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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: solar power

solar power stories: 31 news summaries

1 - 20 of 31 Stories | 1 2 Next >>

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 New Google Mirrors 
 May Cut Solar Power Costs 

Would focus sun's energy to produce heat, steam

Sep 10, 09 10:23 AM CDT
(Newser) - Google is working on new mirrors to make solar thermal power significantly cheaper, Reuters reports. If it works, the technology could reduce the cost of building a plant to draw power from the sun by 25% or more. “We've been looking at very unusual materials for the mirrors both... More »

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energy • Google • electricity • solar power • energy costs • Bill Weihl

(Newser) - If the US wants to be, in Barack Obama’s words, the “world’s leading exporter of renewable energy,” it’s got a lot of catching up to do. China is the king of solar, and it’s moving aggressively on the US market, the New York ... More »

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China • energy • renewable energy • solar power • solar panels

China Plans Massive Push for Green Power

Country could be world's leader in clean energy by 2020

Jun 10, 09 8:31 AM CDT
(Newser) - China is on course to obtain 20% of its energy from wind and solar sources by 2020—a transformation that would make the country the world leader in renewables. Beijing is ramping up its targets for clean energy, helped by the $590 billion stimulus package passed last year, a senior... More »

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China • climate change • energy • environment • global warming • green energy • Chinese economy • renewable energy • solar power • wind power • carbon emissions • Copenhagen climate change conference

 Recession 
 Dims Lights 
 on Solar Sales 

Banks, government cut funding for industry

May 11, 09 9:52 AM CDT
(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%,... More »

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energy • alternative energy • recession • solar energy • solar power • solar cells • Jay-ZTV

(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... More »

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Pope Benedict XVI • Vatican City • environmentalism • Vatican • solar power

ANALYSIS

Plans for Clean Energy Get Dirty in Transmission

Firms use green hype to build power lines that could carry electricity from coal

Mar 23, 09 3:54 PM CDT
(Newser) - Plans to green the US power supply are in full swing, with the Obama administration working toward the goal of doubling the current supply of alternative energy over the next 3 years. But, some complain, power companies are using the popularity of green power to push through a needless—but... More »

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alternative energy • coal • electricity • renewable energy • solar power • wind power • turbines • transmission

 Solar, Wind Boom 
 Starts to Wither 

Once thought recession-proof, green tech takes a hit

Feb 4, 09 8:22 AM CST
(Newser) - Wind and solar power have been growing at breakneck speed over the past few years—a demand the industry had hoped would continue to soar under the Obama administration. But instead, wind and solar power is dropping, with trade groups projecting a drop in new installations of up to 50%.... More »

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environment • North Dakota • solar power • T. Boone Pickens • wind power • solar panels • wind farms • recession depression

 Silver Bits Boost Solar Power 

Particles allow cells to absorb more light, researchers say

Jan 9, 09 2:45 PM CST
(Newser) - Scientists believe they’ve found a way to make less expensive, more efficient solar cells: Just add silver, the Economist reports. Standard cells, which rely on a thick layer of pricey silicon, are costly. Problem is, thinner cells absorb less red light, reducing electricity output by 20%. Sprinkling a few... More »

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energy • alternative energy • electricity • solar power • solar cells • scientific breakthroughs • silver

OPINION

Car Tech Advances Can Recharge Detroit


Jan 3, 09 11:54 AM CST
(Newser) - Detroit needs to heed Henry Ford's advice and take failure as "the opportunity to begin again more intelligently," Sebastian Thrum and Anthony Levandowski write in the New York Times. Here are four technologies that can help the Big Three automakers turn things around:
  • Car-to-car communication: Wireless
... More »

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Internet • Detroit • solar power • auto industry • auto technology • wireless technology • computer • cars

Toyota Working on Mass-Market Solar Car

Company believed to be trying to build first mass-market car running soley on sunshine

Jan 2, 09 7:20 AM CST
(Newser) - Toyota is trying to leapfrog rivals by developing a mass-market solar-powered car on the sly. The futuristic vehicle will get power from solar cells in the rooftop, providing enough energy to power only its accessories initially, reports Hybrid Cars News. The company is thought to be years away from creating... More »

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Toyota • solar power • electric cars • hybrid car • solar panel • Panasonic • cars

 Winter Chills Green Energy 

Renewable energy industry works to deal with seasonal variations

Dec 26, 08 7:03 AM CST
(Newser) - Winter weather is cooling newfound enthusiasm for renewable energy, the New York Times reports. Solar panels get snowed up or suffer from lack of sunlight on short winter days, and biodiesel sometimes congeals in cold weather. Wintry weather is a plus for wind power, but turbines can get iced up... More »

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alternative energy • biodiesel • green energy • renewable energy • solar power • winter • wind power • winter weather

Calif. Adopts 1st US Plan to Slash Greenhouse Gases

Plan to reduce carbon emissions by 15%

Dec 12, 08 3:03 AM CST
(Newser) - California regulators have adopted an ambitious, comprehensive blueprint to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 15% by 2020, reports the Los Angeles Times. The plan, the first of its kind in the nation, calls for 33% of the state's electric power to come from solar power and wind farms, and includes... More »

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climate change • California • greenhouse gases • global warming • Arnold Schwarzenegger • green technology • solar power • carbon emissions • wind farms • Air Resources Board

 Why Prisons Are Going Green 

Daytime eco-projects cut costs and boost social behavior

Nov 2, 08 4:54 AM CST
(Newser) - Forget the chain gang and license plate production. Many of today's US prisoners are busy collecting rainwater and recycling old uniforms, AP reports. Facing costs in the billions and a rising prison population, more officials are putting inmates to work on daytime eco-projects. "It reduces cost, reduces our damaging... More »

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prison • environmentalism • solar power

glossies

 New Solar Tech Can Top This 

Solyndra's designs can capture light from any angle

Oct 12, 08 7:31 PM CDT
(Newser) - A California company's new, sun-sucking glass tubes aim to solve solar power's practical problems, the Economist reports. Chief among them are flat panels that miss the sun—by looking the wrong way—and cost more than $40,000 per household to install. Solyndra's new technology uses glass tubes that capture... More »

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environment • California • alternative energy • renewable energy • solar power • solar panels

Experiment Raises Hope
of Solar Power From Space

Successful test opens the possibility of humanity getting its energy from space

Sep 13, 08 10:19 AM CDT
(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... More »

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NASA • alternative energy • sun • satellite • solar power

(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... More »

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

Mayor Aims to Make Big Apple Windmill City

Wind could supply
10% of city's power under bold plan

Aug 20, 08 2:32 AM CDT
(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... More »

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

OPINION

McCain Strikes Out on Renewable Energy

Candidate features wind turbines in ads but again skips vital energy vote

Aug 13, 08 3:25 AM CDT
(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... More »

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

  African Sun Could Power EU 

Scientists propose African solar farms for Europe's power

Jul 23, 08 1:50 PM CDT
(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... More »

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

Oil Tycoon
Kicks Off Energy Campaign

Pickens wants to wean us from foreign supply with wind, natural gas

Jul 8, 08 3:51 PM CDT
(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... More »

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

1 - 20 of 31 Stories | 1 2 Next >>


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