In case you missed the happenings of the solar world this week, here’s a quick solar news roundup:
Homeowners in Massachusetts are increasingly turning to residential solar for environmental reasons, according to the Boston Globe. In the midst of environmental disasters, rising energy costs, and increased talks of climate change, residents are turning to solar energy. And going solar is easier than ever with state and federal tax incentives and companies like SunRun, that make it affordable and easy to switch to solar.
In Washington, the atmosphere was more somber, as Democrats called off efforts to advance a major climate change bill through Senate. According to Senator Harry Reid, proponents of the bill knew they simply did not have enough votes and officials favored moving on, rather than stall the Senate over the bill. Instead, the Senate has pursued a more limited bill responding to the BP oil spill and tightening standards for energy efficiency.
On a lighter note, the Zephyr, an unmanned solar airplane, has set some outstanding records for longest flight…powered entirely by the sun! For over two weeks, the Zephyr has been flying over Arizona, day and night, thanks to the paper thin solar panels on its wings. The solar plane presents great potential for persistent surveillance and communications.
And over here in California, a team of scientists at the California Institute of Technology and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory was awarded $122 million by the U.S. Department of Energy to establish the Sunlight Energy Innovation Hub. This Hub would focus on “artificially simulating photosynthetic processes…to produce innovative sources of energy”, or converting sunlight into fuel.
It’s been a busy week for solar! Let us know if you think we left out a crucial solar news story and we’ll be happy to include it in our solar news roundup.
