Solar Power comes to Snowy Climes

• Ever-higher fossil fuel prices stimulates investment and research in renewable energy innovation. An Ontario firm announces demonstration project for its industrial/commercial solar concentrator. Menova Energy's roof-top installation will help provide electrical power, heat, cooling and optical cable interior lighting to a new Wall-Mart store in Markham.
  Suddenly the future looks a lot less cold and gloomy; at least Ontarioians need not freeze in the daylight.
  Before we cheer, however, it looks like small thinking trumps again -even as we face brownouts and the Province schedules shut-down of coal-fired generating plants. Ontario regulators cast chill over green energy initiatives with 10 megawatt cap. Read Toronto Star article.
• Meanwhile, IBM research makes headway with increasing electric output of concentrator photovoltatic cells while reducing their cost.
• Intel funds solar startup and HP licences its clear transistor for use in solar panels.
• Patent holder assigns rights to a team of MIT students who deliver a prototype solar/steam generator that is cheap and scaleable.