Spain Uses the Sun, an Inbred Royal Family

This week, we have two stories about alternative energy in Spain. Over the last decade, Spanish companies like Iberdrola and Gamesa have become top wind energy producers. This success has laid the groundwork for more renewable tech; solar is next, with projects like the Solúcar solar platform.

But big business brings corruption—and renewable energy is no exception. The town of La Muela allegedly got greedy. La Muela grew rich on wind power—but its mayor, María Victoria Pinilla, is now in jail on bribery charges.The scandal began with the wind energy boom and rising property values. Another wind-related scandal is playing out in the town of Bigastro.

Of course, renewable energy isn’t always big business. The British charity Forum for the Future just awarded a $75,000 prize to inventor Jon Bohmer for his work on a cheap cardboard solar oven. Bohmer hopes to spread the technology across the world as a way to save lives, fight global warming, and conserve the environment. Similar ovens have been around for decades, but Bohmer has come up with a way to make and distribute them cheaply and quickly.

Also this week, Chinese scientists challenged textbook tenets when they reported that old female mice may still be able to produce eggs. New research indicates that inbreeding killed off a Spanish royal family, the Hapsburgs, in 1700. And scientists have made a surprising discovery about how DNA molecules can improve vision.

Music:

Three Dog Night, Never Been to Spain
June Carter Cash, Keep on the Sunny Side

Tags: China, climate change, DNA, mice, renewable energy, Spain