So long, silicon: Researchers create solar panels from cheap copper oxide Researchers from the University of California and Berkeley Lab have discovered a way of making photovoltaic cells out of any semiconducting material, not just beautiful, expensive crystals of silicon. In principle, this could open the doors to much cheaper solar power. Almost every solar panel on the market is made by cutting off two thin (200 micron, 0.2mm) slices from a large crystal of silicon, and then doping them with impurities to enhance the photovoltaic effect — phosphorous to make n-type silicon, and boron to make p-type silicon. These slices are layered together, electrodes are added to the top and bottom, the whole thing is framed in protective glass — and voila, a standard photovoltaic cell. Now, in theory, you can dope any semiconductor — but cheaper, more-readily-available semiconductors, such as copper oxide, don’t retain dopants very well, eventually leading to the breakdown of the p-n junctions. Silicon holds dopants very well, but it isn’t cheap. What’s next?
Solar Power Much Cheaper to Produce Than Most Analysts Realize, Study Finds By Joe Romm on December 11, 2011 at 10:22 am "Solar Power Much Cheaper to Produce Than Most Analysts Realize, Study Finds" The public is being kept in the dark about the viability of solar photovoltaic energy, according to a study conducted at Queen’s University.“Many analysts project a higher cost for solar photovoltaic energy because they don’t consider recent technological advancements and price reductions,” says [co-author] Joshua Pearce, Adjunct Professor, Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering. “Older models for determining solar photovoltaic energy costs are too conservative.”Dr. That’s the news release for a new journal article, “A review of solar photovoltaic levelized cost of electricity” (subs. req’d). That argument is one Climate Progress and others have been making for a while (see ‘Ferocious Cost Reductions’ Make Solar PV Competitive and Utility CEO on Solar: In “3 to 5 Years You’ll Be Able to Get Power Cheaper from the Roof of Your House Than From the Grid”.)
Recycling For Money: Don't throw that away Most of us have piggy banks or some process of saving our loose change. But, saving pennies never goes any further than this. There is a lot of value in the things we throw in the landfill everyday. Copper is found in electrical, plumbing, heating and air systems, and automobiles. Before throwing away that lamp, cut the cord and place in a bin If you are junking a car, take out the radiator and other copper tubing. Brass is also similar to copper and used liberally in most homes. Most of us have saved aluminum cans. Lead is not as common and found in such items as wheel weights, old window weights, and fishing tackle Gold, yes, gold can be found in landfills. To find out what your recyclables are worth check out ScapIndex.com.
Artificial photosynthesis A sample of a photoelectric cell in a lab environment. Catalysts are added to the cell, which is submerged in water and illuminated by simulated sunlight. The bubbles seen are oxygen (forming on the front of the cell) and hydrogen (forming on the back of the cell). Artificial photosynthesis is a chemical process that replicates the natural process of photosynthesis, a process that converts sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide into carbohydrates and oxygen. The term is commonly used to refer to any scheme for capturing and storing the energy from sunlight in the chemical bonds of a fuel (a solar fuel). Photocatalytic water splitting converts water into protons (and eventually hydrogen) and oxygen, and is a main research area in artificial photosynthesis. Overview[edit] The photosynthetic reaction can be divided into two half-reactions (oxidation and reduction), both of which are essential to producing fuel. History[edit] Artificial photosynthesis remained an academic field for many years.
Bient t des centrales solaires le long des voies de chemin de fer Eolfi, filiale de Veolia Environnement, et Réseau ferré de France (RFF) ont annoncé ce lundi la création d’une société commune, dénommée «Airefsol Energies». Elle sera chargée de concevoir et développer des centrales de production d’électricité verte sur les espaces fonciers de RFF dont il ne se sert pas pour ses activités ferroviaires. Avec un patrimoine de 103.000 hectares, RFF est le deuxième propriétaire national. Airefsol Energies a recensé une vingtaine de sites, répartis sur l’ensemble du territoire national. Eolfi est un producteur d’électricité verte, qui développe des parcs éoliens et solaires, en France, en Espagne, en Grèce, en Pologne ou aux Etats-Unis.
