In the shimmering heat of the world’s great deserts, from Saudi Arabia’s Rub’ al Khali (the Empty Quarter) to the sands outside Abu Dhabi, lies a paradox. These landscapes bask in uninterrupted sunshine yet remain under-leveraged in the global renewable economy. The stumbling blocks to starting solar projects are rarely physical: the sun blazes. The hurdles are administrative, financial, and usually bureaucratic. As we’ve learned from Ipanema some 80-90% of renewable projects fail due to unforeseen, high grid connection costs, which Astro’s AI identifies upfront.

The company secures grid interconnection agreements, then sells these de-risked, shovel-ready projects to larger energy companies who can immediately start construction.

How? Astro, based in Silicon Valley uses artificial intelligence to map, acquire, and ready land for utility-scale clean energy build-out, then sell these “plug-and-play” sites to developers hungry for opportunity but infuriated by paperwork.

Astro’s pitch sounds almost too simple to be disruptive because if the biggest barrier to solar and wind isn’t physics but red tape, what if you solved the red tape first? The company’s machine-learning models ingest satellite imagery, grid maps, land-use data, and localized weather forecasts to pinpoint parcels that are ideal for renewables — not just sunny or windy, but grid-connectable, low-conflict, and low-cost.

Once a site is selected, Astro negotiates land access, coordinates environmental assessments, and aligns utility interconnection agreements, all the elements that typically take years.

For oil-rich, environmentally vigilant Gulf states, this isn’t just another startup story. It is a blueprint for accelerating an energy transition that is now existential, not optional. Regionally, governments have set ambitious targets such Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 (which is most likely going to fail from poor planning and the dropping cost of oil) and the UAE’s Net Zero by 2050 strategy among them — but the execution often collides with an analog world of forms, approvals, and human inertia. Astro’s model turns that world digital, algorithmic, and fast.

Now imagine applying Astro-style intelligence to water resources, wind energy, and even remediation of damaged lands. They could help us map out where to put greenhouses and towns of the future. They can plan cities not based on a feeling but on opportunities.

In arid environments, the scarcity of freshwater supplies is as pressing as the need for clean power. By layering hydrological data onto the same AI platform that identifies prime solar sites, planners could locate aquifer recharge zones, optimize placement for desalination projects powered by renewables, and reduce the energy footprint of water distribution.

Wind isn’t far behind. Coastal zones of the Arabian Gulf and the Red Sea present compelling offshore and onshore wind potential. The same technology that pinpoints grid access for solar can model turbine wakes and logistics corridors, dramatically shortening the time from concept to construction.

And then there’s the elephant in the room: the environmental damage left in the wake of fossil extraction. You don’t have to look far for a cautionary tale — the soil and water crises around Basra’s oil fields which we wrote about last month, have made headlines and sickened communities. While Astro doesn’t sell cleanup services, the implication of its approach is clear: when you can map the viability of a clean project with precision, you can also map the liabilities. That opens the door for investors and sovereign wealth funds to bundle renewable investment with environmental remediation in blended finance vehicles.

Astro is founded by Alex Fuster. He is a Stanford-trained physicist and computer scientist and former energy trader at Citadel, he built Astro after seeing how predictable grid congestion data is overlooked by traditional developers. Astro is part of Y Combinator and is starting business development in Texas. Astro Energy closed a pre-seed funding round of about $500 K in April 2025, with participation from Y Combinator.

The post Astro uses AI to help procure land for renewable energy appeared first on Green Prophet.

Web hosting can make or break your online presence. SiteGround has been a popular choice for years, but price increases and feature restrictions have many users looking elsewhere. Here are five hosting providers that offer comparable or better services, with GreenGeeks leading the pack.

GreenGeeks Takes the Top Spot

GreenGeeks has earned its position as the best SiteGround alternative through a combination of fast servers, eco-friendly operations, and competitive pricing. Independent tests from 2025 show GreenGeeks loading WordPress sites in 1 to 2 seconds, even under stress from 50 or more concurrent users.

The company runs on LiteSpeed servers with built-in LSCache technology. This setup consistently delivers lower time-to-first-byte measurements than SiteGround’s Google Cloud infrastructure. While SiteGround can load static pages in 0.3 seconds, its real-world WordPress performance ranges from 1.4 to 2.5 seconds on entry-level plans.

