Category: Canada

Good news in the renewable market: solar-powered laptops are available for $350

renewable energy, solar-powered lapotop, solar energy computer

Solar-powered laptop

The very first solar-powered laptop was released by Ubuntu Sol. The new personal computer guarantees 10 hours of battery life with a two hour charge.

The company that developed the what appears to be a premiere in both solar and it industry is a Canadian one and it is called WeWi Telecommunications. This announcement was made as in 2011 Samsung launched a solar netbook NC215S that is also working with the help of solar energy but is not considered to be a laptop computer

$350 solar-powered computer

The recently launched laptop is said to release for only US$350, with an impressive list of specifications. The computer has an integrated GPS, Bluetooth 4.0, WIFI, 3G/4G LTE capabilities and a 10 hour-lasting battery that is completely charged in about two hours of sunlight.

When charging the Sol laptop is completely transformed. When it is not being charged, the laptop seems a little bigger than other laptops in its category, but that is only because the upper side is converted into a portable solar array. This array charges the laptop if it is unfolded into four solar panels connected to the laptop with a power cable.

David Snir, Ubuntu Sol’s creater, believes that solar panels have to be placed in direct sunlight in order to be able to charge the battery of the computer while every panel produces about 10 W per square foot.

Solar based laptop, suitable for everyone with adventure need

The laptop has generally been received with good remarks from reviewers. Still, the opinions varied especially when it came to the time needed for charging. So, while some claim half a day is no enough to fully charge the laptop, others reported their device charged after only a couple of hours of clear sky.

The laptop designed to be rough, long-lasting and portable is suited for everyone but may be useful to military, adventurers, researchers and students that use computers in locations with no or little power.

New solar mounting system to be launched by Schletter

new mounting system for PV released by Schletter

New PV mountig system released by Schletter

Schletter has been working on a PVMini ballasted ground PV mount system with proprietary rails for long spans and bigger levels of system efficiency.

A world wide manufacturer of solar mounting systems, Schletter, reports the launching of PvMini a lightweight, ballasted ground mount system for landfills, brownfields, and areas with rocky terrain. Bigger spans and less ballast weight are some of the fact that make the system’s system’s triangle supports and proprietary new ProfiPlus XT™ to be an excellent system.

The ProfiPlus XT rail is designed to optimize the system’s efficiency to nearly 100% in most cases by letting more lightweight components and increased spans between foundations. The newest system is created especially for single-row vertical or two-row horizontal module configurations and it comes partly pre-assembled for faster installation and no using of heavy machinery necessary.

“The PvMini combines elements from two of our most popular systems: The PvMax and Windsafe,” announced Dr. Wolfgang Fritz, VP of Engineering for Schletter Inc. “Our engineering department continually evaluates systems to determine where we can be more efficient; to drive down costs while maintaining a high standard of quality. The PvMini is the latest innovation to come as a result of this commitment”, added Fritz

As the company says, the new system has a standard 20-year warranty, PE stamped drawings, and features integrated, ETL-listed grounding with the Rapid2+ module clamp. The PvMini is currently accessible and it’s been produces in the United States of America and in Canada.

 

New on the market: the T-Series Panels

Centrosolar Canada announced the release of the new photovoltaic modules: T-Series photovoltaic

Engineered in Europe and manufactured in Ontario it is designed for residential and also for commercial applications.It is designed for optimum capture of available sun to generate very high efficiency of power.

Centrosolar Canada’s T-Series is available in two versions: 60 cell and 72 cell. They are designed to rezist when it comes for harsh weather as snow, storm, ice, hail, high humidity and the intense thermal fluctuation associated with Canadian weather patterns.

T-Series Panels are made with high-quality materials, including top-branded EVA and high-transmittance glass for maximum durability and performance over the life of the installation. The modules are powered by monocrystalline and polycrystalline high-efficiency silicon cells, providing higher power output per module: up to 255Wp and 300Wp.

One of the benefits of the Centrosolar T-Series is its certification to withstand hail impact. wind and snow loads up to 5.4n/m.The Centrosolar T-series provides a tolerance rating of 0/+4.99W, which translates into more power out of the 255W and 300W module per DC wattage than other comparably rated modules.

The T-Series is also offered as part of Centrosolar Canada’s CentroPack System that provides installers with a turnkey system, pre-packaged with all the components  needed to install an approved residential or commercial roof-top PV system.

The CentroPack contains the T-Series panels, mounting systems, inverters and all the electrical and other hardware needed. Site plans, wiring diagrams and mechanical and structural details are also available as required.

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 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.

