Solar Plane Beats World Record

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»

Row six, by the window: survey

(NEWSER) - The perfect plane seat: 6A. A new survey from Skyscanner came to that conclusion after determining that most passengers, given a choice, want to sit in a window seat toward the front of the aircraft. Previous studies have also found the first six rows of a plane to be the most popular, the Telegraph reports, since they are seen as being quieter and easier from which to disembark. (Plus, the food selection is better.) The worst seat? A middle seat toward the back, determined to be 31E by the survey. For some reason, 1% of respondents did say they would willingly choose a middle seat. More»

Banks, government cut funding for industry

(NEWSER) - After a bright 2008, things are looking gloomy for the solar power industry amid the recession, the Wall Street Journal reports. Banks have cut funds for some projects, and the government of Spain, the second-biggest solar power market, has shrunk subsidies. Solar-cell sales are expected to fall by some 20%, going for $2 per watt, compared to $3.95 last year. More»

(NEWSER) - The Vatican plans to build Europe’s largest solar power plant on land it owns north of Rome, Bloomberg reports. The 740-acre site—many times bigger than the 108 acres that make up the world’s smallest nation—is predicted to generate enough power for 40,000 households when it comes online in 2014, enabling the ever-greener Vatican to sell the excess. More»

Passengers cheer as Boston-bound flight gets an extra passenger

(NEWSER) - Passengers on a Boston-bound plane from Amsterdam got a New Year's surprise when a woman on board went into labor, the Boston Herald reports. Two doctors on the flight informed the pilot that the baby would come before the aircraft could make an emergency landing. Passengers cheered after the woman delivered a baby girl. More»