“solar energy”

Study Reveals Renewable Energy Could Support All of Civilization by 2030

Study Reveals Renewable Energy Could Support All of Civilization by 2030

If you don't believe that we can kick our dependency on fossil fuels to the curb, think again. A newly released study says we can do it by 2030. Authored by Mark Delucchi and Mark Jacobsona, the

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NREL’s New Optical Furnace ‘Bakes’ More Efficient Solar Cells Using 50% Less Energy

NREL’s New Optical Furnace ‘Bakes’ More Efficient Solar Cells Using 50% Less Energy

There are many new technologies being developed to create cheaper, more efficient solar panels - however researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory just announced that they have found a

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World’s Largest Parabolic Trough Solar Plant Gets $1.5 Billion DOE Loan

World’s Largest Parabolic Trough Solar Plant Gets $1.5 Billion DOE Loan

The US Department of Energy just finalized a $1.45 billion loan guarantee to Abengoa Solar Inc.'s Solana project in Arizona which, when completed, will be the world's largest parabolic trough

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The United States’ Largest Photovoltaic Plant Opens In Nevada

The United States’ Largest Photovoltaic Plant Opens In Nevada

While it is nowhere as large as Canada's 80MW Sarnia Solar Project (which is the world's largest PV plant), the US has just opened the country's largest PV plant in Nevada. The 48MW Copper Mountain Solar

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Sahara Solar Breeder Project Will Turn Desert Into Energy Source

Sahara Solar Breeder Project Will Turn Desert Into Energy Source

The Sahara Solar Breeder Project is currently being developed by scientists from leading universities in Japan, and will use the world's biggest desert as its main energy source. The idea behind the

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Frigo Uses Growing Plants and Dirt to Keeps Your Veggies Chilled

Frigo Uses Growing Plants and Dirt to Keeps Your Veggies Chilled

The Frigo, by GPOD (Gonçalo Prudêncio Office for Design) is a design experiment geared towards developing an outdoor fridge. Using the the sun as its only energy source, and dirt and plants as its

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Olson Kundig Designs Office Made From Wind Turbine Parts

Olson Kundig Designs Office Made From Wind Turbine Parts

Olson Kundig Architects' 1,700 square-foot office addition was inspired by wind turbines -- they deconstructed the turbine down to its main parts, which include sections of the tower and the blades. Two

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Thermo-Chemical Solar Energy is Efficient and Indefinitely Storable

Thermo-Chemical Solar Energy is Efficient and Indefinitely Storable

While we've figured out ways to capture light and heat from the sun, solar technology is still far from perfected. Photovoltaic cells and solar-thermal systems are a good start, but researchers at MIT are

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MIT Introduces Paper-Thin Solar Cells

MIT Introduces Paper-Thin Solar Cells

Solar cells keep getting thinner and tinier, and thanks to MIT and their research sponsor Eni, we are already seeing cells that can be folded up into paper airplanes! Recently revealed, MIT's

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Heat Your Home With SolTech Energy’s Beautiful Glass Roof Tiles

Heat Your Home With SolTech Energy’s Beautiful Glass Roof Tiles

SolTech Energy, a Swedish company selling solutions for clean solar power, was recently awarded “Hottest New Material 2010” for their unique home heating system contained within roofing tiles made out

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Clif Bar HQ to Get Largest Smart Solar Array in North America

Clif Bar HQ to Get Largest Smart Solar Array in North America

Your next Clif Bar may be produced by the sun now that the food manufacturer is installing the biggest smart solar array in North America. The 530 kilowatt array, which is currently under construction at

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College of Wooster to Get Largest Solar Roof on College Facility

College of Wooster to Get Largest Solar Roof on College Facility

This week the College of Wooster in northeast Ohio announced plans to install a 20,000-square-foot solar roof – the largest on any college facility in the nation – on its new student athletic and

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Gen7′s Prefab Eco Classrooms Exceed Energy Code by 30%

Gen7′s Prefab Eco Classrooms Exceed Energy Code by 30%

In many schools enrollment can bump up quickly with little warning, so when Bolsa Knolls found out their student body increased they went to Gen7 for a solution. Construction started on the modular

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California Man Gets $1.8M to Store Solar Energy in Tesla Batteries

California Man Gets $1.8M to Store Solar Energy in Tesla Batteries

We hear people talking all the time about storing renewable energy. You know the deal - clean energy will never be viable until we can make it storable for those times when production is low due to

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Solar Impulse Plane Prepares For Switzerland Test Flights

