Trust me, it’s much more significant than it sounds. The solar pebble is not one of those “cool-but-who-really-needs-that” solar gadgets that we sometimes see. It’s actually a very significant development, specifically for people living in rural parts of Africa using kerosene lamps. According to Inhabitat, kerosene poisoning in some of the most remote and poorest parts of the world kills someone every 2o seconds. The solar pebble is a game-changer with the potential to eliminate the need for such a toxin.

Happy Monday everyone. The beginning of the final week of the month brings us great solar energy news from the south, as the University of Central Florida (UCF) has announced the completion of a new energy research facility. UCF has added an energy efficiency testing lab to its Florida Solar Energy Center — a 20-acre complex that already holds a solar research library, a photovoltaic (PV) materials lab and a solar thermal testing lab.

For over four decades, tech junkies from everywhere have decended upon Las Vegas, Nevad at the beginning of the new year for the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) — the largest consumer technology tradeshow in the world.

More good solar news came out of New Jersey earlier this week as the North Jersey Media Group — which is comprised of several community newspapers including The Record and the Herald News — announced that it has partnered with KDC Solar to install a roughly 4.2-megawatt (MW) of solar energy system at its Rockaway, New Jersey facility.

What’s in store for green homes in 2011? Portland Oregon’s Earth Advantage Institute — which has certified over 11,000 environmentally-friendly homes — has released a report citing what the Institute expects this year’s eco-homes to look like.

Since the inauguration of Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick in 2007, the state has installed 29.8 megawatts (MW) of solar energy capacity and stands third to only California and New Jersey when it comes to states with the most installed solar capacity. With such an increase in solar during his first term, it would have been easy for Patrick to call it a job well done, satisfied for at least a few years with the state’s progress.

South Carolina — currently ranked ranked 20th in solar energy capacity and 29th in generated solar energy among all states — is making an effort to move up the ranks.

You can read about solar energy all you want, (and please continue to do so) but there is no substitute for an up-close look at a working solar energy system in order to fully understand how beneficial a system can be for your home.

Now solar PV panels are returning home, as Alcatel-Lucent announced it would soon install a 1.2-megawatt (MW) ground-mounted PV solar energy system at Bell Lab’s New Jersey campus.

The Center for Innovation and Creativity on the campus at the University of Colorado at Boulder is now ten percent solar powered, courtesy of a 370-solar-panel installation that was recently installed atop the center’s roof. The solar installation is the most recent addition to CU Boulder under the university’s long-term sustainability commitment initiative and will [...]