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Directory:Solar

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Photo by Noah Berger for The New York TimesPlugging Into the Sun - 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)
Photo by Noah Berger for The New York Times
Plugging Into the Sun - 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.

Contents

Intro

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)
  • A Solar Grand Plan - 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 - 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)

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.

DIY

Open Source

  • Solar >
    Open Source Solar Turbine - An Open Source Ecology project for doing a community solar thermal concentrator steam turbine, claiming $1 per watt for producing electricity for 50 years for a 60 kW solar system. (Open Farm Tech; Nov. 13, 2008)

Plans

  • Solar Mower - The project entails replacing the gasoline engine of a used 22" gas powered mower with a 12 Volt electric motor and battery - along with gauges, circuit breaker/power switch and charging connector. Using 12 Volts keeps the design simple and relatively safe. (Art Tec; June 2005)
  • Closed Loop Ammonia Turbine - The return of Tesla's solar (and other low heat input) design for home and commercial power systems using inexpensive technology discarded last century due to then cheap oil prices.
  • 'Free Energy' Plans by Creative Science and Research - Company sells plans for devices that they say can provide "free power for your home, garage, car or truck". They claim to have heaters, engines, and other devices that are over unity or that require no fuel. A few buyers say the kits do not operate as claimed. Others are satisfied.

Kits

  • SolarBotics - Solarbotics offers robot kits, solar-powered robots, books, electronic components, motors, parts and information on the expanding field of BEAM Robotics.
  • Build and integral passive solar water heater - A snap to build, install, and use. Parts list includes discarded electric water heater tank, a homemade plywood box to house it, a can of black paint, etc. (Mother Earth News; Jan/Feb 1984)

Courses

  • Masters Course for Solar Engineers - The European Solar Engineering School (ESES) in Borlange, Sweden, is accepting applications for its Masters Programs. One-year Masters Program offers courses in "Advanced PV engineering," "Advanced solar thermal engineering," "Applied solar energy" and "Utilization of solar energy." (Renewable Energy Access; Feb. 10, 2006)

Solar Technologies

Thermal

See Concentrating Thermal Systems

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)

Image:SA_thin-film_solar_Vivian_Alberts_95x95.jpg Image:Solar_Roadways_95x95.jpg

Photovoltaics

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

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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.

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.

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Dye Solar Cell

  • Screen-printed solar cells - 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 - 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 - 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 - 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 - 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 - 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.

Floating

  • 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.

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.

Paint

  • Colourful idea sparks renewable electricity from paint -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''; 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 - 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 - 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 - 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 discussion)

Pavement

  • Energy-Generating Solar Roadways - Solar Roadways 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.

Photosynthesis Mimicking

See Directory:Solar:Photosynthesis Imitation - separate index

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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.

Portable

See also Directory:Emergency Preparedness

  • SkyBuilt aims to be the Dell of renewable energy systems - 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 - Ecos LifeLink 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 - Spectra Watermakers' 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 - 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 - 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 - 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 - 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 - Navitron evacuated tube, thermosiphon solar panels with water resevoir between 85 and 220 liters, no power required. Applications include disaster areas, remote areas, military, eco homes.

Silicon

  • Directory:Silicon - Page addresses the silicon shortage for solar photovoltaics; and solutions, including more efficient use of silicon, alternate silicon manufacturing methods, and alternatives to silicon. (PESWiki)

Storage

  • The Molten Salt Solution to Storing Solar Energy - 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 (TreeHugger; June 30, 2008)

Towers

  • 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.

MSC_Solar_Pyramid_95x95.jpg Image:Solar_Chimney_prototype_95x95.jpg

Windows

  • Solar Photovoltaic Windowpanes To Power Your Computer! - 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 - 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 - 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 - 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.
  • Ray-O-Max - 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 - 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 - 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 - Octillion Corp. 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% - Octillion 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)


Space

Space-Based Solar Power

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

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Solar Sails

See Directory:Solar Sails - separate index page

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Land-Based Solar Power

  • Solar Thermal Power in North-Africa: How Much Land to Power the World? - 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? - 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)

