Author: smadmin

Vodafone McLaren Mercedes – first carbon-neutral Formula 1 team

Vodafone McLaren Mercedes has been certified as fully carbon-neutral and it becomes the world’s first ever carbon-neutral Formula 1 team.

To achieve this ambition Vodafone McLaren Mercedes has worked alongside CNI to select appropriate and relevant initiatives to offset the team’s carbon footprint.

Vodafone McLaren Mercedes became the first ever Formula 1 team to achieve the coveted Carbon Trust Standard, last December.

Implementing a series of efficiency-driven measures within the McLaren Technology Centre, it was able to achieve annual savings of more than 1500 tonnes of CO2 emissions.

“Vodafone McLaren Mercedes leads the way across F1, and certainly does so in terms of environmental initiatives: the first F1 team to achieve the Carbon Trust Standard, recognition by the Government’s Carbon Reduction Commitment Energy Efficiency Scheme and a whole host of initiatives at the McLaren Technology Centre,” said CNI co-chairman James Brown.

How to build a solar powered camera

Everyone’s dream is a solar powered camera. The best way a camera has continuous electric supply is with solar panels, harnessing uninterrupted wireless data support.

Difficulty level: Moderate

Time Required: At least 5 to 6 hours

Resources required
1. Webcam
2. Wires
3. 12V rechargeable battery
4. Hammer
5. Drill
6. Screw and Screw driver
7. Solar Panel
8. Central hub/ Computer

Estimate cost: $100 to $500

Instructions

1. You can choose any wireless camera that you may find, powered by 12-volt battery.

2. An important criterion is the battery selection. You need to buy a long storage battery to make the operation continued in long wintery nights with reduced daylight. If the camera consumes  60 watts per day then you need to have at least 6 Amp-hours of backup from your 12 V battery.

3. The third step is to chose the solar panel. The power captured by solar panel will be used to recharge the battery. Buy the solar panel according to your light conditions. In open space with lot of sunlight hours, you can buy a solar panel of 5-10 W or you have to purchase a solar panel with high power capturing facilities.

4. Now you can start assembly the battery. You need to connect the  battery to the webcam. You can use the drill, hammer and screws to fix the whole assembly. If you are assembling it in rainforest, it is better to have solar panel mounted above the canopy of the forest. In ranches, a place above camera or anywhere inside your property is good enough as long as it is getting enough sunlight.

5. Next – mount the camera on either a tree or a pole with help of metal L brackets. You also need to mount the control box and battery in such a way that it do not get wet.

6. Connect the webcam wirelessly with your computer or central monitoring facility. When everything is ready, let the battery charge for day before the whole assembly starts working with your battery with limited charging.

European Solar Days

The European Solar Days promote the use of free unlimited renewable energy source available everywhere to everyone to generate electricity as well as heating and cooling: the sun.

The next campaign for the edition of the European Solar Days will be held from 1 to 13 May 2012.

During the fourth edition of European Solar Days, which was held from 1-15 May 2011, it was demonstrated the increasing support for solar energy, with more than 8,000 events organised in 19 countries throughout Europe, attracting the participation of half a million citizens.

20 participants from 16 countries gathered last week in Prague for the second edition of the European Solar Days Annual Conference to plan next year’s events.

The countries who are taking part at the European Solar Days are expected to continue to grow this year.

Hawaii partner with Boeing in aviation biofuel

Boeing has announced an agreement to work with Hawaii BioEnergy, to create aviation fuel.

The companies will work together to identify biofuel sources and supporting technologies for producing sustainable jet fuel in Hawaii.

“As an Asia Pacific gateway and leading tourism destination, Hawaii can play a meaningful role in helping aviation reduce carbon emissions, while increasing regional energy resources,” said Boeing Commercial Airplanes Vice President of Environment and Aviation Policy, Billy Glover. “This collaborative effort will allow us to examine potential local options, while protecting the beauty and culture these islands have to offer.”

Solar power in Abu Dhabi

The Court of HH Mohammed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, has been equipped with solar panels.

The installation of photovoltaic panels on the roof of the building was completed in record time by Gulf International Trading Group.

The installation on the roof of the building is hooked up to the Department of Electricity and Water Authority’s main generator.

This project further goes to prove the economic visions for the Emirate of Abu Dhabi 2030.

Solar powered car Bluetooth kit

You’ll no more need messy wire or cables and no need to recharge.

With the new Solar Powered car Bluetooth kit, all you need to do is sticking this device to the inside of your windshield and pair it to your mobile phone.

You now have the safest and most convenient way to talk and answer calls while driving.

If your phone has voice recognition you can even make calls by simply saying the contact’s name!

The Solar Powered Car Bluetooth Kit announces the caller name or number before you answer or reject it, making sure you don’t answer unwanted calls while driving!

