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October 10, 2008 6:57:20 PM CDT

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Stories related to: solar power

Stories

17 Stories

  • September 2008

    • Experiment Raises Hope of Solar Power From Space

      Space.com  |  Sep 13, 08 10:19 AM CDT

      Experiment Raises Hope of Solar Power From Space

      (Newser) - An experiment in beaming solar power has raised hopes that humanity can harness huge amounts of solar energy from satellites, Space.com reports. Researchers sent the energy about 90 miles between two Hawaiian islands via radio waves. The transmission of energy a hundred times further than earlier experiments proves the concept can work, said the former NASA scientist behind the test. One hurdle: Only a small fraction of the energy survived the transmission. More »

      Tags

      NASA  • alternative energy  • solar power  • satellite  • sun

  • August 2008

    • Eco-Waste, Water Plans Aid Kenya's Poor

      Associated Press  |  Aug 24, 08 5:03 PM CDT

      Eco-Waste, Water Plans Aid Kenya's Poor

      (Newser) - Sewage and sunlight are offering unexpected aid to the poor of Kenyan slums, the AP reports. Public toilets are recycling waste into gas, while sunlight disinfects water and reduces cases of waterborne illness. Adapted from a plan in Tanzania, the project was funded by international donors to help people struggling with high coal and food prices. More »

      Tags

      Kenya  • biofuel  • green energy  • solar power  • Kenya's economy

    • Mayor Aims to Make Big Apple Windmill City

      New York Times  |  Aug 20, 08 2:32 AM CDT

      Mayor Aims to Make Big Apple Windmill City

      (Newser) - Mayor Mike Bloomberg has unveiled a bold plan to harness alternative energy to power New York City, the New York Times reports. The mayor is calling for windmills to be built on the city's bridges and skyscrapers, and for offshore wind farms to be created that could supply 10% of the city's electricity in 10 years. Bloomberg has asked companies for proposals for renewable energy projects. More »

      Tags

      New York City  • Michael Bloomberg  • alternative energy  • renewable energy  • solar power  • wind power  • wind farm

    • McCain Strikes Out on Renewable Energy

      New York Times  |  Aug 13, 08 3:25 AM CDT

      McCain Strikes Out on Renewable Energy

      (Newser) - John McCain's tough talk on energy has been undercut by his failure to vote on a vital renewable energy bill, Thomas L. Friedman writes in the New York Times . The bill, which has failed yet again to pass, would have extended tax credits for wind and solar projects, but McCain's absence—for the eighth time—is helping to stall those projects, and holding up thousands of jobs. More »

      Tags

      John McCain  • renewable energy  • solar power  • energy policy  • wind power  • energy bill

  • July 2008

    • African Sun Could Power EU

      Guardian (UK)  |  Jul 23, 08 1:50 PM CDT

      African Sun Could Power EU

      (Newser) - All of the European continent’s electrical needs could be generated by massive solar farms in Africa, scientists posited today, unveiling a plan to do just that, the Guardian reports. The proposal, which would require an area the size of Wales—insignificant in the vast expanse of the Sahara Desert, they note—is highly speculative; the biggest hurdle would likely be upgrading the European and trans-Mediterranean power grid to carry, and share, the power. More »

      Tags

      European Union  • Africa  • Europe  • renewable energy  • solar power  • power grid  • solar panel  • Sahara

    • Oil Tycoon Kicks Off Energy Campaign

      Dallas Morning News  |  Jul 8, 08 3:51 PM CDT

      Oil Tycoon Kicks Off Energy Campaign

      (Newser) - Billionaire oilman T. Boone Pickens is fed up with America’s dependence on oil and today launched a huge ad campaign to persuade the nation to kick its crude addiction, the Dallas Morning News reports. His "Pickens Plan" proposes that Americans swap gasoline for natural gas, then replace natural gas power plants with wind, solar, and nuclear facilities. More »

      Tags

      oil price  • oil  • gas  • alternative energy  • natural gas  • solar power  • wind power  • T. Boone Pickens  • energy dependence  • energy independence

    • Solar-Powered Billboard to Light Up Times Square

      LiveScience  |  Jul 2, 08 2:31 PM CDT

      Solar-Powered Billboard to Light Up Times Square

      (Newser) - Times Square will get its first solar-powered billboard in December, LiveScience reports. The "eco-friendly" Ricoh advertisement will generate its own power from solar panels and wind turbines on site. On days without sun and wind, the sign just won't light up. "If the floodlights aren't on, you'll be able to see the sign. You just won't have the lights on it," says a spokesman. More »

      Tags

      solar power  • Times Square  • billboards

  • May 2008

    • Apple Eyes Solar-Powered Gadgets

      Forbes  |  May 27, 08 12:35 PM CDT

      Apple Eyes Solar-Powered Gadgets

      (Newser) - Apple is seeking a different kind of moment in the sun, reports Forbes, as the behemoth has filed a patent that would integrate solar cells with its iPods and iPhones. The technology would boost the amount of area available for cells, paving the way for truly mobile gadgets free totally unplugged from the power grid. More »

      Tags

      Apple  • cell phones  • iPhone  • iPod  • solar energy  • solar power  • patent  • solar cells

    • Is There a Solar Bubble?

