New and experimental solar projects and concepts for do it yourselfers. This system is a combined PV and solar thermal system. Conventional PV panels are mounted above the roof plane leaving a space between the roof and the bottom of the PV panels. The top and sides of the PV array are sealed to the roof. Fresh air is drawn in under the PV panels along the open bottom edge, and is heated as it progresses up between the hot PV panels and the roof. Vents at the top of the array take the heated air into the house and use the heated air to heat domestic water and/or for space heating.
The PVT website does its best to not provide much of any useful detail on how the system is built -- the links to the left are the best I could find -- let me know if you find a more detailed description. From a thermal point of view, the system is basically an unglazed collector that takes in ambient air and heats it all the way up to temperatures good for space heating (most solar heating systems get a head start by heating room temp air up). Solar power could get boost from new light absorption design. Solar power may be on the rise, but solar cells are only as efficient as the amount of sunlight they collect.
Under the direction of a new McCormick professor, researchers have developed a new material that absorbs a wide range of wavelengths and could lead to more efficient and less expensive solar technology. A paper describing the findings, "Broadband polarization-independent resonant light absorption using ultrathin plasmonic super absorbers," was published November 1 in the journal Nature Communications. "The solar spectrum is not like a laser -- it's very broadband, starting with UV and going up to near-infrared," said Koray Aydin, assistant professor of electrical engineering and computer science and the paper's lead author. "To capture this light most efficiently, a solar cell needs to have a broadband response.
If applied to semiconducting materials, the technology could lead to thinner, lower-cost, and more efficient solar cells, he said. Dyeing to Boost Solar Efficiency by 50% Clean Power Published on July 14th, 2008 | by Michelle Bennett MIT has perfected a dye technology that could change the solar world as we know it. The most efficient form of solar technology today is (arguably) extreme concentrated photovoltaics, essentially solar panels placed under a magnifying glass.
But the problem with these systems is heat. Concentrated sunlight can melt silicon solar panels unless you include specialized cooling systems. Cooling technology costs money, and the panels require expensive tracking mechanisms to follow the sun through the day. Thin coatings of organic dyes absorb sunlight and redirect favored wavelengths into a pane of glass.
The idea is not new, but its founders in the 70s could not overcome technical challenges. “In addition, the focused light increases the electrical power obtained from each solar cell “by a factor of over 40.” " Three Reasons Why This Could Rock the Solar World: But nothing is certain. Images via the MIT website More on Solar Power: 13-Year-Old Makes Solar Power Breakthrough by Harnessing the Fibonacci Sequence. While most 13-year-olds spend their free time playing video games or cruising Facebook, one 7th grader was trekking through the woods uncovering a mystery of science. After studying how trees branch in a very specific way, Aidan Dwyer created a solar cell tree that produces 20-50% more power than a uniform array of photovoltaic panels. His impressive results show that using a specific formula for distributing solar cells can drastically improve energy generation.
The study earned Aidan a provisional U.S patent – it’s a rare find in the field of technology and a fantastic example of how biomimicry can drastically improve design. Photo by Cristian Bortes Aidan Dwyer took a hike through the trees last winter and took notice of patterns in the mangle of branches. To see why they branch this way he built a small solar array using the Fibonacci formula, stepping cells at specific intervals and heights. His results did turn out to be incorrect though. Via Treehugger. Turn Steel Into Solar Panels With Photovoltaic Spray Paint. No, it's not a joke or a crazy awesome futuristic concept . It's real. Tata Steel Europe (formerly Corus) and Swansea University in Wales, UK are collaborating to develop a spray-on technology that would transform steel sheets into solar panels. Earth and Industry says , The technology has significant applications since it is highly efficient even in diffused sunlight.
Therefore, countries at higher latitudes or those with limited solar energy resource can generate significant amounts of solar-powered electricity with going for large-scale power plants. If extended, the technology can find its way to the automobile industry where photo-sensitive dyes can be applied to cars to generate electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen for fuel cells. Tata recently invested in an American company, Sun Catalytix, which integrates low-cost catalyst with solar-powered fuel cells to generate power. Imagine the applications of such a product. The power options could be limitless.
Scientists Develop Affordable Solar Panels That Work In The Dark. It's about damn time, don't you think? Scientists at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory announced Wednesday that they have been able to confirm a new high-efficiency solar cell design that utilizes nearly the entire solar spectrum. Translation: They figured out a way to make solar panels generate electricity in the dark. CleanTechnica says , In earlier trials, the researchers used different alloys that achieved full spectrum responses but involved very high production costs. The advantage of gallium arsenide nitride is that it is very similar to a conventional semiconductor, gallium arsenide, and it can be produced with a commonly used fabrication method involving chemical vapor deposition.
