Google to achieve 100% renewable energy in 2017

“Operating our business in an environmentally sustainable way has been a core value from the beginning, and we’re always working on new ideas to make sustainability a reality — like enabling the building of healthy workplaces and creating a living, breathing dashboard for the planet.  From the solar panels on our roofs to our bike-to-work program, these initiatives sit at the heart of our company culture and help both us and our users reduce our impact on the environment,” Hölzle said.

http://www.cleanenergynews.co.uk/news/solar/google-to-achieve-100-renewable-energy-in-2017

Device pulls water from dry air, powered only by the sun

Imagine a future in which every home has an appliance that pulls all the water the household needs out of the air, even in dry or desert climates, using only the power of the sun.

That future may be around the corner, with the demonstration this week of a water harvester that uses only ambient sunlight to pull liters of water out of the air each day in conditions as low as 20 percent humidity, a level common in arid areas.

http://news.berkeley.edu/2017/04/13/device-pulls-water-from-dry-air-powered-only-by-the-sun/

Why Farms Are Choosing Solar Power

Insulate yourself against rising energy costs in the future. Instead of remaining vulnerable to ever-increasing price of energy, solar provides farmers with a reliable, cost-effective energy solution.

No change in your current system. Grid-connected solar panels integrate into your current electrical system seamlessly so in most cases there is no need for extensive or expensive modifications. 

There's a video on the site for more information:

https://www.paradisesolarenergy.com/who-uses-solar-energy/agriculture/

How to Make Electricity in a Disused Coal Mine

A coal-mine that powered German industry for almost half a century will get a new lease on life when it’s turned into a giant battery that stores excess solar and wind energy.  The town of Bottrop, where people worked the 600 meter (1,969 foot) deep mine since 1974, will keep playing a role in providing uninterrupted power for the country, she said.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-03-17/german-coal-mine-to-be-reborn-as-giant-pumped-hydropower-battery

Source: University of Duisburg-Essen

How Solar Energy Will Help Alleviate 21st Century Energy Poverty

According to the World Health Organization, 1.1 billion people do not have access to electricity while 3 billion people use solid fuels such as wood, charcoal, coal, and dung for cooking and heating.
... in coming decades, experts see solar energy becoming the cheapest source of energy in nearly all markets and locations because photovoltaic panels don’t need to be connected to the world’s rapidly aging and fragile electricity grid in order to provide electricity to end-users.

http://www.industrytap.com/solar-energy-will-help-alleviate-21st-century-energy-poverty/41833

Why convert carbon dioxide and water into renewable fuel using Solar Power?

Conventional renewables cannot yet accommodate large-scale generation of transportation fuel. One of the most promising avenues for the transformation of a current transportation economy lies in the discovery and harnessing of novel routes in the large-scale generation of renewable hydrocarbon fuels.

http://solarfuelshub.org/why-solar-fuels