Solar-Powered Plane; Wind Power Investments Grow; Sugar Cane Waste to Replace Coal; Solar engine fits in a wine glass; Cost of Solar Power to Drop By Half

Solar-Powered Plane Makes Runway Debut Biofuels are often touted as the next big thing in airplane fuel technology, but solar power shouldn’t be discounted — as was recently proven by the team behind the Solar Impulse. The solar-powered plane just took its first test down the runway, and eventually the plane is expected to take a 20 to 25 day trip around the world.

Wind Power Investments Grow in North America Wind energy projects are starting to take-off in North America based on several drivers including federal government incentives, angel funding and financial partnerships.

Sugar Cane Waste to Replace Coal in Coal-Fired Power Plants? Brazilian and Italian entrepreneurs are investing $114 million in a plan to convert bagasse, a waste product from sugar cane, into pellets that can be burned as fuel at your average, run-of-the-mill coal plant. By next year, utilities around the world will likely be getting thousands of megawatts of power from sugar cane waste.

Teeny solar engine fits in a wine glass He gets paper-thin sheets of brass and cuts out the parts he needs, then shapes them and glues them together by hand to create these exquisite engines. Check out the gallery below for the multitude of mini-machines this guy makes, and don’t miss the video of his masterpiece: a working solar engine. Remarkable.

Cost of Solar Power to Drop By Half By End of 2009 According to a report out this morning from New Energy Finance, the research firm predicts that by the end of 2009 the “capital markets will loosen up” and combined with the continuing decrease in solar equipment costs, will lead to a 50 percent drop in overall solar costs compared to the end of 2008.