      Wall Street Journal  |  May 22, 08 4:01 PM CDT

      Is There a Solar Bubble?

      (Newser) - Stocks in solar-energy outfits are enjoying a sustained rally, but investors should remember the lesson of ethanol, Mark Gongloff writes in the Wall Street Journal . Once-loved ethanol stocks are now widely scorned—mainly because the energy source will never be viable without government subsidies. Still, despite solar’s advantages, shares are far from a sure bet. More »

      Tags

      ethanol  • alternative energy  • solar energy  • solar power  • speculation  • stock price  • solar cells

  • March 2008

    • Solar Panels Trump Trees

      ABC News  |  Mar 26, 08 5:43 PM CDT

      Solar Panels Trump Trees

      (Newser) - A dispute between California neighbors pitting trees against solar panels has gone to the panels, KGO-TV reports. Following a seven-year battle over whether one should have to cut down trees in his backyard that shade the other’s solar panels, Richard Treanor today chopped two redwoods after he was found guilty of violating the Solar Shade Control Act of 1978. More »

      Tags

      California  • environmentalism  • Silicon Valley  • solar power  • trees  • U.S. environmental laws  • solar panel

  • February 2008

    • Future Sunny for Solar Power

      LiveScience  |  Feb 20, 08 1:26 PM CST

      Future Sunny for Solar Power

      (Newser) - Don’t sweat the energy crisis, say scientist Ray Kurzweil and Google co-founder Larry Page, who predict that within 20 years we’ll be getting 100% of our energy from the sun, based on current solar technology and growth trends. Kurzweil’s fortune-telling record is pretty good: He foresaw the fall of the Soviet Union, and the Internet revolution, too, LiveScience reports. More »

      Tags

      Google  • solar power  • Larry Page  • solar panel  • Energy crisis  • solar cells  • predicting the future  • Ray Kurzweil

  • January 2008

    • Molten Salt Key to New Solar Power Project

      Wall Street Journal  |  Jan 2, 08 8:15 PM CST

      Molten Salt Key to New Solar Power Project

      (Newser) - A unit of United Technologies will join with clean-fuel firm US Renewables to store solar power in molten salt—enabling the sun’s rays to provide electricity even at night. Hamilton Sundstrand, best known as an aerospace-components supplier, says rising fossil-fuel prices have made a plan first hatched in the 1980s financially viable—it expects $1 billion in sales over 15 years. More »

      Tags

      solar power  • clean fuel  • United Technologies

  • November 2007

    • Google Searches Green Energy

      MarketWatch  |  Nov 27, 07 5:19 PM CST

      Google Searches Green Energy

      (Newser) - Google is making a huge financial push to replace coal with cleaner, cheaper renewable energy. The company says it will invest "tens of millions" in the search next year, starting with solar, wind, and geothermal technology, and hundreds of millions more in subsequent years, MarketWatch reports. The company says it can reach its goal “in years, not decades." More »

      Tags

      Google  • solar power  • coal  • Larry Page  • Sergey Brin  • renewable resources

  • October 2007

    • Repairs Throw Wrench Into Spacewalk Plan

      Associated Press  |  Oct 31, 07 2:16 PM CDT

      Repairs Throw Wrench Into Spacewalk Plan

      (Newser) - A ripped solar wing on the international space station has fouled NASA's spacewalk plans for the crew of its shuttle Discovery—and could send ripples through schedules for future shuttle missions and hinder station construction. Today's scheduled spacewalk has been canceled; one scheduled for Thursday to inspect a broken rotary joint was moved to Friday and will address the rip in the solar panel. More »

      Tags

      NASA  • International Space Station  • Discovery space shuttle  • solar power

  • September 2007

    • Real, Fake TV Moguls to Star at Solar Conference

      CNET  |  Sep 24, 07 5:11 PM CDT

      Real, Fake TV Moguls to Star at Solar Conference

      (Newser) - The 2007 gathering of the solar industry this week in Long Beach, Calif., will feature plenty of new technology demonstrations, hot VC action, and speeches, CNET reports. Hotly anticipated talks include those by media mogul and environmental activist Ted Turner and actor Larry Hagman, famous for his roles in "I Dream of Jeannie" and "Dallas. " More »

      Tags

      California  • solar energy  • solar power  • venture capitalists  • green construction

    • Solar Plane Beats World Record

      BBC  |  Sep 10, 07 11:23 AM CDT

      Solar Plane Beats World Record

      (Newser) - A lightweight, solar-powered plane has broken the world record for the longest unmanned flight by a whole day. The Zephyr, built by a British security firm, flew for 54 hours during a test flight, beating the US Air Force's record for a similar vehicle by 24 hours. But it's not official: The air sports federation wasn't notified in time. More »