solar collector Archives – The Green Optimistic

Very Efficient Ceramic Sunlight-to-Laser System Unveiled in Uzbekistan

Ovidiu Sandru — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 11:51:43 +0000

A team of researchers from the Scientific and Production Association in Uzbekistan have succeeded transforming sunlight into laser light in a fashion that outperforms all the other similar projects that had been doing the same thing in the past. The team brags a 35 percent efficiency, versus one of maximum 2 percent obtained by others. […]

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Wake Forest Researchers Develop Polymer-Based Solar PV & Thermal Device

Ovidiu Sandru — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 17:49:30 +0000

Infrared light makes up the most part of the light spectrum, but the glitch in today's solar panels is that they can't really harvest it for direct electricity generation, because of the long wavelengths involved. Thus, a standard solar panel misses about 75% of the incoming energy, and some of them, concentrated solar cells, need cooling to prevent damage to the silicon substrate that favors the energy conversion.

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Forces of Nature: The Car Featuring Solar-Powered On-Board Hydrogen Production

Mike Sandru — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 16:38:03 +0000

A professor from Middle Tennessee State University has succeeded creating a hydrogen-powered car that produces its own fuel using the sun. Dubbed "Forces of Nature," the car (a 1994 Toyota Tercel) uses hydrogen extracted from an onboard water supply using solar power.

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Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells Got Better by Using Ionic Salts

Ovidiu Sandru — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 23:43:51 +0000

A group of researchers from the Universidad Pablo de Olavide, in Seville, Spain, led by Juan Antonio Anta, are working on optimizing Grätzel solar cells by incorporating ionic salts, known as green solvents, with a view to preventing evaporation of the liquid compounds and the consequent reduction in efficiency. Grätzel (dye-sensitized) cells work by using […]

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Stephen White's Solar Powered Air Conditioning System

Ovidiu Sandru — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 17:16:39 +0000

During those hot summer days when you don't know what to do anymore (suppose you don't use the air conditioner), you're all sweat and packed with ice, didn't it ever come to your mind to use the outside heat, which is essentially energy, to cool down the room you're in?

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MIT Window Coating Collects Solar Energy

Ovidiu Sandru — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 21:08:26 +0000

MIT researchers have found a way to give your ordinary windows other uses than allow you to look through it. They invented a special coating that can be applied to the window, which in turn transmits the light its edges, to some solar cells. In this way you'll still be able to see clearly through the window and collect solar energy.

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