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Sunday 31 July 2011

Solar Energy Facts – The Important Part of Learning Solar Powered Energy

The solar energy facts are vital for everyone to be aware of, because if and we don’t start to do something, our planet that we live in are going to be gone. But the solar panel systems are actually fully calm while they’re collecting strength and so you won’t even know likely there. The solar energy facts are very important for everyone to be aware of, if we do not start to want to do something, the earth that we live in is going to be eliminated. But the solar panels usually are basically totally peaceful while they are accumulating energy and so you won’t be aware of they are there. Your solar energy facts are vital for everyone to learn, because if we do not begin doing something, planet earth that we live in are going to be gone. If you are enthusiastic about learning more solar energy facts you are able to do research.
These types of facts are readily available on the web. Solar energy facts are easy to find, specifically online. One only need to type “solar energy” right into a web browser in order to discover countless websites that focus on solar power information. Solar energy facts for kids in New Zealand are believed unnecessary by a few. When winter hovers over New Zealand, it might appear that day after day is cloudy and grey – specifically in some parts of New Zealand. But that doesn’t imply that they cannot gain from solar energy.
Solar energy facts tend to be conveniently available on the net. Solar technology is regarded as the obtainable energy source well-known to man right now.
Solar power has existed regarding five billion many years, since the sun was created. And humans have owned solar energy for thousands of years. Solar power is one of the best ways to have the home lit in place and ready to go. There are various brand new homes which can be coming with these panels already installed for the new homeowner. Solar power can also be used to meet the electricity requirements. This particular electricity can either be part of it is or may be stored in the battery.
Solar power can be stored in power packs. Or even the energy can be saved in a battery for an unexpected emergency roadside cellular phone when no phone wires are around. Solar power is an alternative energy origin that involves harnessing this radiant light power emitted by the sun’s rays and converting this into electrical current. Since the middle of the Twentieth century, the ability to harness as well as utilize solar energy features greatly increased, allowing for homes and companies to make use of the rebirth energy source rather than depend on more conventional methods of generating power.
Solar energy facts are usually fascinating. These facts tend to be interesting that are beneficial to humankind for its success for years and many years. They are commonly on the web. Solar technological know-how is the most available power resource known to man right now.

(Source:http://www.greenergynews.com/solar-energy-facts-the-important-part-of-learning-solar-powered-energy/)

Friday 29 July 2011

Apple and Samsung considering solar power devices (by Laura Willard)

 

Solar cell energy isn't new, but it's becoming more popular. Many companies, such as Apple and Samsung, are considering solar energy for future products.

Apple and Samsung have been looking at solar cell options for some of their electronic devices, reports cnet News. Both companies are "evaluating" solar technology, especially organic photovoltaic cells. These "yield a lower sunlight-to-electricity conversion ratio than large solar panels installed on rooftops, but can be fit into small gadgets."
Currently, Samsung has a few cell phones with solar power panels on the back. Samsung also plans to roll out the NC215S next month. The NC215S is a 10" netbook complete with a solar panel on the lid. (No more fancy skins!)
Apple doesn't currently offer any solar powered devices, but the company has applied for and received several patents relating to solar power technology.
While it could be a while before you see any solar powered devices from Apple, or more from Samsung, it's good to know the ideas are in the works.

(Source: http://www.sheknows.com/living/articles/837291/solar-cell-energy-new-technology-for-apple-samsung)

Wednesday 27 July 2011

First Solar Sets Efficiency Record: 17.3 Percent (Michael Kanellos: July 26, 2011 )

First Solar Sets Efficiency Record: 17.3 Percent

With competitors breathing heavily on its back, First Solar shows what its labs can do.


