From PESWiki

Photo by Noah Berger for The New York Times
Plugging Into the Sun (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/04/garden/04solar.html?_r=1&oref=slogin) - Spurred by recent legislation that provides financial incentives — and by rising energy costs and, perhaps, by a lingering distrust of power companies in the aftermath of the California electricity crisis at the start of the decade — homeowners across the state have come to see solar power as a way to conserve money as well as natural resources. (NY Times; Jan. 4, 2007)

See PowerPedia:Solar Energy for encyclopedic coverage.

Solar energy technologies cover the various innovations used to harnessing energy from the light/heat of the Sun. It has been used in many traditional technologies for centuries and has come into widespread use where other power supplies are absent, such as in remote locations and in space. Its use is spreading as awareness increases about the environmental costs and limited supply of other power sources such as fossil fuels.

Featured

• International Automated Systems - Utility scale solar presently in process of being commercially installed for first time; alleged to produce electricity at 3-5 cents per kilowatt-hour. Highly-efficient bladeless turbine has wide range of waste-heat-harnessing applications. Methanol production technique will draw CO2 out of the environment, reversing global warming.
  

• Solar Hydrogen Energy Corporation (SHEC) Labs - Has developed a process that will convert landfill and other waste methane into clean hydrogen, using the power of the Sun for the reformation, at a price comparable to traditional hydrogen production methods.
  

• Stirling Energy Systems utility solar - 20-year purchase agreement between Southern California Edison and Stirling Energy Systems, Inc. will result in 20,000+ dish array covering 4,500 acres capable of generating 500 MW, at a cost competitive to grid power.
  

• Advanced Diamond Solutions amorphous nanostructures - Semiconductor industry company serendipitously developed thermionic solar cells using amorphous diamond nanostructures that offer potential efficiencies of 50% at half the cost of silicon solar cells. Also has good promise as a thermal electric generator.
  

• ECS Solar Systems - ECS Solar Energy Systems, Inc. is a state licensed, solar contracting company that specializes in the installation and maintenance of solar hot water, solar pool heating and solar electric systems. We are licensed for both residential and commercial Solar Systems. ECS is 100% owned and operated by Tom and Shirley Lane who have over 27 years experience in installing and servicing solar energy systems.
  

Overviews

      "The sun's rays falling upon the earth's surface represent a quantity of energy so enormous that but a small part of it could meet all our demands. By normal incidence the rate is mechanically equivalent to about 95 foot pounds per square foot per second, or nearly 7,300 horsepower per acre of ground. The energy of light rays, constituting about 10% of the toal radiation, might be captured by a cold and highly efficient process in photo-electric cells which may become, on this account, of practical importance in the future." -- Nikola Tesla ("Our future motive power"; Everyday Science and Mechanics; Dec. 1931)

• http://www.solar-power-2007.com - A primer site on what solar power is about.

• A Solar Grand Plan (http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=a-solar-grand-plan&page=1) - A massive switch to solar power plants in the Southwest could supply 69% of the U.S.’s electricity by 2050. Excess daytime energy would be stored as compressed air in underground caverns. A new DC power transmission backbone would deliver solar electricity across the country. $420 billion in subsidies would make it cost-competitive. (Scientific American; Jan. 2008)

• FPL Sees Renewables Soon Competitive With Coal (http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/44543/story.htm) - Power generation from low-carbon energy sources like wind, solar and nuclear should soon become competitive with electricity generated by coal, the cheapest of fossil fuels, the chief executive of FPL Group Inc., which will spend US$1.5 billion aimed at building solar thermal energy in Florida, California or other states. (Reuters; Sept. 27, 2007)

• Solar Power Wins Enthusiasts but Not Money (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/16/business/16solar.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin) - While the idea of solar power has grown in popularity, the practicality of widespread implementation is said to be decades away yet. (NY Times; July 16, 2007) (Backup (http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/071707EB.shtml))
  

Solar Technologies

Photovoltaics

For directories of technologies that convert photons to electrical current, see

• Directory:Solar:PhotoVoltaics
• Directory:Home Generation:Solar PV

Concentrated Solar

• Directory: Concentrated Solar Power (Separate page) - Methods of concentrating solar energy to increase conversion efficiency, using mirrors and lenses to focus the sun's rays on photovoltaic cells or heat absorbers.

Portable

• SkyBuilt aims to be the Dell of renewable energy systems (http://pesn.com/2005/10/20/9600192_SkyBuilt_Plop_and_Go/) - If you have a unique power need that is off grid, and you want something that can deploy quickly, is rugged, and will last for a long time, SkyBuilt is who you call. The CIA shouldn't be the only one to benefit. (PESN; Oct. 20, 2005)

• Portable “micro utilities” powered by renewable energy (http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/03/it_generates_it.php) - Ecos LifeLink (http://www.ecospheretech.com/htm/ecos_lifelink.htm) folds out of a shipping container to meet the demand for off-grid water, energy and communications. It has 16 kW of photovoltaics, an optional wind turbine, a wireless communications control center with a range of 30 miles, and can filter 30 gallons per minute of contaminated ground water. (TreeHugger; Mar. 2, 2007)

• Solar powered water desalination (http://www.insidegreentech.com/node/843) - Spectra Watermakers' (http://www.spectrawatermakers.com/) portable Solar Cube is powered by sunlight and wind, and can provide up to 3,500 gallons of clean drinking water per day from polluted water or salt water. It can also provide enough emergency electricity to refrigerate medical supplies or power communications equipment. (Inside Greentech; Mar. 7, 2007)

• Solar Integrated (http://www.solarintegrated.com/solar_tents.htm) - Solar Tent provides shelter and also produces up to 6 kW of portable power in remote locations for disaster recovery missions, military applications, and emergency medical care.
  

