solar power

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'After Several Tense Days,' Moon Lander Is Alive Again

Following a rough landing, Japan's SLIM finally draws enough solar power to function once more

(Newser) - A Japanese moon explorer is up and running Monday after several tense days without the sunlight it needs to generate power. Japan's first lunar mission hit its target in a precision touchdown on Jan. 20, but it landed the wrong way up , leaving its solar panels unable to see...

Clean Energy Grew at Breakneck Speed in 2023

Solar is now the cheapest form of electricity in a majority of countries

(Newser) - Led by new solar power, the world added renewable energy at breakneck speed in 2023, a trend that if amplified will help Earth turn away from fossil fuels and prevent severe warming and its effects. Clean energy is often now the least expensive, explaining some of the growth. Nations also...

'Hometown of Tomorrow' Kept Power on During Ian

Florida's Babcock Ranch, US' 'first solar-powered town,' didn't lose electricity

(Newser) - The stories out of Florida in the wake of Hurricane Ian are harrowing and devastating , with a death toll that continues to climb . One town in the western part of the state, however, fared better than most, with Ian serving as a "true test for the community," per...

Ikea to Sell Something New: Electricity

Furniture giant will sell affordable electricity from wind and solar parks to homes in Sweden

(Newser) - Ikea already sells solar panels in nearly a dozen of its markets. Now, the furniture giant based out of Sweden is taking an even deeper plunge into the renewable-energy market, starting on its home turf. Beginning next month, Ikea will sell electricity from solar and wind parks to domestic households,...

Facebook Is Building a Massive Solar Farm

Texas project will be among the nation's biggest

(Newser) - Facebook is building a massive solar farm in West Texas that's believed to be one of the largest solar projects in the nation and the social media giant's first direct investment in renewable energy. Boston-based renewable energy developer Longroad Energy recently announced it was partnering with Facebook on...

California Passes Solar Requirement for Homes

It's a first for the nation

(Newser) - Starting in 2020, solar power will be a required feature for all new homes built in California. The rule is part of new energy standards that the state Building Standards Commission gave final approval to on Wednesday, per the Mercury News , which notes that California is the first state to...

Solar Panels Will Likely Be Mandatory on New California Homes

California Energy Commission unanimously approves new building standard

(Newser) - Jumping out ahead of the rest of the country, California on Wednesday moved to require solar panels on all new homes and low-rise apartment buildings starting in 2020, the AP reports. The new building standard—unanimously approved by the five-member California Energy Commission—would be the first such statewide mandate...

Wind, Solar Power Just Hit a US Milestone

For first time, nation draws 10% of electricity from wind and solar

(Newser) - Double digits: A new report from the US Energy Information Administration reveals a milestone for alternative energy sources. For the first time, the nation as a whole drew 10% of its electricity from wind and solar farms in a single month, reports Climate Central . It happened in March, with wind...

Coal Museum Goes Solar to Save on Energy Costs

Kentucky facility raises eyebrows with decision

(Newser) - Don't look to the Kentucky Coal Mining Museum to bring coal back. The museum is installing solar panels on its roof, part of a project aimed at lowering the energy costs of one of the city's largest electric customers, the AP reports. It's also a symbol of...

Scientists Switch On Giant 'Artificial Sun'

They're seeking new ways to make hydrogen fuel

(Newser) - Scientists in Germany flipped the switch Thursday on what's being described as "the world's largest artificial sun" and which they hope will help shed light on new ways of making climate-friendly hydrogen fuel. The giant honeycomb-like setup of 149 spotlights—officially known as "Synlight"—in...

Vermont Gas Station Goes Solar
Vermont Gas Station
Goes Solar

Vermont Gas Station Goes Solar

'I'm willing to go green, but I've got to save some green in the process,' owner says

(Newser) - The Pump & Pantry looked unremarkable—a gas station, grocery, and deli along the main road through the rural Vermont town of Williamstown. But now the independent business is a meeting place of fossil fuels and renewable energy. It's a gas station that's gone solar. Owner Sam Adams—...

Power-Hungry Google Makes Major Energy Announcement

The tech giant says it will get all energy from renewable sources in 2017

(Newser) - It takes a lot of energy to power Google's empire. In 2015, the company used 5.2 terawatt hours—enough to power half a million homes for the year, Popular Mechanics reports. In 2017, 100% of that massive amount of energy will come from renewable sources, Google announced Tuesday....

Elon Musk Makes Surprising Claim About New Tesla Solar Roof

He says power-generating shingles will cost less to install than regular roof

(Newser) - Tesla CEO Elon Musk says his company's new solar roof will actually cost less for homeowners to install than a regular roof, Bloomberg reports. “So the basic proposition will be: Would you like a roof that looks better than a normal roof, lasts twice as long, costs less...

Amid Chernobyl's Ruins, One Thing of Value Remains

Sunshine is about the only thing safe to export from the exclusion zone

(Newser) - If anything, the land in the 1,000-square-mile exclusion zone left largely untouched since the Chernobyl disaster of 1986 is cheap. After all, studies suggest it won't be inhabitable until the year 4986, reported McClatchy DC in April, and pretty much nothing can be harvested from it. But now...

Manhattan May Get World's First Underground Park

Remote skylight solar tech could allow enough natural sunlight for photosynthesis

(Newser) - In 2009, right around the time the first section of the much-lauded High Line project opened to the public, offering New Yorkers access to an unused section of elevated railroad tracks in Manhattan that had been transformed into a green space, a couple of guys chatted one night over "...

Town's Fear of Solar Farms Is an Internet Sensation

Especially one guy's concern about panels sucking up all the sun's energy

(Newser) - The town of Woodland, North Carolina, is taking a drubbing online after its town council not only shot down a proposed solar farm but put a moratorium on future similar projects. It wasn't the mere rejection, however, that's drawing ridicule but some of the comments made by local...

Solar-Plane Pilot Flies While Hypnotized

Bertrand Piccard says it helps him endure the long hours

(Newser) - One of the guys circumnavigating the globe in a cramped solar-powered plane has a unique piloting plan: Take a nap, hypnotize himself, repeat, LiveScience reports. Swiss psychiatrist Bertrand Piccard says it helps him endure the long hours, including the plane's five-day flight from China to Hawaii that began today....

Solar Plane Preparing for Toughest Journey

Solar Impulse 2's Pacific crossing could begin as soon as Thursday

(Newser) - Two months after beginning a 21,700-mile , round-the-world journey, the Solar Impulse 2 is about to embark on its toughest challenge yet: a Pacific Ocean crossing. While a typical aircraft can make the trip in 12 hours, the Impulse 2, which runs entirely on solar power and travels between 20mph...

Solar-Powered Plane Starts 2nd Leg of Epic Journey

Solar Impulse 2 flying from Oman to India today

(Newser) - A Swiss-made solar-powered aircraft took off just after dawn today from Muscat, Oman, bound for India for the second leg—and its first sea crossing—in a historic round-the-world trip. Pilot Bertrand Piccard was at the controls of the single-seater Solar Impulse 2, which is making the 910-mile journey from...

Solar Plane Begins Round-the-World Flight

'Solar Impulse' journey will take 5 months

(Newser) - With its wings stretched wide to catch the sun's energy, a Swiss-made solar-powered aircraft took off from Abu Dhabi just after daybreak today in a historic first attempt to fly around the world without a drop of fossil fuel. Solar Impulse founder André Borschberg was at the controls of...

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