These Artificial Leaves Can Absorb 10 Times More CO2 From The Air Than Real Leaves

Plants possess a natural ability to purify the air and produce energy while doing so. The ability is called photosynthesis and it is the process whereby plants use water and carbon dioxide from the air to produce carbohydrates using energy from the sun. Scientists have found a way to make this happen artificially. The thing is, they hadn’t been able to get these artificial leaves to work outside the lab because the lab leaves use pure, pressurized carbon dioxide from tanks, which is different than getting it out of the air.

An artificial, bio-inspired leaf. Carbon dioxide (red and black balls) enter the leaf as water (white and red balls) evaporates from the bottom of the leaf. An artificial photosystem (purple circle at the center of the leaf) made of a light absorber coated with catalysts converts carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide and converts water to oxygen (shown as double red balls) using sunlight.” (Image: Meenesh Singh).

But now, researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago have proposed a design solution that could change everything. Their idea just might be the leaves’ ticket out of the lab and into the environment. Their findings are reported in the journal ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering .“

Meenesh Singh, assistant professor of chemical engineering in the UIC College of Engineering and corresponding author on the paper, said:

“So far, all designs for artificial leaves that have been tested in the lab use carbon dioxide from pressurized tanks. In order to implement successfully in the real world, these devices need to be able to draw carbon dioxide from much more dilute sources, such as air and flue gas, which is the gas given off by coal-burning power plants.”

The only way that these artificial leaves will be able to collect and concentrate carbon dioxide (a potent greenhouse gas) from the air around us to drive their artificial photosynthetic reactions is if they are unhooked from the pressurized carbon dioxide supply.

Image: Meenesh Singh

Here’s how Singh and his colleague Aditya Prajapati, a graduate student in his lab, propose to solve this problem:

• The traditional artificial leaf is placed inside a water-filled capsule constructed out of a semi-permeable membrane.
• When the sunlight warms the water, it evaporates through the membrane – when that happens it gets the capsule to suck in carbon dioxide (co2).
• The CO2 that’s been sucked in then gets converted into carbon monoxide (CO) and oxygen by the artificial leaf inside the capsule.
• The carbon monoxide (CO) could be siphoned from the device and used to create synthetic fuels ranging from gasoline to methanol;
• And the oxygen could be released back into the environment or collected.

In other words, all they have to do is envelope the artificial leaf technology (that has already been developed and works but only in the lab) within this specialized membrane and the whole unit will be able to function outside, like a natural leaf. Furthermore, according to their research, they believe that an artificial leaf built around their design would be 10 times more efficient at converting CO2 to fuel than natural leaves.

Their calculations reveal that 360 of their artificial leaves, each 1.7 meters long and 0.2 meters wide, would generate about half a ton of CO daily, which can be used as a basis for synthetic fuels. If those leaves were to be spread out over 500 square meters, then they could reduce the CO2 levels in the air within 100 meters of the space by 10 percent in just one day.

Singh concludes:

“Our conceptual design uses readily available materials and technology, that when combined can produce an artificial leaf that is ready to be deployed outside the lab where it can play a significant role in reducing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.”

ORIGINAL: Intelligent Living

by Andrea D. Steffen
February 22, 2019

Solar FREAKING Roadways

Phase II Prototype Solar Parking Lot

Pet Friendly!

LEDs

Snow test - Heating elements (not the LEDs!) in the two center panels are activated.

Artist's rendition of interstate. Graphic design by Sam Cornett

Tractor test

Artist's rendition of downtown Sandpoint, Idaho - Home of Solar Roadways. Graphic design by Sam Cornett

Artist's rendition of downtown Sandpoint sidewalk. Graphic design by Sam Cornett

We are excited to announce that Indiegogo has asked us to join their InDemand program: It allows teams to continue raising funds for their projects.

We are very excited about this for many reasons:

We've had numerous requests since our original campaign ended: "Can I still donate?", "Can I still get a Solar Roadways perk?", "I'd love to be a part of this movement", etc. Many people hadn't even heard about Solar Roadways until after the campaign had ended. Now, everyone can join in and become a part of Solar Roadways history.

