New technology making solar a good investment

The prospect of generating pollution-free power from the sun’s rays is appealing, but to date the low price of oil combined with the high costs of developing new technology have prevented the widespread adoption of solar power in the United States and beyond. At a current cost of 25 to 50 cents per kilowatt-hour, solar power costs as much as five times more than conventional fossil fuel-based electricity. And supplies of polysilicon, the element found in traditional photovoltaic cells, are dwindling. [More]

Enterprising engineers are working hard to get solar power’s costs down and expect it to be price-competitive with fossil fuels within 20 years.

Getty Image courtesy Earthtalk.

Demand for fuel grain underestimated
World may face highest grain prices ever

Investment in fuel ethanol distilleries has soared since the late-2005 oil price hikes, but data collection has fallen behind. Because of inadequate data on the number of new plants under construction, the quantity of grain that will be needed for fuel ethanol distilleries has been vastly underestimated by farmers, feeders, food processors, ethanol investors, and grain-importing countries. [More]

TIM students design “Romantic Hotel”

As part of the class he teaches, Hotel and Resort Management (TIM 3110), Travel Industry Management instructor Dr. Mario Arnaldo encourages his students to think outside the box and develop new, exciting concepts that could change the hotel industry. [More]