Japan to Spend $21,000,000,000 on a Power Plant in Space

via Gizmodo by Adam Frucci

Holy shit, Japan is getting prepped to drop $21 billion on a solar power station in space, one that will beam enough energy back to Earth to power 294,000 homes. With no cables.

The whole deal is being put together by Mitsubishi Electric Corp. and industrial design company IGI Corp. The plan involves a gigantic solar panel floating around in space, soaking up a gigawatt of energy and beaming it to Earth without the use of cables. And they hope to have it ready to rock within four years.

Solar Forest Charging Station for Electric Vehicles

via Designboom - Weblog on 8/5/09

solar forest parking station

designer neville mars has developed an electric vehicle charging station that takes
the form of an evergreen glade of solar trees. the photovoltaic grove serves a dual function,
acting as a go to source for clean renewable energy while providing a shady spot for cars
to park as they charge.




solar forest parking station

each of the trees in the forest are composed of a set of photovoltaic leaves mounted
on a branching poll. the base of each trunk features an power outlet that can be used
to charge your electrical vehicle.