The idea of generating power from the sun with solar panels directly in space is certainly nothing new – in fact, it’s over thirty years old, and perhaps that’s why it doesn’t really sparkle any interest when it’s suggested anymore. However, Europe’s biggest space company seems to be looking for partners to launch an actual demonstration solar power mission.

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Green energy is still not very widely available from official government outlets – the best you can do right now is to sign up for green power with your local utility, but that’s about it. Colorado is planning on changing that soon though – a state representative from Boulder made a statement announcing plans to introduce a bill legalizing “solar gardens”.

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Home energy management seems to be quite a popular subject for development lately, as indicated by the projects launched by companies like Google, Apple, Microsoft – and now Intel too. They’ve recently launched a website based around one of their latest concepts, aimed at energy-conscious home consumers.

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Control4 have ventured into the home energy management market lately, and this caused utilities to seek partnership with them, due to their experience with home networking. The company produces home automation software, and displayed the Energy Management System 100 at CES 2010.

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Photoluminiscent exit signs were designed with the idea of being energy-efficient and a green alternative to regular exit signs. A recent publication by the National Electrical Manufacturers Association indicates that the signs aren’t as effective as their manufacturers try to make them out to be.

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Fuel cell technology has been discussed for years, but it seems that this year may finally mark the introduction of it to the public. Horizon have been hinting about various products that utilize such technology for a while now – and while their latest announcement is still just a promise on paper, they seem to be very confident that the product will actually be released this year.

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Solar chargers are great for those who enjoy camping a lot and generally spending lots of time in nature. However, they’re not always practical – sometimes you’re indoors, others it’s cloudy and you can’t get enough solar power for your needs. So what do you do then? The answer is YoGen – this nifty little device allows you to generate power by pulling a ripcord continuously, just like you start the engine of a motorboat.

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The Department Of Energy has given a $100 million stimulus to researchers involved in various green energy projects. There are three main projects which are being funded this way, each of them aimed at solving a specific energy-related problem. The three projects are more efficient fuels, capturing carbon dioxide emissions from coal plants, and inventing batteries for electric cars which can last for long trips.

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In Woodstock, Illinois, Other World Computing’s laboratory has managed to get 100% of its needed power through wind turbines placed on-site. The turbines used are 39 meters in diameter, with a capacity of 500 kilowatts. The estimated output is around 1,250,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) annually. OWC are running other operations as well, but this one uses about twice as much as any of the previous ones.

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The vast expanse of the Sahara desert has since long been seen as an available source of solar energy that can be tapped. However, there isn’t much progress to show on the issue. Now the idea seems closer to reality with a German-led consortium of 12 companies that intends to harness the desert sun to power Europe.
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