Research and Development

  • Solar Power Game-Changer: “Near Perfect” Absorption of Sunlight, From All Angles - By developing a new antireflective coating that boosts the amount of sunlight captured by solar panels and allows those panels to absorb the entire solar spectrum from nearly any angle, the Rensselaer research team has moved academia and industry closer to realizing high-efficiency, cost-effective solar power. (Resselaer; Nov. 3, 2008)
  • Engineers' Miniature Solar Cells Much Smaller Than This: o - The mini photoelectric device produces 7 volts with 20 solar cells created from carbon-based, organic polymers. "The world’s next generation of microelectronics may be dominated by 'plastic electronics’ and organic solar cells are expected to play an important role in these future technologies," writes lead author, Xioamei Jiang. (Wired; Nov. 6, 2008)
  • Researchers Explore Hybrid Concentrated Solar Energy System - Scientists from the Australian National University (ANU), Tianjin University in China and Chromasun, a Silicon Valley company with strong Australian connections, will join forces to create roof-mounted solar trough concentrator systems that they believe will be more cost-effective and efficient than previous models. A prototype measures 1.7 x 1.5 x 0.2 meters and incorporates seven mirrors that focus sunlight onto receiver tubes. (Renewable Energy World; Nov. 3, 2008)
  • The Dawn of SolarTAC Promises a Bright Future - The Solar Technology Acceleration Center (SolarTAC) will promote a better interface between technology developers and solar energy users by offering solar equipment suppliers an opportunity to show potential customers new technologies performing under actual field conditions. MRI will serve as the management and operating contractor for SolarTAC. (Colorado Energy News; Oct. 21, 2008)
  • DeserTEC-project is a design concept proposed to the EU to generate electricity in the desert and relay the produced power to the EU. Alongside the project, water desalination projects are proposed to green the desert.
  • 15 Photovoltaics Solar Power Innovations You Must See - 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 - "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 - “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 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)
  • CSEM Solar Islands are proposed islands that would generate electricity, store it trough the use of hydrogen and produce clean water. The project was conceived by CSEM.

Other Companies

Listed Alphabetically

  • 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 -- 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 - ASES is a national organization dedicated to advancing the use of solar energy for the benefit of US citizens and the global environment.
  • Avenir Energie's Geopack for home heating - "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)
  • David Allan's Solar Home - 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.
  • Power on the go - Fraunhofer researchers are working on micro power engineering solutions to provide the mobile power needed by modern communications devices. A solar powered cell phone design would require just two hours of sunlight a day to keep the phone operational. (Fraunhofer.de; March 30, 2006)
  • GO Solar Company - Provides information and consumer guides relating to solar energy and its various applications. Online solar catalog.
  • Honda FCX Fuel Cell Car Powered by the Sun - Hydrogen produced from a 700 square foot solar array at a custom filling station is capable of supporting 200 miles per week -- the national average. Range 170 miles. Prototypes: $2 mil each. (LA Times; Aug. 29, 2004) [free subscription to access]
  • ICP Solar Introduces Sunsei - Said to deliver 50% more power per square inch than competing solar technologies; perform even under cloudy conditions; available worldwide. (Renewable Energy Access; Nov. 2005)
  • Jade Mountain - "The world's largest selection of renewable energy products."
  • Kyocera announces 13.8-Megawatt Solar Electric Plant in Salamanca, Spain - One of the largest PV systems in the world will be commissioned September 18. It is comprised of ~ 70,000 Kyocera PV modules on a 36-hectares (89-acres), powering about 5,000 homes in a central distribution model. Kyocera plans to have capacity to produce 500 megawatts of PV modules per year by March 2011. (BusinessWire; Sept. 11, 2007)
  • Lotus Energy - Nepal company designs, manufactures, installs and services a multitude of Solar and Alternative Energy Systems and products.
  • Maine Solar House - The step by step building of a solar house. Solar land, solar plan, solar heat, solar power, solar data. Featured in TIME magazine.
  • Oerlikon expects grid parity by 2010 - Oerlikon Solar has said its facilities will achieve grid parity by 2010 in connection with the opening of the company’s new fully-automated thin-film pilot line at Trübbach, Switzerland. (Video) (Renewable Energy Focus; Sept. 8, 2008)
  • OptiSolar - OptiSolar manufactures photovoltaic (PV) modules and produces power from their own large-scale solar farms.
  • Quality Solar Concepts - Distributor of Alternative Energy Products including solar street lights, solar panels, solar heat and hot water, wind turbines and more
  • RealGoods.com - solar solutions; features JadeMountain catalogue.
  • SatCon - offers diversified and sophisticated power products for the Alternative Energy, Hybrid-Electric Vehicle, Grid Support, High Reliability Electronics and Advanced Power Technology markets.
    • Satcon Introduces 1 Megawatt Photovoltaic Inverter - Satcon (NASDAQ CM: SATC), a leading provider of utility scale distributed power solutions for the renewable energy market, announced that they are taking orders for their PowerGate™Plus 1 megawatt (MW) commercial PV inverter system, designed with advanced features for large scale utility installations. (BusinessWire; Sept, 3, 2008)
  • Solar Depot Grand Opening - New 24,000 sq. ft. headquarters facility for 1979-established systems integrator and wholesale distributor of solar energy equipment, including solar electric power systems, solar thermal hot water and radiant floor heating systems. (SolarAccess News; June 28, 2004) (About Solar Depot) (SolarDepot.com)
  • Solardyne Corporation - direct source for renewable energy equipment and high-efficiency home appliances
  • Solar Century's Complete Solar Roof - The "Complete Solar Roof" integrates solar electric and solar thermal technologies in a tile that is installed like a conventional roofing tile.
  • Solar Energy International - renewable energy education; offering hands-on workshops in solar, wind, and water power and natural building technologies in 11 locations.
  • Solaroofgarden - puts into service the under-utilized roof areas of all kinds of buildings for roof top hydroponics.
  • Special Materials Research and Technology Innovative Antireflective Technology - SPECMAT Inc. is a research-oriented small business with a focus on the room temperature wet chemical growth (RTWCG) of oxides used in microelectronics and photonics (optoelectronics). Low-cost, RTWCG SiOX antireflective coating (ARC) technology increases the efficiency of c-Si, and mc-Si solar cells by up to 30% or more. (Submitted by Orry)
  • 500 Solar Flashlight Give Away - SunNight Solar developed, with the assistance of the Space Alliance Technology Outreach Program, supported by NASA, shaped by specific field work on their prototypes in Africa in the harshest conditions by scientists from the US Department of Energy and funded by research grants from the Rockefeller Foundation — they offer the next generation of portable, reliable and environmentally friendly lights for nightly use, for camping and outdoor activities, and a product which should be in every family’s emergency preparedness kit. (Digg; July 21, 2008)


