Market Spotlight: Silicon shortage
(BusinessWeek) Silicon Valley doesnt seem to have enough of its namesake material to go around, and its the solar industry thats coming up short. A wave of lucrative solar subsidies granted around the world from Germany to California in the past few years has stoked demand for solar panels, which are built with polysilicon. But makers of the ultra-pure material traditionally used in semiconductors have been slow to increase production capacity, in part because the solar growth spurt has been rapid, and silicon makers are wary of the historically boom-and-bust chip cycle.

The sun can't solve everything
(Guardian Unlimited) "Just do it, says Ashley Seager about solar power (Soaring energy costs make solar power a bright idea, September 11). Well, I've done it and it works well. The trouble is that articles like his can overegg the pudding. Seager tries to make a financial argument for what is really an energy-saving choice. And his attempt to present a case for one technology misses the real point about energy saving - you've got to look at the whole house and lifestyle.

India: Solar-powered fish drying boosts community
(ReliefWeb (press release)) World Vision recently handed over a solar fish drying unit and three multipurpose shelters to fisherwomen involved in the dry fish processing industry in Panaiyur Periyakuppam, India. Panaiyur Periyakuppam is a fishing hamlet about 100 kilometres from Chennai, and houses nearly 250 families. The solar fish drying unit is a 1,200 sq. ft structure that houses a drying unit, cleaning space, and packaging unit.

Solar Energy Could Make Fuel From CO2
(Green Building Press) CO2 is the biggest contributor to climate change. Now chemists are hoping to convert carbon dioxide into a useful fuel, with a little help from the sun. If they succeed, it will be possible to recycle the greenhouse gas produced by burning fossil fuels.