First off – yes the plane can fly in cloudy or rainy weather. With solar powered and electric cars becoming a bit more “normal” in today’s market, other solar powered modes of transit are not far off. Case in point – the Solar Impulse.

The 2010 inaugural flight of Solar Impulse proves that this sun-powered airplane can achieve a greater flight time and efficiency then the latest in gas-powered jet engine travel.

The Impulse’s engineers spent seven years developing the craft. Its first flight, which left from Switzerland, traveled at an altitude of 4,000 feet after capturing its energy with 12,000 solar cells. How long does it fly? Solar Impulse is no Spruce Goose – the pilot stayed airborne for 26 straight hours – using only stored energy (that means even after the sun set). Welcome to the future – coach, business, or first class?

Tweet tweet – no, this isn’t a post about Twitter nor is it one about transportation – but we have a “Go Green” category on Automopedia and darn it – we’re gonna use it! There’s a Dutch design firm, called Ooms (think Omnom) that figures night owls & night hawks at the diner need a good dinner, even if they can’t see. With this, a new solar powered birdhouse is being marketed. But why does a bird need solar power? We will explain.

A small solar panel attached to the top of these Dutch bird homes powers a light – but it’s not a light for the winged creatures. It attracts bugs to the perimeter, pretty much delivering them up like Domino’s Pizza. Light draws the bugs near and the birds pop their head out for a snack.

Will this trick mother nature? No telling whether evolution will figure out and learn to “walk away” from the light, or whether this will somehow teach baby birds not to forage on their own. You can find the Ooms birdhouse online: they measures 18 X 9 X 9 cm and retail for 70 Euro.

via treehugger.com