Solar at How to Save the World for Free

Using Africa's sun to power Europe and provide fresh water

2007-12-02T11:25:00.001Z

Prince Hassan bin Talal of Jordan has proposed a grand solar power scheme to the European Union. Using cheap land on the African and Middle Eastern coasts of the Mediterranean, a string of concentrating solar power stations could be constructed to generate power for local towns and Europe and run desalination plants to provide fresh water.

It's another grand scheme, and I'm dubious of grand schemes, but it has the benefit of being made up of lots of smaller components. Rather than waiting a decade for one big power plant to come online, as with nuclear or plans like the Severn Estuary barrier, saller plants can be built in shorter time periods and start making a difference immediately.

Technorati tag: Solar Power

Solar Thermal Water Heater For Less Than Five Dollars

2007-08-15T16:51:00.000Z

Solar thermal is far more efficient at converting the energy in sunlight and, if you follow these instructions, you can build a Solar Thermal heater for next to nothing. It's intended as a fun project, but with a little tweaking to make it more robust and control the flow properly it can be made into something practical.

via TreeHugger

Technorati tag: Solar Power

Solar beach bag

2007-06-22T09:36:00.000Z

Personal solar devices are a great way to promote solar power. This solar beach bag will recharge your phone. iPod etc. as you soak up some rays.

Technorati tag: Solar Power

Maplin launches National Solar Week

2007-06-15T10:16:00.000Z

When a company that sells solar gadgets decides to have a week promoting solar energy, it looks like a marketing ploy. However, it's still positive publicity, and they are pushing a petition to have VAT removed from solar devices.

Technorati tag: Solar Power, Petition

Photovoltaic costs to drop sharply

2007-06-04T18:34:00.000Z

The Worldwatch Institute estimates that the cost of photovoltaic cells may drop by as much as 40% in the next few years. One factor contributing to this is the increase of manufacturing of photovoltaics in China, such as the new facility announced by Suntech, a key supplier of building integrated solar products.

Technorati tag: Solar Power, Photovoltaic, China

Solar thermal sales on the rise

2007-06-04T18:22:00.000Z

Bosch's thermal solar division has announced that it's sales for the year to date are up 60% on last year and they expect to sell 150,000 solar collector units this year.

Technorati tag: Solar Power, Solar Thermal

Solar hybrids

2007-06-04T16:40:00.000Z

Solar Electric Vehicles make roofs for hybrid cars that charge a supplemental battery and increase the cars' fuel efficiency by as much as 29%. Prius owners have fitted solar panels to their vehicles before, but these convex panels won't mess with the aerodynamics as much.

Solar Electric Vehicles website

Technorati tag: Solar Power, Hybrid Car

Cheap and easy solar power

2006-11-02T13:16:00.000Z

The articles are biased towards the US, but Mother Earth News tells you how to get simple solar power and how to work out if the payback will be worth the investment.

Technorati tag: Solar Power

Google goes solar

2006-10-17T21:37:00.000Z

EI Solutions has provided solar power for Google's Mountain View campus in California. Output is 1.6 megawatts from 197,000 square feet of solar panelling.

via BoingBoing

Technorati tag: Solar Power, Google

Dye-sensitized cells- cheaper photovoltaics

2006-09-14T09:45:00.000Z

Michael Gratzel has the rare honour of having a type of photovoltaic cell named after him. The Gratzel cell was first developed over 15 years ago but is now ready for manufacture and release onto the market. Technology Review talked to him about bringing the product to market.

Technology Review: Why has it been so difficult to make efficient, yet inexpensive solar cells that could compete with fossil fuels as sources of electricity?

Michael Gratzel: It's perhaps just the way things evolved. Silicon cells were first made for [outer] space, and there was a lot of money available so the technology that was first developed was an expensive technology. The cell we have been developing on the other hand is closer to photosynthesis.

via Hugg

Technorati tag: Solar Power, Photovoltaic, Nanoparticles

Nanosolar- printed solar film

2006-08-24T12:29:00.000Z

Nanosolar has developed technology to create solar panels by printing films 1/100th the thickness of absorber in a silicon-wafer cell. With the drastic cut in unit price that will come from this they hope to have a solar panel on every building.

There are issues with the lifespan of these thin film photovoltaics, and worries about toxicity of the chemicals used. If they can be answered, then this could be a huge step toward a solar future.

via Treehugger

Technorati tag: Solar Power, Thin Film Photovoltaic

Solar Cool

2006-08-24T09:40:00.000Z

The Guardian on solar power's increasing prominence.

