Solar

Maryland's goal to produce 2 percent of the state's electricity from the sun will be under scrutiny today by regulators and solar industry officials who are charged with reaching the target by 2022. The two sides are meeting to discuss how to implement legislation passed last April that puts Maryland among just a few states to set such a high target for development of solar power. If successful, Maryland's plan would put enough solar panels in the state to generate 1,500 megawatts of power - roughly the equivalent of a large nuclear power plant, or three traditional fossil fuel plants.

It arrived a day late, but that blast of magnetic energy that erupted from the sun on Monday has finally blown past the Earth. It triggered changes in the Earth's magnetic field and brilliant auroral displays as far south as Boston, but no reported damage.Excited scientists at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt said the solar storm's impact was first detected at about 8 p.m. Thursday, and continued to be felt for at least 18 hours. Its arrival produced a flood of data from a new fleet of satellites and ground stations.

General Motors announced plans yesterday to install 8,700 solar panels on the roof of its White Marsh transmission plant by spring through a partnership with Beltsville's SunEdison, North America's largest provider of solar energy services. The 300,000-square-foot solar project will be one of the biggest on the East Coast, generating enough electricity to power up to 150 households and reducing the plant's utility bill along with its reliance on Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. The proposal is part of an effort to lessen the automaker's impact on the environment and cut costs amid hemorrhaging U.S. sales.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- For the second straight day, a pair of highflying hardhats will labor outside the International Space Station this morning to prepare a $372 million set of solar arrays for operation. Space walkers Dan Burbank and Steve MacLean will have a tough act to follow during a planned 6 1/2 -hour excursion set to begin at 5:15 a.m. Yesterday, shuttle Atlantis crewmates Joe Tanner and Heide Stefanyshyn-Piper breezed through one of the most complex space walks ever with relative ease.

McCormick & Co. plans to announce today that it will begin using solar energy at its distribution center and spice mill in Hunt Valley by early next year. The spice maker signed an agreement to have Constellation Energy build a one-megawatt solar power system at the two facilities, located at its headquarters campus. McCormick will purchase electricity generated by the system from Constellation. The two companies did not disclose financial details. The solar energy project will be McCormick's largest effort at its U.S. facilities to use alternative sources of energy, said Alan Wilson, McCormick president and chief executive officer.

GREENBELT -- A space storm that erupted from the sun and swept across the solar system to Earth earlier this month has given scientists their best look yet at the details of these violent interplanetary weather events.The blast of high-energy solar particles was born on the sun Jan. 6 and reached Earth on Jan. 10, where it began pumping vast amounts of energy into the Earth's space environment. It triggered auroral displays, disrupted some radio communications and may have played a role in the Jan. 11 failure of the $200 million Telstar 401 communications satellite.

AUSTIN, Texas - Tired of outrageous gasoline prices? Maybe you'd be interested in a car that uses about as much electricity as a hair dryer, makes less noise than a bicycle and gets the equivalent of 2,500 miles per gallon. There are a few trade-offs, however. There's no air conditioning, radio or power-window option - in fact, there are no windows at all. The driver's seat not only has no leather, but it also has no padding or upholstery. And if it's cloudy or dark, well, forget about traveling very far. But if the sun is shining, this car can go 65 mph or faster, pretty much forever.

A long-range space-weather forecast: After the quietest low in a century in the 11-year cycle of solar activity, NOAA scientists predict the next solar peak will top out in May 2013 at the lowest level since 1928. But even "weak" solar cycles can act up. A similar cycle in 1859 produced a solar storm that set fires in telegraph offices and sparked Northern Lights bright enough to read newspapers by.

Two-thirds of Americans think the environment is getting worse, but most haven't made major changes to help the air, soil and water, according to recent Gallup polls. If you're one of the procrastinators, your number of excuses just got smaller. Thanks to the recently passed federal stimulus bill, Maryland energy grants and a maturation of the alternative energy industry, the incentives to go green in big ways and small are higher than they've ever been. Wind-generated electricity is the cheapest in history.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Both the Maryland House of Delegates and the Senate are working this weekend to prepare for adjournment. Both chambers are gathering Saturday to catch up with unfinished business. The House will be debating a bill backed by Gov. Martin O'Malley to make utilities generate more of their power by solar energy. Supporters say it's important to grow the use of solar energy to help drive down energy prices. But opponents contend it will pass on costs to ratepayers and small businesses.