First Solar today announced that it has produced a cadmium telluride solar cell with a 17.3 percent efficiency, shattering a ten year old record set by NREL.
The old record was 16.7 percent and set in 2001. In solar, that's like breaking a record set by Jesse Owens in Berlin. Most records in this business inch the mark up by a one to two tenths.
The solar cell won't go into production soon, but might help ease some concerns that cadmium telluride is approaching an efficiency ceiling. First Solar's cadmium telluride solar modules are cheaper than any other solar module in the world to manufacture. In the first quarter, First Solar produced modules in its factory on average for 75 cents a watt. (The actual sale price is higher.)
The average efficiency, however, is comparatively on the low side. First Solar boosted its average efficiency to 11.7 percent: that's up from the 11.1 percent efficiency for the same period the year before but below the efficiencies (14 to 20 percent) seen in crystalline silicon solar panels and 12 percent plus efficiencies seen in copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) solar modules. Module efficiency is typically a few points lower than cell effficiency.
Some have theorized that cadmium telluride modules might top out at 14 to 16 percent efficiency. Crystalline silicon modules can realistically go to 25 percent efficiency with cells approaching 29 percent efficiency. Crystalline manufacturers, however, can then boost those numbers by taking advantage of concentrators: SunPower, facing its own efficiency walls, unfurled a concentrator strategy last year. In the lab, CIGS cells have topped 20 percent. First Solar itself has even been conducting a skunk works project to test the feasibility of making CIGS modules itself for the past few years.
Thus, any efficiency breakthrough in cadmium telluride is good news for First Solar.
While some analysts will grouse that efficiency isn't the most important metric to look at when evaluating a solar technology, it is important. Very important, in fact. Boosting efficiency increases the power output of panels and the overall productivity of a factory. High efficiency modules also command higher premiums. A plant that produces modules with a 15-percent efficiency will simply generate more cash than an equivalent one that churns out the same number of panels with a ten-percent efficiency.
The announcement also helps quell any doubts about its dominance in cadmium telluride. The company produces nearly all of the world's cadmium telluride panels. In fact, it is also the dominant player in thin film solar modules. But in recent years, General Electric, Abound Solar and others have entered the cadmium telluride market. Earlier this year, General Electric said it hit 12.8 percent efficiency in the lab and planned on mass manufacturing cadmium telluride modules with record efficiencies in 2013.
First Solar says it will be at 13.5 to 14.5 percent efficiencies by the end of 2014.
Take that, Batman.

(Source: http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/first-solar-sets-efficiency-record-17.3-percent/)

Monday 25 July 2011

‘Cling-Film’ Solar Cells Could Lead to Advance in Renewable Energy



A scientific advance in renewable energy which promises a revolution in the ease and cost of using solar cells, has been announced. A new study shows that even when using very simple and inexpensive manufacturing methods -- where flexible layers of material are deposited over large areas like cling-film -- efficient solar cell structures can be made.

The study, published in the journal Advanced Energy Materials, paves the way for new solar cell manufacturing techniques and the promise of developments in renewable solar energy. Scientists from the Universities of Sheffield and Cambridge used the ISIS Neutron Source and Diamond Light Source at STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Oxfordshire to carry out the research.
Plastic (polymer) solar cells are much cheaper to produce than conventional silicon solar cells and have the potential to be produced in large quantities. The study showed that when complex mixtures of molecules in solution are spread onto a surface, like varnishing a table-top, the different molecules separate to the top and bottom of the layer in a way that maximises the efficiency of the resulting solar cell.
Dr Andrew Parnell of the University of Sheffield said, "Our results give important insights into how ultra-cheap solar energy panels for domestic and industrial use can be manufactured on a large scale. Rather than using complex and expensive fabrication methods to create a specific semiconductor nanostructure, high volume printing could be used to produce nano-scale (60 nano-meters) films of solar cells that are over a thousand times thinner than the width of a human hair. These films could then be used to make cost-effective, light and easily transportable plastic solar cell devices such as solar panels."
Dr. Robert Dalgliesh, one of the ISIS scientists involved in the work, said, "This work clearly illustrates the importance of the combined use of neutron and X-ray scattering sources such as ISIS and Diamond in solving modern challenges for society. Using neutron beams at ISIS and Diamond's bright X-rays, we were able to probe the internal structure and properties of the solar cell materials non-destructively. By studying the layers in the materials which convert sunlight into electricity, we are learning how different processing steps change the overall efficiency and affect the overall polymer solar cell performance. "
"Over the next fifty years society is going to need to supply the growing energy demands of the world's population without using fossil fuels, and the only renewable energy source that can do this is the Sun," said Professor Richard Jones of the University of Sheffield. " In a couple of hours enough energy from sunlight falls on the Earth to satisfy the energy needs of the Earth for a whole year, but we need to be able to harness this on a much bigger scale than we can do now. Cheap and efficient polymer solar cells that can cover huge areas could help move us into a new age of renewable energy."


(Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110704082656.htm)

Wednesday 13 July 2011

Solar Price Drops Mirror High Tech Consumer Goods

Big solar panel factory launched in Italy

( by Staff Writers Catania, Italy (UPI) Jul 11, 2011)

One of the biggest solar panel factories in Europe has been launched in Italy as a U.N. report says photovoltaic modules have become more price-competitive.
Ceremonies were Friday in Catania on Sicily, to inaugurate a $511 million PV module plant, which its owners say will be capable of producing 160 megawatts in electric generating capacity per year via small-scale solar and rooftop solar systems.
The factory is being built by 3Sun -- a joint effort by the Italian renewable energy company Enel Green Power, Sharp Corp. of Japan and Switzerland's STMicroelectronics.
The companies used $70 million in regional investment aid from the Italian Joint Ministerial Committee for Economic Planning as well as $100 million in capital from each of the three firms and financing from three major banks -- Banca IMI, Centrobanca and Unicredit.
The plant's inauguration was a big event for Sicily. Raffaele Lombardo, president of the Sicily region, and Giuseppe Castiglione, president of Catania province, were on hand for the new factory's unveiling.
Planning for the plant started in July 2010 and 3Sun aims to complete it by the end of 2012, the European Commission says.
The building was constructed by STMicroelectronics to fabricate electronic wafers and has been redesigned to make photovoltaic panels after sitting idle for several years, the electronics industry trade journal EE Times reported.
3Sun is planning initial employment of 280 workers at the plant.
Its PV modules are being targeted at solar power markets in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. A second joint venture called ESSE, short for Enel Green Power and Sharp Solar Energy, will use the modules in small-scale photovoltaic systems built and operated by the partners, who say they are aiming to deploy more than 500 megawatts by 2016.
3Sun's first customer will be itself. The company said it will install a 1-megawatt photovoltaic plant on the rooftop of its own new factory.
The announcement came only a day after the U.N. Environment Program predicted the small-scale solar market is likely to stay strong in 2011.
UNEP's latest annual report on renewable energy investment trends noted that the price of PV modules per megawatt had fallen 60 percent since mid-2008, making solar power far more competitive with other forms of energy in sunny countries.
The agency singled out the rooftop solar panel in industry in Europe as one of the main reasons there was a 32 percent jump in green energy investments worldwide in last year.
There was also a big increase in spending for government research and development in the field. Well more than $5 billion was poured into renewable energy research and development in 2010 -- a 120 percent increase over the previous year.
"The continuing growth in this core segment of the green economy is not happening by chance," said UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner. "The combination of government target-setting, policy support and stimulus funds is underpinning the renewable industry's rise and bringing the much needed transformation of our global energy system within reach."
The growth in the rooftop solar industry and other small-scale projects more than made up for a drop of 22 percent ($35.2 billion) in European large-scale renewable energy investments, the UNEP report noted.

(Source: http://www.solardaily.com/reports/Big_solar_panel_factory_launched_in_Italy_999.html)

Thursday 7 July 2011

Putting Sunshine in the Tank

The scientists are presenting their research at the Royal Society's annual Summer Science Exhibition which opens July 5, 2011.
Members of the consortium at UEA have already found a way to produce hydrogen from water. A revolutionary future use of this technology could be to make the fuel for hydrogen-powered cars, rather than making it from fossil fuel.
Now the scientists are aiming to use the same technology to create alternatives for other fuels and feedstock chemicals, including turning methane into liquid methanol and carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide.
The sun's potential is vast -- just one hour of sunlight is equivalent to the amount of energy used over the world in an entire year -- yet no one has yet tapped into its immense power to make fuels.
Professor Wendy Flavell, from The University of Manchester's Photon Science Institute, and her colleagues are working to create a solar-nano device using 'quantum dots' -- tiny clusters of semiconducting material which absorb sunlight.
When sunlight is absorbed, carriers of electric current are created. Together with catalyst molecules grafted to the surfaces of the dots, these create the new fuel -- for example hydrogen can be produced from water. Professor Flavell said: "Our sun provides far more energy than we will ever need, but we use it really inefficiently.
"To make better use of the fantastic resource we have in our Sun, we need to find out how to create solar fuel that can be stored and shipped to where it is needed and used on demand.
"Most hydrogen so far is obtained from fossil fuels, which are of course not going to last for ever, so it is important to get energy from renewable sources."One of the key questions is: 'what do we do when the sun goes down, what happens at night?' If we can store the energy harnessed from the sun during the day then we will have supplies ready to use when the sun is not shining.
"This is a first step in taking the vast power of the sun and using it to provide the world's fuel needs."
At the exhibition, Professor Flavell and her team will be displaying an interactive world map which will show children and other visitors just how much energy the Sun provides.
There will also be a chance to see the quantum dots at work, and show how, simply by changing the size of the dots, the colour of light they absorb or give out can be changed.
A solar cell that produces hydrogen directly from the electricity generated will also be on display and there will be a chance to race solar-powered and hydrogen-powered model racing cars.
Professor Chris Pickett of the University of East Anglia said "Creating catalytic devices which harvest light energy using quantum dots, or photovoltaic materials to drive the formation of synthetic fuels from water or carbon dioxide can be viewed as artificial photosynthesis.
"Globally, chemists, physicists and materials scientists are coming together to work on artificial photosynthesis to get to a stage where we can viably make clean, green fuels"
Professor Robin Perutz of the University of York said:"This is the most challenging scientific project I have ever been involved in, but it will be the most rewarding if we can bring it off. It's no use sitting back and hoping that someone else will work out how to harness the Sun's energy. This technology could revolutionise our energy usage in the coming decades."

(Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110705071703.htm)

Saturday 2 July 2011

Race is on to site largest U.S. solar farm by Staff Writers Melbourne, Fla. (UPI) Jun 30, 2011

The race is on to choose the best location for the world's largest solar power complex in the United States.
Solar power proliferation is seen by the industry to be one of the key growth trends in the energy industry as corporate and government consumers seek ways of reducing fuel bills across the board.
Solar power experts have been working behind the scenes on a project that will see the most advanced and the largest solar power farm emerging to change the landscape somewhere in the southeastern United States.
By last count there were seven finalists left -- communities that are all vying to have the solar farm in their midst, a stark contrast to the reaction the very same communities would likely produce if presented with a nuclear power blueprint.
The International Energy Agency in this year's global outlook says renewable energy sources will raise their profile in the coming months and natural gas -- not quite renewable but less polluting than oil -- will become the leading hydrocarbon source and a likely global substitute for crude oil.
All seven communities named as finalists for the solar farm are located in southeastern United States, the company said.
National Solar Power, a utility-scale solar power developer, said four were in Florida, two in Georgia and one in North Carolina.
"We are excited about the progress we have made in narrowing the search for establishing our groundbreaking solar farm project that will provide a source for renewable energy for consumers while boosting job creation and economic health in the winning community," NSP Chief Executive Officer James Scrivener said.
"Over the next month we will continue our due diligence and make a final decision about where this revolutionary venture will make its permanent home. Every one of the communities on our finalist list is an attractive location for this project," he said.
The communities NSP has selected as finalists are: Gadsden, Hardee, Osceola and Suwannee counties in Florida, Sumter and Tatnall counties in Georgia, and Guilford County (Greensboro-area) in North Carolina.
NSP plans to establish a 400-megawatt solar project in the winning community, which would make it the world's largest photovoltaic power plant. The project is made up of 20 related 200-acre solar farms, with each generating more than 20-megawatts of renewable energy.
The world's largest solar power plant at present is an 80-megawatt solar project in Ontario, Canada.
By converting the natural power of the sun into electricity, NSP's planned 400-megawatt farm will be capable of providing enough renewable energy to power roughly 32,000 homes.
NSP said its criteria in selecting its community partner for the new solar farm location includes the availability of ideal available sites with adequate supply of undeveloped land that can properly meet infrastructure needs related to the establishment of the solar facility, appropriate business, government and community support, appropriate economic development and tax incentives and access to a qualified work force.
Scrivener said the company's final process for selecting a community partner will include a combination of ongoing site visits in some communities and strategic conversations with key political, governmental, business and community leaders.
The project will likely inject hundreds of millions of dollars into the winning community. NSP said its landmark project has the potential to create 400 jobs during the five-year construction phase and up to 120 permanent jobs that will all be based on a clean energy endeavor.
The first phase of the solar farm project is expected to be up and running within six months of construction commencing, Scrivener said.
Hensel Phelps Construction Co., a world leader in construction, will design, build and operate the solar farms. Once a site is selected, it will take about six months for the first segment of the farm to be constructed. Each of the 20 farm segments represents a $70 million investment. When construction of the solar farm is complete in six years, it will represent a nearly $1.5 billion investment in the winning community.
Once operational, the low-profile solar farms will be less than 7 feet tall and surrounded by vegetation, making them inconspicuous to the surrounding area.
NSP is a 3-year-old company but says its founders have more than 30 years of industry experience. The company has power supply agreements for more than 3,000 megawatts of solar farms across the southeastern United States. The company has headquarters in Melbourne, Fla.

(Source:http://www.solardaily.com/reports/Race_is_on_to_site_largest_US_solar_farm_999.html)

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