Ricoh will erect a sign in New York City's Times Square that will be 100 percent powered by solar and wind power. The electronic billboard, the first ever to be totally powered by natural resources in Times Square, will be located at 3 Times Square at the corner of 7th Avenue and 42nd Street.

The sign, which is 47 feet high by 126 feet long, will be illuminated by floodlights and powered by 45 solar panels and 4 turbines for wind generation. By using all natural energy sources, Ricoh will reduce the amount of CO2 usage by 18 tons per year. If there is not enough solar or wind power, the Times Square sign will not be illuminated. Ricoh also currently has a similar eco-powered sign in Osaka, Japan, that uses 100 percent solar and wind power.

One of the biggest problems with the first generation iPhone has undoubtedly been the battery life. Some users say that it lasts the whole 24 hours, while some complain that it only lasts a couple of hours before dying out. Apple tried to solve this problem by listing a couple of tips, like keeping bluetooth off, keeping wi-fi off, and keeping EQ settings off on the iPod, on their website to help maintain a steady battery life. These suggestions, however, limit the user from using all of the iPhones innovative features to the fullest.

In the latest news, Apple is rumored to be working on making a solar powered iPhone. With solar power, hybrid cars, and everything “green” being the theme of the year, the solar powered iPhone has room to be the next hot gadget-especially for those who have already gone “green” this year.

One of the reasons that solar powered phones have not worked in the past is because of added bulk the phone would get, and virtually no space to put the solar panels. This new iPhone is rumored to have the solar panels located behind the beautiful LCD touch screen. It would be nice to have a phone that ran on solar power, so the next time your phone is about to die at the park all you have to do is get in a sunny or lighted area. For now, all we can do is wait.

IBM announces a research breakthrough in photovoltaics technology that could significantly reduce the cost of harnessing the Sun's power for electricity. By mimicking the antics of a child using a magnifying glass to burn a leaf or a camper to start a fire, IBM scientists are using a large lens to concentrate the Sun’s power, capturing a record 230 watts onto a centimeter square solar cell, in a technology known as concentrator photovoltaics, or CPV. That energy is then converted into 70 watts of usable electrical power, about five times the electrical power density generated by typical cells using CPV technology in solar farms.

If it can overcome additional challenges to move this project from the lab to the fab, IBM believes it can significantly reduce the cost of a typical CPV based system. By using a much lower number of photovoltaic cells in a solar farm and concentrating more light onto each cell using larger lenses, IBM’s system enables a significant cost advantage in terms of a lesser number of total components.

SunPower has completed design and construction of a new 1.4-megawatt solar electric power plant project in Hampyeong, South Korea. SunPower worked with Korean energy company EnE System to complete the plant, which is owned by Hampyeong Solar Plus, and will generate 1.8 million kilowatt-hours per year.

At the power plant site, SunPower installed SunPower panels, which are up to 50 percent more efficient than conventional panels, as well SunPower Tracker solar tracking systems. The Tracker tilts toward the sun as it moves across the sky, significantly increasing daily energy production compared with fixed-tilt systems.

eBay announces the opening of an environmentally friendly building on its North Campus in San Jose. It is the first building in San Jose to be built to LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold standards for new construction, which is the second-highest LEED rating a building can receive. The building sits on a campus with the largest commercial solar installation in the city.

The campus has 3,248 solar panels covering 60,000 square feet - more than a football field - of roof supplying 18 percent of the campus’s power with a 650 kW system. With the largest commercial solar installation that is operational in San Jose, and because of its proximity to public transportation, eBay’s new building and campus reflect the close collaboration between the city and eBay to reduce its environmental footprint. City staff was instrumental in facilitating eBay’s move to this campus and ensuring flexibility to expand as the needs for the building and campus evolved.

Clear Skies Solar will provide solar power to a Riverside County, CA, dairy farm, Scott Brothers Dairy Farms. Under the $1,700,000 agreement, Clear Skies Solar will provide approximately 240 kilowatts of solar power to the dairy farm, helping it to offset its carbon footprint, reduce energy usage and save on utility costs.

Construction, anticipated to commence this summer, will consist of two systems. The first will include construction of a 63.86kW installation and the second will install an additional 74.93kWs. Clear Skies Solar will install the solar panels on shade structures and an existing barn on Scott Brothers’ San Jacinto, CA-based dairy farm.

