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Why Prisons Are Going Green
 Why Prisons Are Going Green 
Nov 2, 2008 4:54 AM CST

Why Prisons Are Going Green

Daytime eco-projects cut costs and boost social behavior

(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...

New Solar Tech Can Top This
 New Solar Tech Can Top This 
glossies
Oct 12, 2008 7:31 PM CDT

New Solar Tech Can Top This

Solyndra's designs can capture light from any angle

(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...

Experiment Raises Hope of Solar Power From Space

Successful test opens the possibility of humanity getting its energy 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...

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...

Mayor Aims to Make Big Apple Windmill City

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

(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...

McCain Strikes Out on Renewable Energy
McCain Strikes Out on Renewable Energy
OPINION
Aug 13, 2008 3:25 AM CDT

McCain Strikes Out on Renewable Energy

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

(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...

African Sun Could Power EU
  African Sun Could Power EU 
Jul 23, 2008 1:50 PM CDT

African Sun Could Power EU

Scientists propose African solar farms for Europe's power

(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,...

Oil Tycoon Kicks Off Energy Campaign

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

(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...

Solar-Powered Billboard to Light Up Times Square

Power will be generated by solar panels and wind turbines on site

(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...

Apple Eyes Solar-Powered Gadgets

iPods and iPhones could soon harness sun's power with new patent

(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...

Is There a Solar Bubble?
 Is There a Solar Bubble?
OPINION
May 22, 2008 4:01 PM CDT

Is There a Solar Bubble?

Parallels with now-depressed ethanol stocks sure to scare investors

(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...

Solar Panels Trump Trees
 Solar Panels Trump Trees 
Mar 26, 2008 5:43 PM CDT

Solar Panels Trump Trees

Calif. man forced to cut down redwoods so neighbor can tap sun's energy

(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...

Future Sunny for Solar Power
Future Sunny for Solar Power
Feb 20, 2008 1:26 PM CST

Future Sunny for Solar Power

Tech leap will enable replacement of fossil fuels in 20 years: panel

(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...

Molten Salt Key to New Solar Power Project

Aerospace supplier teams with clean-fuel company on new plants

(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...

Google Searches Green Energy
Google Searches Green Energy
Nov 27, 2007 5:19 PM CST

Google Searches Green Energy

Company pledges to spend hundreds of millions on renewable energy initiative

(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...

Repairs Throw Wrench Into Spacewalk Plan

Ripped solar wing affects space station, shuttle schedules

(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...

Real, Fake TV Moguls to Star at Solar Conference

Turner, Hagman will keynote industry event

(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 "...

Solar Plane Beats World Record
Solar Plane Beats World Record
Sep 10, 2007 11:23 AM CDT

Solar Plane Beats World Record

Aviation officials absent for the Zephyr's 54-hr flight

(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...

Sunny Days Here for Green Homeowners

Thanks to subsidies and surplus, going green is paying off

(Newser) - Sunny days are here to stay for solar homes with roof-top panels, Forbes reports. Such green abodes can cover electricity costs in warm months and store enough to sell solar power to the grid for profit. Installation is expensive but viable thanks to government subsidies, especially in California, New Jersey...

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