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Chernobyl’s uninhabitable land is the home of a new solar plant
In 1986, the world experienced its worst nuclear disaster to date when an accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant exposed large swaths of Europe and the Soviet Union to radioactive material. The area around the now defunct plant is uninhabitable and humans won't be able to safely live there again for another 24,000 years. But that land isn't totally going to waste, as a small solar plant has now been constructed on the site.
ICYMI: Moon waystation, human skin like bananas and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-92297{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-92297, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-92297{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-92297").style.display="none";}catch(e){} Today on In Case You Missed It: The European Space Agency wants to put a permanent base on the moon, for all agencies to share. A new solar plant in Nevada is the first to store 10 hours of energy in salt, continuing to produce electricity overnight. And researchers are studying bananas because an enzyme in their skin is just like one produced by human skin. Maybe that's why they taste so good? JK, that was just for Hannibal Lecter. We also wanted to bring you this latest Guinness World Record, of an electrified skateboard traveling at 59.5 miles per hour. As always, please share any interesting science or tech videos, anytime! Just tweet us with the #ICYMI hashtag to @mskerryd.
Apple's new environmental initiative focuses on China's forests
Apple's been vocal about trying to get its global operations running entirely on renewable energy, but the company is now looking to reduce its impact on paper, wood and similar fibers too. Outlining several environmental initiatives for China, the company announced a multi-year project with the World Wildlife Fund to increase responsibly managed forests. The program will cover up to 1 million acres of forest that provides materials for paper and wood products -- including Apple's own packaging materials. According to the press release, it wants to achieve a "net-zero impact on the world's supply of sustainable virgin fiber".
Kyocera joins forces with IHI and Mizuho on 70-megawatt solar plant
Japan is often on the cutting edge of technology, but one of the things it apparently does not have is a collection of large solar power plants. Kyocera, better known state side for its interesting cell phone designs, is looking to change that by teaming up with IHI and Mizuho Corporate Bank on a large facility in Kagoshima City. The 314 acre sun farm will collect solar rays on 290,000 Kyocera-built panels capable of generating 70 megawatts of electricity, increasing the country's sun-powered production by almost 40-percent and keeping roughly 22,000 homes thoroughly juiced. The project can't quite match some of the largest such plants here in the US, but it will go a long way towards getting the island nation back on track following the fallout of the tsunami. The ¥25 billion ($309 million) construction is expected to start in July. For more info check out the PR after the break.
Google's letting it shine as it nears $1 billion investment in solar energy
Google's feeling charitable this holiday and has pumped $94 million into a Californian solar-energy project. The photovoltaic power plant (which is a posh way of saying "lots of solar panels in the Sacramento desert valley") currently being built by Recurrent Energy will generate 88MW, enough juice for 13,000 homes. Additional investment is coming from equity fund KKR, who has already sold the first 20 years of energy to the Sacramento Municipal Utility District. It brings the search giant's investment in clean energy projects to $915 million -- with the company expected to cross the billion dollar mark some time next year, when we hope it'll get a nice loyalty bonus from Mother Nature.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: 'round the clock solar plants, USB camping pot and wave energy farms
Green transportation soared to new heights this week as Inhabitat showcased the world's first true hybrid-electric airplane, and we spotted plans for a zero-emission hypersonic jet capable of traveling from London to New York in a single hour. Meanwhile, Japan gave the green for the construction of a blazing fast 313 MPH maglev train line, and we spotted a crazy high-speed rail concept that would allow passengers to change trains while speeding along the tracks. We also watched as an 11-year-old student piloted a 1,325 MPG hypermiling supercar and we saw an 8-ton Volkswagen beetle sculpture sink into the sea to start a new life as an artificial reef. It's been a scorching summer for solar power as Torresol opened the world's first 24/7 solar plant in Spain, and Samsung unveiled the first photovoltaic-laden laptop to be sold in the US. We also saw Aquamarine Power break ground on a massive wave energy farm in Orkney, while Germany hatched a plan to store excess wind power in abandoned coal mines. Finally, we spotted several novel incredibly odd new energy-generating gizmos -- a t-shirt that converts rock music into electricity and a power-generating USB camping pot that charges your gadgets as you cook. Speaking of renewable energy, this week we caught a first look at the amazing EDV-01 shelter -- a high-tech solar-powered building with a luminous LED facade that is capable of doubling its capacity with the flick of a switch. We also brought you Adrian Smith and Gordon Gill's plans for the world's 4th tallest skyscraper, and we showcased an ultramodern paperless office in the Netherlands that looks like a meteor fallen from space. Last but not least, we took an exclusive first look inside BIG's mountainous green-roofed eco village in Copenhagen, and tech expert Peter Rojas tackled the question of whether it's better to turn your laptop off or set it to sleep in our Ask a Tech Geek column.
