Image by Saginaw Future via Flickr

Dow Chemical has been working on the DOW POWERHOUSE Solar Shingles for a couple years now, and has recently announced plans to expand its manufacturing capability after a succesful pilot run.

What is significant about these new shingles is that they do not require specialist solar installation firms but rather can be installed by general roofing conractors or homeowners themselves.

The plant will also create 1275 new direct jobs and increase capacity to 220 MW annually.

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Solar tuk-tuks to ease smog in congested Bangkok.

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http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/energy/solar-cell.htm

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A hefty 4.5 megawatt will be generated by an array of solar panels to provide a Phoenix data center with a portion of its 80 megawatt demand. And even more interesting is its time shifting capability to save the company 50% of its energy bill by using onsite thermal storage.

Will Your Next Data Center Be Solar Powered? | Inside Green IT on GreenerComputing.

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PG&E strikes huge solar power deal with BrightSource – San Jose Mercury News. Pacific Gas & Electric now has 2,610 megawatts, more than 40% of large scale solar thermal in the U.S.

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As an alternative to the Prius and Camry models, Toyota is developing the means and methods for making a solar powered car a viable option.

Toyota Developing Solar Car: Report – Gearlog.

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There are many places where space that is being used for various public infrastructure projects is prime location for installing multi-purpose solar arrays.

A New Place for Solar Energy: Highway Right of Way : CleanTechnica.

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MIT is looking into creating solar cells with cheaper materials and those that are very prevalent in nature.

TG Daily – MIT research looking for cheaper, more abundant solar cell materials.

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The eco world of investments is going to need a guiding hand in government to deal with the low oil prices. The low price can’t last forever, and it is remarkable that investors are not taking a linger term view. Not that long really. I imagine in 5 years or so, or perhaps just next year, we will see a return to those high priced days.

Solar Stocks Very Low Despite Obama Victory

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Image by plemeljr via Flickr

Even the Holy See is looking for ways to cut greenhouse gasses and reduce dependence on foreign oil. Good to lead by example.

Vatican installs huge solar panel energy system – Telegraph.

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