MIT opens new 'window' on solar energy

Another innovation on solar energy from a top institute.

Photo / Donna Coveney
Marc Baldo, associate professor of electrical engineering and computer science (left) and Shalom Goffri, postdoc in MIT's Research Laboratory of Electronics (right) hold examples of organic solar concentrators.

Photo / Donna Coveney
Organic solar concentrators collect and focus different colors of sunlight. Solar cells can be attached to the edges of the plates. By collecting light over their full surface and concentrating it at their edges, these devices reduce the required area of solar cells and consequently, the cost of solar power. Stacking multiple concentrators allows the optimization of solar cells at each wavelength, increasing the overall power output.

Image courtesy / Nicolle Rager Fuller, NSF
An artist's representation shows how a cost effective solar concentrator could help make existing solar panels more efficient.

Cost effective devices expected on market soon

Elizabeth A. Thomson, News Office
July 10, 2008

Imagine windows that not only provide a clear view and illuminate rooms, but also use sunlight to efficiently help power the building they are part of. MIT engineers report a new approach to harnessing the sun's energy that could allow just that.

The work, to be reported in the July 11 issue of Science, involves the creation of a novel "solar concentrator." "Light is collected over a large area [like a window] and gathered, or concentrated, at the edges," explains Marc A. Baldo, leader of the work and the Esther and Harold E. Edgerton Career Development Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering.

As a result, rather than covering a roof with expensive solar cells (the semiconductor devices that transform sunlight into electricity), the cells only need to be around the edges of a flat glass panel. In addition, the focused light increases the electrical power obtained from each solar cell "by a factor of over 40," Baldo says.

Because the system is simple to manufacture, the team believes that it could be implemented within three years--even added onto existing solar-panel systems to increase their efficiency by 50 percent for minimal additional cost. That, in turn, would substantially reduce the cost of solar electricity.

Read the entire story here.

(via. Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

IKEA to sell solar panels?

We all know when a product is seen at retailer such as IKEA, the public acceptance of that product is guaranteed. In other words, in 5 years, we will see solar panels become popular as other household items.

August 7, 2008 5:52 AM PDT
Posted by Elsa Wenzel

IKEA plans to pour $77 million into clean-technology start-ups within the next five years and could add "green" goods such as solar panels to its inventory, according to Cleantech Group.
The four-person, 50 million euro IKEA GreenTech fund has been operating for eight months, the report said. And it could invest in up to 10 fledgling companies in the next few years, perhaps first in Europe, where IKEA rings up about 82 percent of its sales.

Efforts to commercialize new and affordable green technologies within several years could lead to IKEA selling the resulting products among its growing collection of stores, currently 283 in more than 30 nations. The goods reportedly would relate to energy in the form of solar panels, efficiency meters, and lighting; as well as more sustainable materials, and water treatment and conservation.

In 2007, IKEA expanded sales of pre-fab, low-income, eco-friendly housing from Sweden into the United Kingdom. Could its catalog of 9,500 products someday add flat-packed, "smart" green homes available globally?

Given IKEA's sheer reach, an aggressive focus on green technologies might reshape the furnishings industry. For instance, green-business gurus credit Wal-Mart's controversial efforts to green its shelves and practices with shifting big-box stores and shoppers' tastes toward less toxic and wasteful products.

Among IKEA's latest moves in support of sustainability, by the fall, it will eliminate its checkout use of plastic bags, for which it began charging British customers about two years ago. More than 380 billion plastic bags are estimated to be trashed each year in the United States alone, polluting land and waterways with toxic chemicals.

In the early years of this decade, the modern-furnishings goliath pledged to phase out unhealthy formaldehyde and PVC in its core products, and to stock wood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.

Its Swedish stores use mostly renewable energy. Some of the 18,000 staff members use hybrid cars or bicycles. IKEA pledged to carry organic consumables, including coffee, jam, and schnapps within the year. But a nagging question remains: would solar panels from IKEA require an Allen wrench?


(via. cnet news)

Solar Energy Powers the Centennial Theatre Tour

When we will the same in Toronto and other cities in Canada?

An old news back in July 2005

A solar trailer, designed and built in Saskatchewan, is providing all the power required for the 56 presentations of the Saskatchewan Centennial 2005 Theatre tour. Dancing Sky Theatre of Meacham is using their new trailer to power the microphones and amplifiers. This alternative gives the theatre company clean power and freedom of location.

"Dancing Sky Theatre is demonstrating innovation and sustainability," Minister responsible for the Office of Energy Conservation David Forbes said. "By using renewable energy they, are reducing their impact on the environment and displaying Saskatchewan know-how. The idea was theirs and the Office of Energy Conservation helped make it happen."

"The play is about our land and our people," Saskatchewan Centennial 2005 Chair and Moose Jaw North MLA Glenn Hagel said. "Innovation is a well-known quality of Saskatchewan people, and I am pleased that our centennial celebration is providing an opportunity to demonstrate innovation in the context of our green and prosperous economy."

Dancing Sky Theatre received $10,000 from the Office of Energy Conservation for the project, as well as $2,000 from Kelln Solar of Lumsden, the company hired to design the system and supply the components. The theatre company paid the remaining $9,000 cost of the project, and their own people designed and built the trailer that houses the solar electric system.