There's also a practical, very British reason for our interest in solar: money. With the average household's electricity bill above £900 (and set to rise again with British Gas's latest price rises), solar panels start to make sense at £4,000, after you've received a government grant available for installation. They can add value, too. When two new homes in Norfolk sold recently, the one with solar PV roof tiles by Solarcentury sold for 8.6% more than its neighbour. Energy efficiency ratings in next year's home information packs, grants of up to £3,000 and imminent improved planning laws should help further.

Technorati tag: Solar Power

Solar panels on the High Street

2006-08-01T07:53:00.000Z

Electrical chain Currys is to start selling photovoltaic panels in their stores. So far they're only available in stores at West Thurrock, Fulham and Croydon. At £1000 a panel Currys say they're charging less than some specialist firms and are touting Government grants that could cut the price by as much as 50%. It's another important step in the Greening of the mainstream, though many people have issues with shopping at Currys for servivce level reasons.

Technorati tag: Solar Power, Currys

Holographic solar 25% more efficient

2006-07-17T07:36:00.000Z

Treehugger reports on a test of a "Gen-1" holographic solar module manufactured by Prism Solar Technology. By splitting the spectrum and focussing a specific wavelength on the photovoltaics efficiency is increased. Also, passive tracking of the sun can generate more power at different times of the day. The test found output was 25% more efficient than an equivalent area of plain photovoltaic, which one commenter calculated would reduce costs from $5/watt to $4.10/watt (initial cost, rather than per watt generated).

Technorati tag: Solar Power, Holographic Solar Power

Build your own solar thermal panel

2006-06-26T19:54:00.000Z

Solar heating is a more efficient way to utilise the sun's power than photovoltaics, but somewhat more limited in applications. It is also much cheaper. In fact the team at The Seitch built a solar thermal panel for $5. They used the heat dispersal tubing from the back of a fridge (which had been purged of CFCs at the local dump) mounted behind a sheet of glass.

If you watyched It's Not Easy Being Green (we finally caught it on DVD-RWs from my parents) you might have seen the clever heat trap built into the Strawbridge's greenhouse. Perhaps a solar thermal panel such as this could make a near tropical greenhouse for exotic gardening.

via Treehugger

Technorati tag: Solar, Solar Thermal Panel, Technorati tag: Solar Power

Solar power for the rainy town

2006-05-25T16:23:00.000Z

Two Manchester solar initiatives were in the local paper today.

The council has fitted solar panels to the roofs of all 60 houses in one of the country's most run down estates. The panels will save around £100 a year and the fact that one resident has cottoned on to his meter running backwards on a sunny day if he turns off all the appliances suggests that it might also get them cutting consumption.

The University is putting 196 solar panels on the roof of one of its new buildings. The fact that it's the School of Sciences and the School of Environment and Development may have something to do with the decision. I have to ask, though, what's the story behind newspapers' obsession with translating units of electricity into their cup of tea equivalent? It would take a lot of students to drink two million cups of tea a year.

Technorati tags:
green
environment
Solar+Power
Manchester
Photovoltaic

Solar Feedback

2006-05-24T09:21:00.000Z

The Oakland Scottish Rite building has a realtime display on the Internet of the electricity generated by its solar panelled roofing. When I visited just now it was nighttime there so there was no power from the roof, but when BoingBoing visited the mid morning sun saw a surplus being fed to the grid.

Technorati tag: Solar Power

Holographic Solar

2006-04-30T11:49:00.000Z

A new technology replaces unsightly mirrored solar concentrators with flat panels laminated with holograms and could cut the cost of solar modules by as much as 75%.

via Treehugger

Technorati tag: Solar Power, Hologram

Germany has the world's largest solar park

2006-04-30T11:03:00.000Z

16.5 km (10 miles) of solar panels have been mounted on former military grounds at Pocking, near Passau in Bavaria. The installation saves 10,000 tons of CO2 yearly--the equivalent of 1,000 hectares of woodlands. Construction cost 40 million euro (£27.8 million) and started in August 2005.

Technorati tag: Solar Power, Germany

Solar Power Grants

2006-04-29T11:50:00.000Z

A bit of an info dump. I'm rounding up links for later investigation-

The Energy Savings Trust has a funding database where you can check out who'll subsidise your move to Green energy. They also run a Solar Photovoltaic grant on behalf of the DTI with the aim of creating a long-term, sustained and viable market for solar photovoltaics.

Clear Skies is a well known scheme, which offers case studies of various projects.

The Solar Energy Alliance has a lot of solar information and gadgets as well as some stuff on wind turbines.

