Tag Archives: photovoltaic

Wysips solar-cell display reaches 90% transparency milestone, we go eyes-on

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Wysips solarcell display reaches 90% transparency milestone, we go eyeson

Wysips popped by our trailer at the show this year to celebrate the 90% transparency of its photovoltaic display overlay achievement with us -- and therefore with you. Last time we had a chance to peek through Wysips' solar cell the transparency was sitting at 70% which was way short of today's level and manufacturer requirements if this thing is ever to see the light of day. The current setup will not generate enough power to negate the need for a charger, not even close but what it could do is power all your music playback, for example while your phone is exposed to the sun. Wysips' goal for 2014 is to reach a power return of 10 mWc per cm² as of today the output is closer to 3, though seeing as most of the effort has been focused on reaching this production-ready transparency, they've hope this will be attainable. Sampling should begin in march this year with potential for a product in the marketplace in September this year.

Honestly, the demo sets available were pretty worn out looking, though the overlay spoke for itself in that it was still visible at extreme angles but barely when viewing straight on. Part of our demo was plugging an LED into the array that had been retrofit into an iPhone and seeing the LED light come on when the solar cell is exposed and go out when covered. Here's hoping we get a proper working demo in the coming months though for the here and now, consider us guardedly impressed. A few pics comparing overlay versus no overlay are in the gallery below.

Gallery: Wysips solar-cell display reaches 90% transparency milestone, we go eyes-on

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Sharp unveils semi-transparent solar panels, lets you see the sun while reaping its benefits

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Sharp unveils semi-transparent solar panels, lets you see the sun while reaping its benefits

Sharp has announced an unusual photovoltaic panel for the Japanese market that collects energy from the sun while still allowing the light to shine on through. Though it's rated at a lowly 6.8 percent / 98 watt max efficiency, the glass-like properties make it useful as a construction material (as shown in the balcony railing above), with the semi-transparent nature giving occupants privacy, to boot. The energy-producing cells are embedded in a laminated glass structure and an air slot provides a thermal barrier, allowing the panels to also be used as "windows, curtain wall and eaves" according to Sharp's PR. Though the system won't win any potency prizes, it has garnered a design award in Japan, so it won't blight any landscapes. There's no mention of pricing or western availability so far, but you can hit the source for all the technical details.

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Sharp unveils semi-transparent solar panels, lets you see the sun while reaping its benefits originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 Sep 2012 05:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink CNET  |  sourceSharp Japan (translated)  | Email this | Comments

Spherical glass lens concentrates sunlight by up to 10,000 times, boosts solar cell efficiency

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Spherical glass lens concentrates sunlight by up to 10,000 times, boosts solar cell efficiency

Eking out more power from solar cells is an ongoing challenge for scientists, and now architect André Broessel has developed a spherical glass energy generator that's said to improve efficiency by 35 percent. Acting as a lens, the rig's large water-filled orb concentrates diffused daylight or moonlight onto a solar cell with the help of optical tracking to harvest electricity. In certain configurations, the apparatus can be used for solar thermal energy generation and even water heating. In addition to the oversized globe, Broessel has cooked up a mobile version of the contraption for domestic use and an array of much smaller ball lenses with dual-axis tracking that offers 40 percent efficiency. These devices aren't the first venture into concentrated photovoltaics, but they are likely among the most visually impressive. If the Barcelona-based architect's vision of the future comes true, you'll be seeing these marbles incorporated into buildings and serving as standalone units. Hit the source links below for the picture spread of prototypes and renders.

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Spherical glass lens concentrates sunlight by up to 10,000 times, boosts solar cell efficiency originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Aug 2012 09:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Gizmodo  |  sourceDesignboom, Rawlemon  | Email this | Comments

IBM alliance sets efficiency record for solar power cells using common materials

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IBM alliance sets efficiency record for solar power cells using common materials

There have been more than a few solar power efficiency records set in the past few months, let alone years. What makes IBM, DelSolar, Solar Frontier and Tokyo Ohka Kogyo think they can just waltz in and claim a record of their own? By using more commonplace elements in the periodic table, that's how. The partnership's new photovoltaic cell based on copper, zinc and tin (CZTS for short) can convert light rays to electric power with a 11.1 percent efficiency rate -- still nothing to upset traditional silicon power, but a large 10 percent more efficient than anything else in the class. In its early form, CZTS can already be manufactured through ink printing and could be produced in quantities equivalent to about 500 gigawatts of power per year, or five times more than some of the next-closest alternatives. The group wants to improve CZTS' efficiency over the course of the next several years, ideally reaching the point where it's useful as a truly cheap, ubiquitous source of power. We're looking forward to the day when there's a little slice of solar energy in just about everything, hopefully including a few more hybrid cars and private aircraft.

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IBM alliance sets efficiency record for solar power cells using common materials originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Aug 2012 15:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink MIT Technology Review  |  sourceIBM Research  | Email this | Comments

Inhabitat’s Week in Green: 3D printed boat, algae-based biofuel and a bus that does push-ups

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Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green.

