Latest achievements in Solar technology

The following topics are detailed on Solar Technology;

1.  Prism Solar Technologies Selected to Present at the 2010 Utility Technology Challenge in Anaheim, CA
2.  Solar Light Uses Wind Power to Light Up
3.  Solar Inventor Michael Graetzel Wins $1M Millennium Prize
4.  Nixon’s solar watch harnesses light in any form
5.  Solio Solar Universal Hybrid Charge
6.  Samsung’s Crest Solar Cell Phone Launches Overseas
7.  Sanyo develops world’s first solar parking for electric bike
8. Japan’s Solar Powered Spaceship
9. Zegna Ecotech Solar Jacket
10. SunSil Releases Integrated PV Module
11.  Solar 2A/3A Battery Charger Box 
12.  Mitsubishi Solar develops organic solar panels
13.  Eco Rides: Single-pilot airplane to fly for 36 hours on solar energy
14.  Residential Solar: An Investment In Your Future
15. The Future Of Solar Is Thin Film

Read more to view details of above topics


Prism Solar Technologies Selected to Present at the 2010 Utility Technology Challenge in Anaheim, CA

• Prism Solar, a New York firm that produces a unique holographic solar technology for solar-electric modules, was chosen out of over 150 entrants to present its business solution to potential customers and test and integration partners at the Tech Connect World Conference in June.
• Clean Technology & Sustainable Industries Organization (CTSI) hosts the international Utility Technology Challenge (UTC) with support from the US Department of Energy.

Solar Inventor Michael Graetzel Wins $1M Millennium Prize

• The Millennium Technologies Prize is awarded every two years for a “specific and groundbreaking innovation that has a favorable impact on the quality of life and human well-being.”
• The Finnish academy obviously believes that Graetzel cells will play a major role in the future of solar technology, as well as energy generation and consumption.
• He is the inventor of “Graetzel Cells,” better know are leaders among third generation innovations.
• They are low-cost, easy to produce, thin and flexible if need be.

Solar Light Uses Wind Power to Light Up

• The Solar Light concept light bulb by industrial designer Eon Tae Yoon has been designed to offer safe off-grid lighting to people living in rural parts of the world.
• Unlike its name, the concept has been designed to harvest wind power with acrylic blades.
  
• The blades catch the wind and a small generator converts the energy into usable electricity, which is later used to power the tube inside.

Nixon’s solar watch harnesses light in any form

• Nixon has launched a new range of eco-friendly watches, dubbed Volta, that harness the light to charge its built-in battery.

• The watch features a semi-transparent dial that allows sunlight to pass through and hit the solar panels underneath.
• The semi-transparent dial would mean that the watch would take hours or even days of sunlight to reach a full charge, but the good news is that you don’t have to stand in the sun for that much time as the watch is designed to harness any light source that includes lights in your office or your bedroom as well.

Solio Solar Universal Hybrid Charger

• Solio’s Hybrid Charger is strong enough to charge all of your handheld electronic products at home or on the go.
• It’s a Hybrid because it can accept power from either the wall socket or Sun storing this energy within Solio’s internal rechargeable battery.
  
• The device then uses this energy to power your gear at the same rate as if they were plugged into the wall. It will also hold its charge for up to a year.
• One hour of sun will give you enough juice to play your iPod for about an hour or provide up to 25 mins of additional talk time on most cell phones.
• When fully charged Solio can store enough power to charge a typical cell phone or an iPod Nano at least two times.

Samsung’s Crest Solar Cell Phone Launches Overseas

• This month, Samsung is releasing a new cell phone called the Crest Solar.
  
• As the name suggests, the Crest Solar is equipped with a small solar panel to help charge the phone.
  
• So, will the sun power your next cell phone? Probably not…we still have a ways to go before solar power can be efficiently harnessed to power a phone.
  
• In fact, the Crest Solar is primarily powered by a regular cell phone battery.
  
• The small solar panel on the back of the phone can charge the battery, but only provides about 5 to 10 minutes of talk time for each hour it spends in the sun.

Sanyo develops world’s first solar parking for electric bikes

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  Sanyo has developed the world’s first parking lot for electric bikes where bikes would be charged with solar energy.
  
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  Sanyo claims that the system is 100% self-sufficient and independent of any external power source and the best feature is that it can be built in any part of the world without much expenditure.
  
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  Interested users would be allowed to park their bikes, remove the battery and place it in the charging bay.
  
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  Once the batteries are charged, just remove it from the charger and you’re good to go.
  
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  The idea seems great, but the time an average battery needs for a complete charge is usually more than a couple of hours.
  
• It would be interesting to see if consumers actually do make use of such parking where they’ll have to wait for hours before they can ride their bike again.

Japan’s Solar Powered Spaceship

• Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency has recently publicized its plans to launch a solar-powered ’space yacht’, according to a number of media reports this week.
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  The Interplanetary Kite-craft Accelerated by Radiation of the Sun (IKAROS) satellite uses a special 66-foot sail made of thin-film solar technology that will allow the ship to use pressure as a form of propulsion, and that will be created by the reflection of sunlight off the sails.
  
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  The satellite craft will also be fitted with solar cells to generate electricity.
  
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  IKAROS will launch from Tanegashima Space Center on May 18.
  