GreenGeeks offers unlimited storage, bandwidth, and websites on all plans. SiteGround limits these based on your chosen tier. The entry-level GreenGeeks plan starts at $2.95 per month and renews at $10.95. SiteGround’s comparable plan costs $2.99 initially but jumps to $16.99 on renewal.

Environmental Leadership Sets GreenGeeks Apart

GreenGeeks purchases renewable energy certificates for 300% of the power it uses. This means for every unit of electricity the company consumes, it funds three units of wind or solar power generation. SiteGround makes no environmental offset claims beyond the efficiency of its Google Cloud platform.

The environmental certifications are verified and audited. Each hosting account directly supports certified renewable energy projects. This commitment has earned GreenGeeks industry recognition for sustainability leadership in 2025.

Feature Comparison Shows Clear Advantages

Both hosts include SSL certificates, content delivery networks, and site migration services. GreenGeeks bundles more premium features in its base plans:

• Free domain registration for the first year
• Nightly automated backups with 30-day retention
• AI website builder included on all plans
• Premium GlobalSign SSL on higher tiers
• Cloudflare CDN with single-click activation

SiteGround moved several features to higher-cost plans in June 2025. Staging environments and advanced backup options now require mid-tier or premium subscriptions. This change frustrated budget-conscious users who previously had access to these tools.

WP Engine Specializes in Managed WordPress

WP Engine targets users who need premium WordPress hosting with minimal maintenance. The service costs more than shared hosting but includes specialized WordPress optimization and security.

All WP Engine plans feature:
– Automated WordPress updates
– Daily backups with one-click restore
– Advanced caching built for WordPress
– Staging environments on all plans
– Expert WordPress support team

Pricing starts at $20 monthly for one website and 25,000 visits. Small businesses and bloggers might find this expensive, but agencies and high-traffic sites benefit from the specialized infrastructure.

WP Engine’s Genesis Framework comes free with all accounts. This professional theme framework helps developers build custom WordPress sites faster. The company also provides free site migration from any host.

DreamHost Keeps Pricing Transparent

DreamHost has operated since 1997 and maintains a reputation for straightforward pricing. Unlike many hosts that dramatically increase renewal rates, DreamHost’s prices stay consistent year after year.

The shared hosting plans include:
– Unlimited bandwidth and storage
– Free domain privacy protection
– 97-day money-back guarantee
– Pre-installed WordPress
– Free automated site migration

DreamHost’s control panel differs from the standard cPanel interface. Some users find it easier to use, while others prefer traditional layouts. The company offers both shared and cloud hosting options.

Monthly pricing starts at $4.95 for one website or $8.95 for unlimited sites. Annual plans reduce these rates. DreamHost operates its own data centers in Virginia and California, giving them direct control over hardware and network performance.

Hostinger Offers Global Reach at Low Prices

Hostinger rounds out the top five with aggressive pricing and worldwide data centers. The company operates servers in seven locations across North America, Europe, Asia, and South America.

Key features include:
– AI website builder with customizable templates
– Free email accounts on all plans
– LiteSpeed caching on Premium and Business tiers
– Weekly or daily backups depending on plan
– 30-day money-back guarantee

Hostinger’s entry plan costs $2.99 monthly but limits resources more than competitors. The mid-tier Premium plan at $3.99 provides better value with 100 websites and improved performance. Business hosting at $4.99 adds daily backups and a free CDN.

Customer reviews mention occasional language barriers with support staff. Response times vary by region and time of day. The low prices and global infrastructure make Hostinger attractive for international projects or testing environments.

Making the Right Choice

Each alternative offers distinct advantages over SiteGround. GreenGeeks combines speed, environmental responsibility, and value. Recent benchmarks confirm its LiteSpeed servers outperform SiteGround’s infrastructure for WordPress sites.

Consider these factors when choosing:

• Performance needs: GreenGeeks excels for speed-critical sites. Both use LiteSpeed technology and offer resource scaling.
• Budget constraints: Hostinger provides the lowest entry price. GreenGeeks offers better long-term value with lower renewal rates.
• WordPress focus: WP Engine specializes in WordPress but costs more. GreenGeeks and A2 Hosting provide strong WordPress performance at lower prices.
• Geographic requirements: SiteGround still leads in data center locations. Hostinger offers the best alternative global coverage.
• Environmental impact: Only GreenGeeks provides verified renewable energy offsets.