• Independent Energy Systems (http://www.independentenergy.biz/) - Powerwagon XL combines solar PV panels, deep cycle batteries, tracking controller, inverter, and backup generator to make a portable power station that you can tow with your pickup.

• SolarOne Solutions (http://www.solarone.net/Products/harvester_mobile.html) - Harvester™ Micro-Utility System -- platform optimized for remote power includes expandable solar array, inverter and deep cycle battery. It is clean & silent, 100% pollution and noise free, and offers easy plug and play set up.

• SinoStar Lighting (http://www.duxlite.com/smallsystem.htm) - The Duxlite small solar system is a portable solar generator that can generate power from 100W to 500W. Applications include remote homes, solar pumps, solar fans/TVs, yards, car parks, and road sign illumination.
  

• Evacuated Tube Thermosiphon Solar Panel (http://www.solarsolaire.fr) - Navitron evacuated tube, thermosiphon solar panels with water resevoir between 85 and 220ltrs, no power required. Applications include disaster areas, remote areas, military, eco homes.
  

Solar Storage

• The Molten Salt Solution to Storing Solar Energy (http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/06/molten-salt-storage-solar.php) - The difference between the molten salt and other liquids that are used in this sort of system is that the molten salt retains heat for a long enough time that it can effectively time-shift the stored solar energy from when it is most efficiently generated to when it is most needed. SolarReserve video (http://www.solar-reserve.com/technology.html) (TreeHugger; June 30, 2008)
  

Solar Tower

• Directory: Solar Towers - Resemble an inverted funnel, with a wide, clear skirt to collect air to then turn a turbine in the tower. A 50 kW prototype in Manzaneres, Spain is the basis of several ramp-up designs presently under way, with towers nearly 1 km high.

Floating Solar

• SOLAR BALLOONS: SunHope Renewable Energy (http://www.inhabitat.com/2008/04/10/sunhope-solar-balloons/) - A project by Dr. Joseph Cory of Geotectura (http://www.geotectura.com/New/geotectura.htm) and Dr. Pini Gurfil of Technion (http://www.technion.ac.il/) is a low-cost deployable system that would harness solar energy. Awarded for "Forward Thinking" by the Re:Vision (http://www.urbanrevision.com/results_volt.php) competition. (Inhabitat; April 10, 2008)
  

• Floating Solar Chimney - A variant of the concrete solar tower concept. The floating chimney is a light-weight structure made of a set of lifting balloon rings filled with a lighter than the air gas. Result is projected to be cost-competitive with grid electricity generation.
  

Solar Heat Pumps

• SHPEGS - The Solar Heat Pump Electrical Generation System (SHPEGS) utilizes a solar or geothermal powered absorption heat pump to improve the efficiency and location independence of SEGS/CSP solar thermal systems.
  

Solar Paint

• Colourful idea sparks renewable electricity from paint (http://www.swan.ac.uk/news_centre/LatestResearch/Headline,21753,en.php) -If steel cladding weretreated with the photovoltaic material, and assuming a conservative 5% energy conversion rate, then we could be looking at generating 4,500 gigawatts of electricity through the solar cells annually. That’s the equivalent output of roughly 50 wind farms. (Inhabitat' (http://www.inhabitat.com/2008/03/24/solar-power-without-a-solar-panel/)'; March 24, 2008)
  

• Directory:Paintable plastic solar cells using quantum dots - Paintable plastic solar cells that can harness the sun's invisible, infrared rays, and could deliver up to five times the power of the most advanced photovoltaic cells today. Combines specially-designed minute particles called quantum dots, three to four nanometers across, with a polymer to make a plastic that can detect energy in the infrared.

• Silicon Nanocrystals for Superefficient Solar Cells (http://www.technologyreview.com/Energy/19256/) - Silicon nanocrystals, also called quantum dots, could lead to a new type of solar cell that is cheap and twice as efficient, by producing 2 or 3 electrons per photon of high-energy sunlight. They could theoretically be 40% efficient in flat panels or over 60% efficient with concentrated sunlight. (MIT Technology Review; Aug. 15, 2007)

• Cyrium Technologies (http://www.cyriumtechnologies.com/aboutus_companyprofile.html) - Developing a photovoltaic solar cell technology using semiconductor quantum dot NanoTechnology to increase photovoltaic solar cell efficiency by 40% above the state-of-the-art products.

• Quantum Dot Recipe May Lead To Cheaper Solar Panels (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/05/070502143631.htm) - Scientists at Rice University have developed a new method for cost-effectively producing four-armed (tetrapod) quantum dots that have previously been shown to be particularly effective at converting sunlight into electrical energy. Their method achieves 90% tetrapods, whereas the best previous method only got as high as 30%. (Science Daily; May 4, 2007) (See Slashdot (http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/05/02/216204) discussion)
  

Thin Film

Thin layer metal alloy converts light into energy at a fraction of the cost of silicon. Roll-printed cells are lightweight and flexible. They can be integrated into consumer products like cell phones, tents and roof tiles.

See Directory:Thin Film Solar (separate index at PESWiki)

Plastic Solar Cells

See

Directory:Plastic Solar Cells (separate index at PESWiki) - Technologies that use plastic in the process of harnessing solar energy, either as the solar cell itself or as a crucial infrastructure component.

Black Silicon

• Directory:Black_Silicon (directory) - Silicon surfaces rendered black by pits and bumps only nanometers large could in the future help make solar power cells more efficient, enabling a more complete absorption of the sun's rays.
  