"The solar trailer will provide long-term benefits," founder of Dancing Sky Theatre Angus Ferguson said. "When not on tour, it will power the sound system for our permanent theatre in Meacham. This helps us avoid an expensive electrical upgrade to the building.

"During the summer tour, the solar trailer allows the theatre to avoid emissions of more than 600 kilograms of carbon dioxide. When connected to the Dancing Sky Theatre building, the avoided carbon dioxide emissions will be more than 1.6 tonnes per year.

The Office of Energy Conservation promotes energy conservation and efficiency in Saskatchewan.

(via. Government of Saskatchewan)

Toyota to add solar panels to some Prius hybrids

Toyota is leading the pack in hybrid innovation. We are happy to see mobile solar panels on the road.


Toyota is due to launch the third-generation Prius next year.
Photograph by : Handout photo

'More of a symbolic gesture'
ReutersPublished: Monday, July 07, 2008

TOKYO - Toyota Motor Corp. plans to install solar panels on some Prius hybrids in its next remodelling, responding to growing demand for "green" cars amid record-high oil prices, a source briefed on the matter said on Monday.

The panels, supplied by Kyocera Corp, would be able to power part of the air-conditioning on high-end versions of the gasoline-electric Prius, the source said.

"It's more of a symbolic gesture," said the source, who asked not to be identified. "It's very difficult to power much more than that with solar energy."

Toyota is due to launch the third-generation Prius next year.

Big automakers are racing to come up with alternative solutions to using fossil fuels to appear ecologically conscious and to lure consumers looking to save money at the pump.

But solar power is not seen as a viable solution to power cars. Solar panels are expensive due to rising silicon prices and storing energy is difficult, the source said. It was unknown how much the solar panels on the new Prius cars would cost, or how many solar-mounted versions Toyota would build.

A Toyota spokesman declined to comment, saying the company does not talk about future product plans.

Mazda Motor Corp briefly offered a solar panel option on two car models, the Eunos 800 and Sentia, in the early 1990s to ventilate the sedans while parked on hot summer days. The expensive option was unpopular and discontinued after a few years.

Kentaro Endo, a director at Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry who specialises in renewable energy, said the application of solar energy was severely limited in vehicles.

"Even if you laid solar panels out on the entire roof of a house, you only generate enough energy to run two hair dryers," he said.

"It's an interesting idea, but it would be very difficult to power a whole car, even with technological advances."

Toyota has struggled to keep up with demand for the Prius as soaring gasoline prices put consumers off of gas-guzzling sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks. Rival Honda Motor Co. will also step up its hybrid push with a new, low-cost model early next year, followed by several other gasoline-electric cars.

Automakers have teamed up with battery makers to develop and produce lithium-ion batteries to store more energy in smaller packages to extend cruising distances.

Toyota has partnered with Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., while Nissan Motor Co. has a joint venture with the NEC Corp. Mitsubishi Motors Corp. is working with GS Yuasa Corp.

The Prius, the world's first mass-produced gasoline-electric hybrid car, first went on sale in Japan in late 1997 and in other markets in 2000. Cumulative sales have topped 1 million units worldwide.

Toyota has a goal of selling at least 1 million hybrid cars a year in the early part of the next decade by offering the fuel-saving system on more vehicles.

Toyota shares ended 1.4 percent higher at 4,990 yen as the dollar rose against the yen. Kyocera lost 0.1 percent to 9,740 yen, while the Nikkei average gained 0.9 percent.

(via. driving.ca)

Toronto makes a big splash with solar energy

July 6, 2008
posted by Alexandre Malkhassiants Canada News Wire post release

The City of Toronto officially launched the heating of four indoor pools using solar energy. The solar pool heatingsystems are the largest municipally-owned installations in Canada, and areheating pools at three of the City's recreation centres.

At 312 metres squared (m2), the Jimmie Simpson Recreation Centre solarpool heating system is the largest in Canada (there are two pools at thislocation, each is serviced by its own system; the smaller solar system is 94m2). Scarborough Centennial Recreation Centre's solar heating system is 250 m2and the installation at the Agincourt Recreation Centre, where the day's eventwas held, is 241 m2.

"The City of Toronto has committed to very aggressive goals through theClimate Change, Clean Air and Sustainable Energy Plan, projects like this willpush us even closer to meeting them," noted Councillor Paula Fletcher, Chairof the Parks and Environment Committee. "These installations alone reduce CO2emissions by 103 tonnes. The plan is that all City-owned pools will be heatedusing solar energy, and I would like to see all privately-owned poolsfollowing suit." "This is a wonderful start to making Toronto a solar city," saidCouncillor Chin Lee, Director of Toronto Atmospheric Fund who helped financethe early pilot installations. "It helps show that solar energy is a viablelocal option."

"Swimming is one of the most popular recreational activities for childrenand families. Now they can also learn about and contribute to a sustainablefuture at their local swimming pool with the energy retrofit of our pools,arenas and recreation centres," commented Brenda Librecz, General Manager,Parks, Forestry and Recreation.