Technical Specifications Matter

Server technology affects site performance. LiteSpeed servers used by GreenGeeks, A2 Hosting, and Hostinger’s premium plans typically outperform traditional Apache setups. Built-in caching reduces database queries and speeds up content delivery.

All five alternatives provide SSD or NVMe storage. This hardware loads files faster than traditional hard drives. The difference becomes noticeable with image-heavy sites or large databases.

PHP version support varies by host. GreenGeeks and A2 Hosting offer PHP 8.x on all plans. Newer PHP versions run code more efficiently and support modern WordPress themes and plugins.

Support Quality Varies

SiteGround earned its reputation partly through responsive customer support. Among the alternatives, experiences differ:

• GreenGeeks provides 24/7 support via chat and phone. Users report helpful responses but sometimes longer wait times than SiteGround during peak hours.
• WP Engine limits support to WordPress-specific issues but employs WordPress experts. General server or email questions might not receive assistance.
• DreamHost offers callback support instead of traditional phone lines. This system reduces wait times but feels less immediate to some users.
• Hostinger primarily uses ticket-based support with live chat for urgent issues. Response quality can vary based on the support agent’s location and expertise.

Final Recommendations

GreenGeeks earns the top recommendation through consistent performance, environmental leadership, and fair pricing. The unlimited resources and included features provide excellent value for growing websites.

• Users leaving SiteGround due to price increases will find GreenGeeks’ renewal rates particularly attractive. The $10.95 renewal for basic hosting compares favorably to SiteGround’s $16.99.
• WP Engine works best for businesses needing managed WordPress expertise. DreamHost appeals to users who value pricing transparency and company stability. Hostinger fits tight budgets or global projects requiring multiple server locations.

Monitor your current hosting performance before switching. Run speed tests and check your actual resource usage. This data helps you choose the right plan level with your new host. Most alternatives offer free migration services to simplify the transition from SiteGround.

The post Don’t Regret Your Host: Alternatives to SiteGround That Impress appeared first on Green Prophet.

Sonol, a company that operates regular petroleum-based fuel stations in Israel, has opened the country’s first hydrogen fuel station in the Haifa Bay. The world is seeing more and more hydrogen energy breakthroughs and countries nearby like Saudi Arabia are investing in hydrogen fuel.

Sonol is Israel’s third largest gas station chain. Israel’s Ministry of Energy identified a fuel port near Haifa as one of its economic development projects in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Sonol won this tender and worked with Germany’s H2 Mobility on this project. Sonol has also collaborated with Bazam petrochemical refining and the vehicle dealer Colmobile to bring hydrogen powered trucks to this port city.

The Hydrogen station is built close to northern Israel’s Kibbutz Yagur, six miles from the Bazan oil refineries at Haifa Bay. The same Sonol station offers regular fuel pumps and recharging stations for electric cars. It will soon start producing solar energy on the roof to be self-sufficient for its maintenance needs. 

The estimated $3.3 million hydrogen project is a partnership between Sonol, Bazan, a hydrogen manufacturer and and car importer Colmobil, which has supplied the first three hydrogen trucks.

The transportation sector is responsible for about 20% of Israel’s greenhouse gas emissions.

Advantages of hydrogen fuel

As transport fuel, hydrogen has several advantages compared to traditional fossil fuels and electric batteries. Its mass energy density is extremely high which is why it is used to power fuel cells in spacecraft. When it is burned, it produces only water vapor with virtually no harmful air pollution and no carbon dioxide. It can be produced from water using green energy sources or found in natural geological deposits. This makes it an excellent fuel to combat climate change.

Filling is faster than charging: The time required to fill fuel tanks for Hydrogen fuel cells is much shorter than the time required to charge batteries 

Hydrogen’s volume density is relatively low which means it needs a large fuel tank compared to gasoline or diesel fuel. This is why some of the earliest adoption of hydrogen as a transport fuel will be in large commercial vehicles such as the Hyundai Xcient trucks which will be fuelled at the Haifa port. This Hydrogen station will help Israel keep up with other nations in the adoption of this promising new fuel.

