Solar Roofs Give Stores Moment in Sun

What do windmills and bees have to do with Google?

(NEWSER) - Google has made billions, and there are only so many YouTubes or Androids you can buy—so why not spend some of that hard-earned cash in some decidedly stranger ways? Business Insider rounds up the 10 weirdest:

• Windmills: Yes ... windmills. Google spent $40 million on them, probably because it likes clean energy projects.
• A beekeeper: The company has four nests on its campus and an official beekeeper who takes care of them, so that Google's chef always has access to fresh honey.

Overall sales jump doubles expectations, calms consumer spending fears

(NEWSER) - Big retailers showed unexpected signs of life in February, beating weak sales predictions to inject some hope into the market. Wal-Mart led the way, posting a 2.6% same-store increase, beating its own predictions of flat-to-2% growth. Overall, same-store sales climbed 1.9%, with more than half of retailers beating predictions, the Wall Street Journal reports. More»

Thanks to subsidies and surplus, going green is paying off

(NEWSER) - Sunny days are here to stay for solar homes with roof-top panels, Forbes reports. Such green abodes can cover electricity costs in warm months and store enough to sell solar power to the grid for profit. Installation is expensive but viable thanks to government subsidies, especially in California, New Jersey and Tennessee; California offers a 30% tax credit for installing the “photovoltaic” panels. More»