A company in India is taking a popular idea in the country pay as you go cell phone service and applying it to small scale solar energy systems.

Simpa Networks, a startup based in Bangalore, India, is offering small solar panel systems to rural homes that would otherwise not be able to afford electricity at all.

The most basic system offered to off-grid homes is around 25 watts to 50 watts; it will produce enough electricity to power a couple of CFL lights, a cell phone charger and another small appliance like a fan or a TV cable box.

While this might seem like a meager contribution by western standards, remember that these are rural families often surviving on less than $4 a day.

Simpa, partnering with solar manufacturer Selco India, allows customers to pay for a small percentage of the system’s hardware upfront. Customers then purchase pay-as-you-go cards in increments of 50, 100, or 500 rupees which supplies them with a code that they enter to unlock the solar system. Some sources report customers can also top off their accounts with their cell phones.

After typically 2 or 3 years, the customer has paid off the hardware and owns the system outright. They are then able to generate their own electricity for free.

Many of Simpa’s target market customers wouldn’t be able to afford a solar electric system otherwise and aren’t interested or eligible for a loan. The payment system is already in place in Bangalore; 50 customers are currently using a Simpa system and 8 are within a few months of paying off their system.

Aside from the attractive payment system, Indian households arelooking for better ways to light and power their homes. Kerosene is mostly used for lamps, and other popular fuel sources like diesel or wood burning are “more hazardous to health and more expensive than grid power and off-grid solar.” Additionally, these methods actually end up costing more per capita and per income than grid-connected power for the average Indian consumer.

Simpa is still a young company–only a year old–with a new concept that will face a lot of challenges as it attempts to reach its break-even goal of 5,000 systems sold each year, not to mention turn a profit. However, the company has already received a round of angel investments totaling $1.3 million and hopes to raise an additional $4 million in the coming months.

Via: Atissun

Dwindling natural resources and the ever-growing demands of the human populace have led us to seek out alternative means of living. The good news is that nature’s sources can give us an endless supply of raw materials. The world’s dependence on conventional resources like fossil fuels has led to a slump in supply as it takes years for them to regenerate. And since we can’t wait around for millions of years, it so happens that we now have to rely on inexhaustible and alternative resources.

Sun can be the answer to our energy needs, provided we invest time and research on how best to harness it. Apart from being inexhaustible, it is clean and free. This means less pollution, which in turn will guarantee better health, cleaner air, water and surroundings and a reduction in unnatural global warming. Today’s technology allows us to harness the sun’s energy and transform it into electricity to power homes and factories.

Modern technology makes use of photovoltaic cells that trap heat from the sun and convert it into electricity. Equipment, like solar collectors, can be placed on rooftops to collect heat for warming water and rooms. Incidentally, the sun’s heat can also be used as a cooling system. Here, moisture is extracted from the air which in turn cools the atmosphere. Meanwhile, thermal concentrating systems can produce high temperatures of up to 3000 degrees Celsius. The resulting heat can be used in industrial applications or to generate electricity.

What’s great is that excess energy need not go to waste. It can be reverted to the grid and used later. And that’s not all. Feeding energy back into the grid also rolls back power meters, which save a considerable amount of money.

While solar power can be the solution to our energy problems, there are drawbacks also. The most significant is the cost factor as solar panels don’t come cheap. Since panels contain glass and semiconductors, they need to be regularly maintained and replaced. The repair work also calls for professionals to do the job as regular electricians aren’t equipped to deal with them.

Placement of sufficient panels requires ample space. Since one panel isn’t enough to generate sufficient power, a large number is needed. Places that see unpredictable weather like storms and hurricanes may also cause damage to systems whose cost of replacement won’t be small. Individual homes that use their own panels will also need to consider space to store batteries and this can be an issue for those living in small homes.

Disposal of panels and batteries is also a concern as they are very likely to contain toxic chemicals. However, batteries are 98% recyclable; so if there is a proper disposable method, it shouldn’t be too much of a problem.

Despite some of the problems associated with solar power, leaps in technology may soon see them virtually eliminated. In fact, researchers have come up with new devices that are far smaller and can harness solar energy on their own, without the need for large systems.

What’s next

1. Solar blinds

What’s new

Vincent Gerkens has come up with a new concept used to power the indoors during the night. He has devised a Venetian blind that traps the sun’s heat to produce ambient light. Computers and other devices can also be powered using an inverter.

What difference will it make

The blades of the blind can follow the sun’s motions around a room and trap energy, which is then converted into electricity using electroluminescent foil and solar cells to power light bulbs. This leaves the need for conventional energy far behind and you won’t need to pay large electricity bills.