The costs of the solar heating systems installations were covered by theCity's Energy Retrofit Program, the Toronto Atmospheric Fund (TAF) and NaturalResources Canada (NRCan). TAF funding for these projects totalled $52,786,while the NRCan funding was $26,031.

The City's Energy Retrofit Program undertakes retrofit projects inCity-owned facilities to reduce their energy and water consumption. Since2004, more than 200 City-owned buildings have been upgraded through the EnergyRetrofit Program.

"Facilities and Real Estate is always looking for innovative ways toimprove our facilities, make them greener while saving the City operatingcosts. The Energy Retrofit Program allows us to do just that," explained JodieParmar, Director, Business and Strategic Innovation, Facilities and RealEstate. "At a time of budget constraints, the Energy Retrofit Program allowsus to invest in our aging, sometimes inefficient facilities, and make themoperate more efficiently."

Other projects completed as part of the Energy Retrofit Program include:the City Arenas, Civic Centres, Fire Halls, and a number of buildings atExhibition Place. Currently City staff are working on energy retrofit projectsfor Police Division buildings, Transfer Stations and Community Centres.

Toronto is Canada's largest city and sixth largest government, and hometo a diverse population of about 2.6 million people. It is the economic engineof Canada and one of the greenest and most creative cities in North America.In the past three years, Toronto has won more than 50 awards for quality andinnovation in delivering public services. Toronto's government is dedicated toprosperity, opportunity and liveability for all its residents.

For more information about Toronto and area go here - http://www.torontogreathomes.com/GTA_HOMES/page_282601.html

The technology that will save humanity

By Joseph Romm
April 14, 2008
Clockwise top left: Newcastle, Australia central receiver array; Nevada Solar On parabolic trough; Spain's PS 10 Solar Tower; Liddell, Australia Line 1 CLFR being tested.

One of oldest forms of energy used by humans -- sunlight concentrated by mirrors -- is poised to make an astonishing comeback. I believe it will be the most important form of carbon-free power in the 21st century. That's because it's the only form of clean electricity that can meet all the demanding requirements of this century.

Certainly we will need many different technologies to stop global warming. They include electric cars and plug-in hybrids, wind turbines and solar photovoltaics, which use sunlight to make electricity from solid-state materials like silicon semiconductors. Yet after speaking with energy experts and seeing countless presentations on all forms of clean power, I believe the one technology closest to being a silver bullet for global warming is the other solar power: solar thermal electric, which concentrates the sun's rays to heat a fluid that drives an electric generator. It is the best source of clean energy to replace coal and sustain economic development. I bet that it will deliver more power every year this century than coal with carbon capture and storage -- for much less money and with far less environmental damage.
Clearly, the world needs a massive amount of carbon-free electricity by 2050 to stabilize greenhouse gas emissions. The industrialized countries need to cut their carbon dioxide emissions from electricity generation by more than 80 percent in four decades. Developing countries need to find a way to raise living standards without increasing electricity emissions in the short term, and then reduce those emissions sharply. And, over the next few decades, the world needs to switch to a ground transportation system whose primary fuel is clean electricity...

read the full story here

(via. salon.com)

Toronto Zenn car sells in California, banned at home

Isn't that disappointed you Toronto people?

26 August 2008
Fab and Facilities: News From Around The Web

Mike Borbely likes his Canadian-made Zenn electric car so much he's planning to install solar panels on his garage roof so he can charge it for free."The Zenn really takes care of the lion's share of my commuting needs," said Borbely, a 45-year-old home designer from San Jose.He drives the boxy two-seater, which has a top speed of 25 miles an hour, to visit clients, he said.Good thing Borbely is from California. He couldn't buy the Zenn in Toronto. Zenn Motor Co. has no customers in its hometown because the Ontario government has banned low-speed electric cars such as the Zenn from public roads, citing safety concerns. At least 40 U.S. states, including California and Washington, and the Canadian provinces of British Columbia and Quebec deem electric cars like the Zenn to be safe as long as they don't exceed their mandated maximum speeds. Ontario says more research is needed."It's been somewhat mind-boggling; the U.S. has been much more welcoming than Canada," Zenn Motor Co. Chief Executive Officer Ian Clifford said in an interview at his Toronto office. "Why is this niche treated so differently in the two countries?"The Ontario Ministry of Transportation this month ordered studies of low-speed electric cars to see if they are safe for public roads. The government has been testing the vehicles in parks across the province since 2006. Until the studies are complete, as late as 2011, Zenns will be off limits "We want low-speed electric vehicles on our roads, and we are looking at how it can be done safely," Transportation Minister Jim Bradley said in a statement announcing the new research.Small electric cars like the Zenn typically meet only three of 40 safety standards required of regular passenger cars for brakes, bumpers and other components or functions, said Emna Dhahak, a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Transportation in Toronto.

read full story here


(via. contracostatimes.com)

REC Solar Partners with MySpace to Recharge the Democratic National Convention

Collaboration between innovative energy integrator and social networking giant seeks to raise awareness about solar power initiatives.

/24-7PressRelease/ - DENVER, CO, August 29, 2008

REC Solar (www.recsolar.com), an industry-leading provider of residential and commercial solar electric systems, has teamed up with MySpace.com (www.myspace.com) to acquaint Democratic convention participants with solar energy through a solar-powered recharging station fueled entirely by the sun. Home to the 2008 Democratic National Convention, Denver, Colorado proudly boasts over 300 days of sunshine per year.