Solar Pavement

• Energy-Generating Solar Roadways (http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/08/solar_roadways.php) - Solar Roadways (http://www.solarroadways.com/) claims that a series of roads built out of solar panels could supply all of our country's energy needs several times over. The three layer roadways would also contain a revised version of the nation's electric grid and a network of communications cables. (TreeHugger; Aug. 20, 2007)
  

• Solar Pavement - Featuring the general concept of pumping water through pipes in pavement to use the black-body absorption of the asphalt to collect solar heat and transmit it to the water.
  

Solar Windows

• Sunrise Solar Introduces Solar Sunroof for Cars (http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/08/sunrise-solar-sunroof-electric-power.php) - Sunrise Solar (http://www.sunrisesolarcorp.com/) has introduced its Solar Sunroof, a replacement for regular car sunroofs that includes solar PV cells to produce electricity. This can help recharge the vehicle's battery, but it can also cool down the car when it's hot, and warm it up when it's cold. Note: The Solar Light Brick (http://www.sunrisesolarcorp.com/products.html) looks even more promising. (TreeHugger; Aug. 26, 2008)
  • Gloria Solar Sunroof (http://www.gloriasolar.com/Products%20Solar%20Sunroof.html)
    

• Solar Photovoltaic Windowpanes To Power Your Computer! (http://www.inhabitat.com/2008/07/30/electricity-generating-solar-pv-windowpanes/) - Solar power and windows make an ideal pairing of complementary technologies for energy generation, and Japanese manufacturer Nihon Telecommunication Systems is maximizing the potential partnership. The company is set to release a solar windowpane with integrated photovoltaic cells that will be capable of powering a computer and charging your cell phone. (Inhabitat; July 30, 2008)
  

• XsunX Developing Solar Film for Buildings' Windows (http://pesn.com/2005/06/09/9600106_Transparent_Solar_Cell/) - See-through thin film plastic Power Glass™ integrates solar collection capabilities in a cost-comparable substrate to existing film products, taking energy gain into consideration. (PESN; June 9, 2005)
  
  • Solar Glass Roll-out Pending (http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story?id=35744) - XsunX has begun the design and engineering of an integrated mass production system for the manufacture of its proprietary thin film transparent solar cell, Power Glass. Roll-out expected by end of 2005. (Renewable Energy Access; Aug. 24, 2005)

• XsunX (http://www.xsunx.com/) - Power Glass™, can be applied to glass windows allowing them to generate electricity while still remaining largely transparent. Imagine looking out of your office through a window that is generating electricity.

• Sunways (http://www.sunways.de/en/products/solarcells/solarcelltrans.php) - Transparent Solar Cells - See also Transparent POWER-Cells for Innovative Solar Architecture (http://www.solarserver.de/solarmagazin/anlagemaerz2001-e.html) - Glass façades on office buildings, winter gardens or sunroofs on automobiles will become energy suppliers with the transparent solar cell.

• Ray-O-Max (http://rayomax.digipicsworks.com/) - Power Glass transmits solar energy while reflecting up to 90% of the radiant heat back to the source - inside the room in winter, back outside in summer. Able to transmit and retain 2-3 times more energy during the day than they lose at night, Window Powered Homes systems provide a lasting source of free energy in winter and reduce the radiant heat gain during the hot summer months.

• Stellaris (http://www.stellaris-corp.com/) - ClearPower™ translucent solar panels consist of small lenses that concentrate light onto narrow strips of PV material reducing manufacturing cost 40% and increasing efficiency 20%. It enables selective daylighting and shading for skylights, sloped glazing and building curtain walls while simultaneously producing power. Non-imaging optics work well on cloudy days and passive concentration has no need to track the sun.
  

• Sun Phocus Technologies (http://sunphocus.com/) - HoloSun™ is a thin holographic coating that can be applied on glass surfaces to concentrate sunlight onto solar cells, increasing their performance by 25-40%, for semi-transparent building integrated photovoltaic skylights, curtain walls and awnings.

• Solar to Electricity in Glass Windows (http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story;jsessionid=03A0CAE9630EF0DF3079663B9888F0D8?id=47393) - Octillion Corp. (http://www.octillioncorp.com/) is developing nanosilicon photovoltaic (PV) solar cell technology that could adapt glass windows to generate electricity from sunlight, without losing significant transparency. The cells provide high quantum down conversion efficiency of short wavelengths (50% to 60%). (Renewable Energy Access; Feb. 9, 2007)

• Nanoparticles Boost Solar Cell Efficiency by 60% (http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story;jsessionid=932D8D9AB952F1C96949DAEA606AB586?id=49718) - Octillion (http://www.octillioncorp.com/) announced that the same silicon nanoparticles used in the company's transparent glass window capable of generating electricity, are able to increase the power of conventional silicon solar cells by 60-70% in the ultraviolet-blue (UV) range, and 10% in the visible light range. (Renewable Energy Access; Aug. 22, 2007)

Dye Solar Cell

• Screen-printed solar cells (http://www.physorg.com/news120840953.html) - The Fraunhofer ISE semi-transparent modules are made of an organic dye which in combination with nanoparticles converts sunlight into electricity. A glass facade made of this material can be given a decorative and promotionally effective design and delivers electricity into the bargain. (PhysOrg; Jan. 29, 2008)

• Orionsolar (http://www.orionsolar.net/) - Dye cells generate electricity using nano-sized titanium dioxide particles impregnated with dye, work well in a wide range of lighting conditions and are particularly suited to warmer climates. Orionsolar has developed low cost printing and laminating techniques which could reduce the cost of dye cells to 70 cents per peak watt, making solar energy competitive with fossil fuels.