We're still in Research & Development, so we're not making a profit yet. Therefore, we can still use your help. One of the things on our wish list is to do some more civil engineering (road) testing. We would also love to make some of our own machinery. The more of the production we can do ourselves and the more we can streamline it, the more we can keep costs down. The more money we can raise, the faster we can proceed to make our product available to the world.

We received donations from 165 countries, which is a clear indication that the world is ready for the paradigm shift Solar Roadways will become. We can't tell you what that level of support and encouragement has meant to us.

Since our original campaign, countless supporters have expressed what it means to them to help us spread the word. We need an educational component to create momentum. People tell us that the bumper stickers they put on their cars, the tote bags in their shopping carts, and the pendants around their necks provide a fun and effortless way for them to start conversations with others and we so appreciate that!

U.S. Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID) talks about Solar Roadways

Years ago, when the phrase "Global Warming" began gaining popularity, we started batting around the idea of replacing asphalt and concrete surfaces with solar panels that could be driven upon. We thought of the "black box" on airplanes: We didn't know what material that black box was made of, but it seemed to be able to protect sensitive electronics from the worst of airline crashes.

Suppose we made a section of road out of this material and housed solar cells to collect energy, which could pay for the cost of the panel, thereby creating a road that would pay for itself over time. What if we added LEDs to "paint" the road lines from beneath, lighting up the road for safer night time driving? What if we added a heating element in the surface (like the defrosting wire in the rear window of our cars) to prevent snow/ice accumulation in northern climates? The ideas and possibilities just continued to roll in and the Solar Roadway project was born.

Our latest video - Google's Solve for X Solar Roadways presentation

What if roads and parking lots were solar, fueling enough energy from the sun to power nearby communities as well as electric vehicles? Scott and Julie Brusaw, the inventors/creators have the answer.

Join the conversation and tweet #SOLARROADWAY to have your tweet featured on the GE FOCUS FORWARD website. Go to focusforwardfilms.com/films/30/solar-roadways to see the discussion.

Watch more GE FOCUS FORWARD films at vimeo.com/focusforwardfilms/films.

Diamond Lane Films

DIRECTED AND PRODUCED BY - Michèle Ohayon

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY - Theo van de Sande A.S.C.

EDITOR - Jamal El Amin

MUSIC - Davy & Yoann Bernagoult

SOUND - Fernanda Starling

RE-RECORDING MIXER - Michael Bard C.A.S.

ADDITIONAL EDITING - Edgar Burcksen, A.C.E.

ANIMATION - Dan Walden, Martin Ehleben

LINE PRODUCER, LA - Joel Sadilek

GRAPHICS - Patrick Bielski

LA PA - Jonathan VU

IDAHO PA - Dave Hussey

Short documentary by Michele Ohayon

In 2009, we received a contract from the Federal Highway Administration to build the first ever Solar Road Panel prototype. During the course of its construction, we learned many lessons and discovered new and better ways to approach this project. These methods and discoveries are discussed throughout this website. Please enjoy and send us any questions that you may have. For Phase I pictures, please visit our Phase I Prototype page.

  This YERT video is featured in their full-length documentary, now being screened across the U.S. For a screening or presentation near you, click on the following "YERT plate":

After successful completion of the Phase I SBIR contract, we were awarded a follow-up 2-year Phase II $750,000 SBIR contract by the Federal Highway Administration beginning in 2011. With this award, a 36-foot by 12-foot prototype parking lot (108 prototype Solar Road Panels) was built and then tested under all weather and sunlight conditions. For Phase II pictures, please visit our Phase II Prototype page.

Scott presented the Solar Roadways at a TEDx Talk in Sacramento on April 16th, 2010. He was given 18 minutes for "The talk of his life" and it went great!

Everyone has power. No more power shortages, no more roaming power outages, no more need to burn coal (50% of greenhouse gases). Less need for fossil fuels and less dependency upon foreign oil. Much less pollution. How about this for a long term advantage: an electric road allows all-electric vehicles to recharge anywhere: rest stops, parking lots, etc. They would then have the same range as a gasoline-powered vehicle. Internal combustion engines would become obsolete. Our dependency on oil would come to an abrupt end.

It's time to upgrade our infrastructure - roads and power grid - to the 21st century.