Free to the public, MySpace's Solar Recharging Stations, powered by REC Solar, will allow passersby to charge their iPods, cell phones, laptops and other gadgets using solar power. While waiting for their respective technologies to recharge, kiosk visitors are encouraged to learn about solar energy, mingle with other alternative power enthusiasts and enter to win one of many REC Solar giveaways.

"We are excited to be working with REC Solar in providing clean energy during the convention," said Lee Brenner, Director of IMPACT and Executive Producer of Political Programming at MySpace.

Throughout the duration of the Democratic National Convention, the REC Solar-powered recharging portal is expected to provide over 1,000 watts of alternative energy to Denver patrons. The solar-powered recharging station will be conveniently located at the following intersection along downtown Denver's commercial hub, the 16th Street Mall: • Arapahoe Street and 16th Street, near the D&F clock tower and ESPN Zone.

"REC Solar's vision is to make solar electricity part of the mainstream energy supply. To make that shift in paradigm a reality, we recognize that we must reach out to the next generation of energy consumers in their preferred online medium," said Angiolo Laviziano, President and CEO of REC Solar. "With the assistance of MySpace, the Solar Recharging Stations are designed to not only raise awareness of alternative energy sources that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reliance on fossil fuels, but also to encourage a sense of community, both online and offline." According to the California Solar Initiative (CSI), for the past two years REC Solar has installed more solar electric systems in the United States than any other company. With several million watts of solar installed, REC serves Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, New Jersey, and Oregon residents and business owners. Founded in 1997, the company specializes in grid-tied solar electric design and installation, offering affordable solar solutions for all residential and commercial customers. REC Solar is committed to lowering the cost of solar power through efficient processes, innovative products, and outstanding customer service.

The MySpace Solar Recharging Station will be manned with representatives from both MySpace and REC Solar between the hours of 10am and 4pm from Monday, August 25th through Thursday, August 28th. For more information about REC Solar, please visit http://www.recsolar.com or call 1-888-OK-SOLAR (888-657-6527).


_________________________________________________________________________
About REC Solar, Inc.
REC Solar, Inc. is an industry-leading solar solutions provider specializing in grid-tied residential and commercial installations. With a local presence in all major solar markets in the United States and with millions of watts installed, REC Solar is committed to lowering the cost of solar power through efficient processes, innovative products, and outstanding customer service. REC Solar is among the nation's largest solar integrators and currently operates offices throughout 5 states (CA, CO, HI, OR and NJ). For additional information on REC Solar visit http://www.recsolar.com or call 1-888-OK-SOLAR (888-657-6527).

About MySpace.com
MySpace, a unit of Fox Interactive Media Inc., is the premier lifestyle portal for connecting with friends, discovering popular culture, and making a positive impact on the world. MySpace has created a connected global community by integrating web profiles, blogs, instant messaging, e-mail, music streaming, music videos, photo galleries, classified listings, events, groups, college communities, and member forums. MySpace's international network includes more than 29 localized community sites in the United States, Brazil, Canada, Latin America, Mexico, Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Australia, India, Japan, and New Zealand. Fox Interactive Media is a division of News Corp. (NYSE:NWS)

(via. 24-7 pressrelease.com)

Solar panels could meet large share of world energy needs: study

London (Platts) -- Sept 1, 2008

Solar photovoltaic panels could supply electricity to more than 4 billionpeople worldwide by 2030 and could meet all of Europe's energy requirements,while occupying less than 1% of European lands, a study issued Monday byGreenpeace and the European Photovoltaic Industry Association concludes.

"Solar Generation 2008" said the PV industry is growing and has showed itcan become a global energy contributor. More than 1.8 million MW of PV arrayswill be installed around the world by 2030, equal to 14% of global electricitydemand, according to the analysis. This would reduce CO2 emissions by 1.6billion metric tons, equal to the carbon releases from 450 coal-fired plants,Greenpeace and EPIA said...

In Europe, "solar energy is becoming more economically viable and shouldbecome cost-competitive with conventional energy by 2015 in southern Europeancountries and by 2020 across most of Europe," according to the study. It citedestimates that power from PV could satisfy all of Europe's electricity needswhile taking up just 0.7% of its land mass.

Though PV is typically associated with rooftop solar panels,grid-connected PV plants of 1 MW or more now represent about 10% of theEuropean PV market, the analysis found.

Greenpeace and EPIA credit the feed-in tariff mechanism used in many EUcountries, including Germany and Spain, with boosting PV use. A feed-intariff, which guarantee payments for electicity generated from PV and otherrenewable sources, "provides fair remuneration to the investor, and rewardsthe effort made in investing in a clean energy source," the study said.

EU policy-makers are slated to approve a final renewable energy directivethis fall that "is expected to reinforce the current legal framework and couldfacilitate the implementation of the feed-in tariff scheme throughout Europe,"it said.

(via. platts)

Cooking with solar energy can save money

By JAMES DULLEY • August 31, 2008

Sun Ovens International
The Sun Oven opens up with hinged reflectors to increase the solar cooking heat.

