Green is in. Thanks to the introduction of eco-friendly technology, cell phone base stations in Africa will soon cut their use of diesel fuel by 80%. Good news for the environmentally conscious. More details in the full article.

It looks like the International Space Station recently got a new delivery of solar panels from the space shuttle Atlantis. NASA released a new Astronomy Picture of the Day featuring the new configuration of the world's foremost space outpost in development. You can take a look at the new before and after pictures in the full article.

It looks like Sharp is well on its way to developing technology for solar-powered homes. They have plans to produce storage batteries for solar power systems of homes along with two other companies, Daiwa House Industry Co. and Nippon Printing Co. Find out more after the jump!

It appears that great concern has hit South Korea: the Arirang 1, a multipurpose satellite launched way back in 1999, was lost just before the New Year. An official reported that efforts to contact the satellite have failed. Scientists may have an idea why the Arirang 1 is no longer communicating with reception stations, though it does not include the big-ass saucers or the Zerg. The Arirang 2 (pictured left) is still a-ok, though.

Tommy Remengesau Jr., President of Palau, showed interest in space power, an alternative source of energy during the recent U.N. climate conference.

This works in such a way that satellites orbiting Earth will be beaming down energy from their solar panels. A demonstration has been proposed to be done in the island nation, specifically on Helen Island in Palau. More information on the space power after the jump!

Someone finally found a practical use for heat-scorched deserts: use them to gather solar power. That's Europe's plan right now, and it's willing to spend GBP 5 billion (US$ 10 billion) to build enough solar power stations in Africa and the Middle East to provide the continent with a sixth of its power. Read more in the full article.

Hybrid cars aren't the only thing that's going green. By 2009, Australia's Solar Sailor is planning to set up solar-powered ferry boats to sail across San Francisco Bay, carrying tourists and passengers alike.

If all goes well, the boat will be ferrying passengers in two years time. The boat still runs on diesel, but it mostly gets around on wind or solar power.

The full story after the jump!

Would you feel safer is the Pentagon told you that they plan to send a satellite into orbit which can beam down microwaves and lasers from above? Does the premise bring about of the Death Star or Dr. Evil saying "Fire the laser?"

You don't need to worry about that too much because the plan is not meant for warfare. The Pentagon intends to back the NSSO's plan to send huge satellites into space to harness an almost-unlimited energy source: the sun.

Over the next 10 years, the Pentagon will dole out US$ 10 billion to build a satellite equipped with kilometer-long solar panels which will collect energy from the sun. High-tech photovoltaic cells will ensure that the power is maximized and sent down to antennas on Earth in the form of lasers and microwaves. If all goes well, the NSSO says we could be looking at a means to generate more electricity than fossil fuels, nuclear plants, and windmills combined can provide.

Peter Glaser, an engineer from the Arthur D. Little consulting firm first came up with this idea in 1968. The plan was forwarded to the U.S. government but huge costs and the danger entailed with having astronauts assemble the satellite in orbit stopped the proposal dead in its tracks. Today, however, things have changed.

Breakthroughs in robotics have been made so that astronauts won't have to risk their lives in space construction efforts. Photovoltaic advances will also mean that costs of bringing the plan to life will cost considerably less than it would have during the 70s. This also holds a potential solution for solving the puzzle in the search for an effective alternative to fossil fuels.

Finally, this effort by the Pentagon could mean that electricity can be accessed even in locations where it's hard to get by such as in Iraq where fuels have to pass dangerous routes before it reaches military installations. Remote civilian areas in developing countries will see more hope at powering up in the foreseeable future.

While it may sound like a mad scheme cooked up by Dr. Evil to rule the world, there's nothing very threatening about the new space laser scientists from Japan are proposing. Instead of a dreaded orbital death ray, this space laser will instead provide solar energy for those living on earth.

There are many pros to building such a device in space. Since solar power in space is a constant resource and purely undiluted, it is possible to provide a near inexhaustible amount of energy to earth using a space laser. Also, the device can save a lot of space since it will end up orbiting the planet instead of eating up a lot of land if it were built on earth.

Scientists have estimated the laser to have up to a 40% efficiency ratio, similar to the current solar panels used. They projected the launch date to be around the year 2030. So far, the biggest problem encountered with the project is the launch costs and the possible weather interferences once the laser is already in place.

And of course, there's always a distinct possibility that a mad scientist might convert it into an extra-terrestrial sniper rifle, but seeing the benefits it can bring to mankind, it might just be worth taking the risk.

Its about time turtles had their own internet. In an effort to save a species of snapping turtles, that are facing extinction caused by land development projects eating up their habitat, computer engineers and biologists are working together to create a solar-powered wi-fi network that will enable them to track turtle behavior.

To do that, 15 turtles had solar-powered mini-computers stuck to their backs. Those mini-computers transmit vital data to one another as the turtles come into contact with each other. The collective information is then submitted to a central base station, which is in turn located in a bog which all  of them consider home.

The base station then sends the data to a University of Massachusetts-Amherst campus, where scientists keep track of the turtles' movements and figure out their behavioral patterns. "We're trying to get a better idea of their range, the routes they take and where they hibernate," said Mike Jones, a student taking up a doctoral degree in biology. "If you have that information for a good number of turtles, you can predict what their patterns will be for the next 50 years or so."

The data resulting from the turtle-to-turtle Wi-Fi connections will help researchers and scientists protect remaining turtle habitats.

With booming land development as well as increasing land predators looming over the turtle's heads, seven out of ten freshwater turtle species native to Massachusetts made their way into the endangered species list. Now that the turtles have their own internet, perhaps they'll have a fighting chance.