Short Documentary about Solar Roadways

The basic building block of what has been dubbed by its creators, electrical engineer Scott Brusaw and his wife Julie, a solar roadway. It could one day make for a highway built of 0.4 –square-meter hexagonal panels, a hodge podge of green circuit boards surrounding 36-watts worth of blue solar panels, all covered in thick, bumpy glass for safety and traction.

The idea is to put unused roadway to good use (generating electricity) while also providing an electronic means for lane shifts, driver messages and other utilities. Bonus: solar roadways obviate the need for an electric grid by including a “Cable Corridor” right in the side of the roadway that eliminates the need for power lines running alongside it. And if outfitted with sensors as well the solar highway could transmit real time traffic data or other information of interest. The novel idea has been around for a few years now, bursting back into prominence this summer thanks to a new crowdfunding campaign to support further research and development that garnered $2.2 million before closing on June 20.

Read more http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/2014/07/10/hard-road-ahead-for-solar-freakin-roadways/

Official website of Scott Brusaw's Solar FREAKIN' Roadways http://www.solarroadways.com www.facebook.com/solarroadways

Scott presented the Solar Roadways at a TEDx Talk in Sacramento on April 16th, 2010. He was given 18 minutes for "The talk of his life" and it went great!

Everyone has power. No more power shortages, no more roaming power outages, no more need to burn coal (50% of greenhouse gases). Less need for fossil fuels and less dependency upon foreign oil. Much less pollution. How about this for a long term advantage: an electric road allows all-electric vehicles to recharge anywhere: rest stops, parking lots, etc. They would then have the same range as a gasoline-powered vehicle. Internal combustion engines would become obsolete. Our dependency on oil would come to an abrupt end. 

It's time to upgrade our infrastructure - roads and power grid - to the 21st century.

ORIGINAL: Solar Roadways

How Africa's fastest solar power project is lighting up Rwanda

East African plant is completed in less than a year – creating jobs and setting the country on the path to providing half its population with electricity by 2017

The 8.5MW solar power plant, set among Rwanda’s famed green hills, has been operational since July 2014. Photograph: Cyril Ndegeya / AFP for the Guardian

“Arise, shine for your light has come,” reads a sign at the entrance to the first major solar power farm in east Africa.

The 8.5 megawatt (MW) power plant in Rwanda is designed so that, from a bird’s-eye view, it resembles the shape of the African continent. “Right now we’re in Somalia,” jokes Twaha Twagirimana, the plant supervisor, during a walkabout of the 17-hectare site.

The plant is also evidence, not only of renewable energy’s increasing affordability, but how nimble it can be. The $23.7m (£15.6m) solar field went from contract signing to construction to connection in just a year, defying sceptics of Africa’s ability to realise projects fast.

The setting is magnificent amid Rwanda’s famed green hills, within view of Lake Mugesera, 60km east of the capital, Kigali. Some 28,360 solar panels sit in neat rows above wild grass where inhabitants include puff adders. Tony Blair and Bono have recently taken the tour.

From dawn till dusk the computer-controlled photovoltaic panels, each 1.9 sq metres, tilt to track the sun from east to west, improving efficiency by 20% compared to stationary panels. The panels are from China while the inverters and transformers are from Germany.

The plant’s construction has created 350 local jobs and increased Rwanda’s generation capacity by 6%, powering more than 15,000 homes. All this is crucial in an economy that, 21 years after the genocide, is expanding fast and aims to give half its population access to electricity by 2017.

Twagirimana, one of five full-time staff on-site, said: “The Rwandan government is in desperate need of energy. In 2013 they only had 110 megawatts. They wanted solar to increase capacity.”

The government agreed to a joint bid by Gigawatt Global, Norfund and Scatec Solar, backed by Barack Obama’s Power Africa initiative. Construction began in February 2014 and was finished by July. “It’s the fastest project in Africa.”

Its first year produced an estimated 15 million kilowatt hours, sending power to a substation 9km away, which has prompted mixed views in local communities. Twagirimana, 32, explained: “The neighbours say they want energy direct from here because they think it would be cheaper. It’s not true. We sell to the utility. Even our building gets power from the grid.”

The solar field is linked to a central server in Oslo and can be monitored remotely via the internet. Twagirimana believes it could be a template for the continent. “We have plenty of sun. Some are living in remote areas where there is no energy. Solar will be the way forward for African countries.”