• Nature's Cue for Cheaper Solar Power (http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story;jsessionid=4F171774ABD6FBC428D7A7EEF6A4006B?id=48187) - Dye-sensitized solar cells may one day generate electricity from sunlight at a tenth of the cost of current silicon-based photovoltaic solar cells. Whereas silicon cells need direct sunlight to operate efficiently, these cells will work efficiently in low diffuse light conditions -- making them ideal for cloudy climates. (Renewable Energy Access; Apr. 19, 2007)

• Dyesol (http://www.dyesol.com/) - Dye Solar Cell (DSC), based on artificial photosynthesis is based on the concept of a dye analogous to chlorophyll absorbing light and thus generating electrons which enter the conduction band of a high surface area semiconductor film and further move through an external circuit, thus converting light into ‘green’ power. This is a two-step photovoltaic process, unlike the one step process of conventional PV. It is a photoelectrochemical cell: charge separation occurs on interface between a wide bandgap semiconductor (e.g. titania TiO2) and an electrolyte.

• Solaronix (http://www.solaronix.com/) - Development of dye sensitized nanocristalline titanium oxide solar photovoltaic cells imitating natural photosynthesis. This new solar cells is based on the mechanism of a regenerative photoelectrochemical process. The active layer consists of a highly porous nanocrystalline titanium oxide (nc-TiO2) deposited on a transparent electrically conducting substrate.

• Greatcell Solar (http://www.greatcell.com/) - Advantages of DSC include: Can be used in any solar conditions--haze, shade, cloud, glare and smog, when semi conductor solar cells such as silicon progressively fail in these conditions. Out performs all other solar cells for indoor and low light applications. Can come in a wide range of colours and transparencies. Cost competitive for kWh/SqM/annum. Can utilise any shape or form--flexible or rigid--metal, polymer or ceramic substrate. Has the lowest embodied energy of all PV technologies.

Photosynthesis Mimicking

See Directory:Solar:Photosynthesis Imitation - separate index

Space

Space-Based Solar Power

See: Directory:Space Based Solar Power - separate index page

Solar Sails

See Directory:Solar Sails - separate index page

Land-Based Solar Power

• Solar Thermal Power in North-Africa: How Much Land to Power the World? (http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/04/solar-thermal-power-photos-how-much-world-europe-germany.php) - Spiegel Online published a series of pictures titled "Desertec: Strom aus der Wüste" (translation: Desertech: Electricity from the desert). It includes this image of how much land would be needed to power the world, Europe or Germany with solar-thermal power. (TreeHugger; April 28, 2008)
  

• How Much Land to Power The Whole World with Solar? (http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/04/solar_power_world.php) - Solar power systems installed in the areas defined by the dark disks could provide a little more than the world's current total primary energy demand (assuming a conversion efficiency of 8 %). That is, all energy currently consumed, including heat, electricity, fossil fuels, etc., would be produced in the form of electricity by solar cells. (TreeHugger; April 4, 2007)
  

Farms

• Topaz Solar Farm (http://www.optisolar.com/081408_opti_pge_sp.htm) - Developing an ecofriendly 550- megawatt photovoltaic (PV) solar farm in San Luis Obispo County, California with PG&E as the customer. Located on the northwestern corner of the Carrisa Plains, this project will produce sufficient electricity to power the equivalent of approximately 190,000 average California homes. (Slashdot discussion (http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/08/17/1611242)) (OptiSolar; August 14, 2008)
  

Government and Politics

• Driving on the ‘Solar Highway’ : Oregon Builds USA’s First Roadside Solar Energy Project (http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/08/oregon-builds-first-roadside-solar-power-array-in-usa.php) - Near Tualetin, Oregon, the 104 kilowatt solar PV system will consist of nearly 600 solar panels covering 8,000 square feet at the Interstate 5 and 205 interchange. The project will generate 28% of the electricity needed to power the interchange’s lights and signage. Cost for the installation is $1.3 million, with the solar array expected to come online in December 2008. (TreeHugger; August 11, 2008)
  

• Citing Need for Assessments, U.S. Freezes Solar Energy Projects (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/27/us/27solar.html?_r=1&ei=5087&em=&en=96ea5e98a35597da&ex=1214712000&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&adxnnlx=1214872811-xayQKB/MXxJnkEKXzG5sbg) - Faced with a surge in the number of proposed solar power plants in 6 western states, the Bureau of Land Management (http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en.html) has placed a moratorium on new solar projects on public land until it studies their environmental impact, which is expected to take about two years. (New York Times; June 27, 2008) Enlightened (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/03/us/03solar.html?_r=1&ref=science&oref=slogin) (New York Times; July 3, 2008)
  

Research and Development

• 15 Photovoltaics Solar Power Innovations You Must See (http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/08/15-solar-power-panels-cells-energy-innovations.php) - Finding clean sources of it is very high on the green movement's priority list, and one very promising field is solar photovoltaics (PV). TreeHugger looks in the rearview mirror at some of the top PV solar innovations from their archives.(TreeHugger; Aug.21, 2008)

• Thinking outside the square finds light in oven (http://www.smh.com.au/news/energy-smart/thinking-outside-the-square-finds-light-in-oven/2008/08/19/1218911717526.html) - "What started off as a brainstorming session has resulted in the iJET Solar cell concept that uses low-cost and low-temperature processes, such as ink-jet printing and pizza ovens, to manufacture solar cells." (The Sydney Morning Herald; Aug. 20, 2008)
  

• ASU’s Solar Power Laboratory to be led by new electrical engineering faculty members (http://www.fulton.asu.edu/fulton/news/page.php?sid=488) - “Our goal is for ASU to have the pre-eminent academic solar energy research, development and training program in the United States, and one of the top such programs in the world” said Jonathan Fink, director of the Global Institute of Sustainability. “The establishment of the Solar Power Laboratory (http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/2008/07/11/20080711solar0711.html) and the hiring of Honsberg, Bowden and Maracas combined with our ongoing research efforts help us meet this objective.” (IRA A Fulton School of Engineering; July 10, 2008)
  