Hyundai enters the hydrogen market in the Middle East

Hyundai is bringing its hydrogen fuel cell truck Xcient to Israel, its first market in the Middle East. The aim is to form a hydrogen value chain in Israel. Hyundai’s plan align with Israel’s target to slash national greenhouse gas emissions by 27 per cent by 2030 and by 85 per cent by 2050, relative to 2015 emission levels.

“We are thrilled to support the Israel government’s strong commitment to building a sustainable future,” said Mark Freymueller, a VP at Hyundai. “Establishing the first hydrogen infrastructure in Israel in close collaboration with the country’s key players marks a significant milestone in our efforts to build a sustainable hydrogen value chain around the world.”

Haifa Bay is notoriously polluted. Israel energy and chemical infrastructure for industry operates in this area side-by-side with a growing residential city. We met recently with Ecoocean’s Andreas Weil, who founded Israel’s most influential marine protection NGO. He wonders why in most developed nations such ports are kept far from cities but in Israel they sit side-by-side. Development in more ecological areas is good but maybe it’s time to start moving fuel operations further away from city centers. 

Karin Kloosterman contributed to this report

Have an energy innovation to share with us? Email dreamcatchers@greenprophet.com

The post Israel opens first hydrogen fuel station appeared first on Green Prophet.

Software development is an industry that’s been inundated by a wave of changes and challenging demands over the past several years. And to match the market’s demands, organizations are adopting new practices and processes to ensure efficient software delivery. One such model is DevOps.

Chances are you’ve heard about professionals in the tech community talk about DevOps and how it has become one of the biggest IT trends in recent years. The truth is that DevOps has had a tremendous impact on the world of software. If you’re new to DevOps or are a developer looking to transition into the DevOps model, you may feel confused about where to start. When you’re starting a business from scratch, here’s a quick guide on everything you need to learn and know about DevOps. 

What is DevOps?

The term “DevOps”— which combines two words “development” and “operations— is a process framework that bridges any divide between the development team and the IT operations department to encourage participation and collaboration between the two sides. Simply put, DevOps attempts to bring development and IT operations together into one group. And by so doing, both sides get to share and experience the responsibility, rewards, and “pain” of designing, building, deploying, monitoring, and generating revenue from the application or product.

The DevOps methodology at its core aims to streamline the software development process, speeding up the delivery of applications and services, and creating continuous value for customers. It not only establishes a process framework for communication and collaboration but also automates all the development processes, from design to deployment.

With that said, DevOps has become one of the most lucrative career options for professionals in the tech industry. If you’re looking to start a career in this field, you’re on the right track. 

But how do you learn and succeed with DevOps in an environment that requires you to consistently meet the ever-changing customer needs and demands? 

Start by Defining What Matters

You can’t measure your progress in learning DevOps or becoming a DevOps Engineer unless you define the purpose of your work. Testing new software systems or developing new applications might be what your organization requires you to do, but they can’t be the purpose of your work.

Purpose, in this case, refers to the reason behind what you do, and what your organization or employer values. This is where you need to start since everything else relies on it. If you’re not sure how your work relates to the organization’s vision and mission, consider asking your employer.

Keep Learning

Companies are increasingly looking to hire experienced IT professionals who are experts in DevOps. And since there’s a huge shortage of good talent in the software development industry, only professionals who have the right training and experience will meet the growing demand for DevOps experts. This means understanding the technology that helps streamline devops pipelines, knowing how to integrate into your current development infrastructure, and having an automation plan in place. There are tons of industry-recognized certifications that you can do to gain a base knowledge as you begin your journey into DevOps. 

One of the key pillars of the DevOps methodology is continuous improvement. This means organizations must continuously evolve and adapt to changing circumstances to optimize cost, performance, and speed of delivery. And you’re no exception. So, by all means, if you want to succeed with DevOps, make sure you keep learning.

Communicate and Engage 

If you’ve ever been part of a development project, you know how communication is important within a team. But that’s not possible if you don’t understand your team’s vision and goals. First, you need to engage with your team to understand what you’re working to achieve. Otherwise, you won’t be able to determine how your efforts are contributing to the business and to your own career. The best software systems are designed, deployed, and implemented when you work closely with others in a cross-functional team where everyone gives their input. You should communicate both internally within your team and externally with other teams. 

