Engadget: Subaru Secures Permit to Test Self-Driving Car in California
The list of automakers that can test their self-driving cars in California is getting less and less exclusive by the minute. Its latest addition? Subaru. The Japanese company has secured an Autonomous Vehicle Testing Permit from the state's DMV on February 9, bringing the total number to 22. Some Subaru models already have assisted driving features thanks to their camera-based Eyesight system, such as adaptive cruise control, sway warning and pre-collision braking.
The Motley Fool: In Case You Missed It, This Hasn't Happened in the Solar Industry in 16 Years
The solar industry has been on a growth streak for the past 16 years and is now a formidable force in energy. But this year may finally see the growth streak come to an end.
According to GTM Research, 2017 is expected to see a 7% decline in installations from 74 GW to 69 GW. This would be a significant downturn after years of growth, but it's not all that surprising to industry observers. First Solar, SunPower, Canadian Solar, and even shares of Tesla in SolarCity were all hammered by this decline before the calendar turned to 2017.
While this year may be bad for solar energy, it may be the calm before a wave of installations hits starting in 2018. And if you look out on the horizon the solar future looks to be getting brighter everyday.
Associated Press: Big Utilities Try to Tilt Solar Energy Market in Their Favor
Indiana's energy utilities want state lawmakers to pass a law that critics say would muscle out smaller companies from the emerging solar energy market.
Solar power provides only about 1 percent of the country's energy, but it is growing rapidly, with U.S. Energy Department figures showing solar industry employment grew 125 percent since 2010.
Much of the growth has come from homeowners or businesses taking advantage of its bill-lowering potential. That could eventually eat away at the business of the big utilities -- in Indiana, Duke Energy, Vectren and Indiana Michigan Power -- which have a powerful voice and donate handsomely to political campaigns.
Scientific American: Do Car Bans Actually Mitigate Air Pollution?
In recent months, several cities from Paris to New Delhi have resorted to banning cars to improve worsening air pollution. While some see this as a long-term solution, others question if it is no more than an emergency band-aid on a profusely polluting limb.
Air quality can be a hard thing to ascertain, but with increasing air quality monitoring, not to mention social media activity on the topic, air pollution is worsening in many cities, and nitrogen oxides (NOx) from the transport sector are a major culprit, with deleterious effects including asthma, heart disease, and cancer.
Transport alone is not to blame; in many cities there are nearby power stations and/or industrial production, which contribute a large share of pollution, but these are understandably harder for politicians to shift overnight. So when citizens demand action, they sometimes get it, but the question is: is it the right action?
Power Source: Westinghouse Parent Toshiba's Decision Could Shock Markets
On Tuesday at noon -- Tokyo time -- Westinghouse Electric Co. will learn its fate.
For more than a month, the Cranberry-based nuclear firm has been living with an asterisk since its Japanese parent company, Toshiba Corp., told shareholders to expect a multibillion-dollar impairment in Westinghouse’s value.
The write-down is expected to be close to $6 billion, and it stems from Westinghouse’s acquisition of a nuclear construction company in 2015.
Late last month, Toshiba’s president and CEO, Satoshi Tsunakawa, told reporters that Toshiba is likely to exit the nuclear construction business outside of Japan, which would return Westinghouse to its role as a technology designer and service provider.