The Lawrence Berkeley breakthrough represents just one path to increasing the efficiency and lowering the cost of solar cells. In the meantime, you could just turn any metal surface into solar panels with photovoltaic spray paint . [Photo: Norby /Flickr] Top 10 Solar Technologies to Watch Out For. Solar Energy Published on October 11th, 2009 | by Derek Markham Solar power technology is moving forward by leaps and bounds, with some new advancements being built out into usable installations virtually every day.
Design concepts once thought to be ‘pie in the sky’ ideas are being implemented, and making a simple solar panel array look like old-school technology. While it may be some time before you see some of these solar technologies in use, chances are it will be sooner rather than later, so keep your eyes on these: 1. Water Cooled Solar Panels: The Pyron Solar Triad uses a specially designed, short focal-length, acrylic concentrating lens to reflect and refracts the light, effectively concentrating it to equal the power of 6,500 suns in a small pinpoint of light. 2.
“The idea is to use solar panels to power the electrolyzer to produce hydrogen which would be stored in tanks. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Tags: solar technology About the Author. Solar goes Hyper in the U.S. As the U.S. government continues to heap billions in subsidies to the world's wealthiest coal and oil companies, the solar industry has been struggling to make it in the United States.
This is sad for many reasons, not the least of which is that we're missing out on one of the biggest growth industries in the world. Currently there are 16 gigawatts of installed solar power globally. That number will grow to about 1,800 gigawatts in the next 20 years, making it one of the best job creators. U.S. engineers invented the solar panel, and the U.S. should be dominating that market. Instead, foreign manufacturers (particularly in China) have taken our IP and run with it, as we become increasingly dependent on foreign oil and dirty coal operations to meet our power needs.
Fortunately HyperSolar, a new U.S. company, offers a ray of sunny hope on the clean energy frontier. The company does not manufacture solar panels. Innovations like this make several recent reports ring true. Foil Solar Panels for Windows (VERY Easy) Build one an hour! NOTE: the longer the panel that is exposed to the sun the hotter the air gets as it rises. Let me explain on this page, so you understand why these panels work: At the bottom of the panel the air will enter at room temperature and be lifted through the panel (hot air rises)... as the heated air rises, it is exponentially being heated the more it travels before exiting the panel.
Additionally, the black Cinefoil is very thin which heats quickly even on days where the sun goes in and out. The longer the panel is exposed to the sun, the better it will work. The black Cinefoil is THINNER than pop or beer cans... This panel is only 3/4 of an inch thick and weighs in at less than a couple pounds. On a partly cloudy day the black foil collector reached about 150 degrees (during the sunny times) and on days where the sun was without a cloud in the sky, the foil reached 185 degrees. The only hard to find part of this panel is the Cinefoil which can be bought from my website RedbarnCrafts.com. Artificial sunlight. Artificial sunlight is the use of a light source to simulate sunlight where the unique characteristics of sunlight are needed, but where sufficient natural sunlight is not available or is not feasible. [citation needed] A light source used to simulate sunlight is a solar simulator.
Composition of natural sunlight[edit] Solar irradiance spectrum above atmosphere and at surface The spectrum of electromagnetic radiation striking the Earth's atmosphere is 100 to 106 nanometer (nm). Ultraviolet C or (UVC) rangeUltraviolet B or (UVB) rangeUltraviolet A or (UVA) rangeVisible range or lightInfrared range. Applications[edit] Illumination[edit] It has been claimed that artificial light sources that provide the light of the closest possible spectrum as provided by the Sun have beneficial effects on health and productivity.
Light therapy[edit] Artificial sunlight may also be useful in prevention, or minimizing the severity of jet lag.[4] Aquarium lighting[edit] Product testing[edit] References[edit] Project : Atomic Sun. Progress and innovation let us build a world that departs increasingly from the environment for which we evolved. To resolve the mismatch between our genetic disposition and the world we build, we must either adapt our environment or adapt ourselves. Winters are pretty dark up here, some days I'm not sure the sun even rises. So, I built this lamp. Its on a timer, and functions to keep the circadian rhythm intact. These are instructions for building a very bright lamp with 20 bulbs and a truncated icosahedral core. Development set me back about 120 total ( bulbs included ), but you should be able to build this for as little as 40 not including the light-bulbs or cost of plastic.
Parts : Materials: electrical tapesuper-glue ( I used Gorilla brand ) Tools: Pliers3D printerrazor knifewire cutterswire strippersPhillip's head screwdriver Assembly: First print out the indicated quantity of all printed parts. The orientation of the socket within the bracket will matter later. The next step is tricky. Make your own Solar Bag. Harnessing the Power of the Sun.