Other

• Tips for Green Lawn Care (http://howto.wired.com/wiki/Tips_for_Green_Lawn_Care) - For a slightly less cool, but still extremely green option, there are battery-powered hand mowers like a model from Solaris (http://www.solarispowerproducts.com/index.htm) available with solar charging stations. That's right, you can take your lawn mowing completely off the grid. (Wired How-To Wiki; May 2008)
  

• Solar Helium Balloons (http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/06/up_up_and_away.php) - Researchers have developed helium balloons coated with solar cells to generate energy. The balloons are expected to overcome surface area issues in cities where large solar cell panels are not feasible. The same cable that brings the helium to the balloon will also carry the electricity to the ground, and your home may require only one or two balloons. (TreeHugger; Jun. 25, 2007)
  

• Sea Solar Power Inc. to Tap Sea Temperature Gradient (http://pesn.com/2006/01/04/9600218_Sea_Solar_Power/) - Those hot ocean waters have a more useful purpose than just generating hurricanes. A reverse refrigeration process generates electricity from the difference in temperature between surface and deep water. (PESN; Jan. 4, 2006)
  

• Basic Research Needs for Solar Energy Utilization (http://www.sc.doe.gov/bes/reports/files/SEU_rpt.pdf) - 276-page report of the Basic Energy Sciences Workshop on Solar Energy Utilization, held April 18-21, 2005; discusses leading solar advances and how they can bring affordable solar energy conversion. (U.S. Department of Energy)

• Imagine Energy (http://www.imagineenergy.net/) - Website offers comprehensive education about cutting-edge renewable energy products and services, along with an e-commerce store where visitors can purchase clean energy lifestyle products.
  

• Creative Energy Technologies (http://www.cetsolar.com/) - Solar & Wind Powered Products and Appliances

• Online Courses (http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story?id=34702) - Solar Energy International (SEI), a solar energy training and education provider since 1991, is now offering PV Design Online and Solar Home Design courses online, commencing Sept. 6, then Oct. 31, 2005.
  

• Solar Powered Retinal Implants (http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/04/solar_powered_r.php) - A solar-powered chip that stimulates retinal cells by spraying them with neurotransmitters could restore sight to blind people. Does not cause heating, uses very little power, does not need external batteries. (TreeHugger; Apr. 21, 2006)
  

• Solray Solar Energy (http://www.seao2.com/solray/index.html) - The solar turbine offers the possibility of providing base-load power by capturing and storing solar energy as heat in liquid salt. The system will then use this heat to drive a closed-cycle jet engine, producing power on scales from kilowatts to megawatts per installation.

• Solarsphere (http://www.seao2.com/solarsphere/csp.htm) - Technology combines elements of both direct intercept dishes and Solar Towers. The design philosophy that focuses on spheres and lightweight, thin film materials presents opportunities for concentrators that are large, cheap and mass producible.

• Day4 Energy (http://www.day4energy.com/) - The Day4 Electrode uses a new method of contacting and interconnecting crystalline silicon PV cells to replace solder-ribbon bonding on the front of the panel, decreasing shading and series resistance to increase power 5 to 10 percent.

• • More-Efficient Solar Cells (http://www.technologyreview.com/Energy/21255/?nlid=1274) - Day4 Energy (http://www.day4energy.com/) has developed a new electrode that, together with a redesigned solar-cell structure, allows solar panels to absorb more light and operate at a higher voltage. This increases the efficiency of multicrystalline silicon solar panels from an industry standard of about 14 percent to nearly 17 percent. (MIT Technology Review; August 14, 2008)
    

• Drake Landing Solar Community (http://www.dlsc.ca/) - DLSC is heated by a district borehole thermal energy storage system that supplies 90% of each home’s space heating requirements. The solar thermal energy is captured by flat-plate collectors on garage rooftops during the summer months and stored underground for space heating needs during winter months.
  

• Solmetric (http://solmetric.com/) - SunEye™ is a hand held electronic device that allows users to instantly assess total potential solar energy given the shading of a particular site. This allows the solar installer to optimize new systems for maximum production and analyze existing installations to solve problems of under production. (Thanks Daniel Weinreb (mailto:daniel@solmetric.com))
  

• Solar Charged Electric Lawnmower (http://www.appropedia.org/Solar_Charged_Lawnmower) - Plans to convert (http://www.arttec.net/Solar_Mower/) an older non-working gas mower into an electric powered mower by replacing the gas engine with an electric motor that runs from a 12 volt battery that will be charged using a PV solar panel. It will be easier to use, there is no messy dangerous gasoline to deal with, and it eliminates the emissions of an internal combustion mower.
  

• New antireflection coatings for solar cells and LEDs  (http://www.technologyreview.com/Nanotech/18265/) - Researchers have developed a new type of nanostructured coating that can virtually eliminate reflections of a wide range of wavelengths to 10 times less than current coatings. It would increase solar cell light absorption by a few percentage points and a 40 percent improvement could be seen in LEDs. (MIT Technology Review; Mar. 06, 2007)
  

Solar Prose

• SolWest (http://www.solwest.org) July 25, 2008.
  

A Tawdry Solar Toast
by Linda Pinkham (http://www.greenlivingjournal.com/)

Here’s to the girl who lives on the hill
She’s quite a gal, if you will
But she’s not the one reputed from the past,
Who has a sister that’s quite a blast.

Our gal built walls from bales of straw and hay
And coated the surface with her own hands and some clay.
She might have built her house using some other tips
Instead of using sticks, how about a home made of SIPs?

Up on her roof, she placed a solar-electric array
So she could collect energy on a sunny day.
With batteries, a charge controller, and some other gear
On days of bad weather, she has nothing to fear.

Hot water from the sun was easily had
Besides a cold bath feels pretty bad.
Rainwater catchment had its own allure,
Capturing water that’s clean and pure.

