STANFORD, CA—Researchers at Stanford University have increased the efficiency of a low-grade silicon solar cell by applying relatively cheap crystalline material, perovskite, on top of it.

TOKYO—Toyota’s North American manufacturing facilities saved 93.3 million gallons of water in 2014.

SAO PAULO, Brazil—A wind farm will power Honda’s automotive assembly plant here. Located hundreds of miles away, the farm has nine 3-megawatt turbines that are expected to generate all the electricity required for Honda’s annual production requirements.

DUBLIN, VA—Volvo’s New River Valley assembly plant in is now completely powered by methane gas from nearby landfills.

BOWLING GREEN, KY—The GM assembly plant here has met the EPA’s ENERGY STAR Challenge for Industry. The facility is one of 14 GM plants in the world to have met the energy-efficiency challenge and one of only two to have achieved the honor three times.

TORRINGTON, CT—FuelCell Energy plans to spend $65 million to expand its assembly plant here, creating up to 325 jobs over the next four years.

OSHAWA, ON—Another 11 General Motors facilities worldwide, including the automaker’s assembly plant in Ingersoll, ON, have achieved landfill-free status. All totaled, GM runs 122 landfill-free manufacturing and non-manufacturing facilities around the world.

UPPSALA, Sweden—Researchers at Uppsala University have developed a rechargeable battery, made from alfalfa and pine resin, that can be recycled with a low-energy input and non-hazardous chemicals.

DEARBORN, MI—Ford Motor Co. plans to install 25,000 energy-efficient LED light fixtures at its plants.

RUSSELLS POINT, OH—Just six months after installing two wind turbines at its assembly plant here, Honda Transmission Manufacturing of America Inc. has reported that the machines are producing more electrical power than was anticipated. The turbines have exceeded the projected power output figures by 6.3 percent.