2. Logitech solar keyboard

What’s new

Computer peripherals manufacturer, Logitech, has launched an innovative wireless solar-powered keyboard. Two solar panels mounted on top power the keyboard while you type, doing away with the need to recharge. A Solar App lets you know how much battery life remains. What’s unique is that the keyboard doesn’t necessarily need the sun to be recharged, fluorescent lights can do the job, too.

What difference will it make

Users can do away with the need for battery recharges. Besides, the PVC-free chassis and 100% recyclable packaging add to the allure.

3. SolarPrint

What’s new

Irish company, SolarPrint, has developed a very innovative solar cell technology which can convert light from any energy source. The technology has the ability to power wireless sensors and batteries. Since sensors have a limited battery life, this technology will prove to be a boon as it actually increases the life.

What difference will it make

Many modern gadgets and devices have in-built wireless sensors. SolarPrint’s technology will see these sensors being powered by batteries. In time, it could even have the potential for people to control lighting and heating if a wireless sensor network can be established.

Via: EcoFriend

Imagine if the next coat of paint you put on the outside of your home generates electricity from light — electricity that can be used to power the appliances and equipment on the inside.

A team of researchers at the University of Notre Dame has made a major advance toward this vision by creating an inexpensive “solar paint” that uses semiconducting nanoparticles to produce energy.

“We want to do something transformative, to move beyond current silicon-based solar technology,” says Prashant Kamat, John A. Zahm Professor of Science in Chemistry and Biochemistry and an investigator in Notre Dame’s Center for Nano Science and Technology (NDnano), who leads the research.

“By incorporating power-producing nanoparticles, called quantum dots, into a spreadable compound, we’ve made a one-coat solar paint that can be applied to any conductive surface without special equipment.”

The team’s search for the new material, described in the journal ACS Nano, centered on nano-sized particles of titanium dioxide, which were coated with either cadmium sulfide or cadmium selenide. The particles were then suspended in a water-alcohol mixture to create a paste.

When the paste was brushed onto a transparent conducting material and exposed to light, it created electricity.

“The best light-to-energy conversion efficiency we’ve reached so far is 1 percent, which is well behind the usual 10 to 15 percent efficiency of commercial silicon solar cells,” explains Kamat.

“But this paint can be made cheaply and in large quantities. If we can improve the efficiency somewhat, we may be able to make a real difference in meeting energy needs in the future.”

“That’s why we’ve christened the new paint, Sun-Believable,” he adds.

Kamat and his team also plan to study ways to improve the stability of the new material.

NDnano is one of the leading nanotechnology centers in the world. Its mission is to study and manipulate the properties of materials and devices, as well as their interfaces with living systems, at the nano-scale.

This research was funded by the Department of Energy’s Office of Basic Energy Sciences.

Story Source:  University of Notre Dame. 

Kyocera Corporation (President: Tetsuo Kuba) announced that it has supplied a solar power generating system for the Republic of Palau international airport — the 226.8kW solar installation is the largest to be completed on the island nation located roughly 500 miles east of the Philippines. The design and implementation of the parking lot solar project was a joint collaboration between Kyocera and Wakachiku Construction Co., Ltd., which was realized with funding by the Japanese government’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) to help contribute to the country’s growth.

The solar modules are installed on the top of shading structures in the parking lot. The solar power generating system, which is the first grid-connected system in the country, is comprised of 1,080 Kyocera 210W solar modules. Due to the high occurrence of typhoons on the island, the backside of the modules have been reinforced with extra support bars for enhanced wind-pressure resistance. The system is expected to produce an annual power output of 250MWh, off-setting roughly 80 tons of CO2 per year.

On November 17, an inauguration ceremony was held with Palau’s President Johnson Toribiong and other officials from both Palau and Japan in attendance.

What’s happening right now

Solar energy is one of the most reliable alternative power options. Across the world, green enthusiasts have accepted solar panels as a means to harvest alternative energy. There are various kinds of solar cells that you can use in different ways to produce power from sunlight and heat. Most traditional solar cells are static and they can generate power when the sunlight flashes on them. The green world is now going behind some recent sun chasing solar cells that can follow sun as it moves from the east to west to provide better output in generation of alternative power. Scroll down to find out some recent trends in the evolution of sun chasing solar panels.

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This is a world where individuals bring changes and transformations. When Tony Danger Coiro, a student at Purdue University, bought an old Suzuki bike for $50, nobody thought much. But today, $2500 and several years of hard work later, the same bike is a masterclass when it comes to green biking. ‘Run on the sun’ seems to be the designers motto as he retro-fitted the bike and made modifications. It now runs silently, reaching speeds up to 45 mph for a range of 24 miles.