Automate 

As mentioned, DevOps involves unifying and automating processes. DevOps experts play a crucial role in combining code, application deployment, application management. To be involved in all these tasks, you must understand the software development life cycles as well as the DevOps culture and its practices and tools. Moreover, you need to create your own automated process to deploy applications faster and more reliably.

Don’t worry so much about the exact tool or practice you need to use. Instead, focus your efforts on understanding why you need a specific tool. DevOps tools change with changing market trends but the concepts and skills are transferable. You want to make sure you can effectively build CI/CD pipelines, perform ad-hoc changes, and deliver value to customers in the shortest time possible.

Practice Real-World Skills

DevOps isn’t solely about practices and tools, as most professionals leverage their experience in the IT industry to continuously create value for customers. To gain the experience and holistic view needed to succeed with DevOps, you need to work closely with other professionals outside of your team and skill set.

Additionally, find real-life case studies and industry-quality projects that allow you to apply multiple skills to the challenges you will encounter in your career. Practicing real-world skills will help you adopt new technologies, embrace changing market trends, and meet customer needs.  

The post The Beginner Business Owner’s Guide to Learning & Succeeding with DevOps appeared first on Green Prophet.

Pellet stoves take condensed biological matter –– wood or biomass pellets –– to create a source of heat for residential and industrial spaces. They burn slower, for more time and can lower the heating bills. Environmentalists see pellet stoves as a “green” solution.

A group of disadvantaged youths in Israel are taking this concept but are applying it to ordinary wood stoves. They are creating compressed logs of olive tree waste to supply biofuel from olive waste. They are not the first group of Israelis to recycle olive waste, but the social aspect of the project makes it much more than the usual environmental solution.

Here’s Olivebar’s story:

A group of youngsters — many of whom were homeless until they were gathered together by a man named Yossi Sadeh, first in Beit Shemesh, then at the Sde Bar farm, a kibbutz-like framework that’s turned their lives around — are changing the face of energy production.

Their work is to help create Olivebar’s rolls to heat homes in wood-burning stoves which general manager Eli Karniel describes as “ecologically perfect.”

The rolls are made from the waste produced after olives are pressed at Israeli olive presses, known in Hebrew as gefet. The material is rich in oil and superb for heating, but if left behind at the presses to seep into the soil, will destroy ground water and render the soil infertile.

The simple act of collecting it is the product’s first ecological benefit.

But the huge piles of gefet trucked to the factory aren’t enough. While two Tel Aviv entrepreneurs patented the idea of using the material for the stoves, it was entrepreneur Avi Lerber who recognized the potential, bought the patent, and after experimenting with more than 100 substances, found the right one to allow the material to solidify.

From there, he developed a method to make the resulting product into convenient rolls, which have many advantages over wood for heating purposes.

2.5 Times the Energy of Wood

Chief among them is the energy component, with a cube of the Olivebar rolls producing almost 2.5 times energy as a cube of wood. No mice or worms come with the rolls, which are aesthetically wrapped in paper that is recyclable and can be used to light the oven. The smoke released has no negative impact on neighbors or the environment, and the ash left in the stove can be used for fertilizing gardens and plants.

Using the rolls will also fit into recent moves both here and abroad to avoid cutting down trees for energy use. “It’s a totally green product, all natural, without any glues or chemicals,” Karniel says.

“Whereas once it was more economical to buy heating oil, today people are looking for all kinds of alternatives,” Karniel explains. “People went over to wood, but now governments don’t want people to cut down forests, so they’re turning to natural alternatives like ours.”

Once the material is mixed, it’s pressed into rolls at the factory, then taken out to the warm climate of the area around Herodion, southeast of Jerusalem, where it’s easily dried before being packed for shipping.

Karniel is particularly proud of the project’s Biblical roots, with the idea of heating with olive waste mentioned in the Talmud. “We’re going forward to our sources, instead of backwards,” he notes. “It’s a great feeling; you can really feel these ancient writings come alive.”

Arabs and Bedouin were also known to make use of the olive waste for heating.

