Biofuels are often touted as the next big thing in airplane fuel technology, but solar power shouldn’t be discounted — as was recently proven by the team behind the Solar Impulse. The solar-powered plane just took its first test down the runway, and eventually the plane is expected to take a 20 to 25 day trip around the world.

Read the rest of Solar-Powered Plane Makes Runway Debut

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Post tags: "solar energy", airplane, alternative energy, green design, renewable energy, solar impulse, Solar Power, solar powered airplane, sustainable design

All U.S. Presidents get a center named after them upon completion of their term in the White House, and George W. is no exception. Plans for his presidential center were just revealed, and considering how energy efficient his ranch in Crawford is, it really should come as no surprise that the new center is chock full of green design elements. To be located on the edge of the Southern Methodist University campus in Dallas, Texas, the George W. Bush Presidential Center will serve as a commemoration of all of his accomplishments [insert joke here].

Read the rest of Plans for the Green George W. Bush Presidential Center Released

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Post tags: "leed", A.M. Stern, Bush, Bush Presidential Center, Dallas, George W. Bush, green roof, GW Bush, LEED platinum, Robert A.M. Stern, SMU, Solar Power, texas

The recent evolution of solar technology has been nothing short of amazing, and we are continuously impressed by all the products hitting the market that make it easier to integrate clean tech into our daily lives. One innovative company at the forefront of the solar energy bustle is Sulfurcell, the producer of a new kind of modular solar panel that add energy-generating capabilities to any building. The super-thin panels are entirely self contained, so they don’t require any substructure, and they can be applied to new buildings as well as retrofitted old buildings to provide a sleek look and plenty of power.

Read the rest of Uber-Thin Modular Solar Panels Energize Any Building

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Post tags: "sustainable energy", clean tech, green design, modular solar panels, renewable energy, Solar Power, sulfurcell, sustainable design

We’re pretty certain that parking lots of the future will be more than just storage areas for our vehicles. They’ll generate their own power, have morphing advertisements, and likely recharge cars as well. Well our friends at Designboom and Nissan are way ahead of the curve. They just announced the results of their Think Outside the Parking Box competition, and while we’re certainly impressed with some of the imaginative ways to park cars (car ferris wheel, anyone?), we were most excited about the Solasis Light Tower. This renewable energy generating parking lot actually uses the cars’ windshields to shine sun onto a solar power concentrating tower adding valuable juice to the grid. Read on to see how the designers propose to make the tower work and see some detailed pics of the final design.

Read the rest of Solar Parking Lot of the Future Does Much More Than Park Cars

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Post tags: designboom, NISSAN, parking lot, parking lot of the future, power generating parking lot, renewable energy, solar concentrating, solar concentrating power, Solar Power, solasis light tower

Design and engineering innovations over the last two decades have had a dramatic impact on our ability to create beautiful, environmentally sensitive structures that help contribute to a more sustainable future. A dramatic example of the confluence of design, technology and environmental sustainability can be seen in the proliferation of innovative bridge designs around the world. We’ve put together a list of five of our favorites. Check them out and let us know what you think!

Read the rest of Top 5 Most Innovative Green Bridges on the Planet

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", "wind power", Green Building, green design, renewable energy, Solar Power, Sustainable Building, sustainable design

It sounds like something out of a science fiction novel, but architects at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have a plan to build a massive digital cloud above the London skyline. The Cloud, which has been shortlisted in a competition to build a tourist attraction in the Olympic Park with a lasting legacy, would feature 400 foot-tall mesh towers topped with solar powered plastic bubbles that show images and data — i.e. weather information, Olympic race results, and spectator numbers. If built, the cloud could also be used as an observation deck and a park.

Read the rest of Zero-Power Digital Cloud Shows Images and Data in the London Skyline

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Post tags: green design, London, MIT, olympic games london, olympics, Solar Power, sustainable design, the cloud, Zero energy

Yesterday in Hackettstown, New Jersey, Mars Chocolate flipped the switch of their shiny new 2 MW photovoltaic system. This pic may depict the popular candies catching some rays next to the new solar panels, but don’t worry, Mars still guarantees that M&Ms won’t melt before they reach your mouth! The Solar Garden sits on 18 acres of property that was beforehand just a vacant lot. Now enough electricity for one-fifth of the Hackettstown factory’s needs is produced from the system, meaning that every fifth M&M you eat was made courtesy of the sun. So gather up four friends and dole out those colorful candies, because each one you eat will be green(er).

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Post tags: candy, Hackettstown, M&Ms, Mars Chocolates, new jersey, photovoltaics, PSEG Solar Source, Solar Power, solar powered factory

Earlier this week, Regen wowed us with their sleek, modular iPhone charger. Now the electronics company is back again with another impressive Apple-related product: the Reverb, an eye-catching 3-foot tall iPod dock that blasts out the equivalent of 60 watts of sound from a conventional speaker. And best of all, it’s solar-powered.