Much of the world uses solar cooking to prepare most of their foods. On a clear day, the heat from the sun can easily create enough cooking energy to steam vegetables, rice, etc. and even bake cakes, potatoes and roast meats.
It is not difficult to build an efficient solar oven from just scrap boxes, paper and aluminum foil. Also, ready-to-use high-quality solar ovens are available. You take them out of the box and you can start immediately.
Cooking with free solar heat saves energy, but it also lowers your electric bills in another way. By not cooking indoors and adding extra heat and humidity to the room, your electric costs for air-conditioning are lower. A solar oven manufacturer told me a woman reduced her electric bills by $40 per month by cooking with solar.
I have used a Tulsi-Hybrid solar oven for the past three years, and it works great. I just unlatch the top and tilt it up. It has a mirror on the other side to reflect more of the sun's heat into the oven. A double-pane glass top over the black insulated oven chamber traps the heated air inside similar to a greenhouse.
This is a hybrid model with electric backup heat for cloudy days. It comes with four stainless steel covered cooking pans with special black solar-absorbing painted tops and bottoms. It generally takes about 90 minutes to steam brown rice as compared with 60 minutes on the stovetop.
Most of the complete ready-to-use solar ovens are designed to collapse into an easy-to-handle unit. This makes them ideal for camping or storage. Extra reflector sides can be attached when they are open to provide additional solar heat. This is handy for emergencies if you have to rapidly boil and sterilize drinking water.
If you would like to build your own solar oven with your children, there are many plans available online. One of the simplest designs uses a large and a small cardboard box. Put the small box in the large one.
For insulation, fill the gap between the boxes with crumpled newspaper. Cover it with a clear plastic top and face it directly toward the sun. For more heat, wrap aluminum foil over stiff cardboard and position it to reflect more heat into the box. Put a cooking thermometer inside the oven to monitor how hot it is getting.

(via. freep.com)

Saving Electricity And Saving Money

Electrical Engineers Create Money-saving Light System
By Science Daily

A photosensor paired with a dimming ballast controls fluorescent lighting and adjusts lights all over the user's home. A microcontroller automatically calibrates amounts of daylight and adjusts electrical light accordingly.

Lighting an office building can cost a lot of money, and sometimes those lights are left on even when natural sunlight is pouring through the windows. Now, an easy solution, called DaySwitch, makes the most of those sunny days at work and soon, at home.
"Lighting has a big impact on our lives but we pay the price because it uses a lot of electricity," says Andrew Bierman, M.S., a lighting research scientist from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York. Lighting makes up 25 percent of energy consumed by businesses. However, businesses could soon lower their electric bills.
Bierman developed the DaySwitch; it uses natural light to conserve electricity. "DaySwitch is an automatic device that will simply shut the lights off when there is plenty of daylight available," he explains. The DaySwitch is a tiny sensor that measures sunlight in an area and then it sends a signal to turn lights on or off as needed.
Bierman told DBIS about the inspiration behind the invention. He says, "You don't have to have the electric lights on when they are really not providing any more useful light than you already have with daylight."
Unlike typical lighting controls, the DaySwitch is easy to install and costs less than $25 per system. After it's installed, an easy-to-use remote control can reset the sensor to your desired level, so there is no need to call expensive electricians. When natural sunlight brightens the space, the lights go off, which cuts the lighting needs of a building in half, therefore saving on energy costs.
DaySwitch could be available for homes within a year.
The Optical Society of contributed to the information contained in the TV portion of this report.
show background -->
BACKGROUND: Scientists at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's Lighting Research Center have developed a simple, cost-effective, energy-saving device designed to harvest daylight automatically. Unlike traditional systems where one sensor controls many lamps at once, the Dayswitch controls light fixtures individually, providing flexibility for on/off control and simple installation.
ABOUT DAYSWITCH: The Dayswitch eliminates wasted or unwanted electric light by sensing when enough daylight is available to take the place of electric light, and then responds by turning off the fixture. When daylight decreases, the device turns the light back on. A built-in microcontroller automatically calibrates the Dayswitch, allowing for easy installation and maintenance. Although it's made for office buildings with large sunlit spaces -- such as at the concourse of a mall -- the Dayswitch system can be installed anywhere, including private homes. It can even be more energy-efficient in homes, since most homes use incandescent lamps, which require more energy than fluorescent lamps.
LET THERE BE LIGHT: Typical daylight harvesting systems include a photosensor paired with a dimming ballast -- a device that regulates the electricity supplied to a lamp -- to control fluorescent lighting, dimming or brightening the lights according to the amount of daylight entering the workspace. However, full-dimming ballasts are expensive, and photosensors are difficult to program and install. Dayswitch works with all conventional fluorescent ballasts, and has simple circuitry and on/off operation, making it less expensive than similar daylight control systems.
SENSORY FEEDBACK: A sensor is a type of transducer: an electronic device that converts energy from one form to another. For instance, microphones convert sound waves into electrical signals, while speakers receive the electrical signals and convert them back into sound waves. There are many different kinds of sensors, but most are electrical or electronic. A photosensor is an electronic component that detects the presence of various wavelengths of light: visible, infrared, or ultraviolet for example. The electrical conductance will change in response to the intensity of the light being detected, and this change is recorded by a computer.

