Posts Tagged solar

Researchers Harness Photosynthesis to Produce Energy

Posted by Leigh Kim in Solar Power on May 13, 2013

For years, scientists have been trying to harness the energy of photosynthesis since plants themselves are the perfect solar technology. Plants use photosynthesis to produce energy at nearly 100% efficiency. Researchers at the University of Georgia have been able to tap into photosynthesis directly to produce electricity. They discovered a method to interrupt photosynthesis to [...]

Thin Film Solar Efficiency Record Set by First Solar

Posted by Leigh Kim in Solar Power on February 28, 2013

First Solar, an innovator in solar energy, has just set a new world record for solar cell conversion efficiency. The company set the record with its cadmium-telluride (CdTE) thin film solar cell. CdTE solar cells can be produced quicker and cheaper than conventional solar cells. First Solar hopes this will eventually decrease the cost of [...]

Ubiquitous Energy’s Transparent Solar Cells Just a Matter of Time

Posted by Leigh Kim in Solar Power on February 26, 2013

New startup Ubiquitous Energy is developing a host of technologies that enable seamless deployment of light-harvesting functionality. The company aims to develop affordable, transparent coatings and films that have the ability to harvest light energy when used on windows or screens of tablet devices or e-readers. Ubiquitous Energy created photovoltaics that take up light to [...]

Underground Greenhouse Allows Year-Round Gardening for $300

Posted by Leigh Kim in Green Designs on February 25, 2013

Taking a cue from the Aymara Indians, gardeners are realizing that walipini, an underground greenhouse (or pit greenhouse), allows them to grow year round. Typically, greenhouses are glazed structures. They are expensive to build and costly to heat during the winter. Greenhouses in colder climates also have shorter growing seasons. Walipini were originally developed in [...]

Huge Solar Parking Structure Planned in North Carolina

Posted by Leigh Kim in Solar Power on February 22, 2013

Envision Solar plans to use some of the 160 billion square feet of paved land in the world used as parking lots for cars to accommodate a solar parking structure the company calls “solar tree.” In addition to their usefulness, the solar panels act as shade for the cars in the parking lot. This allows [...]

NASA Uses World’s Largest Solar Sail for Asteroid-Exploring Missions

Posted by Leigh Kim in Solar Power on February 14, 2013

In 2014, NASA will be launching the world’s largest solar sail ever built. Sunjammer, the solar sail spacecraft, will act as a test bed for the new technology. If successful, the technology will be used in future missions to near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) and maybe even missions beyond the solar system. The name Sunjammer was taken [...]

US Army Goes Green, Creates Largest Solar Array in the World

Posted by Leigh Kim in Solar Power on January 18, 2013

The US Army has just unveiled its brand new White Sands Missile Range Solar Power System in New Mexico. This system is the largest solar installation anywhere in the world and has a solar carport of 375 kilowatts and a 4.1 megawatt ground-mounted, low-concentration photovoltaic power plant. The White Sands solar array system covers 42 [...]

Silicon Photovoltaic Wafer Screening System Will Save Solar Industry Billions

Posted by Leigh Kim in Solar Power on January 16, 2013

The industrial material production process is very hard on silicon wafers. In fact, between 5 and 10% of these expensive wafers used to make photovoltaic solar cells are damaged during the process, translating annually into billions of lost dollars by the solar industry. Researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have created a Silicon [...]

US Military Embraces Microgrids for Security, Self-Reliance

Posted by Leigh Kim in Energy news on January 10, 2013

The US Department of Defense (DoD) consumes more petroleum than any other organization in the world, and the DoD’s military operations create the biggest demand for all forms of energy. To add a layer of complication, military bases in the US and abroad currently use aging transmission systems that are prone to cyber-terrorism and are [...]

Military Solar Chargers on the Way, According to Alta Devices

Posted by Leigh Kim in Solar Power on January 6, 2013

Not long after achieving a 23.5% efficiency rating with its standard solar panel, Santa Clara-based startup Alta Devices is claiming to have the worlds’ lightest solar mats. Alta Devices claims that its solar mats are more efficient, despite challenges to the claim, and the company also claims greater versatility and portability. The company’s tiny military [...]

Cost of German Solar Installations Markedly Lower than US

Posted by Leigh Kim in Solar Power on December 28, 2012

Researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have determined that solar installations cost more in the US than in Germany. They verified the total amount of solar power installed in Germany and the US is markedly different – with over five times as much installed in Germany. Both US and German installers paid about $1.80 per [...]

Apple’s Data Center and the Clean Energy Paradox

Posted by Leigh Kim in Biogas, Energy news, Solar Power on December 6, 2012

According to the North Carolina Utility Commission, Apple intends to double the amount of fuel cells it will use at its data center in Maiden, North Carolina. In November, Apple filed to increase its fuel cell size but kept the endeavor completely confidential. Bloom Energy is installing 50 Bloom boxes for Apple to produce 10 [...]

Is the Downfall of SolFocus a Harbinger of Doom for CPV Modules?

Posted by Leigh Kim in Solar Power on November 22, 2012

San Jose-based SolFocus may serve as a harbinger of things to come for the solar panel industry. Admitting financial difficulty, SolFocus has announced that the latest rounds of venture capital investment have fallen through, and in order to survive, the company needs a buyout. SolFocus manufactures concentrating photovoltaic modules (CPV) which uses lenses or mirrors [...]

EU Planning on Building An European Renewable Energy "Supergrid"

Posted by Ovidiu Sandru in Energy news on January 5, 2010

The first electricity grid dedicated to renewable power becomes a political reality this month, because nine European countries draw up plans to link their clean energy projects around the North Sea.

Japan Plans to Deploy Space-Based Solar Power Station

Posted by Ovidiu Sandru in Solar Power on November 10, 2009

JAXA, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, wants to compete with the United States’ PG&E project for collecting solar power from outer space and beam it on Earth through clusters of lasers and microwaves.