Let’s not forget about the composting commode...
When you decide that its time for a new abode;
Place more windows on the side that faces the sun
Your work will pay off with more money for fun.

Now back to the girl who lives on the hill,
What she doesn’t do is pay an electric bill.

_ _ _ _

Reprinted with permission from Anthony Stopiello (http://www.stoppielloarchitecture.com/) July 25, 2008 Solwest (http://www.solwest.org)

Snake River Fish & Chips

Our eyes meet,
your dress so flowing, so green
The sun so warm, so bright.

So many eyes, oh so sweet!
Am I in a dream?
The sun so warm, so bright.

I swim beneath...
Where am I? What is this stream?
The sun so warm, so bright!

Again our eyes meet.
You are so serene, so green.
The sun so warm, so bright!

My stream dries at your feet.

Innovations

• 37.6% – European Record Efficiency for Solar Cells from Fraunhofer ISE (http://www.ise.fhg.de/press-and-media/press-releases/press-releases-2008/37-6-2013-european-record-efficiency-for-solar-cells-from-fraunhofer-ise) - With an efficiency of 37.6%, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems convert sunlight into electrical energy, thus setting a new European record. The result was reached using so-called multi-junction solar cells made out of III-V semiconductors (http://www.eecs.umich.edu/dp-group/III-V/), after 10 years of research. (Fraunhofer ISE; July 3, 2008)
  

• Solar Energy Cogeneration Solution from SolarWall (http://www.inhabitat.com/2008/06/23/new-submission-14/) - A new system from SolarWall (http://solarwall.com/en/products/solarwall-pvt/solarduct-pvt.php), the SolarDuct PV/T, offers a combination of solar photovoltaic and solar thermal in one assembly providing a means to heat and power from the sun with one product. (Inhabitat; June 23, 2008)
  

• Harvesting the sun's energy with antennas (http://www.inl.gov/featurestories/2007-12-17.shtml) - Nanoantennas absorb energy in the infrared part of the spectrum and can take in energy from both sunlight and the earth's heat, with higher efficiency than conventional solar cells. Individual nanoantennas can absorb close to 80 percent of the available energy. (Idaho National Lab; Jan. 2008)
  

• Stringing it out: Innovative solar module assembly technology (http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/reworld/story?id=52032) - Within the framework of CrystalClear (http://www.ipcrystalclear.info/Paginas/About%20the%20project.aspx), a large European project on the development of low-cost, highly efficient silicon solar modules, a new manufacturing process has been developed that allows modules to be made using very thin solar cells. (Renewable Energy World; April 29, 2008)
  

• Hairy Solar Panels From Nanowire (http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/02/hairy_solar_panels_nanowire.php) - Researchers have grown light-absorbing nanowires on carbon-nanotube fabric, made from exotic materials that can absorb more energy from the sun than silicon. The aim is to produce flexible, affordable solar cells that will achieve efficiency of 20% within five years, and 40% longer term. (TreeHugger; Feb. 7, 2008)
  

• Nano Flakes promise greater solar energy efficiency (http://www.gizmag.com/nano-technology-to-boost-solar-efficiency/8540/) - SunFlake (http://www.sunflake.dk/) has discovered a new material known as nano flakes for "future solar cells" that have the potential to convert up to 30% of the solar energy into electricity, twice the current average. The technology has the potential to reduce solar cell production costs which rely on expensive semiconducting silicium. (GizMag; Dec. 20, 2007)
  

• Advanced Diamond Solutions - Developing thermionic solar cells using amorphous diamond nanostructures that offer potential efficiencies of 50% at half the cost of silicon solar cells. As a thermal electric generator, amorphous diamond cannot be matched by other materials.
  

• Solar cell efficiency boost (http://www.gizmag.com/new-technology-promises-solar-cell-efficiency-boost/8339/) - Global Warming Solutions (http://www.globalwarmingsolutions.com/) has developed new solar energy conversion technology based on a novel organic polymer coating that can be applied to existing solar cells. It is expected to increase efficiency by 11-15% by transforming more of the visible and infrared spectrums into electricity. (GizMag; Nov. 13, 2007)
  

• Capturing more light in solar cells (http://www.gizmag.com/go/8161/) - Braggone (http://www.braggone.com/) has discovered a method of capturing more light in a solar cell that greatly increases the efficiency and cost-effectively increases their capacity. It is a very simple spray coat, bake and repeat process, to apply anti-reflective coating that minimizes reflective losses which can reach up to 30%. (GizMag; Oct. 12, 2007)
  

• Nanotech > Nanotech could make solar energy as easy and cheap as growing grass (http://www.physorg.com/news109253445.html) - Scientists are working to produce cheap, sustainable solar energy by imitating nature. Nanotechnology researchers like California Institute of Technology professor Nate Lewis are exploring nanoscale materials that mimic the architecture of grass and photosynthesis to capture and store the sun's energy. (PhysOrg; Sept. 17, 2007)
  

• Russians Harness Star Power in New Battery - Russian scientists from the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research have invented a battery based on a new substance that allegedly can capture energy not only from the sun, but also from the stars.
  

