Swiss and German private equity funds Terra Nex and Middle East Best Select announced plans to build 400 megawatts (MW) of solar power generating capacity in the southeastern Arabian peninsula country of Oman, according to recent news announcements. The $2-billion project calls for construction of solar power installations, as well as facilities to manufacture solar photovoltaic (PV) panels for use in Oman and for export.
If this doesn’t sound like a dream come true, I don’t know what does. The German government is testing a new design for a low-energy home packed with renewable energy generation systems, dubbed the Efficiency House Plus. If the design works as it should, it’ll not only produce enough electricity to meet all its own needs, but it’ll produce enough spare juice to charge a family car.
The 1400-square-foot house generates all this power using a combination of solar panels and heat storage systems. At the same time, advanced energy management technology helps keep consumption down and ensures the house’s energy use is in line with what the energy of the weather provides. As SmartPlanet reports:
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