Solar Impulse Plane Prepares For Switzerland Test Flights

The Solar Impulse solar-powered airplane is unstoppable so far. Earlier this summer, the single-seat plane completed its first night flight, and now the aircraft is getting ready for three test flights

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Net Zero Renovation for San Ysidro Border Crossing

Net Zero Renovation for San Ysidro Border Crossing

Each day, two out of ten people who enter the United States go through the San Ysidro border, and if you've ever been through there, you know how long it takes. Now, the most important point of entry into

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Sunplugged Bags Give You Cheaper Solar Power on the Go

Sunplugged Bags Give You Cheaper Solar Power on the Go

There's no denying that solar powered bags are a great way to keep your gadgets charged on the go, but there's one problem - they're pretty pricey. That's why we were pleasantly surprised to find this

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Olympia’s New Water Education Center Aims for LEED Platinum

Olympia’s New Water Education Center Aims for LEED Platinum

Recently, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) calculated that the total energy spent nationwide to supply drinking water and process waste-water releases 116 billion pounds of carbon dioxide

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Tell Us What is Going on in This Pic to Win a $50 Gift Card!

Tell Us What is Going on in This Pic to Win a $50 Gift Card!

What in tarnation is going on here? You tell us! Come up with a clever caption for this photo and you could win yourself a $50 Amazon gift card! Maybe it's someone's attempt to hedge their investments --

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Geometric Solar Home Cuts Energy Usage in Half

Geometric Solar Home Cuts Energy Usage in Half

This modern home built in Wisconsin by designer Shane Black uses solar thermal panels to heat a bed of sand beneath the house, keeping the interior temperature comfortable throughout the year. Combined

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80% Cheaper Solar Cells Switch Gold For Nickel

80% Cheaper Solar Cells Switch Gold For Nickel

One of the major drawbacks of most renewable energy sources is high cost. In order to see a huge rise in the use of renewable energy sources, prices must come down. In the world of solar there have

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Micro-Kitty: The World’s First Solar-Powered Vibrator

Micro-Kitty: The World’s First Solar-Powered Vibrator

It's common for green-minded gadget-lovers to rely on solar power to charge up cell phones, music players, and other electronics. But the latest solar-powered gadget is nothing if not unusual. Micro-Kitty

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LA Businesses Push for Nation’s Largest Solar Feed-In Tariff

LA Businesses Push for Nation’s Largest Solar Feed-In Tariff

The business community in Los Angeles is going green in a big way by pushing forward a plan to energize the city with the nation's largest solar feed-in tariff. At the forefront of the movement is the

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Our 7 Favorite Solar-Powered Gadgets!

Our 7 Favorite Solar-Powered Gadgets!

Even if you don't consider yourself a full-fledged greenie, solar power is worth looking into when it comes to gadgetry. Solar powered gadgets are super-convenient - allowing you access to a renewable

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Solar Power Is Cheaper Than Nuclear for the First Time

Solar Power Is Cheaper Than Nuclear for the First Time

Here's bright spot in the news of the day: energy from new solar installations has, for the first time, become cheaper than energy from new nuclear plants, according to a new Duke University study. Thanks

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World’s First Molten Salt Solar Plant Produces Power at Night

World’s First Molten Salt Solar Plant Produces Power at Night

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

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EnergyFlex House: Green Building Eco-Laboratory in Denmark

EnergyFlex House: Green Building Eco-Laboratory in Denmark

Two eco-houses in Taastrup, Denmark have been built by the Danish Technological Institute in cooperation with Henning Larsen Architects to serve as a high-tech laboratory intended to guide the future of

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University of Michigan Solar Car Team Wins American Solar Challenge!

University of Michigan Solar Car Team Wins American Solar Challenge!

The American automotive industry may no longer be centralized in the Detroit area, but Michigan is still the place to turn for innovative car design. Case in point: the University of Michigan Solar Car

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Dazzling Solar Powered OR2 Tree Structure Pops Up in London

Dazzling Solar Powered OR2 Tree Structure Pops Up in London

Don't be startled if you see a luminous pink tree sitting in London's Belgrave Square this weekend -- it's just OR2, a combination shading device and solar-powered chandelier designed by London-based

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World’s First Solar-Powered Blimp Set to Cross the English Channel

World’s First Solar-Powered Blimp Set to Cross the English Channel

Can a blimp propelled entirely by solar power cross the English Channel? We're about to find out! Nephelios, the world's first solar blimp, was built by Projet Sol'r -- a collaboration between students at

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