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The SunSpring produces 5000 gallons per day of potable water, powered by the sun. Units now at work in Haiti. FastCompany http://bit.ly/byk8Eu
A new solar lightbulb can shine for two hours after a day of charging. Costing $15, it pays for itself quickly. http://bit.ly/9xzweE
The inventor of solar cell windows just won the Millennium Technology Prize (the world's largest). http://bit.ly/90cz7S
Researchers at MIT have succeeded in modifying a virus so it can split water into hydrogen and oxygen - the first step in photosynthesis. This could lead to new approaches to solar energy. Economist http://bit.ly/917JOz
New technologies in Germany are using solar power to remove pathogens and chemical pollutants from waste water. Economist Magazine http://bit.ly/bmRh8Y
Researchers have devised a plan to combine desalination plants, aqueducts and drip irrigation to grow forests in the Sahara. Science http://bit.ly/dBlouV
Covering 1% of the Sahara with solar plants - about 90,000 square kilometers - would be enough to power Europe (with enough left over to power the rest of the world). One company is starting | Der Spiegel http://bit.ly/baNNmv
Gas-solar hybrid power plants reduce green energy costs by sharing turbines and power lines already in place. CNET review: http://bit.ly/d0X7Y9
SolarCycle has designed a solar oven made from plastic bags, foil from chip bags, and other materials. A Dell Social Innovation Competition winner 2009. http://bit.ly/773jtg
A German service, solAround, matches people interested in investing in solar power systems with homeowners interested in renting roof space. An HP "responsible business ideas" grand winner idea 2009. http://bit.ly/7wi1MB
The Solar Water Disinfecting Tarpaulin (SWDT) combines easy transport of water with solar purification. A Metropolis Magazine winning idea 2008. http://bit.ly/4tpQvv
An Australian company seeks to build a solar updraft generator in Arizona -- including an 800 meter chimney and four square mile greenhouse. http://bit.ly/7PsMPR
Use solar panels shaped like convetional roofing tiles to generate power and heat. Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Building-integrated_photovoltaics
New technologies allow water pumps, night lighting, and even new sources of revenues for entrepreneurs. http://www.selco-india.com
SunNIght Solar, makers of a significant solar powered flashlight, is offering a "Buy One, Give One" ("BOGO") program, where for about 25% more, you can send a flashlight to the developing world. This seems like a model that would work well across many products of interest to developing countries (medicines, vaccines...) -- particularly if organized on a "bogo.org" web site that publicized opportunities, tracks purchases, audits delivery, and provides tax deductions. http://www.bogolight.com
The non-profit Green Wi-Fi brings solar-powered wifi base stations to poor communities to allow cheap and reliable local networking. http://www.green-wifi.org .
Sunlight Direct builds a system which collects sunlight with a roof-mounted parabolic mirror, then pipes it to various rooms in a building using fiber optic cables.
A billion people drink highly polluted water. Treating water by putting it in 2 liter cola bottles and setting it in the sun on a black surface for 5 hours kills 99% of pathogens. One of the world's truly great ideas. See http://www.sodis.ch/
Rural villages in India and elsewhere are benefiting from LED solar power lighting, with 50 times the useful light of an incandescent bulb. See Lighting Africa http://www.lightingafrica.org.