The project is built on land owned by the Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village, where 512 young people are offered schooling and extracurricular activities. Photograph: Cyril Ndegeya / AFP for the Guardian

The project is built on land owned by the Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village, whose mission is to care for Rwanda’s most vulnerable children orphaned before and after the genocide. This lease provides the biggest source of income to the six-year-old village, currently home to 512 young people who are offered schooling and extracurricular activities.

Jean-Claude Nkulikiyimfura, director of the village, said: “The project is probably the fastest: in less than a year it was up and going. It’s bringing a lot of visits from anyone interested in project development, and it brings some visibility for us. It’s something quite unique and we’re proud to be partners in it.”

Some of the village’s young people have received training at the solar site and one worked on the project. Other spin-offs have included a partnership to make solar panels for 250,000 homes. Nkulikiyimfura, 40, added: “Renewable energy is the way to go and we’re really proud to have it here. It shows what’s really possible when government works with the public and private sectors.”

One village member, 18-year-old Bella Kabatesi, who lost her parents to illness when she was four, has used solar power to design a night light at a memorial to the village’s late founder. “The big solar plant is going to help the people and the country because it’s cheaper than main electrical power,” she said.

Rwanda has been both criticised for trampling on human rights and praised for its unswerving focus on development and getting things done. Chaim Motzen, Gigawatt Global’s co-founder and managing director, and a solar industry pioneer in Israel, said: “Rwanda had 110 megawatts on the grid for a population of 12 million people; Israel has 13,000 megawatts for 8 million people. There was a desperate need for more energy.

This $24m project is the first utility-scale, grid-connected, commercial solar field in east Africa that has increased Rwanda’s generation capacity by 6%. Photograph: Sameer Halai/SunFunder/Gigawatt Global

“Rwanda has an excellent business environment – no corruption – and that played a role. I also think they were serious about wanting to move quickly. We had good partners on the ground. It’s now being used as a model: you can do energy deals quickly and get things done. It’s a catalyst for future projects in Rwanda and hopefully not just in Rwanda to inspire others to do what we’re doing.”

Solar energy is a key element in Africa’s future, Motzen believes. “Is it the only solution? No, because solar is intermittent. But will it be a major part of the solution? I believe it will.” Yosef Abramowitz, president of Gigawatt Global, told a US government delegation and Bono at a site visit in August: “We have decoupled GDP growth from emissions growth. What you have heard is that we are 6% of a country’s generation capacity without adding any emissions. It is a false choice in Paris [the climate summit] and this is the proof test to be able to break that deadlock so that the world can go solar.”

ORIGINAL: The Guardian
David Smith, Rwamagana, Rwanda
23 November 2015

Watch Elon Musk announce Tesla Energy in the best tech keynote I've ever seen

I've watched a lot of handsomely paid CEOs get on stages for keynote presentations over the past decade, and none were as good as the one I saw Elon Musk give Thursday night in California as he introduced Tesla's new battery system. I'm sure many people will disagree — I mean, how can you compete with Steve Jobs introducing the iPhone in 2007 — but ultimately Jobs was selling a better smartphone. Musk is selling a better future.

I'm not saying Musk is going to succeed, or that you should go buy Tesla's battery. There are lots of ways to save the world and cut down on fossil fuels, and Tesla's plan isn't the first. I'm just happy to see a presentation that was genuinely exciting and inspiring — a sales pitch for a tech product that's honest, and not treated like the second-coming of Jesus. It's really obvious why so many tech reporters become jaded. Too many tech visionaries pretend like every footprint they leave is going to radically change everything and make the world a better place to live in. We get it. You made a slightly thinner phone from last year's model. You made an app that sends the word "Yo" to someone. Enjoy it while it lasts.

DUDE'S SELLING A BATTERY AND HE STILL MANAGED TO BE INSPIRING

Here's what I loved about Musk's presentation. 

