The federal government, through the Department of the Interior,
is
proposing to allow solar farms on 670,000 acres of
public land and divide the land into 24 energy zones to speed up
development. The zones, located in Arizona, Nevada, California,
New Mexico, Utah and Colorado, are under the control of the Bureau of
Land Management. When fully developed, the total acreage could be home
to solar farms generating 100 gigawatts of electricity. Maps of the
areas are viewable here.
By taking an unusual approach, EPIR Technologies may have found a way to almost double the efficiency of solar cells that convert sunlight into electricity. Rather than using cadmium and telluride as thin film, this company is using the same layering process and placing it on silicon. Tests indicate that this new combination dramatically increases efficiency.
While there are several teams working on the idea of biofuels from algae, a University of Minnesota team is working with Minneapolis' wastewater treatment facility to use sludge, a free, non food source in constant supply to grow algae at a fast rate. They are also working on ways to separate the algae from the oil that it produces in a cost efficient way. The process could also clean the wastewater before it released back into a river.
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