Category: INDUSTRY

SolAir – a new hybrid wind/solar power generator

This new invention named SolAir is a small wind turbine combined with solar panels.

Each device has three rotating blades, a 64 radius, and weighs approximately 60 lbs.

A solar panel 40 square inches in size is integrated into the micro wind turbines.

These SolAir’s are getting quite popular in San Diego, because they can generate power in winds anywhere from 6 mph to 60 mph.

SolAirs are often installed along the roof line of residential or commercial buildings, but they can be used in a variety of locations.

SolAir product is ideal for many parts of the country because the small wind feature combined with solar panels allows for electricity generation on sunny days with little wind or windy days with/without sun.

State incentives and federal income tax credits can reportedly cover up to 50-70% of the total cost of the micro clean energy system.

SolAir ha a quick process of install and once installed you start saving money on your electric bill.

The world most efficient EV

The T.27 city car, designed by Prof. Gordon Murray is claimed to be the world’s most efficient electric car.

Also, Gordon Murray had designed McLaren F1.

He has been working on this project since a long time, and finally it has come out into the open.

Prof. Gordon Murray dreamed to make an electrically driven car ever since he unveiled McLaren F1 and he work on this project over the past three years.

The T.27 has a size that can easily fit into a single parking space.

It can accommodate three people inside, including the driver and has a massive upwards-swinging door.

The electric midget is a product of real innovation with a fully integrated electric motor, control system and battery design.

The vehicle isn’t a super car, because it has a top speed of 60mph; however the little vehicle leaves behind Mitsubishi’s i-Miev and the electric Smart Car with its efficiency.

It is 36% and 29% more efficient than i-Miev and Smart car respectively.

The vehicle can reach 100 miles on its charge and possesses a 33-horsepower electric motor charged by lithium-ion batteries.

The little T.27, it got tested under the strict Euro-NCAP safety standards and has been given” First Class” recognition.

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.

Solar powered ATM

If you thought banknotes will be the greenest thing of an ATM, you were wrong.

Expert Group, Inc. announced that it will deploy In Miami the first solar-powered ATM.

The ATMs will be installed throughout Miami in high traffic outdoor areas, said Robert Rico, Chairmen of Expert Financing, Inc.

The ATMs will use solar energy because they are powered by solar panels installed on the top of the ATM.

Part of the collected energy is stored in the power controller for the ATM’s night operation.

The company plans to set up about a 100 of these green ATM machines in Miami soon.

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.

1 Million Solar Water Heaters in Africa by 2015

A major green initiative will take place in Africa.

Eskom, the South African utility has announced a plan to install 1 million solar water heaters by 2015 and for many they will be free, because Eskom will offer free 110 liter capacity solar water heaters to the families who use paraffin heaters that cause air pollution.

Even for families that do not qualify for free electricity, Eskom offers rebates of up to 120% of the heater cost.

The use of solar heaters will make sense in this sunshine abundant nation.

Until now, Eskom has installed 30.000 free solar water heaters in just one township, and rebates offered to many wealthier families also.

The solar water heater consists of a water tank and a set of evacuated glass tubes that are solar collectors.

On clear sunny days, the water temperature can reach 55 degrees Celsius or higher.

South Africa is emitting 50% of the entire continent’s greenhouse gas emissions; this explains the large number of solar installations.

Another part of the country’s efforts is an ambitious plan to build a huge 5GW solar thermal power plant that could single-handedly provide 10% of the nation’s electricity needs.

The first 1GW is expected to feed into the grid in 2012.

Solar thermal market is decreasing

A new report has been released focusing on two renewable energy technologies: solar thermal energy for hot domestic water heating and concentrating solar power (CSP) for electricity generation.

The EurObserv’ER Solar Thermal Barometer shows different fortunes for the two solar thermal technologies.

It seems the recession threw black spots over the European solar thermal market throughout 2010.

For the second year running, new installations for hot water production and space heating (collectors) decreased.

According to the EurObserv’ER survey the newly-assigned surface area was 3.8 million square meters in 2010, down from 4.2 million square meters in 2009 and 4.6 million square meters in 2008.

Total EU solar thermal collectors at the end of 2010 was 25 135.6 MWth.

Five EU countries, mostly Mediterranean, intend to develop the sector.

According to experts the solar thermal market will pick up again in 2011 because the European markets have recovered maybe except the Spanish market.

The key to future growth will be driven by future conventional energy price trends.

The first solar powered netbook by Samsung

Samsung intends to introduce a solar powered netbook – Samsung NC215S in the Russian market.

The netbook is eco-friendly, has solar panels and a battery life of around 14.5 hours.

Also he has 1 GB RAM, is powered by Intel ATOM N570 (166 GHz) and has a 10 inch display.

It has LED display and has an effective anti-reflective coating on it, which is said to give very colorful and vivid images even in direct sunlight.

With only two hours spent under the sun, the eco-friendly netbook could preserve the charge for an hour.

With this solar powered netbook the carbon dioxide emission into the atmosphere could be reduced significantly when compared to other exclusively electric- powered netbooks.

The solar netbook is an excellent option for those who want to take it to parks for a picnic or such, for direct sunlight is plenty for this.

Samsung will introduce this new solar powered netbook in Russia and U.S in the first week of July and in Europe after that.

The price of the new solar powered netbook in U.S would be $399 while 13999 Rubles in Russia.

The first hybrid electric aircraft by Siemens

At the 2011 Paris Air Show, Siemens presented the first serial hybrid electric aircraft.

This is a partnership project among Siemens, aircraft manufacturer Diamond Aircraft Industries, and aerospace giant EADS.

The DA36 E-Star is consists of two-seater and uses a serial hybrid electric drive train in which a main engine is powered alternately by a gasoline-powered generator and batteries.

The aircraft has a 70-kilowatt Siemens engine and use additional EADS batteries during takeoff and ascent.

The plane’s range is limited by the number of batteries and the amount of fuel it can carry.

The public debut was at the 2011 Paris Air Show but its actual aerial debut was on June 8 in Vienna.

Corsica started to become attractive for the solar sector

Corsica, the fourth largest Mediterranean island enjoys a high degree of autonomy.

This island has a high solar radiation levels, between 1,750 and 1,900 kWh/m2, they are the highest in all of Europe.

Local authorities have a strong influence on the licensing of solar parks.

The island offers feed-in tariffs comparable to the French overseas departments and territories.

In France is a rule that wind or solar parks cannot feed in more than 30% of the electricity consumed in the region where they are installed.

The rule is applied to all systems with a capacity of more than 3kW.

Corsica is for most part mountainous and covered with forests, which makes it difficult to find suitable locations for solar parks.

One success story comes from White Owl Capital AG based in Berlin, Germany.

The company, which has specialized on renewable energy investments, and recently obtained licenses for the construction of two solar power plants with a total annual capacity of 5 MW.

The projects will incorporate 21.800 polycrystalline modules supplies by Trina Solar and be built on a surface of 11 hectares.

One of the first solar companies that became active in Corsica is juwi Solar.

In 2009 the company starts the construction of a new solar park on the island.

With a nominal capacity of 7, 7 MW the system was built on a surface of more than 30 hectares.