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+36 +7
NASA Considers Magnetic Shield to Help Mars Grow Its Atmosphere
NASA Planetary Science Division Director, Jim Green, says launching a magnetic shield could help warm Mars and possibly allow it to become habitable.
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+5 +3
Solar-Powered Water Wheels Prevented 1 Million Pounds of Trash From Entering Baltimore Harbor
Meet Mr. Trash Wheel and Professor Trash Wheel—a pair of floating, solar and hydro-powered trash interceptors keeping Baltimore's waters clean. These frankly adorable trash wheels can collect as much as 38,000 pounds of debris in a single day.
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+23 +4
Scientists Are Developing Graphene Solar Panels That Generate Energy When It Rains
Solar power is making huge strides as a reliable, renewable energy source, but there's still a lot of untapped potential in terms of the efficiency of photovoltaic cells and what happens at night and during inclement weather. Now a solution has been put forward in the form of producing energy from raindrops. The key to the new process is graphene: a 'wonder' material we've heard plenty about before. Because raindrops are not made up of pure water and contain various salts that split up into positive and negative ions, a team from the Ocean University of China in Qingdao thinks we can harness power via a simple chemical reaction. Specifically,
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+32 +9
How a Pacific Island Changed From Diesel to 100% Solar Power
On a recent Wednesday evening on the island of Ta’u—one of the outer islands in American Samoa—most of the people in all three villages are at pese—or church choir—practice. The annual island-wide youth group showcases are coming up and each choir senses the pressure of having to perfect their routines. For the Faleasao village choir, there is added pressure from being the smallest village on the island. But this year, the underdog choir believe they have a special routine that will blow away the competition.
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+20 +5
India Using $1.8 billion of its Coal Tax Money to Fund Renewable Energy Projects
India is using 1.8 billion of its coal tax fund to invest in renewable energy projects. The tax was collected from fossil fuel companies on every ton of coal mined in, or imported to, India between 2010 and 2016. India wants to quadruple its electricity generating capacity from renewable sources to 175 GW by 2022. It also plans to reduce emissions up to 35 percent by 2030.
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+25 +4
Saudis Kick Off $50 Billion Renewable Energy Plan to Cut Oil Use
Saudi Arabia is kicking off its $50 billion renewable-energy push as the world’s top crude exporter turns to solar and wind power to temper domestic oil use in meeting growing energy demand. Bidders seeking to qualify to build 700 megawatts of wind and solar power plants should submit documents by March 20, and those selected will be announced by April 10, Saudi Arabia’s energy ministry said Monday in an e-mailed statement. Qualified bidders will be able to present their offers for the projects starting on April 17 through July.
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+15 +5
Tesla Stock Forecast: Selling Solar Shingles Roof Is A Long-Term Tailwind For Tesla
The article was written by Motek Moyen Research Seeking Alpha’s #1 Writer on Long Ideas and #2 in Technology – Senior Analyst at I Know First. Tesla’s upcoming $5 billion Gigafactory for lithium-ion batteries justifies Elon’s decision to merge with SolarCity. Elon is now using SolarCity’s photovoltaic cell expertise to build roofs that are made of solar shingles. Tesla is not a car company anymore. It is a clean energy firm with the potential to dominate the market for solar-powered houses in America and Europe. Tesla will make money from installing solar shingles roof and the Powerwall batteries to store them. This venture...
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+17 +5
Japan is building the World’s largest floating solar power plant
Japan doesn't have much land to spare. Tokyo Leasing Corporation along with Kyocera Corporation have announced a project to built the World’s Largest Floating Solar Plant. The 13.7 megawatt (MW) floating solar power plant will be built on the Yamakura Dam reservoir. Kyocera had earlier announced building a similar 7.5 MW solar power plant on Umenokifurukori reservoir in Japan.
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+24 +4
Trump’s energy plan doesn’t mention solar, an industry that just added 51,000 jobs
The White House website may not even mention it as part of Trump’s “America First Energy Plan” — but the U.S. solar industry continues to post dramatic job growth numbers. According to a new annual report by the nonprofit Solar Foundation, more than 51,000 solar industry jobs were added in 2016, a 24.5 percent increase over 2015. Overall, the foundation finds, some 260,000 Americans now work in the solar industry.