Technorati tag: Solar Power

Treehugger's solar picks

2006-04-17T18:18:00.000Z

A little lazy this, but recycling is part of the How to Save the World for Free ethos-

Treehugger has a list of solar picks now Summer is drawing near.

Technorati tag: Solar Power

Scotty Solar Charger

2006-04-13T18:32:00.000Z

The Scotty solar charger, as pictured at the green guy is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand and can effectively charge mobile phones, PDAs etc. It comes with adaptors for the most popular phones, a USB charger cable and two NiCad batteries which act as a charge reservoir. There's a belt clip, which is probably impractical except that it doubles as a stand for proper orientation. I don't know how much charging mobiles costs in electric bill terms and therefore how long it will take for the gadget to pay for itself, but the convenience on camping trips or even long days out would make it worth the money.

Charge your appliances using daylight!
A full charge from Scotty will allow 1 hour talk time or 60 hours standby!
Wear Scotty on your backpack or belt!
Scotty charges mobile phones, palm-tops, personal audio, electronic games and GPS products!
Includes connectors for Sony Ericsson, Motorola, Nokia and Siemans phones
Also includes USB charger, ideal for many GPS devices and more!
Includes 2 x 600mAh Ni-Cd rechargeable batteries

The Scotty is an advanced, compact solar charger for you to collect and store FREE energy from sunshine or daylight. Scotty smart-charging technology then converts the collected energy to charge a huge range of portable appliances! Scotty uses a pair of Ni-Cd battery cells as a power reservoir and is the essential compact charger for people on the move. The unit features a charging indicator on the reverse, and the quicker this LED flashes, the fuller the batteries are charged. The supplied cables cover the vast majority of users requirements, but additional cables are available from www.solartechnology.co.uk. The Scotty is charged fully in 7 hours of sunlight, and this can be as little as 5 hours if the Scotty is used regularly. A fully charged Scotty will provide a mobile phone with 1-1.5 hours talk time or up to 60 hours standby. In sunnier climates, the Scotty can be upgraded to take 1200mAh or even 1800mAh batteries, but these will obviously take longer to charge. The fitted belt clip also doubles as a fold out stand, which can be used to ensure the Scotty is positioned at an optimum angle to receive direct sunlight. The Scotty measures approximately 10cm (h) x 6.5cm (w) x 3cm (d), including the belt clip. When used for the first time, please allow the Scotty to charge for 5 days with the solar panel facing a clear sunny aspect, in order to condition the unit.

Technorati tag: Solar Power, Solar Cahrger

Home Power Magazine

2006-04-12T20:52:00.000Z

Since 1987, we've dedicated more than 100 issues to home-scale renewable energy and sustainable living solutions. That means comprehensive coverage of solar, wind, and microhydro electricity, home energy efficiency, solar hot water systems, space heating and cooling, green building materials and home design, efficient transportation, and much, much more.

Whether you're a do-it-yourselfer or not, off-grid or on-grid, Home Power is here to help you make informed decisions about your home energy use. We provide extensive product information, homeowner testimonials, buyer advice, and "how-to" instructions.

You can now subscribe to get the magazine online in pdf format and have introductory articles on subjects such as Solar electric systems.

Technorati tag: EcoHouse, Solar Power, Renewable energy, Sustainable lifestyle

Sunlight

2006-03-13T18:09:00.000Z

I'm still working in the CIS tower, which now has a big display in the foyer telling us how much power the solar panels have generated and what that means in saved CO2. However, every floor has row upon row of flourescent tubes lighting it. Direct sunlight, on the rare days we get any, is blocked by blinds because it tends to shine in the eyes of those facing the windows.

Perhaps the Co-op can take another step in energy saving and have a few solar collectors on the roof, such as those by Solartech, which use parabolic mirrors to direct light into light tubes that can illuminate thousands of square feet of office space. The company needs further funding to bring their products to market. They estimate twenty times greater efficiency than converting light to power and then back again and say a system could pay for itself within two years.

via Treehugger

Technorati tag: Solar illumination

The Earthship Estate

2006-02-23T18:16:00.000Z

A company called Biotecture has submitted plans for a 16 house estate in Brighton that will consist of Earthships- buildings constructed of old tyres and waste. The houses will be so efficient, and the plan incorporates rainwater capture and solar panelling, that the houses are likely to have no utility bills whatsoever. At £250,000 to £350,000 each they're a bit expensive to be the solution to the nation's housing shortage, but they show the way new builds should be going. And they deal with waste without having to incinerate it, so two birds with one stone.

Wikipedia Earthship entry.

Technorati tag: Earthship, Brighton, Technorati tag: Solar Power