The experience is simply surreal – a cheap, silent and green way to travel fast knowing that your carbon footprint is zero! Having received a provisional patent for his work, he has launched into a bigger project now. He is now obsessed with the figure 100. He wants to design a 100 hp bike that runs for a range of 100 miles at a speed of 100 mph – completely on solar energy! This will be something that the world will look out for!

Via: EcoFriend

Solar photovoltaics (PV) continue to be expensive in capital costs, needing close to $11,000 per kilowatt of power production. This high initial cost has inhibited wider adoption of solar energy despite the attraction of near zero operating costs. Researchers round the world are working on various new ideas to increase power production efficiency and thereby reduce the cost per kilowatt of solar PV systems. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is at the forefront of solar PV research and has come up with several new approaches during this year. Some technology companies have also announced new products. These developments signal important advances in solar PV technologies that could translate into greater efficiencies and lower costs.

1. 3D Solar Cells

Solar 3D, a Santa Barbara based technology start-up company has filed for patents for three dimensional solar cells that could raise energy conversion efficiencies from the current 15 to 18 percent levels to a number closer to the 29 percent theoretical limit for silicon. They expect to have a working prototype by the end of 2011.

In conventional silicon photovoltaic panels, some 30 percent of the incident sunlight is reflected back and does not generate electricity. Solar 3D says that it has designed the top surface of its new solar cells with micro grooves that will trap the sunlight and direct it inwards into the solar cell. This will give the photons more contact time to produce electricity. Solar 3D says the idea is inspired from fiber optics where two concentric layers of glass of different refractive indices confine light inside the optic fiber cable.

Solar 3D claims that its new solar panel is being designed for production in the same plants that produce current 2D cells. The manufacturing cost will be a major concern following the recent collapse of the solar panel manufacturer, Solyndra which has gone into liquidation after being unsuccessful in competing with low cost Chinese manufacturers.

2. Virus improves solar cell efficiency

In 2010, a team of researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) had announced that they had used carbon nano tubes to focus and funnel electrons inside a photovoltaic cell to increase production of electricity. This could result in greater production of electricity from smaller solar cells. The nano tubes however have the problem that they clump together and short circuit one another, negating the benefit of using them in solar panels. This year, another team from MIT has come up with a potential solution. They have used a genetically engineered virus M13 that bonds with nano tubes and coats them with a layer of peptides which are polymers made from amino acids. The peptide layer serves to keep the nano tubes in place and separated from each other, overcoming the short circuit problem. The improved alignment of nano tubes increases efficiency of electricity production. Once the peptide coating has been achieved, the scientists say it is possible to change acidity of the virus environment to make it produce Titanium Dioxide (TiO2) and coat each nano tube with that substance. The TiO2 coating further improves the solar cell efficiency.

The virus makes the nano tube water soluble at room temperature and can be added as an easy additional step in solar cell manufacture which would result in the higher efficiency being achieved without major additional cost.

3. Printable solar cells

Another team of MIT scientists have come up with a process for making solar cells on flexible substrates using a process similar to inkjet printing. Conventional solar cells are made by etching the substrate and depositing layers of active materials in high temperature processes. The MIT team’s new process uses vapor deposition and temperatures below 120 degrees Celsius which permit the substrate to be made of plastic, fabric or even paper. The flexible solar panel does not break even if the substrate is folded and creased several times.

These printable solar panels have the potential to be applied in a number of new and innovative applications. Outdoor billboards which can generate their own electricity is one obvious application. Flexible solar panels can also be used on window blinds and other such applications.

4. Multicolored solar panels for power generating windows

Several ideas are being attempted to fit solar panels on the window panes of commercial buildings to make the windows produce power. An important advance in this direction is the development of solar panels in various colors by the Canadian company QSolar. The panels are available in green, blue, pink, purple, red and gray offering architects a wide range to blend with the color and materials they choose for the building facades. These colored solar panels can also be used as full curtain walls, for example, in an office cabin, that could generate electricity not only from the sunlight outside but also from the office lighting.

5. Organic coating turns window panes into solar panels

The concept of converting the window pane surface into a solar module is very attractive as the vertical sides of high rise buildings are much larger in area than the roof top which are currently used for locating solar PV panels. The problem of fixing solar thin film panels on window panes has always been that they cut down on the sunlight that they let through into the building. This ends up increasing the electricity used for lighting and offsets any power generated from the power windows.

