This may be trivia to some folks but these are the facts!

Albert Einstein won the Nobel Prize in Physics 1921 for his ground-breaking experiments
with solar power and photovoltaics.

German solar industry has generated 10,000 jobs in production, distribution and installation

A world record was set in 1990 when a solar-powered aircraft flew across the US in 21 stages, using no fuel at all.

Water is the most commonly used renewable energy resource, providing enough power to meet the needs of 28.3 million people. (more…)

A new invention could soon change the face of disaster tent cities and shantytowns across the globe. Called “Universal World House,” the structures are light, cheap — and made of paper. The prime purpose is to create intelligent housing settlements almost instantly for the displaced and the urban poor. The price for the 36 square meter (387.5 square foot) structures won’t be more than $5,000 (£3,375), each. Already road-tested in some of the worst slums in South America, the paper house has passed with flying colors.

Gerd Niemoeller, its inventor, is a co-founder of the Swiss company The Wall AG, which holds the patent for material used in the construction of the mini-homes. Designed together with the German development aid agency GTZ, and with the architect Dirk Donath, from the Bauhaus University in Weimar. (more…)

Cute yet holds a 1000 lbs plus 2 people!

The U.S. Army announced the acquisition of 4,000 Neighborhood Electric Vehicles (NEVs). An initiative to potentially replace up to 28,000 gas-powered vehicles at more than 155 Army installations with in the coming years. Estimates put the savings over a six-year service lifetime at 11 million gallons of fuel, not to mention 115,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions.

Global Electric Motorcar (GEM), a division of Chrysler, delivered the first six NEVs to Fort Myer, Virginia. Two of the NEVs are four-seat sedans. The other four are two-seat trucks with flatbeds and a payload capacity of 1,000 pounds. Both models have a range of 30 miles at 25 mph on a full eight-hour battery charge, can charge their batteries at any three-pronged household outlet, and cost about $10,200 each.

Then there is the New York project: (more…)

Norwegian Wind Power

The Scandinavian country has the longest coastline in Europe and lots of strong wind. Norway’s Oil and Energy Minister released a 30 page report by the Energy Council stating: “Norway ought to have access of up to 40 terrawatt hours of renewable energy by 2020-2025, of which about half would come from offshore wind power.”

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The number of bald eagle breeding pairs in the lower 48 states increased from nearly 500 in 1963 to nearly 10,000 in 2006, according to the U.S. Fishand Wildlife Service, which attributes the comeback to the U.S. ban in 1972 of the pesticide DDT, along with the bird’s protection under the Endangered Species Act.
(more…)