Startup Aims to Cut the Cost of Solar Cells in Half Twin Creeks Technologies—a startup that has been operating in secret until today—has developed a way to make thin wafers of crystalline silicon that it says could cut the cost of making silicon solar cells in half. It has demonstrated the technology in a small, 25-megawatt-per-year solar-cell factory it built in Senatobia, Mississippi. Siva Sivaram, the CEO of Twin Creeks, says the company’s technology both reduces the amount of silicon needed and the cost of the manufacturing equipment. The conventional way to make the crystalline silicon wafers—which account for the bulk of solar cells—involves cutting blocks or cylinders of silicon into 200-micrometer-thick wafers, a process that turns about half of the silicon into waste. Twin Creeks’ process makes 20-micrometer-thick wafers largely without waste.
Parabolic trough Array of parabolic troughs. A parabolic trough is shaped as a parabola in the x-y plane, but is linear in the z direction A diagram of a parabolic trough solar farm (top), and an end view of how a parabolic collector focuses sunlight onto its focal point. A parabolic trough is a type of solar thermal collector that is straight in one dimension and curved as a parabola in the other two, lined with a polished metal mirror. The energy of sunlight which enters the mirror parallel to its plane of symmetry is focused along the focal line, where objects are positioned that are intended to be heated. For example, food may be placed at the focal line of a trough, which causes the food to be cooked when the trough is aimed so the Sun is in its plane of symmetry. For other purposes, there is often a tube, frequently a Dewar tube, which runs the length of the trough at its focal line. Efficiency[edit] Design[edit] Most mirrors used are parabolic and single-piece. Variations[edit] Enclosed trough[edit]
10 Myths Surrounding Solar Energy “Solar panels are unsightly, have low efficiency, cost tons of subsidy money and have a high carbon footprint." Edwin Koot addresses the 10 major myths surrounding solar energy. 1. Generating solar energy is only possible in countries with an abundance of sunshine The fact is, the sun's energy is the most evenly-spread source of energy in the world. Of course, when you’re developing systems in the Sahara region, your return on investment (ROI) will be higher - but many other factors come into play, such as the presence of a grid, the local consumer price for electricity, your energy usage pattern, the political stability in your country, your need for independence from external sources of energy, and much more. 2. Solar energy is an attractive product in any place in which people need electricity - which nowadays is anywhere in the civilised world, globally. 3. “People will never buy laptops.” 4. True, there’s room for improvement. 5. Solar panels are usually made from silicon. 6. 7. 8.
The rising tide of climate change - The Drum Updated Wed 14 Mar 2012, 8:58am AEDT The climate is changing, according to a new report from the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) and the CSIRO. Days and nights are getting hotter, sea levels are rising, rainfall patterns are changing. Yawn. Heard it all before. And yet, Australia's pre-eminent scientific organisations feel the need to keep telling us this. Perhaps it's because not everyone is convinced. Those voices are in the minority, but the idea is beguiling. We could continue to expand our cities, grow our wealth, and generate electricity from cheap coal as before. The BoM and CSIRO are probably also aiming to support the argument that something needs to be done with yet another report showing the problem is worsening. Repetition is the key to remembering information and CSIRO and the BoM seem to have taken that message to heart. It might be said that the CSIRO and the BoM are wasting their time; most people won't listen. But for the BoM and CSIRO, they must continue.
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Why Big Solar is a Colossally Bad Idea (10 Reasons Decentralized Solar is Much Better) – CleanTechnica: Cleantech innovation news and views Clean Power Published on April 27th, 2011 | by Aaron Fown Of late there has been much talk about moving towards a solar energy future. This is a positive development (albeit one that is almost too late) and has been driven, no doubt, by recent studies that have shown that solar and wind power are now amongst the cheapest forms of power generation, several critical breakthroughs in related fields, and big moves by some major players. We have an opportunity to build a new power system to replace our failing grid with something more resilient, more efficient and more egalitarian, and if we don’t take this opportunity we will be stuck with mild changes to the old system. In fairness, centralized solar does have a few benefits, so let’s start with them before I explain why a decentralized system would be a much better choice. 1. 2. 3. Notice anything about these benefits? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. What about wind? Related Articles: Related Links: About the Author