Google have amazing ratings for employee satisfaction, serve 100 percent local food in its massive cafeteria, and power its "Googleplex" with over 9,000 solar panels situated atop its four main buildings, but now Google plans to help homeowners get solar panels to power their own homes as well.

The U.S. Solar Market Insight: Q1 2011 from the Solar Energy Industries Association and GTM Research shows that the solar industry continues to be one of the fastest growing sectors of the economy. Grid-connected photovoltaics grew 66% over the first quarter of 2010, with a cumulative grid-connected solar electric installations have reached more than 2.85 gigawatts (GW), enough to power nearly 600,000 US homes.

Bic Camera Inc.'s Ikebukuro head office in Toshima Ward reported that sales of air conditioners since April have risen 30 percent over a year ago and those of electric fans posted fourfold to fivefold increases. Highly energy-efficient refrigerators are also in big demand.

Ministers have tried to address public lack of trust in energy companies by offering assurances about the “Green Deal” – a policy designed to improve the energy efficiency of homes. Under this plan, any householder will be able to spend up to £10,000 making their home more energy efficient, funded by the savings from future gas and electricity bills.

The Japanese carmaker said it wants to accelerate the development and eventual implementation of wireless charging for cars. “The charging of a plug-in hybrid or electric vehicle could be as simple and convenient as parking near an embedded charger at a home or in a parking facility,” Toyota said in a press release.

Google is helping build a massive undersea power cable along the East Coast that's designed to ferry clean power from offshore wind farms to the country's most populous region. Starting off in southern Virginia and ending in northern New Jersey, the cable would lay on the sea floor some 10 to 20 miles offshore. It could carry up to 6,000 megawatts of clean electricity, enough to power nearly 2 million homes.

The site allows homeowners and property developers to work out the optimum size of any solar power system they wish to install, and provides users with links to local installers. The site is designed to encourage more uptake of renewable energy in the region and to fuel job growth, according to DRCOG executive director, Jennifer Schaufele.

Benbole Energy Farm, between St Kew and St Mabyn near Bodmin in North Cornwall, has been granted permission by Cornwall councillors following an application to develop the 10-acre site. It means the farm will provide up to 800 homes with green energy. Renewable energy consultants Silicon Valley Limited, who successfully applied for planning permission, say construction work will begin in January.

The Indian government recently provided subsidies worth $10 million for projects aimed at promoting the use of solar energy in rural areas. The subsidies went to projects which distributed solar lanterns and installed solar home-lighting systems in villages across the country.

The UK Government today publishes its Energy Bill, which lays out the details of how the proposed Green Deal will work to make energy efficiency available to all. The bill confirms that businesses as well as homes will be able to participate in the Green Deal, when it starts in 2012.

The Ho Chi Minh City Power Corporation (EVN HCMC) said that in the past five years, they launched many campaigns to promote efficient use of electricity. As a result, the families of all EVN HCMC staff members have been committed to saving 10 percent of power consumption at home. In response to the appeal of the Ho Chi Minh City Women’s Union, 100,000 households have been committed to saving power.

The initial line-up of energy efficient roofing products, includes a solar energy-generating system, a unique ventilation and insulation product, along with steel and aluminum shingles. According to company President Todd Miller, "We are bringing products to market that allow homeowners to invest in and improve their current homes, and do so in a way that benefits the environment."

"You can save 10 to 20 percent of your energy costs just by paying attention to when and how you use energy in your home," said a member of Middleboro's Green Energy Committee. "Then you can save even more by improving the windows and insulation. On top of all that, use renewables like solar or wind to generate your own electricity.

EnergyHub, a home energy management company, recently announced that it will be supplying its technology to Honeywell for inclusion in the company's portfolio of energy management solutions. According to Joseph Puishys, Honeywell's president of Environmental and Combustion Controls, EnergyHub's home energy management system will allow homeowners to minimize their energy bills by viewing and adjusting their energy usage settings.

South Korea is set to become home to a new $8.2bn offshore demonstration wind project, according to local media. The project, which is slated to be the largest in the Yellow Sea, will be used to test 20 turbines produced by local manufacturers in South Korea, its regional government has confirmed.

A new clean tech company called Totempower Energy Systems Ltd. has come up with an easy way to put wind power within the grasp of everyday homeowners. The company is developing new micro-wind turbines that are designed for close quarters and non-disruptive installation, but the real key to getting more micro-wind turbines into consumers’ hands is the company’s “ease of ownership” plan which provides a soup-to-nuts service including site selection and connecting the turbine to the home electrical system.

While disposal of sharps (used needles and syringes) at hospitals and other large healthcare facilities is highly regulated, medical waste disposal by the ten million people who self-inject at home for diabetes and other conditions is largely unregulated. The health risks and resulting economic costs of improper sharps disposal are immense, from needles and syringes washing up on beaches and possibly creating needlesticks, to needlestick injuries that can expose sanitation and other workers to infection risk.

The park, which will have its grand opening on October 22nd, has been built to showcase SANYO’s energy solutions to customers and to demonstrate efficient energy utilization. With the Kasai Green Energy Park, SANYO, a member of the Panasonic Group, will help reduce CO2 emissions all over the world, promoting ‘energy solutions for entire homes, buildings and cities’.

Just like a regular medical checkup can help promote good health, a home energy checkup can help promote energy efficiency and reduce energy use. Reliant Energy customers in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex can sign up for a free home checkup to help make sure their homes are in good energy shape for winter and next summer.

Mitsubishi Corp. will conduct a feasibility study to help address global warming by popularizing energy-saving Japanese home appliances in Vietnam, it has been learned. Working in cooperation with five electric appliance makers, including Panasonic Corp. and Sharp Corp., Mitsubishi will verify how much carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced through the end of March 2011.