by 20%

Cells capture more sunlight during low-angle hours and cloud conditions

Silicon panel efficiency limits are nearing – this is big news

Canadian startup Reflect10 has introduced a new photovoltaic (PV) module architecture that could significantly boost how much energy solar panels could produce, and it’s nothing to do with the maximum wattage.

Instead, the upgrade embeds a light-reflecting geometry directly into the solar panel to reflect incoming sunlight multiple times, giving photons additional opportunities to hit the PV cells. By enabling additional reflections and angles, it means solar panels can convert even more sunlight into electricity as the sun sets into lower angles.

Though the concept as a whole already existed, it previously required external mirrors or motors, making the installation more expensive. Various studies pointed at energy production improvements of between 11% and 57%.

The same panel, with the same wattage, could produce 20% more capacity

According to the company, it could lead to 20% higher average daily energy production compared with standard solar panels, with low-angle times like early morning and late afternoon generating up to 2.66x more power. The technology also promises to increase efficiency during conditions of diffused light, like cloudy weather.

This upgrade also comes at an important time, because conventional silicon solar cells are quickly approaching their theoretical efficiency ceiling, making it nearly impossible to produce more electricity.

“These results represent a significant and immediate step forward at a time when the industry has faced a fundamental physical ceiling for decades,” founder Louis Massicotte said (via pv magazine ).

According to the company, the global solar industry has grown by an average of +0.18 percentage points of efficiency per year under real field conditions since 1954, marking very slow progress.

Ultimately, Reflect10 boosts panel efficiency not by boosting the cell efficiency itself, but rather by enabling more light to hit the cells. Ultimately, it means that a 500W panel, for example, could produce 500W of electricity more of the time, rather than being restricted to a lesser wattage due to unfavorable conditions, leading to a higher total capacity (measured in kWh).

Proven efficiency-boosting PV tech could tackle current restrictions

Though testing data primarily comes from optical simulations by Canada’s National Optics Institute, the company has also conducted proof-of-concept field trials to prove it works across both Morocco and Canada.

An independent scientific review carried out by the Île-de-France Photovoltaic Institute (IPVF) also notes the technology’s potential to scale and plug gaps in grid shortfalls across a broader range of times – not just during peak sunlight hours.

“By increasing production at the beginning and end of the day, the technology could help better match periods of peak electricity demand while reducing the concentration of generation around the midday solar peak,” IPVF research director Pere Roca i Cabarrocas commented.

The company is now pursuing three international Patent Cooperation Treaty applications ahead of its public presentation in Paris.

Reflect10 itself doesn’t plan to manufacture panels with the new light-reflecting geometry – instead, the Canadian company is offering 50 non-exclusive licenses for its intellectual property to module manufacturers.

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In some parts of the US, up to 30 percent of people may carry the antibody behind a red meat allergy spurred by tick bites, far exceeding the estimated number of people who actually have the allergy, according a study published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report .

The findings suggest far more Americans than previously thought may be at risk of the allergy, which can make having a hamburger for dinner a potentially life-threatening choice. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has previously estimated that only 0.14 percent of the US population (up to 450,000 people) has the allergy. But the study also highlights how little we understand about this unique disease—and the challenges of accurately diagnosing it.

The study surveyed blood donations for the disease's key antibody, which is in a class dubbed IgE and specifically attacks a double-sugar molecule called galactose-α-1,3-galactose, also known as alpha-gal. This disaccharide is found decorating the cells of nonprimate mammals, including cows and pigs, but it's also released in the saliva of ticks, particularly the lone star tick ( Amblyomma americanum ). People bitten by ticks can develop IgE antibodies against alpha-gal, which can sometimes trigger an allergic response to eating red meat as well as other animal products, such as dairy and gelatin.

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Here’s TWZ’s weekly carrier tracker monitoring America’s flattop fleet, including deployed Carrier Strike Groups (CSG) and Amphibious Ready Groups (ARG), using publicly available open-source information. Check out last week’s report here .

Amphibious assault ship USS Boxer finally arrived in the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) area of responsibility (AOR), months after reports of a surge deployment in March to reinforce troops in the Middle East during the war against Iran. Boxer deployed on March 18 and transited the Pacific westbound before entering the Indian Ocean in early May, but never crossed into the CENTCOM AOR. Rather than continue to the Middle East, the ARG disaggregated: Boxer doubled back to Singapore and the South China Sea, where Portland was still operating, while Comstock moved on to CENTCOM. Boxer and Portland transited the Malacca Strait northbound in late June and have re-aggregated with Comstock in the AOR.

USS Boxer (LHD 4) and USS Portland (LPD 27) sail in formation while transiting the Indian Ocean. U.S. Central Command photo

The U.S. now has four big-deck warships on station in the Middle East – two aircraft carriers, USS Abraham Lincoln and USS George H.W. Bush , and two amphibious assault ships, USS Tripoli and USS Boxer – representing a step up in naval force posture while negotiations with Iran develop. In contrast, the U.S. appears to be drawing down its forward-deployed strategic bomber forces, with the last B-52 Stratofortress bombers departing RAF Fairford last week , according to plane spotters.

USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) underway in the Middle East. U.S. Navy photo

USS Nimitz , on her final transit , arrived in New York City on July 3 and anchored off the coast of Stapleton, Staten Island, ahead of the International Naval Review (INR) 250 on July 4. Nimitz sat at anchor in New York Harbor during INR 250, the pinnacle event of the Navy’s celebration of America’s 250th birthday and the largest international maritime event in U.S. history, which featured over 70 U.S. and allied naval vessels and tall ships. Before pulling into New York, Nimitz departed Mayport, Florida, last week and steamed up the east coast while conducting ordnance offload . The Boeing MQ-25 Stingray demonstrator drone , also known as the T-1, was on full display once again.

USS Nimitz (CVN 68) transits the Hudson River. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Xavier Alicea

USS Dwight D. Eisenhower moored in Norfolk on July 2 after a two-week work-up supporting Carrier Qualifications (CQ) and East Coast Fleet Replacement Squadrons (FRS). Student naval aviators were aboard and successfully completed CQ from June 27-30, according to a release on DVIDS . “The multi-day training evolution focused on developing the next generation of fleet aviators, specifically highlighting pilots navigating the E-2 Hawkeye pipeline.” Eisenhower is preparing to deploy in early 2027, TWZ previously reported .

T-45C Goshawk jet trainer aircraft launches off of the flight deck of USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69). U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Miguel Santiago

USS Carl Vinson returned to San Diego after completing flight deck certifications and CQ with Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 2 from June 25 to July 1. The Navy formally announced the completion of her nine-month Planned Incremental Availability (PIA), which TWZ reported last month . “Our Sailors’ efforts were vital in preparing Carl Vinson to return to sea,” Cmdr. Paul Novess, Carl Vinson’s maintenance officer, said. “It was my honor to bring Sailors from all rates into our 13 production teams to safely execute more than 359,000 man hours of maintenance.”

USS Theodore Roosevelt and amphibious assault ship USS Essex just wrapped up the in-port phase of RIMPAC 2026 at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii. Both ships, along with several other participating units, have been hosting public events and open tours for the local community and visiting service members. The sea phase of the exercise is set to begin this week. Roosevelt was leaving Pearl Harbor, according to public AIS data , at the time of publication.

USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) docked at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii. U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist First Class Ryan A. LeCompte

After participating in the live-fire SINKEX of USS Juneau last week, USS George Washington has continued operations in the Western Pacific. The flattop and embarked CVW-5 were recently spotted in the Philippine Sea conducting flight operations , live-fire shooting drills, nighttime fast rope exercises , small boat evolutions, and physical training on the flight deck. Washington is operating alongside guided-missile cruiser USS Robert Smalls , guided-missile destroyers USS Shoup and USS Benfold , and fast-attack submarine USS Minnesota .

Fast-rope exercise on the flight deck of USS George Washington (CVN 73) while underway in the Philippine Sea. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Nicolas Quezada

Note: Positions are general approximations. Non-deployed LHA/LHD amphibious warships are not shown.

Contact the author: ian.ellis-jones@teamrecurrent.io

The post Where Are The Aircraft Carriers: July 7, 2026 appeared first on TWZ .

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Call of Duty: Black Ops 1 and 2 might be missing a few modes and pieces of content when they're re-released for PS4 and PS5 later this month.

The trophy lists for both games have appeared online and, while they're largely identical to the original PS3 versions, there are a few differences. As pointed out by X user ForwardLeaks , several trophies around using the game's theater mode, League Play, and winning wager matches have been outright removed. Theater mode allowed players to watch replays of previous matches and move the camera around, which was useful for content creation during YouTube's infancy.

Wager matches, on the other hand, were a playlist that allowed players to gamble in-game currency on more unique game modes. These modes included Gun Game, a mode where you change guns everytime you get a kill, and One in the Chamber, where you only have one bullet and can only get more by killing other players. These modes were a ton of fun and have found their way into other Call of Duty games without the gambling component. However, with the trophies for these features and modes missing, it seems likely that they won't be part of the re-released games at all.

Additionally, a trophy tied to Black Ops 2's League Play was also removed. That one is a bit less surprising, since it seems hard to imagine these ports having an active, long-term competitive scene all these years later. It's possible some of these features do still exist and the trophies were only removed, but given that the bulk of trophies remain unchanged, it's more likely these modes will be excluded.

Maybe if we're lucky, game types like One in the Chamber and Gun Game will still be in the game, minus the gambling. Various governments have implemented regulations when it comes to having any kind of gambling in video games since the release of Black Ops in 2010, so Activision may have chosen to avoid the mechanism altogether this time.

As of right now, Activision has yet to confirm the exact release date for these re-releases, but we do know both Black Ops games will be dropping on modern PlayStation consoles sometime in July . Activision has also confirmed that both games will include the campaign, multiplayer, and Zombies modes.

Cade Onder is a freelancer for IGN's news team. He covers all things entertainment, including gaming, film, and more. You can find him on Twitter @Cade_Onder.