(via. Science Daily)

Remarkable Solar Taxi Rolls Into Toronto

Monday August 25, 2008
CityNews.ca Staff

IKEA may have coined the phrase, 'Swedish for common sense' but when it comes to saving cents while at the same time protecting the environment, the Swiss are definitely on the right track, and that track has led straight to Toronto.
On Monday, Swiss citizen Louis Palmer cruised into The Big Smoke in a Solar Taxi, which as the name suggests, is powered solely by the sun. The car does not produce any emissions.
Palmer is currently busy travelling around the world in the unique vehicle to raise awareness about global climate change and promote the use of solar energy.
He started in his hometown of Lucerne and has hit 28 countries in the past 14 months.
The Solar Taxi can reach speeds of up to 90 km an hour and Palmer travels an average of 300-400km a day. There are 4 months left to go in his tour with 12 countries remaining.
The car, which uses 100% Swiss technology, will be on display at the CNE until Wednesday.
You can learn more about it at http://www.solartaxi.com/blog/2008/08/27/toronto/

(via. citynews.ca)

Converting Sunlight To Cheaper Energy

Converting Sunlight To Cheaper Energy
ScienceDaily (Aug. 25, 2008)

Scientists are working to convert sunlight to cheap electricity at South Dakota State University. Research scientists are working with new materials that can make devices used for converting sunlight to electricity cheaper and more efficient.

Assistant professor Qiquan Qiao in SDSU’s Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science said so-called organic photovoltaics, or OPVs, are less expensive to produce than traditional devices for harvesting solar energy.
Qiao and his SDSU colleagues also are working on organic light-emitting diodes, or OLEDs.
The new technology is sometimes referred to as “molecular electronics” or “organic electronics” — organic because it relies on carbon-based polymers and molecules as semiconductors rather than inorganic semiconductors such as silicon.
“Right now the challenge for photovoltaics is to make the technology less expensive,” Qiao said.
“Therefore, the objective is find new materials and novel device structures for cost-effective photovoltaic devices.
“The beauty of organic photovoltaics and organic LEDs is low cost and flexibility,” the researcher continued. “These devices can be fabricated by inexpensive, solution-based processing techniques similar to painting or printing."
“The ease of production brings costs down, while the mechanical flexibility of the materials opens up a wide range of applications,” Qiao concluded.
Organic photovoltaics and organic LEDs are made up of thin films of semiconducting organic compounds that can absorb photons of solar energy. Typically an organic polymer, or a long, flexible chain of carbon-based material, is used as a substrate on which semiconducting materials are applied as a solution using a technique similar to inkjet printing.
“The research at SDSU is focused on new materials with variable band gaps,” Qiao said.
“The band gap determines how much solar energy the photovoltaic device can absorb and convert into electricity.”
Qiao explained that visible sunlight contains only about 50 percent of the total solar energy. That means the sun is giving off just as much non-visible energy as visible energy.
“We’re working on synthesizing novel polymers with variable band gaps, including high, medium and low-band gap varieties, to absorb the full spectrum of sunlight. By this we can double the light harvesting or absorption,” Qiao said.
SDSU’s scientists plan to use the variable band gap polymers to build multi-junction polymer solar cells or photovoltaics.
These devices use multiple layers of polymer/fullerene films that are tuned to absorb different spectral regions of solar energy.
Ideally, photons that are not absorbed by the first film layer pass through to be absorbed by the following layers.
The devices can harvest photons from ultraviolet to visible to infrared in order to efficiently convert the full spectrum of solar energy to electricity.
SDSU scientists also work with organic light-emitting diodes focusing on developing novel materials and devices for full color displays.
“We are working to develop these new light-emitting and efficient, charge-transporting materials to improve the light-emitting efficiency of full color displays,” Qiao said.
Currently, LED technology is used mainly for signage displays. But in the future, as OLEDs become less expensive and more efficient, they may be used for residential lighting, for example.
The new technology will make it easy to insert lights into walls or ceilings. But instead of light bulbs, the lighting apparatus of the future may look more like a poster, Qiao said.
Qiao and his colleagues are funded in part by SDSU’s electrical engineering Ph.D. program and by National Science Foundation and South Dakota EPSCoR, the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research.
In addition Qiao is one of about 40 faculty members from SDSU, the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology and the University of South Dakota who have come together to form Photo Active Nanoscale Systems (PANS).
The primary purpose is developing photovoltaics, or devices that will directly convert light to electricity.


(via. Science Daily)

Pacific Gas deal will nearly double USA's solar power

Another proof of falling solar costs - A US based utility company will buy 800 megawatts of solar-generated electricity as they commented the price of solar has come to a point they feel comfortable doing it.


