Jun 19 2009

The Green Seen

Posted by: Leonard Anderson

Several items relating to the business and technology of clean energy caught our attention this week:

• A prototype will be introduced in Switzerland on June 26 for the Solar Impulse plane aiming to fly for 36 hours powered only by the sun. The plane features a giant wingspan with more than 11,000 solar cells and lithium batteries to power four propellers. A test flight is expected later this year. Solar Impulse is financed by European companies Solvay, Omega and Deutsche Bank.
• Just in time for a summer driving vacation in an alternative-fueled car: The National Renewable Energy Labs and Google have developed a TransAtlas map of alternative fuel stations across the U.S. The fuels are hydrogen, propane, electricity, liquefied natural gas, compressed natural gas, E85 and biodiesel.
• San Francisco is testing new energy-efficient solar bus shelters for its sprawling transit system featuring solar photovoltaic panels embedded in the roof, LED lighting, Wi-Fi space for advertising, maps and an information display for arriving buses. The city's MUNI transit agency plans to replace 1,100 existing shelters this year.
• Britain's Queen Elizabeth is going green, reports Vanity Fair, growing organic vegetables at Buckingham Palace, the first royal vegetable patch since World War II. Her Majesty is growing beans, beets, tomatoes, lettuce and potatoes. The magazine speculates that perhaps the Queen was inspired by her First Lady friend Michelle Obama who gardens at the White House. 

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