Solar

After a year buffeted by squeezes to federally funded research from a government shutdown as well as an extremely bumpy rollout of healthcare.gov, President Barack Obamas fifth State of the Union Tuesday night struck a few hopeful notes for science and technology.

Solar-powered cars have been little more than a novelty to date, experimental vehicles resembling photovoltaic-laden surfboards designed mostly for racing across deserts.

This month, the Kyocera Corporation announced the launch of the Kagoshima Nanatsujima Mega Solar Power Plant. This 70 MW solar field covers an area the size of 27 baseball fields and cost about 276 million USD to construct.

Solar panels can be made more efficient by adding nanoscopic aluminum studs to trap light.

By now you might be used to spectacular images of celestial bodies thanks to organizations like NASA and the ESA. But it’s still possible to be wowed by these images, especially when they’re taken by people like you and me.

Earlier this year, I blogged about a new website set up to ease the chore of shopping for solar panels, EnergySage, and since then the company’s own blog has described two financial benefits of solar which I hadn’t thought about before.

On top of this solar shade at the sun-baked Camp Lemonier in Djibouti sit 72 solar panels that absorb sunlight to produce two kilowatts of power daily.

There is no technical issue with fracking, the controversial technique of fracturing shale rock with high-pressure, chemically treated water to release natural gas.

My friend Mark Turner just finished up his own solar PV roof installation, and like everybody else I’ve been curious about how it worked — and how it’s working out.

The Washington Post‘s indefatigable Juliet Eilperin got an unnamed official at the White House to confirm that solar panels are being reinstalled at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue this week—fulfilling a promise made by the Obama administration three years ago.

Today, an official confirmed that solar panels are being installed on the White House roof as “a part of an energy retrofit that will improve the overall energy efficiency of the building.” This is the second time that solar panels have graced the building’s roof.

Chris and Malissa Tack’s home in Snohomish, Washington is smaller than a studio apartment. But, its 140 square feet boasts all the modern conveniences that they need to live and work.