• First of all, it was short, clocking in at about 20 minutes. Musk didn't waste anybody's time. He used that time to present a problem of critical importance (eliminating humanity's use of fossil fuels), explained how it can be addressed, and offered a plausible solution in the form of a new product — one that's priced within reach of a lot of people and available to order. Amazingly, all of those things are actually pretty rare to see in one show. Tesla's presentation was inspiring, and Musk wasn't selling some fancy sci-fi trinket that has the benefit of Star Trek nostalgia. Dude was selling a battery.
• But aside from all the technical details I enjoyed, what I liked most was Musk's humble tenor. His ambitions often seem scattershot and sometimes ridiculous, and he probably spends too much time worrying about killer AI, but tonight he seemed confident and focused. Most importantly, he spoke to the audience with a frank tone that didn't feel manipulative or canned. There were no overdone theatrics here, just an honest conversation about how a new product might solve a major problem. The humility and ambition don't just seem to be a show; Tesla has already opened some of its patents to competitors, and announced tonight that it would even open its Gigafactory plans to others.

Take notes, suits of Silicon Valley. This is how you do it right.

ORIGINAL: The Verge

By T.C. Sottek

on May 1, 2015 01:51 am

ORIGINAL: TeslaEnergy.com

Energy Storage for a Sustainable Home

Powerwall is a home battery that charges using electricity generated from solar panels, or when utility rates are low, and powers your home in the evening. It also fortifies your home against power outages by providing a backup electricity supply. Automated, compact and simple to install, Powerwall offers independence from the utility grid and the security of an emergency backup.

MORNING DEMAND    PEAKSOLAR      EVENING DEMAND

Solar Powered Day and Night

The average home uses more electricity in the morning and evening than during the day when solar energy is plentiful. Without a home battery, excess solar energy is often sold to the power company and purchased back in the evening. This mismatch adds demand on power plants and increases carbon emissions. Powerwall bridges this gap between renewable energy supply and demand by making your home’s solar energy available to you when you need it.

Avoid Paying Peak RatesPower companies often charge a higher price for electricity during peak evening hours than overnight when demand is low. Powerwall can reduce your power bill by storing electricity when rates are low and powering your home when rates are high.

Energy SecurityPowerwall automatically switches to battery power in the event of an electric company outage, bringing peace of mind to those who live in areas prone to storms or unreliable utility grids.

Beautifully Functional

Current generation home batteries are bulky, expensive to install and expensive to maintain. In contrast, Powerwall’s lithium ion battery inherits Tesla’s proven automotive battery technology to power your home safely and economically. Completely automated, it installs easily and requires no maintenance.

Capacity

Powerwall comes in 10 kWh weekly cycle and 7 kWh daily cycle models. Both are guaranteed for ten years and are sufficient to power most homes during peak evening hours. Multiple batteries may be installed together for homes with greater energy need, up to 90 kWh total for the 10 kWh battery and 63 kWh total for the 7 kWh battery.

Multiple batteries may be installed together.

Specs

• Technology
  Wall mounted, rechargeable lithium ion battery with liquid thermal control.
• Models10 kWh $3,500
  For backup applications
  7 kWh $3,000
  For daily cycle applications
• Warranty
  10 years
• Efficiency
  92% round-trip DC efficiency
• Power
  2.0 kW continuous, 3.3 kW peak
• Voltage
  350 – 450 volts
• Current
  5.8 amp nominal, 8.6 amp peak output

• Compatibility
  Single phase and three phase utility grid compatible.
• Operating Temperature
  -4°F to 110°F / -20°C to 43°C
• Enclosure
  Rated for indoor and outdoor installation.
• Installation
  Requires installation by a trained electrician. DC-AC inverter not included.
• Weight
  220 lbs / 100 kg
• Dimensions
  51.2" x 33.9" x 7.1"
  1300 mm x 860 mm x 180 mm
• Certification
  NRTL listed to UL standards

How much electricity does my home use?
Common household electricity consumption.

• 
  Flat Screen TV0.1 kWh /hr
• 
  Lights Per Room0.1 kWh /hr
• 
  Laptop0.05 kWh /hr
• 
  Refrigerator4.8 kWh /day
• 
  Clothes Washer2.3 kWh each use

'Breathtaking' solar eclipse witnessed by millions. Solar Eclipse: Stargazing Live 2015

Stargazing Live's Liz Bonnin watched the eclipse from a plane.

Millions of people in the UK and northern Europe have glimpsed the best solar eclipse in years.

A great swathe of the Earth's surface was plunged into darkness as the Moon came between us and the Sun.

From an aeroplane above the Faroe Islands, a BBC camera crew captured startling footage of the event reaching totality at 09:41 GMT.

