Solar Panels Floating on Water
10 March 2011 | Solar Power | 2 Comments
Israeli and French researchers have found a new way to produce solar power. They planned to build floating solar farms over industrial water basins by the year 2012. In this way the panels won’t take too much land space ant they also will be cheaper.
Usually, water basins serves as water sources for irrigation. Installing these solar panels there, will allow people to produce green solar energy (each module produces 200 kiloWatts) and enhance the overall utility of the existing space.
StratoSolar Stretches 20 Km Into the Atmosphere to Produce Solar Power
23 February 2011 | Solar Power | No Comments
Leaving behind all those expensive solar panels, often difficult to maintain in their best condition, we present “StratoSolar” prototype. Basically, this system consist of a giant pipe (20 kilometers), with some concentrated solar panels attached at the end of it. This pipe reaches the atmosphere, so those solar panels can capture more light in any weather condition.
Being a cheaper way to produce energy than using conventional solar panels, StratoSolar could become the most practical solution for today’s energy needs. Researchers say that such system can be easily build with technology that is at hand, using materials that are all available in the market today.
Sony’s New Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells for Energy Generating Windows
21 December 2010 | Solar Power | No Comments
Look at this picture and try to Imagine your house having green colored windows. Having such windows it may look weird, but what you’ll say if those green pieces of glass could produce electricity for your home? Saving energy would be enough for you to leave behind the initial design of your house? Think about it.
If you ask me, I would definitely choose to use such dye-sensitized solar cells instead of regular windows, for two main reasons: first, I will be able to save energy and money, and second, I think those green colored windows would bring a relaxing green light in my room.
Konarka Improved the Efficiency of Plastic Solar Cells by 8.3 Percent
8 December 2010 | Solar Power | 1 Comment
One of the world’s most famous plastic solar cell developers, Konarka, managed to improve the efficiency of their modules by 8.3 percent. Even with a reduced light conversion capacity, these plastic solar cells are cheaper and we can easily attach them on windows, awnings, bus shelters, backpacks or clothes.
Proud with their new record, achieving a 8.3 percent efficiency rate in converting solar rays into electricity, Konarka stated that this is a great opportunity to start the commercial production of these plastic solar cells. Moreover, NREL certified the efficiency of those plastic cells, so Konarka’s chief executive became even more optimistic regarding their future sales.
Scientists Managed to Extract Hydrogen from Water Using Solar Power
30 November 2010 | Solar Power | No Comments
MIT professor Daniel Nocera came up with a new way to use solar energy during night (a solar power system that converts solar energy to hydrogen). Instead of storing the energy in batteries, he found a way to split water into hydrogen and oxygen in order to use hydrogen in a fuel cell for night use.
Solar energy has become a real star among today’s alternative energy sources. Using solar power at night involves some issues and most of them are related to those high costs of batteries. Now, it seems that Daniel Nocera found the Holy Grail. “We have the capability to power a household with just two bottles of water from any source” he said.