Three solar power-generating floating laboratories are currently being built in Lake Neuchâtel, Switzerland. Constructed by Swiss energy company Viteos SA and developer Nolaris, the concentrated solar power plants will be able to rotate 220 degrees, assuming optimal position for capturing sunlight at all times.

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Post tags: "clean energy", concentrated solar power, floating labs Switzerland, floating power plant, green design, green technology, Nolaris, research facilities, solar panels, Solar Power, solar power plant, solar-powered floating labs, solar-powered islands, Viteos SA

South Africa, a historically coal-dependent nation, has approved an incredible $5.4 billion investment in renewable energy projects, which are predicted to be capable of producing 1,400MW of solar and wind generated energy. Twenty-eight initial projects have been approved for the program, with these solar and wind farms expected to go online between 2014 and 2016. The government hopes that the new facilities—while providing cleaner, greener energy—will bolster job creation and regional economies, with requirements set in place to ensure that energy companies use locally-sourced materials.

Read the rest of South Africa Approves $5.4 Billion in Renewable Energy Projects to Provide 1,400MW by 2016

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Post tags: "sustainable energy", "wind power", air pollution, coal power, concentrated solar power, eskom, government supported renewable energy, green energy, solar farm, Solar Power, South Africa, wind farm

Inspired by old telescope technology and high-efficiency solar panels used in space, a small research team at the University of Arizona (UA) has developed a new “telescope solar panel” that doubles efficiency compared to standard photovoltaics. At the foundation of the design is a dish-shaped mirror (similar to those widely used in concentrated solar power plants), which increases the intensity of sunlight. The device concentrates photons (light particles), making more of them available for conversion into electricity in the solar cells.

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Post tags: clean tech, concentrated photovoltaics, concentrated pv, concentrated solar power, green design, renewable energy, Solar Power, sustainable design, telescope solar panels, University of Arizona

We’ve written about the Sahara Forest Project before, so we’re excited to report that the organization behind this ambitious endeavor has signed an agreement to build its first pilot plant in Doha, Qatar. The agreement for the project, which aims to revitalize the desert with seawater-based greenhouses, concentrated solar power (CSP) for heat & electricity, evaporative hedges and ponds for reducing brine to dry salts, algae cultivation facilities, vegetated outdoor areas and halophyte cultivation units, was signed today by CEO Khalifa A. Al-Sowaidi of QAFCO, CEO Jørgen Ole Haslestad of Yara International and CEO Joakim Hauge of The Sahara Forest Project AS. The pilot plant will cost approximately 5.3 million USD and the plan is to have the plant fully operational by December 2012. Read more about the Sahara Forest Project here on Inhabitat.

+ The Sahara Forest Project

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Post tags: "solar energy", "sustainable energy", alternative energy, Bill Watts, Charlie Paton, concentrated solar power, eco design, exploration architecture, green design, Jørgen Ole Haslestad, Joakim Hauge, Khalifa A. Al-Sowaidi, Michael Pawlyn, QAFCO, renewable energy, sahara forest project, sahara solar, Solar Power, The Sahara Forest Project AS, Yara International

Read the rest of AROA’s Second Solar Tulip Power Plant Springs Up in Spain

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Post tags: "solar energy", concentrated solar power, csp, eco energy, green energy, Haim Dotan, Israel CSP, Israel solar company, low water CSP, solar hot air, solar tower, Solar Tulip, solar waste heat, Spanish CSP

Way back in 2008, we reported on a proposal for the Sahara Forest Project, an incredible sustainable solution to resource scarcity that would turn the Sahara Desert into a source for food, water, and energy. If you thought the idea was too good to be true, think again. Norway and Jordan recently signed an agreement to allow for the development of a pilot Sahara Forest Project system on a plot of land in a coastal area in Jordan. The group will also conduct a number of studies in Jordan, with financial backing from Norwegian authorities.

Read the rest of Norway and Jordan Sign Agreement to Make Sahara Forest Project Oasis a Reality

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Post tags: aqaba jordan, bellona sahara forest project, concentrated solar power, csp sahara forest project, norway jordan sahara forest project, renewable energy, renewable resources, Sahara desert, Sahara desert energy, sahara forest innitiative, sahara forest project, sahara forest project aqaba, sahara forest project development, sahara forest project jordan, sahara forest project oasis, sahara forest project reality, seawater greenhouse, seawater greenhouse sahara desert, Solar Power, water in the desert

Sicily has just announced the opening of the world’s first concentrated solar power (CSP) facility that uses molten salt as a heat collection medium. Since molten salt is able to reach very high temperatures (over 1000 degrees Fahrenheit) and can hold more heat than the synthetic oil used in other CSP plants, the plant is able to continue to produce electricity even after the sun has gone down.

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Post tags: "solar energy", clean tech, concentrated solar power, green design, italy, k concentrated solar plant, molten salt solar plant, renewable energy, sicily, sustainable design

Solar engineers have long sought to develop an energy-generating glazing that is as capable of producing power as it is easy on the eyes. The feat may just have been accomplished by The Center for Architecture Science and Ecology (CASE), who have developed a concentrating solar system that is not only modern and attractive but extremely efficient and cost effective. The system is made up of rows of pyramid-shaped glass receptors that move with sunlight throughout the day, magnifying the incoming light and capturing it in a small photovoltaic cell located in the center of each pyramid.

Read the rest of CASE Solar Power Glass Energizes Any Building Facade

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Post tags: case, CASE solar facade, center for Architecture Science and Ecology, clean tech, concentrated solar power, green design, photovoltaic, photovoltaic glass, photovoltaic glazing, renewable energy, solar facade, solar glass, solar glazing, Solar Power, solar power glass, solar windows, sustainable design