The deep shadow formed first in the North Atlantic and then swept up into the Arctic, ending at the North Pole.

Brilliant beads People keen to catch a glimpse of the rare phenomenon were advised not to look directly at it.

Looking directly at the Sun can cause serious harm, and skywatchers were directed to the multiple ways to catch an eclipse safely and in comfort.

This morning, Professor Brian Cox, Dara O'Briain and Liz Bonnin brought us coverage of the breathtaking solar eclipse, live.

From an aeroplane above the Faroe Islands, the team captured this startling footage of the event which reached totality at 09:41 GMT.

In pictures: Solar eclipse

People across the UK and northern Europe have gathered to see the best solar eclipse in years. A path across the Earth's surface was plunged into darkness when the Moon covered up the Sun.

The Faroe Islands and Svalbard in the Arctic Circle were the only places to experience a total eclipse.

The Solar-Powered, Recycled House That Will Let Us Float in Style

1

If you've ever considered trading your house for a life on the water, but don't fancy the idea of cramped, below deck living quarters, then this floating, solar-powered home, designed by renowned Italian architect Giancarlo Zema, might be just the thing for you.

As our climate warms and sea levels continue rise, our coastlines will change irrevocably. EcoFloLife, the firm behind Zema's "Waternest 100," has spent years designing a new generation of energy-efficient homes to accommodate our changing planet and lives. The 1,000 square foot Waternest 100 is made from recycled timber and a recycled aluminum hull. The design includes skylights, balconies, and large windows that offer sweeping views of the natural surroundings. The roof is essentially a giant solar panel, and best of all, the home can be set to float atop any calm body of water.

Here are some sneak peeks the floating homes that may one day pepper our waterways:

2

3

Hey, even if our world gets swallowed by water, at least we'll be able to float away in style. [EcoFloLife vis Designboom]

All images courtesy of the Giancarlo Zema Design Group

ORIGINAL: Gizmodo

Maddie Stone

Dramatic solar tsunamis reveal magnetic secrets in sun's corona

ORIGINAL: LATimes

By Amina Khan

July 12, 2013

This image from the Solar Dynamics Observatory shows the "quiet corona" and upper transition region of the sun. A study tracking solar tsunamis through the sun's plasma shows that the quiet corona may not be so quiet after all. (Solar Dynamics Observatory / NASA)

If tsunamis on Earth don’t seem terrifying enough, imagine the power of such a monstrous wave on the sun -- bigger, faster and made of searing plasma. Scientists have spotted two solar tsunamis that have allowed them to accurately measure the sun's magnetic field. The results, published by the journal Solar Physics, should help researchers better understand the makeup of the sun’s "quiet corona" and help predict when coronal mass ejections threaten Earth.

Solar tsunamis, spotted initially in 1997, are caused when a coronal mass ejection is hurled from the sun out into space. The eruption of charged matter pushes the surrounding plasma outward, sending out a circular wave that can travel 620 miles per second and cover half the sun’s surface in an hour, said study lead author David Long, a solar physicist at University College London.

Using NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory and the Japanese Hinode spacecraft, the researchers managed to capture two solar tsunamis in action, rising about 43,500 miles high and speeding along at roughly 250 miles per second. Having data from both spacecraft was key. Using NASA’s spacecraft, they tracked the tsunami by watching the ultraviolet light given off as the wave progressed. Using data from the Japanese spacecraft, they determined the density of the matter it was traveling through.

“In both of these events we were just in the right place — wasn’t too close, wasn’t too far away,” Long said.

That’s because as the tsunami spreads outward somewhat like a ripple, it gets distorted by the material it passes through. It will travel faster in denser areas and slower in less dense ones, Long said, because in dense areas the molecules are tightly packed together and can quickly relay the wave along. In sparser areas there might be a slight delay before one molecule runs into the next. The resulting raggedy circles showed that the wave was running through patchy star stuff rather than a smooth, homogeneous medium.

Together, this information allowed the scientists to determine what the density, and the magnetic field, looked like in the less active areas of the sun’s atmosphere known as the quiet corona.

"The fact that it gets deformed means that there are variations in the magnetic field of the solar atmosphere, which was very interesting," Long said. "There’s a lot more going on there than we originally thought."