Read the rest of Regen’s Giant Solar-Powered iPod Dock Pumps Out the Tunes

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Post tags: clean tech, green design, Greener Gadgets, ipod, regen, renewable energy, Reverb, Solar Power, solar-powered, speakers, sustainable design

Like an non evil, sustainable version of the Deathstar, the Technosphere by James Law Cybertecture replicates the Earth as a structural concept. Inside the eco-sphere is an entire world which serves as a vehicle to explore the issues of self-sustaining life on a smaller level. Although not nearly as self-sufficient as the Biosphere 2, the Technosphere is meant to reflect the state of our planet in current and future times. Proposed as an iconic building for the Technopark of Dubai, the eco-sphere would be a carbon neutral tourist attraction as well as a place in which to live and work.

Read the rest of James Law’s Technosphere is an Eco Deathstar for Dubai

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Post tags: biosphere, dubai, eco sphere, james law cybertecture, self-sufficient, Solar Power, Sustainable Building, sustainable cybertecture, technosphere

Multi-functional centers are great – same complex, different uses, minimal infrastructure. The House of Music in Aalborg, Denmark is just such a place, combining public and performance space with cultural and education functionality. Designed by Coop Himmelb(l)au this multifunctional center is a marvel of Solar passive design and features a south-facing facade covered with thin-film photovoltaics that help to reduce its energy use. With a concert hall, auditoriums, public courtyards and sustainable design features, Denmark has a wonderful addition to its cultural scene.

Read the rest of House of Music: Denmark’s Solar Powered Symphony Hall

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Post tags: Coop Himmelb(l)au, Denmark, house of music, mixed use building, natural ventilaiton, solar passive design, Solar Power, thin-film pv

The problem with most built-in solar gadget chargers is that it just doesn’t make sense to stick your pricey phone in the sun for the whole day while you wait for it to charge. But the Regen ReNu modular solar panel takes care of that issue–the combination solar panel and battery pack attaches to the back of an iPod/iPhone dock or USB device for easy access to solar power. When you want to charge the panel, just remove it and place it near sunlight!

Read the rest of ReNu Modular iPhone Charger Makes Solar Power Sleek

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Post tags: modular, regen, renu, solar panel, Solar Power

Nabito Architects has proposed a fascinating new pop-art inspired design for the Taipei Pop Music Center that integrates a photovoltaic facade and a wall clad in LED panels. Depending on the activities of the Pop Music Center that day, the LED media wall can broadcast news, weather, advertisements and trailers for new events. Powered completely by the sun, the LED facade isn’t a drain on the grid when it lights up at night. Although just a proposal for the Taipei Pop Music Center Competition, this music events hall would showcase not only pop musical talents, but an innovative use of renewable energy.

Read the rest of Taipei Pop Music Center Ever Changing Media Wall Powered By The Sun

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Post tags: "solar energy", LED screen, LED wall, photovoltaic, Solar Power, taipei, taipei music center

The 2009 Solar Decathlon may have come to a close, but we wanted to shine a little more light on one of our favorite projects, Virginia Tech’s LUMENHAUS. Ranked 4th in this year’s Architecture category, the LUMENHAUS is named for its “power of light” attributes and architectural references to the BauHaus movement, and was particularly inspired by Mies Van Der Rohe’s Farnsworth House. Like its historic reference, it is comprised of all glass walls, maximizing exposure to natural daylight. The house features an automated “Eclipse System” of highly insulated translucent panels that filters the light using independent sliding layers, creating an ever-changing pattern throughout the day.

Read the rest of Sun Powered LUMENHAUS has a Shifting Solar Facade

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Post tags: green architecture, Green Building, green design, lumenhaus, Solar Power, sustainable design, virginia tech

Canvas swag bags are par for the course these days, but PopTech upped the ante yesterday by giving conference attendees the Swag Bag to End All Swag Bags: a Timbuk2 messenger bag that’s really a portable, solar-powered lantern in disguise. Built in collaboration with the Portable Light Project, the FLAP—Flexible Light and Power—incorporates solar panels that can be charged by day, and then used to power a built-in LED light or a cell phone/iPod at night.

READ MORE AT ECOUTERRE >

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Post tags: FLAP bag, poptech, solar bag, solar fashion, Solar Power, Timbuk2

The winner of the Solar Decathlon Competition was announced today — congratulations Team Germany! We’ve been following the competition happenings all week. Our friends have been as abuzz as us, and we’ve noticed that everyone is in a flurry of excitement about solar technology and energy efficient building. Check out what we saw this week!

Treehugger annouced the architecture and market viability awards on Tuesday.

GreenOptions reports on Steven Chu’s decision to spend an additional $87 million on solar technology.

JetsonGreen, our favorite green home expert, highlights the 20 beautiful, solar-powered homes of this year’s Solar Decathlon competition.

NYTimes comments that the students are proving that solar living doesn’t mean compromising lifestyle.

Clean Technica shows us 10 solar technologies to be exicted about.

CleanTechnica also reports that California will be giving more money to small-scale solar projects.

And of course, don’t forget to check out our coverage.

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Post tags: "energy efficiency", built environment, energy efficient buildings, policy intiatives, solar decathlon 2009, Solar Power, solar powered homes, solar technology