Inhabitat's Week in Green: rise of solar power, cardboard forts and a Death Star ping pong ball

It was a big week for superlatives in clean tech and green architecture -- particularly in Europe. First, construction on The Shard, architect Renzo Piano's shimmering, 72-story skyscraper, wrapped up in London, making it the tallest building in Europe.

A nighttime celebration, complete with a laser light show accompanied by the London Philharmonic Orchestra was held. Just about a mile down the river, construction is moving forward on Blackfriars Station, the world's largest solar bridge.

The historic bridge is being fitted with a solar array that will produce 900,000 kWh of clean electricity per year. And in Germany, solar producers have set a new world record, pumping an astounding 14.7 TWh of electricity into the grid during the first six months of 2012 -- 4.5 percent of the country's total power production during that period.

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