Most photovoltaic solar cells can only hope to achieve about 15-20% efficiency. Much of the solar energy that strikes the cells is either reflected away or lost as heat energy. But solar collectors at Kalahari Greentech have achieved 74% efficiency. The energy company that specializes in solar technology and wind energy research had its solar [...]
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Did you know that nearly 25% of the global population (over 1.5 billion people) still burn fuel to light their living spaces? By introducing the solar-powered light bulb, inventor Stephen Katsaros hopes to provide a safer, more environmentally-friendly means of illumination, particularly for communities in Third World countries living off the grid. The “Nokero” is [...]
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Have you considered home solar power? What is stopping you from switching to the clean renewable energy source? If you are like most homeowners, there are several factors: cost, appearance and complexity. Yet, with solar shingles, its easy to let your roof cover your electricity bills! Since 2005, solar shingles (also known as photovoltaic shingles) [...]
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This week, something new is brewing at Anheuser-Busch. With the installation of more than 3,000 PV solar panels on the rooftop of its Newark, New Jersey brewery, the company will start generating enough solar electricity to completely power 62 homes each year (more than 525,000 kilowatt hours). The panels cover about 65,000 square feet, and [...]
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Electric vehicles are here, folks. 2010 is the year that many major automakers start rolling out the much anticipated EVs that will help save us from global warming and future disasters like the one unfolding in the Gulf of Mexico. Yet, some critics note that electric vehicles are not entirely green when users tap into [...]
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For those of you as distressed as I am by the unrelenting oil spill in the Gulf Region, there is some positive news on the energy front. The International Energy Agency (IEA) announced this week its expectation that solar will comprise 25% of all electricity by 2050! In two reports on Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) [...]
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From Booklist Reviewed with Christine Petersen’s Wind Power.Gr. 3-5. The familiar small, square format and the large, well-spaced type of volumes in the long-running True Book umbrella series have been preserved in this new offshoot, Environment & Conservation. Petersen provides readers with a lucid picture of the sun and wind as natural forces before introducing [...]
Who is ready to cook up some solar panels? How about a 23-year old PhD Engineering student who’s using some unique ingredients: nail polish, inkjet printers and pizza ovens. No, its not a joke. And yes, its time to be in awe of Nicole Kuepper, a student at the University of New South Wales, Australia, [...]
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Researchers at Oregon State University and Portland State University have discovered a way to use algae to increase solar cell efficiency. Using microscopic algae called diatoms, dye-sensitized solar cells can produce triple the electrical output of ordinary solar cells. When specially-engineered diatoms are used in the production of thin film solar cells, light is captured [...]
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The Solar Electricity Handbook is a practical and straightforward guide to using electric solar panels. Assuming no previous knowledge of solar panels, the book explains how solar panels work, how they can be used and explains the steps you need to take to successfully design and install a solar electric system from scratch using photovoltaic [...]