• New Solar Panel Design Traps More Light (http://www.physorg.com/news95520809.html) - A new solar panel design at Georgia Tech features an array of nano-towers -- like microscopic blades of grass -- that add surface area and trap more sunlight. The team is working on the voltage end of the equation to make the 60-x increase in current meaningful. (PhysOrg; Apr. 11, 2007)

• Lightweight Solar Cells for Space and Defense (http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story?id=35435) - U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory has awarded United Solar Ovonic (http://www.uni-solar.com/Government.html) a $6.7 million, 18-month contract to continue development of its ultra-lightweight, high-efficiency solar cell technology for use in space and airship vehicles addressing defense and homeland security applications. (Renewable Energy Access; Aug. 16, 2005)
  

• On the horizon: a virtually perfect solar cell (http://www.lbl.gov/Science-Articles/Archive/MSD-perfect-solar-cell.html) - The low bandgap of indium nitride suggests that by simply varying proportions of indium and gallium, it may be possible to create rugged, inexpensive devices that can convert the full spectrum of sunlight to electric current. (Berkeley Lab; Dec. 17, 2002)
  

• Tiny crystals promise big benefits for solar technologies (http://www.physorg.com/news9583.html) - Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) scientists have discovered that a phenomenon called carrier multiplication, in which semiconductor nanocrystals respond to photons by producing multiple electrons, is applicable to a broader array of materials that previously thought. (PhysOrg; Jan. 5, 2006)
  

• Virus-Built Electronics (http://www.technologyreview.com/Nanotech/19503/?nlid=619) - A new way to fabricate nanomaterials from harmless viruses as building blocks could mean batteries and solar cells woven into clothing. The programmed viruses coat themselves with the materials and then, by aligning with other viruses, assemble into crystalline structures useful for making high-performance devices. (MIT Technology Review; Oct. 23, 2007)
  

• Light trapping in SunPower’s A-300 solar cells (http://www.sunpowercorp.com/techpapers/mcpaper2.pdf) (pdf) - Experimentally investigated by measuring the escape reflectance and the quantum efficiency. (SunPowerCorp.com; June 2004)
  

• Nanotubes work like radio antennas to convert light into electricity (http://zpenergy.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=948) - Array of 50-nanometre-wide carbon nanotubes, the length of the wavelength of light, make ideal miniature aerials because they conduct electricity well, so electrons can move freely up and down the tubes. (ZPEnergy; Sept. 23; quoting from Nature (http://www.nature.com/Physics/Physics.taf?g=&file=/physics/highlights/7007-2.html&filetype=&_UserReference=C0A8041B46B42219E127551C7DE941530C13))
  

• Solar Hydrogen Process Produces Energy from Water (http://www.pureenergysystems.com/news/2004/08/27/6900038_SolarHydrogen/index.html) - Special titanium oxide ceramics harvest sunlight and split water to produce hydrogen fuel. Researchers at University of New South Whales anticipate an energy-harvesting device with no moving parts within 7 years. (PESN; Aug. 27, 2004)
  

• Direct Energy Conversion Device (DEC) (http://www.zpenergy.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=870) - ITN's developing device that efficiently absorbs free-space electromagnetic radiation (EM) using a broadband, 2-D grid antenna array that couples to essentially any polarized wave form (e.g. elliptically polarized solar radiation). (ZPEnergy; Aug. 7, 2004)

• A Stationary Heliostat for Solar Energy Reflection (http://peswiki.com/index.php/Directory:Synchronous_Solar_Heliostat) - William A. Rhodes presents synopsis of three of his expired patents that describe a mirror arrangement enables tracking of sun without movement of parts. (PESWiki; Dec. 6, 2004)

• Devices Increase Potential for Flexible, Light-weight Power (http://www.physorg.com/news5455.html) - Scientists and engineers at the Air Force Research Laboratory's Materials and Manufacturing Directorate have made significant advancements in developing flexible, organic-based solar cells and photodetectors that can be used in a variety of Air Force systems. (PhysOrg; July 27, 2005)

• Solar-Cell Rollout (http://www.technologyreview.com/articles/04/07/fairley0704.asp) - Konarka Technologies in Lowell, MA working on breakthroughs in nanotech that are making it possible to churn out cheap, flexible solar cells by the meter in a process resembling a printing press. (MIT Technology Review; July/Aug. 2004)

• ZonneWater.net: Solar Sea Water Desalination (http://www.zonnewater.net/) - Reinventing the solar still. Internationally patented design produces fresh water from salt or waste water using solar energy.
  

• Organic Solar Cell (http://www.physorg.com/news2339.html) - Made from cheaper materials, their flexibility and feather-weight construction promise to open up new markets for solar energy. (PhysOrg; Dec. 13)

• Popeye the Solar Man (http://boston.bizjournals.com/boston/stories/2004/09/13/daily45.html?jst=b_ln_hl) - MIT researchers say they have successfully combined tiny proteins found in spinach with solid state electronics, potentially producing a solar power source that one day might power mobile devices. (Boston Business Journal; Sept. 16, 2004)

• Moving electrons at the molecular and nonometer scales (http://www.physorg.com/news3369.html) - Learning how to control the movement of electrons on the molecular and nanometer scales could help scientists devise small-scale circuits for a wide variety of applications, including more efficient ways of storing and using solar energy. (PhysOrg; March 14, 2005)

• Unveiled: The Clean Queen Of The Sea (http://www.rense.com/general63/sea.htm) - Orcelle to be the first cargo ship in modern times to be run completely by sun, wind, and waves. Unveiling of first 820-foot long vessel, with cruise speed of 15 knots, expected next month. (Rense / The Telegraph, UK; March 13, 2005)
  

• Solar ponds viable (http://bendigo.yourguide.com.au/detail.asp?class=news&subclass=local&category=general%20news&story_id=372799&m=9&y=2005) - "Solar energy was generated from a 3000-square metre solar pond, which is 2.5-metres deep and features high concentrations of salt. Solar heat entering the pond gets trapped at the bottom and the heat, which can reach up to 80 degrees Celsius, can be converted to electricity." (Bendigo Advertiser, Australia; Feb. 21, 2005)

