Round-the-world balloooning pioneer Bertrand Piccard unveiled his solar-powered aircraft in Switzerland on Friday, ready for another trend-setting circumnavigation of the globe powered solely by the sun.

Interactive graphic on the Solar Impulse project which plans to fly a solar-powered aeorpolane, day and night, right around the world.

Swiss adventurer Bertrand Piccard unveiled Friday the prototype of a solar powered plane he plans to fly around the world to highlight the potential of alternative energy sources.

Bertrand Piccard unveils a solar airplane that weighs as much as a Toyota Camry and has the wingspan of a Boeing 747 and that he and his team plan to fly around the world in 2012.

NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., June 26 /PRNewswire/ — Mercury Solar Systems, Inc., one of the leading solar integrators in the Northeast, today announced that it has acquired K-Star Solar, Long Island’s leading residential solar installer. The acquisition strengthens Mercury’s presence in the Northeast and its solar business in Long Island, NY. Financial terms were not disclosed.

“Long Island is an important market for us with Long Island Power Authority ranked as one of the top ten solar utilities in the country,” said Jared Haines, President, Mercury Solar Systems. “With K-Star we have an instant footprint in this market and we believe together we can offer commercial and residential customers cutting edge, highly efficient solar solutions at affordable prices. The federal and state incentives for solar systems have also never been better, but customers need a company with local knowledge to help them leverage the benefits of solar.”

Upon closing, K-Star Solar will be re-branded Mercury Solar Systems and Kevin P. Harvey, K-Star’s current President, will join Mercury’s Long Island team as its Divisional President. Kevin will focus on Mercury’s Long Island operations and installations. He will be joining Mercury’s existing Long Island sales team that is led by Jeffrey Amorosana.

“Mercury Solar Systems is one of the key players in this market with in-depth commercial and residential solar experience, a strong sales and operational team and an expansive list of products and services,” said Kevin P. Harvey, President, K-Star Solar. “They are a logical partner to take K-Star to the next level and we believe this is a win-win for Long Island residential consumers that are looking to go green with solar as we can now offer them SunPower premier products.”

MENLO PARK, Calif., June 26 /PRNewswire-Asia-FirstCall/ — Solar EnerTech Corp. (OTC Bulletin Board: SOEN) (the “Company”) today announced it has entered into a 10MW contract to deliver its solar modules to Solarzentrum Allgau, one of the leading solar system integrators in Germany.

The total shipment value to Solarzentrum Allgau under the contract is approximately US$20 million. Shipments, aimed for solar power installations in Germany, are scheduled to begin immediately and will be delivered throughout the current calendar year.

Solarzentrum Allgau was founded in 1985 in Altdorf, Germany. The company has benefitted from Germany’s introduction of the Renewable Energy Sources Act in March 2000 and has grown its operations through its specialization of sale, assembly and installation of photovoltaic systems. The company is also the founder of an information and advisory center about solar energy in the county of Allg?u. Its President, Willi Bihler is considered a visionary in the field for his innovations in solar power installation (Photon magazine, June 2008 issue).

Mr. Leo Young, CEO of Solar EnerTech, commented, “This is an exciting new project for Solar EnerTech which can accelerate our financial performance for this calendar year. It shows that our strategy of enhancing our operating facility and improving our product efficiency is paying off. The quality of our solar modules are well known to Solarzentrum Allgau as we have served as a supplier to their rooftop projects in the past. Our high-quality, efficient and reliable products continue to garner increased attention among many well- known PV system integrators, which has improved our competitive advantage in winning new contracts.”

Willi Bihler, Proprietor of Solarzentrum Allgau commented, “Solar EnerTech’s solar products and support services meet the criteria for high quality and performance that we demand from our suppliers. When we encounter some technical issues during our installations, Solar EnerTech’s team is always available to assist us with the appropriate solutions. We look forward to further developing our relationship with Solar EnerTech and believe that through their support, we have a compelling opportunity to gain a larger share of the German market going forward.”