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+39 +3
Solar Power Has Officially Become the Cheapest Source for New Energy
According to the World Economic Forum, solar power is now cheaper than fossil fuels for new energy. Renewable energy has reached a tipping-point of sorts—massive investment, falling installation costs, and advancing tech is beginning to reap dividends. Now, a future of clean, renewable power is finally within reach.
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+30 +3
We’re probably underestimating how quickly electric vehicles will disrupt the oil market
Unpredictably rapid growth happens pretty predictably.
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+7 +1
SunShot $1 per Watt Solar Cost Goal: Mission Accomplished, Years Ahead of Schedule
U.S. utility fixed-tilt system pricing is below $1.00 per watt. How crucial was the DOE in reaching this milestone?
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+7 +1
China on Pace to Become Global Leader in Renewable Energy
China will likely achieve—and may even exceed—its target to obtain 15 percent of its energy from renewables by 2020, according to a new report released by the Worldwatch Institute. If China’s commitment to diversifying its energy supply and becoming a global leader in renewables manufacturing persists, renewable energy could provide over 30 percent of the nation’s energy by 2050. That is the major conclusion of Powering China’s Development...
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+28 +4
Solar Employs More Workers Than Coal, Oil and Natural Gas Combined
U.S. solar employs more workers than any other energy industry, including coal, oil and natural gas combined, according to the U.S. Department of Energy's second annual U.S. Energy and Employment Report. 6.4 million Americans now work in the traditional energy and the energy efficiency sector, which added more than 300,000 net new jobs in 2016, or 14 percent of the nation's job growth.
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+8 +2
India Solar Prices Set to Drop on Competition, Costs
The price paid for solar power in India at auction is set to fall below last year’s record lows for the South Asia nation, driven by plummeting panel prices, falling interest rates and competition among developers seeking a slice of the country’s renewables market. Prices could dip lower than the 4.34 rupees (6 cents) a kilowatt-hour offered in auctions held in the state of Rajasthan a year ago, according to at least one developer of solar projects in India.
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+22 +4
Solar now cheapest new form of energy in nearly 60 countries
Donald Trump and the climate deniers and fossil fuel company backers he’s nominated for his cabinet don’t realize it—or refuse to believe it—but the world is starting to pass them by when it comes to developing new sources of power. In the developing world, solar power is becoming the most cost-effective new source of electricity.
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+33 +7
Solar Power Is Now the Cheapest Form of Energy in Almost 60 Countries
It's official: solar became the cheapest source of new energy in lower-income countries this year, giving both companies and governments alike another reason to ditch coal and gas for renewables. Data from Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) show that the average price of solar energy in almost 60 countries dropped to US$1.65 million per megawatt during 2016, just below wind at US$1.66 million per megawatt.
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+25 +5
France officially opens world's first solar panel road
France’s Minister of Environment Ségolène Royal has officially opened the world’s first solar road this week with one kilometer and 2,880 solar panels in Tourouvre-au-Perche. Now the country is waiting to see if the road, built with construction company Colas‘ Wattway technology, will live up to the hype surrounding the clean energy experiment. The road is designed to produce sufficient power to electrify street lighting in the 3,400-person village.
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+30 +6
Solar is top source of new capacity on the US grid in 2016
The US electric grid continued to transform in 2016. No new coal plants were added, and solar became the top new source of generating capacity. Combined with wind, a small bit of hydro, and the first nuclear plant added to the grid in decades, sources that generate power without carbon emissions accounted for two-thirds of the new capacity added in 2016. These numbers come from the US Energy Information Administration, which asked utilities about what sources they expected to have online at the end of the year.
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+41 +7
France opens world's first solar panel road in Normandy village
It is hoped that the solar panel road in Tourouvre-au-Perche could eventually provide enough energy to power the small Normandy village's street lights.
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