Zegna Ecotech Solar Jacket

• It’s made from recycled plastic and the subtly placed solar panels on the upper sleeves juice up a heating device inside that keeps you warm.
• The battery, which holds enough electricity to recharge a cell phone or iPod to full capacity takes 5 hours of sunlight and you can remove the solar cells in the evening so that no one can see that you are part robot.
• The textile leads that distribute the solar power to the rest of the jacket can be washed along with the entire coat, which is a cool feature and the solar jacket comes with adapters for all the popular brands of communication devices.

SunSil Releases Integrated PV Module

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  SunSil's module SunSil integrates all of the components of a standard PV system into one 230 V, 300 W AC module using embedded electronics, a micro-inverter and software designed to harvest the maximum amount of electricity from the sun in any condition and throughout the day, the company explains.
• SunSil laser-cuts each six-inch square cell into micro cells.
  
• Each is monitored and dynamically controlled by the company's patented Dynamic Microcell Optimisation technology to provide the optimum output for the whole module.
• The integrated architecture means that the module can be assembled in few steps with the use of a fully automated and high-throughput manufacturing line, with four to six times the output of standard PV module assembly lines, SunSil adds.
• Initial production will begin in the fourth quarter of this year, with volume production scheduled to begin in the first quarter of 2011.
• The modules are currently undergoing certification by Intertek.

Solar 2A/3A Battery Charger Box

• For people who love to be eco-friendly and cannot stand things that hurt our environment, this wonder box will help.
  
• This is a large solar panel that will help you charge 2A/3A batteries.
• It charge three batteries at the same time.
• Under clear sky on a sunny day, you can fully charge 1000mAh batteries in two days.
  
• In doors, you can get two to three hours of sunlight and help you charge them in five days. The rate for this box is 39 USD.

Mitsubishi Solar develops organic solar panels

• Mitsubishi Solar partnered up with a couple agencies to develop a highly integrated organic photovoltaic solar panels that can be implemented into windows, walls, cloths, textiles, outdoor equipment and even toys.
• Typically traditional silicon based solar panels are difficult to implement in areas that need flexibility since silicon solar panels and are rigid and somewhat fragile.
• Traditionally organic solar cells are associated with low efficiencies although Mitsubishi Solar and their development partners claim they have solved the efficiency issues with organic solar panels by developing a unique manufacturing process that uses lasers to make the solar panel.
  
• The process creates a highly integrated organic solar panel that increases efficiency significantly.

Eco Rides: Single-pilot airplane to fly for 36 hours on solar energy

• owered entirely by the energy of the sun, Solar Impulse a prototype solar-powered aircraft, is expected to make a debut on June 26 in Switzerland.
  
• The aircraft comes with the wingspan of an Airbus A340 (63.40m), the weight of a car (1,600kg) and the engine power of a scooter (40CV).
  
• With 11,628 solar cells installed on its giant wingspan, the aircraft is expected to remain in the air for 36 hours without an additional recharge.
• The solar cells on the aircraft will recharge four 100kg lithium batteries that will each power a unique propeller engine, providing the required lifting power.
  
• The batteries of the aircraft will be charged the day before the mission beings using the solar cells on the wings after which the aircraft is expected to fly for 36 hours.
  
• With adjustments to follow, the aircraft is expected to reach a maximum altitude of 8,500 meters by 2010.

iSolar's Portable Folding Solar Kit

• Device portability is a major factor to help convergence of clean green technology with our daily lives.
  
• iSolar has developed portable folding solar kit to make near certain that we remain off-the-grid while performing a variety of tasks.
  
• These kits come with a 12V x 8 Ah lithium battery that has an inverter output, USB port, DC to AC inverter and clamps for charging car batteries.
  
• The solar kits have Maximum Power Point Tracking Quick-charging Controller, which tracks variations in the current and voltage produced by the solar panel and ensures a maximum charge rate for the battery.
• It takes 8-10 hours of full sunlight to charge with the 20W kit and 4-5 with the larger set-up.
• iSolar’s 20 and 40W versions are particularly interesting in this respect.
  
• The 20W kit when folded out is just 54 by 51 cm whereas the 40W kit folds down to just 30 x 25 cm.
• Small size increases the portability factor of these kits which can be used while bike riding, driving, or even as generator replacement during power outage at home.

Residential Solar: An Investment In Your Future

• Just as many people think of a deck today as almost a standard feature on a home, it is my assertion that in the coming years home solar power systems will be viewed the same way.
• A home that has comparatively lower monthly operating costs will attract more potential buyers.
  
• Due to increasing energy costs, when people shop for a home they are not only concerned with the cost to purchase but are also considering the cost to operate the home.
• Unlike other home improvements, in many states you get the advantage of increased home value without increased property taxes.
• Going solar is a decision that will save you money now (thanks to many great rebates and incentive) and will also position you to receive even greater rewards in the future as electricity prices from your utility continue to increase and if or when you decide to sell your home.
  

The Future Of Solar Is Thin Film

• The world's biggest manufacturer of crystalline silicon solar cells, announced the merger of its subsidiary Sontor with Sunfilm AG to become the leading manufacturer of silicon-based thin-film modules in the world.
• Over the last few years, the German company has invested in several thin-film technologies through separate ventures.
• Some experts claim that the cost reductions achievable through a fully automated thin-film manufacturing process can never be achieved through a crystalline process.
  
• The crystalline process needs more feedstock material and energy to produce solar cells.
• Thin-film market leader First Solar has proven this to be a successful strategy.
  
• It has achieved the world's lowest manufacturing cost per Watt of module power ($0.93 per Watt) and is on its way to becoming the world's biggest manufacturer.