Who says solar power can't be gorgeous? The people of New Caledonia are out to prove the naysayers wrong with what may be the most beautiful solar farm on the planet. The heart-shaped solar farm will supply 2 megawatts of solar power to 750 homes on the Pacific island, reducing carbon emissions while enhancing the natural beauty of the plant's surroundings. A local beverage company called Froico SA commissioned the stunning plant, which is being built by Conergy, and should start generating power next year. New Caledonian's are building the plant to help reduce the French territory's dependence on foreign energy, and by the time the plant reaches the end of its life cycle in 25 years, it is expected to save around 2 million tons of emissions. The plant's shape was inspired by a nearby mangrove forest that has naturally grown into a heart shape, known as the "Coeur de Voh." The "Coeur de Voh" is an important landmark for the people of New Caledonia, and shows just how extraordinary nature can be," managing director of Conergy said. "The "Heart of New Caledonia" solar plant will be its man-made double, a landmark for clean power generation."

The World Cup 2014 completed, but our eyes are focused to the Mineirao stadium. This 1965 soccer stadium in Belo Horizonte was recently equipped with a whopping 6,000 solar panels on its roof just in time for the international competition. An initiative by local electricity company CEMIG, this is the first ever World Cup stadium completely powered by the sun. Originally built in 1965, the public listed Estadio Governador Magalhaes Pinto is one of this year's World Cup venues. Topped with 6,000 rooftop solar panels, it doubles as a complete photovoltaic solar plant (USF) capable of supplying power to 1,200 households. The plant was built by the Minas Gerais State Electricity Company (CEMIG), in partnership with German bank kfW and Minas Arena, the group that manages the Mineirao. Because the panels produce more energy than is necessary to power the stadium (1,600 megawatts-hour per year), 10 percent of the remaining power goes directly to regular consumers. It will be distributed to surrounding homes, giving back to the local grid with clean energy. Although the Mineirao is the First World Cup stadium completely supplied by solar power, is not the first one in the world. This idea takes inspiration from Germany's Freiburg and Switzerland's Bern stadium, which also works thanks to the brightest star. Estadio Mineirao opened its solar-savvy doors in 2013. German bank KfW and CEMIG provided funding for the massive US$ 16.1 million stadium power plant project.

Apple just signed a development agreement with the City of Claremont, which will allow it to build its third massive solar farm in North Carolina. When finished, the 405 thousand square meters farm is expected to produce 17.5 megawatts at a development cost of US$ 55 million. The new development will be the company's third solar farm not only in North Carolina, but within Catawba County. The first is a 20 megawatt farm located on the company's campus in Maiden, and in 2013 Apple gained the rights for construction of a second 20 megawatt farm in Conover. The farms are used to power the Maiden iCloud data center, which like all the company's data centers runs on 100 percent renewable energy. The latest approval required the City of Claremont to annex land that was not in the city's corporate limits, but in its extraterritorial jurisdiction. A separate agreement allows for a land swap between Apple and the City, with Apple returning two parcels of land to be used for greenways, public recreation and other public purposes. The project is expected to create 75 jobs during construction, which Apple has pledged to source locally if possible.

Somewhere between Yuma and Phoenix, Arizona on a desolate stretch of 9.7 million square meters of land, construction was just completed on the world's largest full-operational solar-power plant. Known as Agua Caliente, the renewable energy plant can generate 290 megawatts at peak capacity - which is enough to power 230 thousand homes and is comparable to the energy output of the average coal-fired power plant. The power will be used by the San Francisco-based Pacific Gas and Electric Co. and it's just one more step in California's plan to source a third of its power from renewable sources. The project is owned by NRG Energy and MidAmerican Solar and was built by First Solar using their thin solar-panels to convert all of that southwestern sunshine into clean energy. Total investment in this project was US$ 1.8 billion, but it was in part funded by a federal loan guarantee to the tune of US$ 967 million and was named Solar Project of the Year by Renewable Energy World. All told, the Agua Caliente project will help keep 324 thousand tons of CO2 emissions from reaching the atmosphere each year, which is essentially like taking 70 thousand cars off of the road. The project also provided 400 jobs during construction. Work on the project was divided into two phases. The first phase has an installed capacity of 100 megawatts, while the second phase has an installed capacity of 190 megawatts, resulting in a total capacity of 290 megawatts. Construction of phase one started in late 2010 and was completed in early 2012. The first solar PV panels were installed in June 2011. Construction on the second phase of the project was completed in April 2014. The plant is fitted with more than five million advanced thin-film cadmium telluride (CdTe) PV modules, which annually produce approximately 626.2 GWh of clean energy. The PV modules generate electricity without releasing any emissions, waste or water, with minimal noise and cause a low visual impact; they will also have the smallest carbon footprint compared to conventional PV technologies. The panels will be recycled after their useful lifespan. NRG owns 9 other solar facilities in three different states, but the massive Agua Caliente is the largest. The company also owns the Ivanpah solar thermal project, which uses mirrors to concentrate sunlight to create energy.

It was revealed, that the Dubai Municipality will build a sustainable residential city for Emirate residents, powered by solar energy. The future for Dubai seems bright and eco-friendly as Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai ruler and the UAE's Vice President and Prime Minister, was briefed on the new residential project, 'Dubai Smart Sustainable City'. The project will be built close by to the Al Aweer Roundabout in Dubai and accommodate around 160,000 people over a total area of 5660 hectares. The city will be "completely sustainable" according to Dawood Al Hajeri, manager of planning and engineering sector department. It will produce 200 megawatts from solar panels covering the roofs of residential units and other buildings in its area. The city will recycle over 40,000 cubic meters of water, and that it will be fully sustainable and self-supporting in terms of its resources, transport and most importantly its energy. The work on the 'Dubai Smart Sustainable City' will start immediately and is expected to finish by Dubai's expo time of 2020.