Heat for the whole family

The product is also most effective in one or two-story homes that can best make use of wood-burning stoves

The piles of drying rolls look a bit odd on the semi-desert landscape, but the boys of Sde Bar love working there, aware that the stuff is at the cutting edge of an energy revolution, Karniel explains. “They’re proud to work in the factory because it helps support their activities, and they definitely compete for the chance to work there,” says Karniel

“It’s also important to note that the olive tree, which is one of the seven species of the Land of Israel, is what’s leading this progress, even in the field of ecology,” he says. “It definitely spurs us on, and we see a great deal of importance in the fact that, thanks to us, we are contributing to our environment both here and around the world.”

The post Can you power wood stoves with olive wood pellets? appeared first on Green Prophet.

In a field sprawling over 988 acres of undulating sand, 50,000 heliostats – immense mirrors that rotate with the sun, are planted in circles around a tower that stands 285 meters high (820 feet). The heliostats reflect the sky’s white glare, harvesting solar power and transferring it to the tower via glass-insulated steel pipes containing thermal oil. The oil, heated to almost 400°C, heats water, creating steam that powers an electricity-generating turbine in the tower.

It is one of the world’s largest solar energy projects, and one of four thermo-solar projects in the Ashalim area. Together, the four produce 250 megawatts every day: enough to supply Israel with 2.5% of its electricity. Work continues on the projects towards the goal of 310 megawatts daily by 2020, enough to supply about 130,000 households throughout the country. Even better news: these combined technologies prevent about 245,000 tons of C02 emissions.

Each of the Ashalim plants uses a different technology; some thermo-dynamic and some through photovoltaic panels. Nowhere else is this combination of solar technologies to be found.

In an interview at the Ramat HaNegev Regional Council offices, mayor Eran Doron told Green Prophet, “We strive to achieve Ben-Gurion’s vision. He envisioned populating the desert as in ancient times, using modern technologies to establish the Negev as a scientific research laboratory and source of energy for the entire country. Our job is to embody those goals, while preserving the desert’s unique ecological character.”

It’s hardly possible that such a massive project wouldn’t disturb the local ecology. When I asked what effects the solar project has had on the desert environment, Doron explained that animal crossings have been built; rare plants such as the desert tulip have been taken out and replanted; and soil removed during construction spread elsewhere. In human terms, the residents of Ashalim village, on whose edge the plant stands, first viewed the construction with resentment. But over time the plant became a market for local services, improving the village’s economy. The plant management itself employs about 300 Beduin and other residents of the south, making about half the work force local.

Other, smaller projects in southern Israel also make clean electricity; in fact, the farther south you go, the more solar power you get. The Arava Power company installed a 40-megawatt photovoltaic panel field next to Kibbutz Ketura, which supplies 70% of the region’s needs. It’s expected that by 2020, the Arava will function under 100% solar energy. The Arava project innovated a method for cleaning the photovoltaic panels by robots, without the use of water. A new 60-megawatt field is under construction in the Timna Valley.

Photos via Megalim Solar Power and by Tsurit Stern.

The post Clean Electricity Flows From The Negev Desert appeared first on Green Prophet.

Green Prophet was there in Abu Dhabi when Borschberg and his co-pilot Bertrand Piccard held their pre-flight press conference as part of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week in January. On March 9, the experimental flying lab better known as Solar Impulse 2 took off from Abu Dhabi set to circumnavigate the world flying both day and night without using a single drop of fossil fuel. The flight should take about four months.

But where is their audience?

The Solar Impulse 2 website is remarkably interactive. There is data on every aspect of the flight, constantly updated.  See pilot information (below) detailing time since take-off, his current activity (resting, yoga, indulging in some self-hypnosis), and even a metric on how much food he’s burning through.

Click on tabs to bring up screens that imitate the cockpit controls (and track speed, altitude, heading and angle of bank); energy (see the energy chain from sun-to-solar generators through the batteries to and to the motors. Track sun or batteries energy generation versus aircraft energy consumption with time series data); and flight data for this specific leg and the overall journey.

Other features include live YouTube feeds from the Mission Control Center in Monaco and more astoundingly, from the cockpit, which offer us a real-time copilot vantage point, virtually riding along on this epic flight.

