Express: The Apple iPhone 7 Might Never Need to Be Recharged
Apple could be planning to embed solar cells beneath its touchscreens, according to a new patent.
The firm was recently granted a U.S. patent for solar panel technology hidden beneath touch-sensitive surfaces, like those used in a MacBook trackpad, iPhone, iPad or Apple Watch displays.
According to the patent filing, the hidden solar panel would recharge the device throughout the day.
The Motor Report: Global EV Sales Rising Steadily Despite Slow U.S. Market
Sales of electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids around the world have risen during the first six months of 2015, despite a slight drop-off in the key U.S. market.
Lower fuel prices in the U.S. are believed to have kept a lid on EV sales-growth for 2015, with figures more-or-less static compared to the same time last year.
Also, some of the best sellers among the Tesla Model S, Nissan Leaf and Chevrolet Volt have been on the market for several years and are now approaching the tail-end of their respective life spans -- with a corresponding drop in desirability.
Reuters: Australia's War on Wind Farms Threatens Biggest Renewable Project
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott's hostility to "visually awful" wind farms has sent a chill through the industry and could jeopardize the country's biggest renewable energy project, a $2-billion-plus wind and solar plant in the country's north.
In an early sign that a new federal policy could curtail major renewable projects, the company planning to build the 1,200-megawatt plant said it may struggle to attract financing after the government blocked state support for wind farms.
The Independent: The 'Stars Are Aligning' ahead of U.N. Climate Summit, Says Chief
The most important environmental meeting in history is on course to decisively tackle climate change as an “unstoppable and irreversible” momentum builds to “green the planet,” the United Nations climate change chief has told The Independent.
Christiana Figueres says she is confident that December’s U.N. summit in Paris -- regarded as the most important so far -- will deliver its ambitious target to agree on action drastic enough to limit global warming to 2 degrees C. Beyond this level, the consequences of climate change become increasingly devastating.
Climate Progress: Two Giant Israeli Solar Plants Will Soon Provide Nearly 2 Percent of the Country’s Electricity
On Sunday, Israel inked a $1 billion deal to build what will become the second 121-megawatt solar power plant under construction on a swath of country’s southern Negev desert. When completed in early 2018, the two plants, along with a smaller 30-megawatt photovoltaic plant slated for the site, will provide 2 percent of the country’s total electricity production. Israel has a target of getting 10 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2020.
The Jerusalem Post reports that the Israeli Finance Ministry said the overall site, named after the nearby town of Ashalim, will be the biggest of its kind in the world, and will have electricity storage options on top of solar power generation.