Pacific Gas deal will nearly double USA's solar power
By Paul Davidson, USA TODAY

Electric utilities are warming to solar power in a shift that promises to turbocharge a technology that has been hindered by high prices and slow consumer adoption.
Pacific Gas and Electric (PCG) in California announced last week it will buy 800 megawatts of solar-generated electricity from two companies, enough to light 239,000 homes. Within three years, PG&E will buy its solar energy from OptiSolar and SunPower, which plan to build the world's two largest solar farms in California as part of the deal.
It would nearly double the USA's entire solar-panel capacity. Driving the trend are solar's falling costs and state alternative-energy mandates.
Solar power has grown but still makes up well under 1% of U.S. power generation. More than 90% of solar panels have been installed on rooftops by maverick consumers and businesses. Utilities' embrace of solar energy will help push it to about 10% of power generation by 2025, predicts Ron Pernick, principal of research firm Clean Edge.
"Just a handful of utilities doing something big changes the scale of the entire market," says Julia Hamm of the Solar Electric Power Association.
Solar power typically has cost about twice as much as electricity from fossil-fuel-fired plants. But PG&E Vice President Fong Wan says prices in last week's deal approach electricity from natural-gas-fired plants. "The cost has come down to a point where we're comfortable doing it," he says.
Prices for solar-generated electricity have been falling, thanks largely to increasing manufacturing capacity and technological improvements, SunPower's Julie Blunden says. Other recent deals:
•Building farms. Florida Power & Light and Sempra Generation, a power wholesaler, each plan to build solar farms of up to 25 megawatts in Florida and Nevada, respectively.
•Purchasing power. CPS Energy in San Antonio, Duke Energy in North Carolina and Florida Municipal Power Agency say they'll buy solar power from suppliers willing to invest in new generation. That avoids upfront construction costs for utilities.
•Installing panels. Utilities are putting panels that feed into the grid on neighborhood roofs. That sidesteps the need for costly transmission lines. Southern California Edison last week began placing panels on 100 warehouses in the Los Angeles area. Duke Energy, Long Island Power Authority and Portland General Electric in Oregon plan similar initiatives.
With costs for traditional power plants rising and solar falling, "We see a convergence coming," Duke executive Owen Smith says.

(via. USAtoday)

Labour Day long weekend.

Welcome back!

Pacific Gas deal will nearly double USA's solar power

Another proof of falling solar costs- A US based utility company will buy 800 megawatts of solar-generated electricity as they commented the price of solar has come to a point they feel comfortable doing it.


Pacific Gas deal will nearly double USA's solar power
By Paul Davidson, USA TODAY

Electric utilities are warming to solar power in a shift that promises to turbocharge a technology that has been hindered by high prices and slow consumer adoption.
Pacific Gas and Electric (PCG) in California announced last week it will buy 800 megawatts of solar-generated electricity from two companies, enough to light 239,000 homes. Within three years, PG&E will buy its solar energy from OptiSolar and SunPower, which plan to build the world's two largest solar farms in California as part of the deal.
It would nearly double the USA's entire solar-panel capacity. Driving the trend are solar's falling costs and state alternative-energy mandates.
Solar power has grown but still makes up well under 1% of U.S. power generation. More than 90% of solar panels have been installed on rooftops by maverick consumers and businesses. Utilities' embrace of solar energy will help push it to about 10% of power generation by 2025, predicts Ron Pernick, principal of research firm Clean Edge.
"Just a handful of utilities doing something big changes the scale of the entire market," says Julia Hamm of the Solar Electric Power Association.
Solar power typically has cost about twice as much as electricity from fossil-fuel-fired plants. But PG&E Vice President Fong Wan says prices in last week's deal approach electricity from natural-gas-fired plants. "The cost has come down to a point where we're comfortable doing it," he says.
Prices for solar-generated electricity have been falling, thanks largely to increasing manufacturing capacity and technological improvements, SunPower's Julie Blunden says. Other recent deals:
•Building farms. Florida Power & Light and Sempra Generation, a power wholesaler, each plan to build solar farms of up to 25 megawatts in Florida and Nevada, respectively.
•Purchasing power. CPS Energy in San Antonio, Duke Energy in North Carolina and Florida Municipal Power Agency say they'll buy solar power from suppliers willing to invest in new generation. That avoids upfront construction costs for utilities.
•Installing panels. Utilities are putting panels that feed into the grid on neighborhood roofs. That sidesteps the need for costly transmission lines. Southern California Edison last week began placing panels on 100 warehouses in the Los Angeles area. Duke Energy, Long Island Power Authority and Portland General Electric in Oregon plan similar initiatives.
With costs for traditional power plants rising and solar falling, "We see a convergence coming," Duke executive Owen Smith says.

(via.USA Today)

Green Corporation

Another green news of mega corporation.