The latest feeds indicate that Borschberg is experiencing difficulty resting well due to some turbulence. Mission Control crew are continuously at his side, providing him with both human and technical support. Borschberg reported that on a scale from 1 to 5, with 1 being ‘not tired’ and 5 ‘very tired’, he would rate his current state a “2”, adding, “To succeed in this long duration flight we have to partner airplane and pilot. Energy for the airplane and good rest for me.’

[youtube]https://youtu.be/vEF_Na2hyZs[/youtube]

Solar Impulse climbs up to more than 8,000 meters during the day while charging its batteries, and then glides through the night, relying on electrical energy gathered during the previous day, until the sun comes back in the morning.

The batteries, where solar energy is stored during the day, have been powering the plane. They are at 95% of their maximum state of charge and their level should reduce to 85% in the next hour. Mission Control stated, “The moment of truth of the first night is getting closer: will André be able to reach the sun early enough before batteries are empty? Will #Si2 be able to climb up again and recommence the cycle by starting collecting solar energy again?”

That question turned me into a white-knuckle reader. I quickly checked back to the cockpit video, and see the sun is rising over the Pacific. Disaster averted!  But I notice that fewer than 5,000 other people are glued to the live drama. Where is the audience?

Aside from rigorously testing the new technologies that are making the flight possible, this solar circumnavigation is also a symbol of the cleaner future the team is working towards, a demonstration of how pioneering spirit, innovation and clean technologies can change the world.

Everyone is encouraged to take part, by interacting with their website, and by signing up to their #paperplane campaign to keep the #futureisclean message flying around the world. Additionally, we are invited to send messages to show world leaders how we care about clean tech solutions, messages which will be taken to the United Nations Climate Conference (COP21) in Paris in December.

Find more information and track progress on the Solar Impulse 2 website – link here. Let’s all be the audience for the remaining five legs of this journey.

The post Solar Impulse flying longest leg of round-the-world-journey appeared first on Green Prophet.

New portable, and affordable, solar powered devices are now becoming more available to millions of people who live in areas where established electrical grids are not available.

A recent article on Mashable, the technology web news site, reports on 11 ingenious solar devices that are having a positive impact on the developing world. These devices range from simple solar stills to create fresh drinking water from dirty or saline water sources, to portable lighting for homes and power sources to run or recharge electronic devices, including cell phones. These are solutions that developing nations can afford now and many of them have been covered here on Green Prophet.

Many people in the developing world do not have proper lighting in their homes, which causes problems for school children needing to study at night. Inadequate lighting is also a serious issue for medical field workers, including midwives, who need adequate lighting to treat their patients.

Solar powered lighting devices such as one called d.light S20  can provide up to 8 hours of light after being charged by solar cells (see photo below)

Another solar powered device of interest is an irrigation called SunWater which provides crop irrigation to poor farmers by using solar powered pressurization of water flowing from nearby water sources.

This device, using easily erected solar panels and piping, can help millions of farmers whose fields do not have easy access to available water sources.

Although some of these devices, like an artificial, self-healing hydrogen producing leaf are still in the innovation stage, other new solar devices are now ready to be marketed to the masses who really need them in the developing world.

More articles on solar powered devices for the developing world:

WakaWaka’s Solar for Syria gives refugees energy and light (video)

iLAND’sSolar Packs for Peace-keepers, Festivals, Eco-jocks and Alpha Wolves Who Travel with theSun 

Jumpstarting Solar Power in the MENA Region

Barefoot College Bedouin Women Bring Solar Power to Jordan

Photo of Eliodomestico Solar Still by designer Gabrile Diamante

The post Practical Solar Powered Innovations for Developing Countries appeared first on Green Prophet.

When we covered a joint Israel-Palestinian project to tackle sewage problems in December, 2012 we reported that only 22.5 million cubic meters out of around 150 million cubic meters of raw sewage created every year is adequately treated to make it safe for reuse.

The rest of this sewage was either stored in sewage lagoons and septic tanks, with resulting leakage into ground water aquifers; or allowed to flow directly into wadis or nearby streams .

Green Prophet recently interviewed Avraham Israeli, Chairman of the Israeli Water Board, which is involved in a project to create a sewage water reclamation system for the West Bank Palestinian village of Uja, located near the city of Jericho.