This Solar Powered car Bluetooth doesn’t require batteries, thanks to eco friendly solar charger!

It has dimensions: 89mm Diameter x 45mm Depth and a Bluetooth Version 2.0.

You can buy it for just 20 euro.

NASA to demonstrate largest solar sail

NASA plans to play in the sky with the world’s largest solar sail ever conceived.

The new upcoming missions are intended to transform its space communications, deep space navigation and in-space propulsion capabilities.

For these missions who should be launching in 2015 and 2016, have been selected tree projects.

One of the three projects is the solar sail measures a whopping 100 square feet (9.29 square meters)and spans 409 square feet, or 38 square meters.

Do you wonder what are they going to do with such a big sail?

The answer is simple: The sail could be used to gather orbital debris over a period of several years and included to a satellite’s payload, activating towards the end of the mission dragging the satellite out of its orbit.

The project is being led by California’s L’Garde Inc., in collaboration with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and NASA and the solar sail should be ready in three years.

World market for solar PV cells will double by 2020

According to South Korea’s Samsung SDI, the global market for solar photovoltaic cells will double by 2020, rising from 2010′s $30 billion to $70 billion.

Reuters reported early Wednesday, that the Falling prices and supportive government policies will drive the growth.

Chinese solar PV cell manufacturers will continue with aggressive overseas expansion plans the solar power industry out to 2013.

Germany and Italy, two leading EU solar power markets, have cut back on subsidies this year.

Although EU subsidies shrink in, Samsung SDI plans to aggressively expand its solar PV cell production from its current 150 MW to 3 GW by 2015, believing that its “super-efficient crystalline solar cells will differentiate” it from competitors’ products.

The company will invest 2.2 trillion won ( $2.05 million) into the business and expand into thin-film solar PV manufacturing as well.

Samsung intends to expand on US, Japanese and EU markets while considering emerging markets, such as China and India as well.

Samsung SDI acquired Samsung Electronics’ solar PV cell division for $149 million at the end of May.

Solar panels help the growth of coral reefs

Just like the rest of the environment around us the world’s coral reefs are in trouble, because of climate change and habitat destruction.

The researchers found a solution- to use electrified artificial reefs instead, called Biorocks.

Biorock start off as a Rebar skeleton structure or electrically-conductive wire mesh, called a Coral Ark, which it’s partially sunken or anchored into the seafloor with a solar panel floating on the surface above it, which provides a steady electrical current.

The electricity collected by the solar panels results in accretion coating the Ark with a natural concrete material very similar to that of clam shells.

With this, the structures can grow indefinitely—at a rate of 5cm annually—as precipitated materials add to the structure’s rigidity and will even repair themselves if damaged.

When these structures will solidify on the seafloor and will start more closely resemble natural reefs, they will begin to provide the same benefits of natural reefs which means a greater resistance to the incoming wave actions reduces the energy with which each wave hits the beach, allowing more suspended sand particles to be dropped on the beach.

How to make a solar powered charger

To build a solar powered charger you need to follow a few steps and to use some basic equipment.

Solar panels are available at affordable prices and in all possible sizes.

It’s not complicated to build a solar powered charger. You’ll see in the next steps:

1.Collect the required tools
To make a solar powered charger you will need tools like: AA batteries, Battery holders, a USB extension a/a cable, electrical tape, glue gun or tape to hold the pieces in place,terminal strip or soldering iron, blocking diode, a drill, a 6 volt solar panel.

2.Select the diode
Standard diodes drop the voltage by 0.6 V, while the Schottky diode drops it by 0.2 V which can be a deciding factor in whether the charger works or not. So it’s better to choose a standard diode which will ensure quality of the functioning of the charger.

3.Cutting the USB cable
To build the kit, you have to cut the USB cable at the end which has the jack and remove everything except the red and black wire. This cable will be used in constructing the circuit.

4. Test the solar panel
To be sure that is working, check the solar panel before connecting it to the circuit.
It should yield the output of 2 volt inside the room and 2.5 volt in bright sunlight.

5.Sticking
The next step is to stick the pieces to make a circuit. Solder the red wire of the cable to the diode and then the diode to the red wire from the solar panel. In the next step solder the black wire from the solar panel to the cable. This completes the step of soldering. Soldering creates a serial connection which adds the voltages together, giving an output between 4 and 5 V, which is the required voltage for operation of a standard charger.

6.Drilling
You need to drill a hole for the cables to make it pass through the solar panel.

7.Setup
This step involves the fitting of the components of the solar charger into the project box.

8.Tested the completed solar charger
All you have to do now is to connect any one of the gadgets with minimal power requirement to the finalized solar charger to test it out. The solar panels need to be exposed to bright light. If the solar panel does not get ample light, it will not function appropriately. It’s better to turn off the gadget while charging; it will increase the life of the solar panel.