• Hybrid Boats and Ships (http://alt-e.blogspot.com/2005/02/hybrids-hybrid-boats-hybrid-ships-and.html) - SkySails is testing a high-tech kite to pull ship along, designed to be a retrofit for existing vessels. Copenhagen group trying airfoils on cargo ships. Danish group implementing aerospace tech for airfoils on ships. SolarSalor implements movable wing-like solar panels that double as sails. (Alt-Energy-Blog; Feb. 24, 2005)
  

• Dreams for solar-powered plane take flight (http://sify.com/news/fullstory.php?id=13681379) - Swiss adventurer wants to carve out a place in history by harnessing solar energy to fly a state-of-the-art plane around the world. 40-million-euro project involves a team of about 50 scientists. (Sifi News; Feb. 27, 2005) (Thanks H2O Power (http://www.tblog.com/templates//index.php?bid=enki&static=412522))

• Patent for solar powered house numbers (http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/journalgazette/business/14134234.htm) - John Gorrell's design uses at least 1,000 times less energy than a 60-watt light bulb, so that a few hours of sunlight can power the house number lights for several nights. Concept also applies to many types of signs and other devices. (Fort Wayne Journal Gazette; Mar. 19, 2006)
  

• Sanyo, Clean Energy Up Solar Cell Efficiency (http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story?id=24076) - Heterojunction with intrinsic thin layer (HIT) solar cell pushes conversion efficiency level to 21.6 percent. (Renewable Energy Access; March 23, 2005)

• Solar Wi-Fi Brings Internet to Developing Countries (http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/08/solar_wifi_to_b.php#perma) - Green Wi-Fi (http://www.green-wifi.org/) is a non-profit that seeks to provide "last mile internet access with nothing more than a single broadband internet connection, rooftops and the sun." Their $200 wi-fi access nodes can be linked together to extend one internet connection into a larger network. (TreeHugger; Aug. 3, 2006)
  

• CO2 Sequestration > Device uses solar energy to convert carbon dioxide into fuel (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/04/070418091932.htm) - Chemists at the University of California, San Diego have developed a prototype device that can capture energy from the sun, convert it to electrical energy and "split" carbon dioxide into oxygen and carbon monoxide, an important industrial chemical that is normally produced from natural gas. (Science Daily; Apr. 18, 2007)
  

Business Opportunities

• Bhalla Universal Fuel Cell (UFC) - Professor Anil Bhalla from India has a renewable energy concept with a rudimentary prototype that he would like to get patented and developed into market readiness. The technology involves a solar panel and a fuel cell. He believes it will compete price-wise with conventional energy as well as in 24-7 reliability. (PESWiki; Sept. 21, 2007)
  

Alphabetically

• Airwater.com.au (http://www.airwater.com.au/) - Australian company sells solar power units for remote signs (e.g. billboard, traffic lights) as well as for mobile devices such as PDA's, laptops and cell phones. They also sell water-from-air devices.

• Alpha Solar (http://www.alphasolar.com/) -- The Complete Renewable Energy Resource - provide cost-effective, state-of-the-art energy products, accessories and complete electric systems for homes, cabins, boats, remote site and back-up power; including solar panels, solar controllers, wind generators, inverters, batteries.

• The American Solar Energy Society (http://www.ases.org/) - ASES is a national organization dedicated to advancing the use of solar energy for the benefit of US citizens and the global environment.

• Applied Materials Launches Strategy to Reduce the Cost Per Watt of Solar Power (http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/?epi_menuItemID=989a6827590d7dda9cdf6023a0908a0c&epi_menuID=c791260db682611740b28e347a808a0c&epi_baseMenuID=384979e8cc48c441ef0130f5c6908a0c&ndmViewId=news_view&newsLang=en&div=428291328&newsId=20060905005378) - "The solar industry has reached the inflection point..., as solar customers seek economies of scale with suppliers who can better meet their needs for global support and who can provide advanced systems that meet technology, throughput, quality and yield goals." (BusinessWire; Sept. 5, 2006)

• Austin Energy to Pay Customers to Generate Their Own Power (http://www.pureenergysystems.com/news/2004/05/27/AustinPowerRebate/index.html) - City Council approves rebate of $5,000 per kilowatt for solar array installations for their residential and commercial customers. (Pure Energy Systems News; May 27, 2004)

• Avenir Energie's Geopack for home heating (http://www.innovations-report.de/html/berichte/energie_elektrotechnik/bericht-40834.html) - "For every kW of electrical energy consumed to operate the generator, the [solar] system produces between 3.9 and 5.1 kW of energy to heat the building." (Innovations Report; Feb. 23, 2005)

• Coffee: Wake Up and Smell the Solar (http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story?id=19136) - Cutting-edge solar coffee-drying test site being installed in Costa Rica. (Renewable Energy Access; Nov. 26)

• David Allan's Solar Home (http://www.allanstime.com/SolarHome/index.html) - integrates seven different forms of collection: trombe wall, solarium convection, photo-voltaic cells, propylene-glycol heat exchange, eutectic salt chamber, berm-insulation, black chimneys for passive solar air-conditioner.

• Energy Innovations' Raytracker GC Single-Axis Solar Tracker (http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/productstory?id=52565) - RayTracker (http://www.energyinnovations.com/products/raytracker/) supports a wide range of available PV panel types. PV panels mounted on a RayTracker system can yield an up to 38% increase in annual energy production compared to stationary PV panels, according to the company. (Renewable Energy Worldwide; May 23, 2008)
  

• EnergyQuest Tests Solar-powered Water Purification System (http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story?id=41193) - Using only solar power, a new water-purifying system by EnergyQuest (http://www.energyquestinc.net/), that is both easy to store and portable, will undergo testing by the Texas Water Resources Institute of Texas A & M. (Renewable Energy Access; Jan. 4, 2006)
  

• Energy Unlimited Hawaii (http://www.energyunlimitedhawaii.com/) - install & service.