NRG and SunPower partner on 250-megawatt solar plant, plan to power 100,000 California homes
NRG Solar (get it?) and SunPower -- neither of which are strangers to extracting juice from that glowing ball of fire in our sky -- have just linked up to build one of the world's largest photovoltaic solar plants. The tandem will start construction in San Luis Obispo County next year, creating around 350 jobs in the process and helping California inch ever closer to realizing its 33 percent renewable portfolio standard. The 250-megawatt plant still pales in comparison to a few others (namely this guy in Arizona), but it dwarfs the vast majority of factories in operation today. The project is expected to stretch out for three or four years, but when all is said and done, around 100,000 homes (yeah, even the home of one Vincent Chase) will be given sun-sourced energy thanks to this here installation. That said, the actual energy bills for Californians everywhere probably won't sink -- but hey, at least you're throwing Ma Earth a well-deserved bone, right?
America's (newest) largest solar plant set to go live in Florida
If all goes well, this 25-megawatt solar plant in Florida won't be America's largest for long, but it's not like we'd pass up the opportunity to let this $150 million facility bask in its own glory (and the sun, if we're being thorough) while it can. The Desoto facility is just one of three solar projects that Florida Power & Light is spearheading, and judging by the proximity of this one (in Arcadia) to the 75-megawatt facility planned for nearby Charlotte County, we'd surmise that the two are linked in some form or fashion. President Obama is expected to show up rocking a set of Kanye glasses underneath a welder's mask when the plant is fired up this Tuesday, and while it'll only provide power to "a fraction" of FP&L's customer base, it'll still generate around twice as much energy as the second-largest photovoltaic facility in the US of A. [Thanks, Yossi]
75-megawatt solar plant to power "first solar city" in Florida
Given that Florida has accurately been coined The Sunshine State, it's not at all shocking to hear that America's first "solar city" will be built in the state's southwest corner. Or, at least that's the plan. According to a new report, West Palm Beach-based Kitson & Partners is currently developing a new city near Charlotte County, which will get juiced by a massive 75-megawatt solar plant. Said plant will cost around $300 million to build and will be installed by Florida Power & Light; if all goes well, homes will begin construction on a sizable plot of land dubbed Babcock Ranch by 2011. If things don't go so well, we're told that the actual power plant will still be erected and fed into the larger grid. In other words, Florida's gettin' some solar power, with or without this newfangled concrete jungle.[Via Fark]
Two mammoth solar plants to generate 800 megawatts in California
It's one thing to see competition unnecessarily push more and more megapixels into palm-sized cameras, but this game of leapfrog is one we can actually get behind. A pair of giant solar plants will soon be installed in San Luis Obispo County in California, covering 12.5 square miles and promising to generate around 800 megawatts of power. OptiSolar will be responsible for laying enough panels to generate 550 megawatts, while SunPower -- the same company associated with the 14 megawatt installation at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada (pictured) -- will provide the other 250. The energy will eventually be sold to Pacific Gas & Electric, though any sort of pricing arrangements are strictly under wraps for now. C'mon Nevada, you gonna let the Golden State do you like that?[Via Slashdot]
280-megawatt solar plant headed to Arizona desert
And you thought the Nellis solar energy system in Nevada was intimidating. Truth be told, that 14-megawatt project pales mightily in comparison to the one being dreamed up for Arizona, and even Cleantech's 80-megawatt endeavor in California can only bow to the 280-megawatt Solana Generating Station. According to the Arizona Public Service Company, the facility will boast "enough capacity to serve 70,000 customers" when it (hopefully) becomes operational in 2011, and it will also create 1,500 construction jobs and 85 technical positions once open. So, now that the game of leapfrog is official on in the solar biz, who's game for trumping this one? [Via Inhabitat]
