A new efficiency record for organic photovoltaic cells has been reached by Heliatek, for the third time in a row. The German company created a cheap solar cell that can convert up to 9.8 percent of the incoming light into electricity.
Heliatek’s new solar cell is made from oligomers, and differs from polymer and dye-sensitized solar cells because the cells can be produced at low temperatures and uses the least amount of non-toxic materials.
As we know it
While the greatest drive of the eco-conscious generation is to use renewable sources of power, attempts are being made to replace every possible gadget run by non-renewable sources with green products that curb environmental pollution and reduce over brimming of the landfills. Berlin based eco-conscious engineer, Benjamin Beck has made a noteworthy move in this direction. He has developed a green battery pack that is run by solar energy as well as kinetic energy. All you need to do is to place the charged out battery pack in sun for a certain period of time on sunny days and the battery will juice up within no time. But in cloudy days it draws the charge from your movements, thereby converting kinetic energy into electrical energy and gets charged up again. It has been named by the designer as Scaraby Energy Backpack. This functional green gadget is portable and convenient to use.
The Autonomo is a fully autonomous vehicle concept designed by Charles Rattray. The design, inspired by biomimicry, sustainability, artificial intelligence and information technology, is created to address many of the growing transportation issues facing the world’s major cities today. This concept vehicle utilizes a drive-by-wire control system that replaces traditional mechanical components and harnesses developmental technology.
When Spanish researcher Nacho Zamora first stumbled upon an image of “Solarsail,” an energy-generating art installation in Switzerland, he knew he had found something different from the other public artworks he had been studying — and something important.
Since that discovery, Zamora has been carefully cataloging solar-powered artworks around the world and interviewing their creators for his Solar Artworks Project, an online compendium of public art that is aesthetically striking, environmentally sustainable, and raises awareness about crucial renewable technologies.
Rescue systems include all essential tools, equipment, machinery and anything that helps emergency personnel such as police, fire fighters, coast guards, military, etc. in emergency situations. These tools, that are included in the rescue system, are used as a part of safety measures in risky, emergency situations or for rescuing people who are in danger. No wonder that the best equipment of the latest technology are used for this purpose. But now that an effort to go-green is being made in every area and every invention, even rescue systems are being modeled in the same lines for future use. Here is a list of five such futuristic rescue systems that would help the environment gain its balance again:
Lanco Solar CEO V. Saibaba has stated that he thinks solar power costs in India could come down 40% by 2015, which would make solar cost-competitive with other energy sources even without subsidies correcting for the social costs of dirty energy.
Due to the growing solar market for solar and technological development, the rupee per kilowatt price of solar is projected to drop from 11-12 to 7-8. ”The most important thing is the economics of scale are coming,” Saibaba told Reuters on the sidelines of a solar industry conference. “In the next three to four years, I see the solar power costs coming down to 7 to 8 rupees a unit.”
India, one of the world’s largest polluters (in total, not per capita or per GDP), has a plan to invest $70 billion in solar by 2022, reaching 1,300 MW by 2013 and 20,000 MW by 2022.
Nicholas just wrote about China’s solar power dreams and it’s new feed-in tariff for solar yesterday. And I wrote in June about the country doubling its 2025 solar power goals (aiming for 10 gigawatts by that time). But we’ve got some more big solar news out of clean-energy-crazy China worth a share. China expects to double its solar power capacity by the end of the year and will reach 2 gigawatts of solar power capacity, according to a new report from a think tank linked to the government, the Energy Research Institute.
By the rate at which transportation is going green, soon cars powered by solar, wind or other forms of renewable energy will be a common thing on roads around the world. The biggest benefits of such vehicles would be that one would not have to visit the refueling stations and it would also cut down on the emission of greenhouse gases that the gas guzzling vehicles of today are well known for. Here is a list of 10 such concept vehicles which would be powered by self-generated energy.
India’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) announced that 36 solar project developers with power purchase agreements (PPAs) under the latest round of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM) have reported financial closure.
The MNRE has accepted the documents of 35 of these developers for 610 MW of new solar photovoltaic (PV) and concentrating solar power (CSP) capacity, with one 5 MW project failing to meet the qualifications.
Under the JNNSM, project developers are required to achieve financial closure within six months from the date of signing PPAs with NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam Ltd. (NVVN, New Delhi, India).
Denver International Airport (DIA) now has more solar power than any other commercial airport in the United States. Renewable Energy World reports that DIA has just completed a 4.4-megawatt ground-mounted solar power system, increasing its total solar power capacity to more than 8-MW. In total, the DIA solar installations cover 45 acres of farmland near the airport.
Put into an operational perspective, DIA now receives over 6 percent of its electricity from solar-generated power. This is positive news from both green and economic standpoints.
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