A team from MIT may have found a neat solution to this problem. They have developed a new technology where the solar cells are made from organic molecules. These organic molecules absorb infrared rays and allow the visible light to pass through. The organic molecules can be applied as a coating on the inner surface of a double glazed window pane to protect it from abrasion due to wind-borne grit and from damage due to window cleaning chemicals. Over 30 percent of the cost of the current solar panels is from the use of glass panels to cover the solar modules. Using an existing window frame and glass pane eliminates these costs. Double glaze windows are commonly used in commercial buildings to reduce heating and cooling loads.

Via: EcoFriend

The basic concept of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) is based upon the power of sun and wind to propel. The shape of the current aircraft resembles the shape of a bird. The UAV is based on the mechanism like birds, which use wind power to fly. As birds utilize wind energy for their flying purpose and spend minimum physical energy, the UAV also uses wind power for all their gliding movements and to change their areal path.

Design mechanism

The UAV is designed consolidating an artificial intelligence to it which would be helpful to forecast solar intensity and control the wind patterns for path planning. This mechanism is also expected to provide power to the UAV. The UAV is designed to serve efficient flying as it is based on wind pattern flying. It is also vowed to be the cheapest UAV available in market as it utilizes renewable source of energy such as sun and wind to fly. The product is a new and impressive one that can provide artificial intelligence. It has been a long time, many avionic scientists trying to implement artificial intelligence in an aerial vehicle for various information as solar intensity.

Expectations

If this design works to its expectations, it could help in many useful prospects. It could assist to inspect power line transmissions to find out the fault in the power lines so that it could save enough man power and the maintenance work can be executed quickly and efficiently. It can also be proved useful in disaster relief as it can detect the most disastrous areas with its artificial intelligence. 3D mine mapping and various scanning works can also be performed by this UAV.

Now, the efficiency of this UAV development might pave the way to commercialize it in a few years.

Source: Physorg

The conventional methods of generating solar energy are by and by becoming old fashioned. Semiconductor printing is an already existing and a widely accepted technique that is used in the manufacture of semiconductor solar cells. But most of the present day methods of crafting solar cells make use of mirrors and other optical devices. These devices, no doubt increase the efficiency of the process through which solar energy is trapped, considering that the indentation of these mirrors can be altered depending on the position of the sun. However, the cost that is increased due to the utilization of mirrors can of course be curtailed with a more ideal method of solar cell manufacturing.

Semprius is in the process of doing the same. The company aims at manufacture solar cells that would be able to concentrate 41 percent of the sun’s energy and convert it into useful energy, all of this without the use of mirrors or optics. Lenses are going to occupy the place of mirrors. This technology of preparing microcells, each the size of the point of a ball pen, would better be known as micro printing technology. It is a solid claim, that while mirrors are capable of concentrating light up to several hundred times, lenses would go beyond expectations and increase the concentration effect to thousand times.

Coming to the detailing of how it is actually going to work, Semprius scientists say that a semiconductor would first proliferate on a substrate and then, it can be hammered into a plain wafer, a process better known as stamping. Next, extra layers would be sheeted on these tiny cells, giving rise to a triple junction solar cell. The advantage of going for this technique! Well, since thousands of these tiny units can be created with just one blow, costs are drastically reduced. This coupled with the cost saved by shoving off mirrors, can be a good reduction, so much so, that Semprius is expecting to reduce electricity costs to 10 cents a kilowatt hour, if this technology hits the success line.

Human mind at its best! Lets all hope that this technique builds strong grounds for itself.

Source: EcoFriend

For today’s world, which is thirsty for more amount of energy resources, the novel concept of floating solar plants can be a source of great joy and contentment. There will be many critics around there who feel that this is a far fetched idealism, impossible to be implemented. However, this is not a vague idea, that simply came to someone’s mind. Decades of experimentation has been done in this regard. It is a new approach in non conventional power generation, that not only culminates into economy of fuel, but even saves the acreage of land used to set up a functional solar farm. The proposed project aims at developing a solar farm on the surface of water. Considering the technological constraints at present, this will be developed in conjunction with hydroelectric power plants, to complement their efficiency.

Trends:

1. LSA: Floating solar panels for the ocean

This project is named as Liquid Solar Array. The idea consists of placing a solar energy concentrator in the middle of ocean. The entire system is made of light weight plastic screen that functions like a lens. The concentrator focuses the incident radiation onto the photo diode placed at the such a point that, according to physics it will be at the fundamental focus.The entire system is so light that it floats on the surface of water due to floatation. During favorable weather condition, this concentrator converts all the incident radiation into emf. When the weather turns bad, it simply pops up and down on the surface of water like a buoy. Hence, it is a highly economical system which requires minimum technical maintenance. This system was developed by a company called Sunenergy of Australia. This project is being implemented all over the globe, even in India. The initial setup cost is considered to be about $1 million. They claim that their system can withstand all the harsh manifestations of nature.