The Solar Electric Power Association and the Solar Energy Industries Association announce the opening of registration for Solar Power 2008. The event will take place October 13-16 at the San Diego Convention Center and is expected to attract a record 12,000 professionals from more than 70 countries and 400 exhibitors from 14 countries. Besides top vendors presenting the state-of-the-art in solar energy technologies and services, Solar Power 2008 features more than 60 conference sessions and workshops covering the latest market, policy, finance and technology issues as well as a world-renowned CEO Panel plenary session. Conference organizers also revealed the first confirmed keynote speaker for this year – Bob Greifeld, chief executive officer of The NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc. Greifeld will address conference attendees on global market conditions, the outlook for IPOs and Wall Street’s role in the future of the solar industry.

It's sunshine, it's free, it's simple enough-right? With all the dizzying things to consider, from interpreting your power bill and reviewing solar proposals to comparing paying cash with lower-cost offerings, the process of switching to solar can leave a homeowner buried in paperwork. But with the right information, you'll see the light: going solar can be easy, cost-effective and hassle-free.

Drawing from their direct experience talking with homeowners, the solar service experts at Sun Run have developed a list of the top seven questions you'll want answered before you triumphantly watch your meter spin backwards.

Read on to making the best economic and environmental choices by figuring out the facts.

A new patents pending solar energy system will soon make it possible to produce electricity at a wholesale cost of 5 cents per kWh. This price is competitive with the wholesale cost of producing electricity using fossil fuels and a fraction of the current cost of solar energy.

XCPV (Xtreme Concentrated Photovoltaics), a system that concentrates the equivalent of more than 1,600 times the sun’s energy onto the world’s most efficient solar cells, was announced today by SUNRGI, a solar energy system designer and developer, at the National Energy Marketers Association’s 11th Annual Global Energy Forum in Washington, DC. The technology will enable power companies, businesses, and residents to produce electricity from solar energy at a lower cost than ever before.

Akeena Solar announces the Star Quality Concrete project. This installation will be the largest commercial solar power system in San Jose. The 410 KW Akeena Solar power system will house 1,890 Akeena solar panels on the roof of Star Quality Concrete in downtown San Jose.

“At Akeena Solar, we are excited about the opportunity to help existing manufacturing businesses operate in a renewable and lower cost way,” said Jim Curran, Akeena Solar COO. “At the same time that we assist companies make the transition, we’re also proud to move San Jose closer to achieving Mayor Reed’s vision for a greener San Jose.”

Star Quality Concrete, a family-owned, independent concrete mixing plant has received global recognition for its innovative technology and its recent foray into sustainability. The company’s newest technology manufactures sand and rock for concrete aggregate by crushing demolition concrete.

Thule announces that a 318-kilowatt DC solar photovoltaic system will be installed by North Chelmsford, Massachusetts-based American Capital Energy on the roof of Thule's Seymour, Connecticut US headquarters.

The Thule solar PV system will consist of two separate arrays with a total of 1,876 solar panels. The PV system will supply an estimated 324,800 kWh annually, or about 26% of the facility's total electrical needs. Thule will be hosting the system under a power purchase agreement, where Nautilus Solar Energy, LLC, a developer of distributed generation and utility scale solar power projects, will own the solar system and Thule will purchase energy produced at a fixed price below current utility rate. This allows Thule to stabilize its energy costs and Nautilus to receive federal tax incentives, rebates and renewable energy credits associated with the project. The Connecticut Clean Energy Fund's On-site Renewable Distributed Energy Program is providing a $1.3 million grant to subsidize the system.

Carmanah Technologies is working with the City of Kelowna, British Columbia, to equip the community's parks, paths and other public spaces with solar-powered LED lighting technology. As part of its "Going Green" strategy, Kelowna will install 100 Carmanah EverGEN solar-powered area lights in a citywide deployment of renewable technology. A Government of Canada grant of $500,000 will help support the outdoor lighting project as part of the government's commitment to help Canadians reduce energy costs, increase energy efficiency, and develop cleaner energy technologies. The government will contribute $480,000 in funding from the Technology Early Actions Measures program and $20,000 of in-kind support from Natural Resources Canada.

The solar-powered lights will illuminate green spaces and other public areas to help enhance convenience, security, and visual appeal throughout the city. With no trenching, cabling or permits required, each area light can be installed in minutes at a fraction of the cost of a wired light source, to provide years of trouble-free operation without the scheduled maintenance or monthly utility bills of traditional electric lights. To ensure consistent illumination levels, each light uses Carmanah's built-in MICROSOURCE energy management system to dynamically manage the changing relationship between light output and available energy resources. By using the sun's energy as an alternative power source, each solar-powered LED (light emitting diode) light can help the community to reduce its dependency on grid-based electricity, for a clean, economical and maintenance-free lighting alternative.