  • 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 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 - 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 - 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 - 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 - 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.
  • Online Courses - 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 - 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 - 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 - 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 - 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 - Day4 Energy 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 - 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 - 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)
  • Solar Charged Electric Lawnmower - Plans to convert 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 - 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)

Innovations

See Solar Innovations

Applications

  • Husqvarna - the world’s first commercially available automatic electric solar powered hybrid robotic lawn mower. The mower will cut for around 40 minutes, and then charge for 40 minutes in its charging station. Video review (Ecofriend; March 6, 2008) (Thanks RLP)
  • Solar Fridges for Quake-hit Area - It is hoped that 50 solar-powered fridges will be sent from Powys to the earthquake-hit region of Kashmir. They will store drugs and blood for victims of the disaster, which also struck Pakistan and p... (BBC; Nov. 2005)
  • Solar Energy in Voice Recording - Using Li-Pol batteries combined with a solar collector, a Russian group has made a professional voice recorder that can meet the demands of the workaholic. (Open PR; Aug. 21, 2007)
  • Solar-Breeze Solar Powered Swimming Pool Cleaner - Intelligent solar powered pool robotic skimmer eliminates the need of swimming pool pumps therefore it saves the electricity costs which are 66% of total maintenance costs; and the chlorine costs are reduced by 33% due to the fact that the solar breeze keeps the swimming pool clean. (Online Solar Panels)
  • Sun and wind bring power to Navajos for the first time - The systems are portable, running on both solar and wind power, and composed of an 800 watt photovoltaic cell, 400 watt wind turbine, 10,000 watt hour batteries and an AC inverter. Added to the package is a high efficiency refrigerator and energy efficient light bulbs. (Salt Lake Tribune; June 27)

Vehicles

See Solar Vehicles
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Cooking

See: Directory:Solar Cooking - separate index page

Cooling

  • ISAAC Solar Ice Maker - The ISAAC Solar Icemaker is an Intermittent Solar Ammonia-water Absorption Cycle. The ISAAC uses a parabolic trough solar collector and a compact and efficient design to produce ice with no fuel or electric input, and with no moving parts. (Energy Concepts; 2002)
  • Solar Ammonia Absorption Icemaker - The S.T.E.V.E.N. icemaker is somewhat bulky and non-portable and requires some special plumbing parts. It takes advantage of the natural day/night cycle of solar energy and eliminates the need for batteries, storing “solar cold” in the form of ice. (HomePower; June/July, 1996)
  • Direct Current Air Conditioning - The patented low power Millennia is globally wholesale distributed through SolCool One, LLC, and manufactured by Senergy Cooling Systems. The 1.5 ton, 24 volt HVAC System system uses approximately 50% less energy than other high efficiency conventional equipment. (SolCool)

Farms

  • Topaz Solar Farm - 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. (