The success of the first prototype inspired many other countries to develop a floating solar plant. Prominent among them are India, France, Israel and USA. The research is being done in India by Tata powers, in collaboration with Sunenergy. Many tests are being carried out at sophisticated research centers around the globe to test the capability and efficiency of this system.

EDF Group of France and Solaris Synergy of Israel entered into a joint venture to test this floating solar plant at Cadarache in SE France. The engineers are even verifying the environmental impact of this project, like whether the presence of LSA will affect the penetration of oxygen into the aquatic ecosystem.

2. Seoul’s floating island

Another remarkable masterpiece was developed at Seoul, in South Korea. They developed a floating island that was launched in September 2011. The entire construction has been carried out using privately owned funds. It is already revealed that this is not exactly a floating solar power plant.

This remarkable architecture consists of three islands floating leisurely in the middle of the river Han.The three islands are chained to each other by water proof chains and the complete island is secured by means of a buoy. The three islands were designed to perform three distinct activities.

As it can be seen from the picture, the largest of the three islands is situated near the waterfall of Banpo Bridge at the Banpo Hangang Park. It is three storied and houses a convention center, capable of seating 700 people. On the rooftop is the business center.

Now a doubt may arise, as to what exactly is so unique in this project?

The main defining feature is that the roof of this island is covered with solar panels, thus powering the entire island. The solar panels has been set over an area of 54 meter square and is capable of supplying every room with 6 kilowatts every day.

The second island was developed to be a center of cultural activity. It is aimed at promoting art and other cultural activities that form a part of the heritage of South Korea.

The third and the last island is for public entertainment, where the public can participate in various water sports, like yachting, etc.

It will be again highlighted that the entire island is powered from solar panels installed on each island, without deriving even a watt of power from the power grid. Thus, it is a self sufficient island satisfying all its needs in a sustainable manner.

3. Floating solar lily pads

The third specimen of the floating type of solar power plants was seen at Glasgow. ZM Architecture of Glasgow developed a floating type of solar power plant designed in the form of water lilies. These Solar Lily Pads were installed at Clyde river. These lily pads are essentially photovoltaic cells, efficient enough to convert the incident solar radiation into electric power. Additional feature of this pad is that the pads governed by electric motors that rotates the pad with the variation of intensity of solar radiation, so that the system woks with optimum efficiency. The architects integrated the system with the electric grid to optimize its performance and energy transmitting capacity.

The concept:

The main feature to be seen with all the systems discussed so far is that all of them were installed on the surface of water, with land use only for anchoring.

a. In case of LSA, the photovoltaic cells were surrounded by plastic lens, that focuses all the incident radiation on to the cell. This extracts maximum power from the sun.The entire system has been designed to withstand cyclone, tides, etc. so that it can perform the task optimally. That is why it has been designed like a raft so that it remains afloat.

b. The Seoul’s Floating Island was aimed at inspiring the world that a self sufficient building can be built. It was mainly constructed as an island only to derive maximum efficiency from the sun and to economize the land that would have required for a similar construction within the city.

c. The Floating Solar Lily pads displayed that if the solar panels are exposed to maximum solar radiations, then maximum power can be extracted. Also, the motors underneath the pads tilt the pads with variation in solar intensity, either due to rotation or cloud cover.

The advantages:

a. A lot of land could be saved by the development of projects like these.

b. It is very economical as the initial set up cost is less than that of any other power plants and even ordinary solar farms.

c. There is no need of technical maintenance. So the maintenance cost can be saved.

d. Very less amount of materials are required in its fabrication. Hence, material can also be saved.

e. As it is proposed to develop this project to complement the hydro electric power plants.This will rise the overall efficiency of hydro electric power plants.

f. The additional power produced can be used to meet the rising demand for power.

g. There is no use of fossil fuel in the energy production. So it is environment friendly and does not contribute to Global Warming.

The impact:

With technologies like these power can be provided to developing countries like India, where 70% of the population still lives in darkness. As it was mentioned, the implementation of this technology does not require much land. So, for a country like India, Africa, etc. where huge population thrives, this technology can be a boon. Since it is proposed to install this system in conjunction with hydroelectric power plants for the initial stage, the efficiency of the hydroelectric plant increases. Since, there is no use of conventional energy resources, mining of the land to extract coal will be reduced. This reduces the environmental impact of mining like landslides, drought,etc.

In a nutshell, the implementation of this technology helps the nation to produce cheap power.

Source: EcoFriend