“We are starting with the small pilot project in Auja dealing with recycling domestic sewage and grey water for use in agriculture. We will later concentrate more on turning this water into that suitable for drinking,” he told Green Prophet.

He added that small Palestinian towns and villages  have a severe infrastructure problem –  compared to cities like Nablus and Ramallah, which have some kind of municipal sewage system.

Avraham Israeli told Green Prophet that they are trying to separate what they are doing from politics as it is felt that the use of advanced technology, as being introduced by water reclamation companies like Mapal Green Energy  will benefit both the Israeli and Palestinian peoples.

Israeli was involved in a special panel with delegates from both Jordan and the Palestinian Authority at the recent WATEC water event held last month in Tel Aviv: “Both the Jordanians and Palestinians were very impressed with the technology used by Mapal and other Israeli water companies; and we took them to see some projects now in operation in Israel,” he told me.

Israeli adds that it is most important to show how technology can benefit people in their regions, with clean water being one of the best benefits.

Mapal Green Energy’s CEO, Zeev Fisher, told Green Prophet that his company’s technology involves a system that has no moving parts and has surface floatation devices that result in creating less friction in the water, therefore saving as much as 70% energy use over other water reclamation systems.

“Our system causes intense aeration to bring more oxygen into the water. The oxygen, together with the function of ‘good’ bacteria, treat the water and rid it of harmful bacteria like salmonella.”

(See photo above)

Fisher said that his company began operations in 2007; and since then has been involved in sewage water reclamation projects in Israel and various countries. Some of these countries include the UK, African countries like Angola, the Congo and South Africa, and South American countries like Brazil.

The Mapal system works in three stages:

First:  creating sedimentation of heavy biological materials

Second: gravitational flow of the water and material to a primary sewage lagoon for aeration

Third: transfer of aerated water to a “polishing” lagoon that makes the water safe for agricultural use using the “good bacteria” to further clean the water.

“The main problem in getting the sewage projects going in the West Bank is lack of funding. This is why we are starting with the small pilot project in Auja with the hope that more such projects will be approved for locations where they are most needed.

“I am optimistic about the use of technology to solve issues involving cleaning sewage runoff and providing more water for agricultural and other uses,” says Water Board Chairman Israeli.

Read more on treating sewage and waste water:

Water Eco Park a Peace Bridge Between Palestinians and Israelis

Wastewater Treatment Plant from Israel Wins UN Recognition

Joint Israeli-Palestinian Project to Tackle Sewage Problems

Photo of a Mapal water aeration system: Mapal Green Energy :

The post Israel’s Mapal Promotes Peace by Treating Palestinian Sewage appeared first on Green Prophet.

As part of a long-term strategy to advance alternative energy, Masdar had sought investment opportunities in the Egyptian windfarm industry, and in February 2010, they finalized plans to build a 200-megawatt  wind farm on the Red Sea coastline. The Abu Dhabi-based company specializes in renewable energy, clean technology, and sustainable development.

Egypt’s renewables target was announced in 2008 with a goal of sourcing 20% of its electricity from fossil-fuel alternatives by 2020. That includes a 12% target for wind energy, equivalent to 7.2 gigawatts.  Egypt has exceptional potential for wind and solar energy generation due to strong and consistent wind patterns, particularly on the coast of the Red Sea.

Egypt is seeking to attract $110 billion in investments in its energy sector by 2027. The country has operating wind farms with an installed capacity of 430 megawatts at Zafarana and Hurghada on its Red Sea coastline, one of the windiest sites in the Middle East.

Regional instability and economic woes put the 2010 framework between Masdar and the Egyptian New And Renewable Energy Authority (NREA) on ice.  Now Al Arabiya Satellite Channel has reported that Masdar is again seeking to invest in the project with an estimated $600 million. The project will be the first collaborative venture between Egypt and the UAE in the field of renewable energy.

“The company is focusing currently on the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region for investments in solar and wind energy,” Masdar said in a press release. Sultan Al Jaber, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Masdar, had earlier told Gulf News that the company is seeking investments everywhere in the world.

Sit back and see what the wind blows in.

 Image of offshore wind farm from Shutterstock

The post Masdar Wind Project May Blow Back Into Egypt appeared first on Green Prophet.