Understanding a solar tsunami could also help scientists better predict the arrival of a coronal mass ejection. If such a burst of charged particles reaches Earth, it can wreak havoc on the globe’s power, electronics and navigation systems.

"If a coronal mass ejection is coming straight at you, it’s very difficult to measure its speed; it’s very difficult to measure how powerful it is," Long said. "So we are hoping that by looking at these waves, we’d be able to tell something about coronal mass ejections, which would be very useful for space weather forecasting."

amina.khan@latimes.com

Printed solar cells the size of a ballpoint pen tip are tiny, but mighty

ORIGINAL: Smart Planet

By Kirsten Korosec

December 15, 2011, 11:07 AM PST

12Comments

Startup Semprius took the transfer-printing technology it originally developed for flexible electronics and applied it to solar cells. What did they create in return? Tiny solar cells — each a dot the size of a ballpoint pen tip — able to convert 41 percent of solar energy into electricity using low-cost lenses to concentrate the sun more than 1,000 times.

The Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Lab announced Wednesday it had recently validated the 41 percent efficiency of the company’s solar cells. Semprius was selected by the DOE and NREL as one of its PV Incubator (now called SunShot) companies. The startup, which began at the University of Illinois, has piqued the interest and investment dollars of venture capitalists and power gear giant Siemens. Last June, Siemens took its partnership with Semprius considerably further and bought a 16-percent stake in the company.

How it works

Semprius makes solar concentrating photovoltaics — a clean-energy mashup of solar panels and solar thermal tech — that uses mirrors and lenses to concentrate light from the sun onto super-efficient cells.

Semprius makes the array of gallium arsenide-based micro cells by growing a semiconductor on a substrate and then using a machine to rapidly transfer it to a wafer. Layers are added to create a triple-junction solar cell. This patented micro-transfer printing process allows thousands of cells to be stamped at once.

The triple-junction cells are tiny and occupy only one-one thousandth of the entire solar module area. Lenses are then used to concentrate light on the tiny solar cells.

Each solar cell’s tiny footprint and the low-cost lenses allow modules to pack more power in a smaller space. And by using lots of small cells, unwanted waste heat is distributed more easily over the cell’s structure and eliminates the need for expensive thermal management hardware, according to the NREL. The upshot? Semprius execs say it can slash manufacturing costs by 50 percent.

Solar concentrating PV does have its drawbacks. The technology tends to have more parts than traditional PV, which can add to the cost of building and maintaining a large-scale project. In other words, there’s room for companies like Semprius to use innovation to reduce costs of CPV.

A few CPV solar companies have had success. For example, California-based Amonix is supplying a concentrating PV system for a 30-megawatt solar farm near Alamosa. Its system, which is manufactured in the U.S., powers a 5-megawatt powe plant owned by NextEra Energy in New Mexico. The company also received $4.5 million from the DOE to develop a new dual axis tracking system as part of the agency’s SunShot program, which aims to cut solar costs to $1 per watt.

Photo: NREL

Related:

Earthship Design Principles

ORIGINAL: http://earthship.com/design-principles.html

Today in an Earthship: 94º outside, 70º inside.
Every day in an Earthship: no air conditioning, no utility bills, no blackouts.

1. Thermal/Solar Heating & Cooling: Earthships maintain comfortable temperatures in any climate. The planet Earth is a thermally stabilizing mass that delivers temperature without wire or pipes. The sun is a nuclear power plant that also delivers without wires or pipes.
2. Solar & Wind Electricity Earthships produce their own electricity with a prepackaged photovoltaic / wind power system. This energy is stored in batteries and supplied to your electrical outlets. Earthships can have multiple sources of power, all automated, including grid-intertie.
3. Contained Sewage Treatment Earthships contain use and reuse all household sewage in indoor and outdoor treatment cells resulting in food production and landscaping with no pollution of aquifers. Toilets flush with greywater that does not smell.
4. Building with Natural & Recycled Materials House as Assemblage of by-products: A sustainable home must make use of indigenous materials, those occurring naturally in the local area.
5. Water Harvesting Earthships catch water from the sky (rain & snow melt) and use it four times. Water is heated from the sun, biodiesel and/or natural gas. Earthships can have city water as backup. Earthships do not pollute underground water aquifers.
6. Food Production Earthship wetlands, the planters that hold hundreds of gallons of water from sinks and the shower are a great place for raising some of the fresh produce you’d like to have in the winter, but find expensive or bland tasting from the supermarket.