Energy Efficiency Saves Dell $3M
By GreenBiz Staff, GreenBiz
Published August 7, 2008

ROUND ROCK, Texas -- Dell's three-tiered plan to neutralize its carbon footprint has reached its goal five months early and saved the company $3 million, Dell said Wednesday.
"It's a piece of our overall strategy and one we're pretty excited about," Dane Parker, Dell's director of environmental, health and safety, told GreenBiz.com.
The company announced last year its goal of becoming carbon neutral by late 2008. Since then, it focused on reducing energy consumption and buying renewable energy before offsetting the remaining emissions.
Overall, Dell lowered total energy demand by about 5 percent through efficiency projects such as lighting upgrades, HVAC retrofits, tweaking building temperature settings and shutting off computers not being used.
Most projects had a payback period of three years or less, Parker said. As the company moves beyond the low-hanging fruit, it is considering projects with longer ROIs, such as equipment upgrades for building controls. Dell's data centers, accounting for about 20 percent of its global power use, represent another opportunity for energy savings.
The company currently buys enough renewable energy to comprise 20 percent of its worldwide portfolio, the majority of it wind power. In the U.S., green power purchases meet a third of its demand. Dell now buys roughly 116 million kWh each year, compared to 12 million kWh in 2004.
Although the company met its goal early, it will continue looking for ways to weave additional efficiencies into its operations, Parker said. In addition to electronics waste efforts and more efficient products, Dell plans to reduce and reuse 99 percent of its waste by 2012.
"We're at 95 percent now," Parker said. "The last 4 percent doesn't sound like a lot but it's the hardest part."

(via. ClimateBiz)

JCPenny is installing their solar systems and wind turbines for 200 stores by year 2011.

JCPenney Adds Solar and Wind Power to Its Green Program
By GreenerBuildings Staff, GreenerBuildings
Published August 15, 2008

PLANO, Texas -- J.C. Penney Company is advancing its environmental program by hosting solar power systems and a wind turbine and by setting a goal of attaining Energy Star status at 200 or more stores by 2011.
SunPower Corporation of San Jose, Calif., will install solar power systems on the rooftops of 10 JCPenney stores. Four are in California in the cities of El Cajon, Palmdale, Redlands and Santa Clarita. Six are in New Jersey in Cherry Hill, Deptford, East Brunswick, Freehold, Wayne and Woodbridge. The systems will be financed, owned and operated by a third-party financier, from which JCPenney will purchase the solar-generated electricity under a SunPower Access power purchase agreement.
Broadstar Wind Systems, based in Dallas, Texas, will provide the technology for a hosting arrangement that will bring a Broadstar building-mounted AeroCam wind turbine system to JCPenney's 1.6 million-square-foot distribution center in Reno, Nev. JCPenney will purchase electricity generated by the system from Broadstar...

read the whole story here

(via. GreenBiz)

Move Business Forward

More and more businesses go GREEN now and treat it simply as their "overall optimization strategy":

Green Manufacturing Can Help 'Move Business Forward'
By GreenBiz Staff
Published August 15, 2008

LONDON, UK -- Manufacturers increasingly see green initiatives as a way to move business forward through cost savings, improved efficiency and reputation boost, according to a new survey.
Eyefortransport (EFT) turned to 300 North American executives overseeing manufacturing, operations and supply chains to gauge adoption and perception of green efforts. The results showed a majority see the price barrier to green manufacturing shrinking and a view that environmentally friendly practices can be successfully combined with traditional business practices.
"When asked how they view green manufacturing initiatives, 84 percent told us that they see them as part of an overall optimization strategy," said Katharine O'Reilly, EFT's senior vice president of environmental research. "This marks a major sea change, and implies that environmental programs are becoming part of the standard arsenal of strategies employed to boost innovation and optimize operations."
Ninety-five percent of respondents in the "Green Manufacturing: Adoption & Implementation 2008" said green manufacturing will increase and expand. Two-thirds believe in the existence of markets for greener, more expensive products. Leading drivers toward greener operations include the contribution to sustainability strategies, response to consumer interest and improving reputation.
Forty-three percent said eco-initiatives improved their bottom lines through better product quality and increased efficiency. Most -- 65 percent -- turned to recycling and reuse programs, followed by water reduction programs (58 percent), continuous improvement (54 percent) and energy management (50 percent).

(via. GreenBiz)

All Solar!

Everything goes solar now!

Greencore's Solar-Powered Air Conditioner (Finally!)
by Michael Graham Richard, Gatineau, Canada on 08.11.08



Is any Technology more Overdue than Solar-Powered Air Conditioning?
We've been writing for many years about how solar-powered air conditioning is a big "duh!", and should be used more widely. After all, it's when you have lots of sun that you need A/C the most, and anything that helps smooth out peak demand on the electrical grid can help delay the construction of new polluting power plants.

Greencore's Solar A/C System
The Greencore 10200 comes in two models: a fixed one, and a mobile version (which can be had with 2 or 4 batteries). Using a single 170-watt solar panel, it can keep a 600 square-foot room cool. One of the good design decisions was to make it run on DC current, so no AC inverter is needed and conversion losses are avoided.

We're not quite sure what they're doing here, but it looks cool.

The Greencore solar A/C system is actually a hybrid; when the sun isn't shining, it can use power form the grid, during off-peak hours, to charge its batteries. This is the kind of load shifting that can save money and smooth out demand.

You can see some specs here (pdf).
Two high-profile clients of Greencore are McDonald's and the US Navy. Both of them are testing solar air conditioner units.

It can be used for modular classrooms and construction trailers.

Solar Air Conditioning

SolCool: A Solar Air Conditioner
Solar Powered Air Conditioning Just Makes Sense
Small-Scale Solar Powered Air Conditioning Is Here (in Spain, Anyways)
Solar-Powered Air Conditioner About To Be Released

More on Greencore Solar Air Conditioner

Greencore Website
Solar Powered Air Conditioner Released