A new type of solar cells who can harness energy from infrared spectrum

A new solar cell has been designed by researchers at the University of Toronto.

This solar cell can be useful in creating cost effective thin coatings capable of efficiently converting solar power into electricity.

The solar cell is based on colloidal quantum dots.

In search for an efficient infrastructure that would harness the potential of the sun’s visible as well as infrared spectrum, the researchers have been successful in designing a device.

“The device is a stack of two light-absorbing layers — one tuned to capture the sun’s visible rays, the other engineered to harvest the half of the sun’s power that lies in the infrared,” said lead author Dr. Xihua Wang.

The CQD solar cells are made of nanoscale materials that can readily be tuned to respond to specific wavelengths of the visible and invisible spectrum.

This new devices can function with higher efficiency when compared to the conventional solar cells.

These solar cells can in principle reach up to 42 per cent efficiencies, while the best single-junction solar cells are constrained to a maximum of 31 per cent efficiency.

The solar cells that are packed into consumer goods or those that adorn roof tops have an average efficiency of 14-18 percent.

You can be informed about your house energy usage with the new Interactive Carbon Calculator

If you want to know how much energy you use throughout the year, you can find now with the new Interactive Carbon Calculator House.

This little new invention use animatronics and light-up parts and two live displays that throw up information, changing according to the energy-saving systems you add and deduct from your home-grid.

The ICCH is portable and powered by rechargeable batteries and he also includes a thermostat dial, a washing machine dial, an energy saving bulbs switch and a load of similar features that you can add and remove from the home energy systems.

It has dimensions 70cm W x 60cm D by 80cm H.Weights 20kg.

The Interactive Carbon Calculator House is a great way to keep users informed and entertained, while providing education of a green life.

Illuminate your swimming pool with solar powered lights

There is no need to swim in the dark; you can illuminate your swimming pool perfectly well using solar energy instead.

These solar powered lights are very efficient, highly water resistant and they will keep your pool without an extensive electricity bill.

The solar powered lights have solar panels on the top that soak in the sun’s energy during the day time storing it all in internal rechargeable batteries.

During the dark hours the lights then glow, using the energy collected during the day.

These lights are using LED’s with 140 lumens capable of illuminating a space extending out to 1,000′ sq and also work as a thermometer for your pool, with an LCD on the top that shows the water temperature in the pool.

Easy to attach, this solar powered “solar pool light” is available for $180.

Empower your iPhone with the solar window charger

Solar energy undoubtedly is one of the best eco-friendly discoveries in the world.

The XD Design solar window charger uses the solar energy to the optimum level.

This window charger can be attached to the window easily and it comes with a small as well as big USB output.

The charger works on a simple mechanism – the outside body catches the sunlight and the smoothly designed inside charges the gadget.

It comes with a 1400mAh rechargeable lithium battery and a mini usb cable and costs a whopping 49, 90 €.

It’s made of plastic and weighs a light 0.135 kg.

This small solar gadget is a wonderful eco-friendly product and am sure many households would welcome such a product with open arms.

With the rising problems in electricity supply and burning of non-recyclable energies, solar energy seems to be a superb way out.

Beauty always comes with a price.

All you need to know about geothermal energy

Geothermal energy can be defined as a sort of renewable energy derived from the heat generated deep in the earth’s crust.

The temperature of the earth crust rises one degree Celsius for every 30-50 meters and the heat is brought to the surface by thermal conduction.

This clean renewable energy is used in some countries for cooking and heating for thousands of years.

Geothermal resources can be harnessed into electricity, for hot water and for heating your homes.

Electricity generation technology consist of three methods: dry steam method that uses steam as it comes from the underground source to drive the turbines, flash steam method which makes use of the underground hot water (360 degrees F) is pumped to the surface where it flashes to steam and drives the turbines and binary method that makes use of heated underground water and runs it through a heat exchanger where it heats a fluid with a lower boiling point that flashes to steam and drive the turbine.

In the top producers of electricity from geothermal energy are United States, Philippines and Indonesia.

Currently only 24 countries have geothermal power stations.

Finding a suitable build location is a major drawback to geothermal energy because to trap geothermal energy must provide hot rocks in the layer of the Earth’s crust that would heat the water pumped into the well at suitable level and not all the locations are completely reliable.

Investment costs in geothermal energy are very high.
Drilling is more than half the cost.

The other ugly part of geothermal energy is the hazardous gasses and minerals such as mercury, hydrogen sulphide, ammonia and arsenic come upon the surface along with hot water.

In conclusion geothermal power in the long run is seen to be very cheap, but the initial cost of installing the power will definitely be high and has some risks.