Earthship Design Principles

Radically Sustainable Buildings

Retrofit your home / office with Earthship Biotecture.

Add some or all of the Earthship Systems to your building.

Click here to contact us for more information

Reduce and even eliminate your utility bills.

Get ALL of your electricity from the sun and the wind.

Catch water from the sky for drinking, bathing, cleaning, showering, washing, flushing, etc.

Contain and treat ALL of the sewage you produce in a healthy and beautiful way.

Maintain comfortable temperatures in your building ALL year long, in any climate. Reduce or even eliminate your heating and cooling bills.

In-Depth: Tûranor PlanetSolar Ship

ORIGINAL: GearPatrol 

By Amos Kwon on 5.17.12 | Photo by PlanetSolar

Follow @gearpatrol

Photo: PlanetSolar

A big green vision for the deep blue sea

Every so often, your average citizen does something remarkable. But dreaming big and actualizing that dream don’t often happen unless you’re Sir Richard Branson or James Cameron. In the case of Switzerland’s Raphael Domjan, the dream has become a reality no one could have forseen. The Tûranor PlanetSolar was birthed from a vision by Domjan. In 2008, with a background in electrical engineering and an active spirit of adventure (having experience as a pilot, paramedic and mountaineer), Mr. Domjan began to plan his life’s desire to be the first to circumnavigate the world on a purely solar-powered ship. What started as an overwhelming obstacle was soon overcome by his insatiable thirst for this monumental adventure.

Domjan began his quest by both seeking and obtaining the involvement and investment of M. Immo Ströher, a German businessman who took great interest in the project. Mr. Ströher, himself, possessed a longstanding background in solar technology, so his participation was fueled by passions similar to Mr. Domjan’s. Soon enough, the two were working together with designer Craig Loomes of New Zealand to build a single-hull light carbon catamaran of extraordinary size. Using modern shipbuilding technology, as well as testing in aerodynamics and hydrodynamics to make the ship as efficient as possible, Loomes lent his experience to create a truly unique vessel. In a short two-year period, the Tûranor PlanetSolar was created in the shipyards of Kiel, Germany’s Knierim Yacthbau. The Tûranor PlanetSolar stands as a distinct seacraft that measures 35 meters long and 23 meters wide in full deployment.

The Tûranor PlanetSolar is powered solely from 537 square meters of photovoltaic panels strewn across its expansive deck, making it look like a cathedral window-shaped mirrored dance floor. But this dance floor is propelled by four permanent magnet synchronous electrical motors, two at 60kW and two at 10kW, that together provide a top speed of 16 mph. Though that doesn’t seem especially fast, keep in mind that the ship’s weight is 85 metric tons. This ultra efficient set up can easily move a four person crew and up to 40 passengers in quiet seagoing comfort. The shape of the craft lends to its efficiency, cutting through the wind with relative ease for a ship this size, and the Tûranor PlanetSolar is on record as the largest solar powered ship in the world.

THE SHAPE OF THE CRAFT LENDS TO ITS EFFICIENCY, CUTTING THROUGH THE WIND WITH RELATIVE EASE FOR A SHIP THIS SIZE…

Domjan and crew embarked on their world tour in September of 2010 from beautiful Monaco, heading westward. The ship has made key stops in Miami, Cancun, Brisbane, Tahiti, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore and Abu Dhabi and recently completed their long and storied journey after 584 days of circumnavigation, returning to their point of origin. After a period of docking and maintenance the ship will be used for luxury yachting, as well as for exclusive cruises. The Tûranor PlanetSolar has indeed reached its visionary’s goal of making an exclamation on environmental conservation, world travel and technological creativity, and the world has surely taken notice. Tûranor PlanetSolar obtained two world records in the process:

• the fastest crossing of the Atlantic Ocean by a solar-powered ship, and 
• the farthest distance of travel by a solar vehicle.

Whether you’re a petrolhead or treehugger, PlanetSolar is undoubtedly a colossal achievement worthy of applause. Either way, here’s hoping we can score a stow away ride back to Tahiti.

Learn More: Here at Planet Solar