Tag Archives: world
Solar Impulse Lands in San Francisco
Solar Impulse, the manned, solar-powered plane has made its first journey across the Atlantic from Europe—in a plane. The plane landed in San Francisco Feb. 21, ferried the disassembled Solar Impulse (HB-SIA) across the Atlantic in a Boeing 747 (which actually has a smaller wing span than the photovoltaic-powered plane) ahead of its planned flight [...]
World Solar Capacity Passes 100GW Milestone
The cumulative solar photovoltaic capacity of the world crossed the 100-gigawatt milestone in 2012, to reach over 101 gigawatts, according to figures from the European Photovoltaic Industry Association. The new global P.V. capacity generates as much electricity annually as 16 coal power plants or nuclear reactors of 1 GW apiece, said E.P.I.A. The solar association [...]
China: Consuming Just As Much Coal As Rest of World Combined
It’s not always that I agree with Time. But this time I do, even if they’re a bit late to the party. “As the data shows, China is now burning almost as much coal as the rest of the world—combined. And despite impressive support from Beijing for renewable energy and a dawning understanding about the dangers of [...]
WOW: 1% of Land Covered With Solar Could Power The World
Solar PV can meet 100% of electricity demand on just 1% of land by 2050, says the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). In 2010, they produced a report showing that a combination of energy efficiency and renewable energy can supply the world’s energy by 2050. But how much land would that take to make that huge jump feasible? And how would [...]
In Focus: Renewables Development in the Emerging World
Do a Google search for renewable power and you will find thousands of links to sites covering renewable power development in the U.S. and in Europe. But outside of China and maybe India, you won’t find much about renewables development elsewhere. Interestingly, recent years have seen significant renewables development in other parts of the world, [...]
5 Surprising Ways Solar is Being Used
As planet Earth’s resources become more depleted over time, alternative energy sources gain priority. Solar power is not a new idea, but it is gaining more traction in an era of environmental concern. It works through the use of panels that absorb the sun’s light over the course of a day and then convert it [...]
The Best Green Architecture on Earth
Green architecture, otherwise known as sustainable architecture or green building, is a form of eco-friendly construction whereby a property is built with the natural environment in mind. This may incorporate the use of alternative energy sources, recyclable materials, green roofing, waste reduction and other factors into the construction. Green architecture is a growing sector and [...]
SunPower Pushes International Expansion
SunPower Corp. is aggressively expanding into international markets, including China, Japan, Australia, South Africa and the Middle East. The California company announced this week that it financed 33 megawatts of solar in South Africa, a relatively new market for the high-efficiency solar panel manufacturer. As the cost of solar drops relative to the cost of [...]
In Focus: Successful Electric Car Cities
Electric vehicles (EVs) are becoming increasingly popular as cities all over the world started recognizing their advantages and introducing initiatives to promote the use of the plug-in transport. Although EVs are still largely considered to be somewhat ‘cars of the future’, there’s a rising global movement committed to making these electric cars a reality of [...]