Inhabitat's Week in Green: 3D printed boat, algae-based biofuel and a bus that does push-ups

The Olympic flame completed its tour through the UK this week as the 2012 Summer Games officially kicked off on Friday, and all eyes have been on London ever since. All week long we've been focusing on the Olympics, beginning with an overview of London's new Olympic Park, which is headlined by the Zaha Hadid-designed Aquatics Centre, and Anish Kapoor's controversial ArcelorMittal Orbit observation tower. For a deeper look at the venues that will be on display at the Olympics over the next two weeks, check out our roundup of the top six green buildings at the Olympics. In addition to the sports stadiums, Olympics visitors will also be treated to the sights and sounds of Coca-Cola's multi-sensory Beatbox Pavilion, an interactive sound and light display that responds to touch. But the art installation that we're most excited about is the one by artist David Cerny, who retrofitted a 6-ton London double-decker bus with a gigantic pair of human arms. Best of all, the arms are motorized, enabling the bus to do push-ups.

Continue reading Inhabitat's Week in Green: 3D printed boat, algae-based biofuel and a bus that does push-ups

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Inhabitat's Week in Green: 3D printed boat, algae-based biofuel and a bus that does push-ups originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 29 Jul 2012 10:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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UCLA creates transparent solar cell, dreams of current generating windows

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UCLA creates transparent solar cell, dreams of current generating windows

Transparent photovoltaics have yet to grace the face of your smartphone, but don't give up hope -- UCLA researchers are working on a new see-through solar cell that's showing potential. Using a new type of polymer solar cell, the team has been able to build a device that converts infrared light into electrical current. Current prototypes boast 4 percent energy conversion efficiency at 66 percent transparency -- not crystal clear, but certainly clean enough to peer through. According to a study in ACS Nano, the technology could be used in "building-integrated photovoltaics or integrated photovoltaic chargers for portable electronics." Translation? It could one day be used to build solar windows or better sun collecting smartphones. Don't get too excited though, the technology still has a ways to go before any of these dreams come to fruition. Still, feel free to head past the break for the team's official press release, or skip to the source to take in the full academic study.

Continue reading UCLA creates transparent solar cell, dreams of current generating windows

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UCLA creates transparent solar cell, dreams of current generating windows originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 22 Jul 2012 03:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceACS Nano  | Email this | Comments

Alt-week 7.8.2012: Solar flares, trapping dark matter, and life-sized Lego trees

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Alt-week peels back the covers on some of the more curious sci-tech stories from the last seven days.

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This week we swing by some superhero news, look at how solar panels might shape up in the future, explore a Lego forest and see how to grab dark matter just using some household gold and strands of DNA. Not only that, we discover how the sun likes to celebrate the fourth of July with its own firework display. This is alt / week

Continue reading Alt-week 7.8.2012: Solar flares, trapping dark matter, and life-sized Lego trees

Alt-week 7.8.2012: Solar flares, trapping dark matter, and life-sized Lego trees originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 08 Jul 2012 16:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceTechnabob, Space, PhysOrg, Wired, Wired (2), Lego Festival  | Email this | Comments

Solid state solar panels are more affordable, say researchers, don’t leak

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http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/25/northwestern-university-solid-dye-solar-cell/

Researchers at Northwestern University have found one way to stop a leak: get rid of the liquid. A new variation on the Grätzel solar cell replaces a short-lived organic dye with a solid alternative. The molecular dye the solid substance replaces was corrosive, at risk of leaking and only lasted about 18-months -- by replacing it, researchers plan to pave the way for a more affordable (and less toxic) alternative. Northwestern's new design flaunts a 10.2-percent conversion efficiency, the highest ever recorded in a solid-state solar cell of its type -- but that's still only half of what traditional sun collectors can do. Researchers hope to improve conversion in the long run, but expect that the cost reduction alone will be enough to get the party going. It may not be the greenest solar technology we've ever seen, but who are we to judge?

Solid state solar panels are more affordable, say researchers, don't leak originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 27 May 2012 12:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Gizmag  |  sourceNorthwestern University  | Email this | Comments

Primping Up the Lamps

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Unless you live in a vibrant city like Kula Lumpur, where you have such ornate streetlamps, chances are that you are stuck with drab energy draining streetlamps. Parasite is a Photovoltaic Lamp that parasitically hooks onto existing lamps and scaffoldings, primping the old. The PV cell system is modeled on the system designed by Spectrolab.

As the designer explains, “The cells are high in efficiency and use triple junction PV cells, brought to earth after extensive use in space. Their power depends on their nanotech wafer of GaAs (gallium arsenide), a modern material that has nothing to do with common Si (silicon) photovoltaic. These cells work at atmosphere 1 with extreme efficiency and can be forced further with a Fresnel lens, supporting a light intensity up to 1000 suns if correctly refrigerated. I estimated a 260-watt peak production in normal conditions while just covering far less than a square meter surface with these marvelous GaAs cells. Parasite tilts from a relaxed neutral position to 30° in order to harvest energy at its maximum, LED lights grant low consumption and produce an abundant number of lux.”

Designer: Mark Beccaloni

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(Primping Up the Lamps was originally posted on Yanko Design)

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Solar Charging iPad Case

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solar ipad case 650x587 Solar Charging iPad Case
Charge your iPad on the go by harnessing the (free!) power of the sun with the Solar Charging iPad Case Solar Charging iPad Case. The case also has a built in battery which will allow you to use your iPad2 for up to 10 days of use. The solar panel uses photovoltaic ink which can convert both indoor and outdoor light into electricity.
solar ipad charging case 650x418 Solar Charging iPad Case
The case also protects your device while traveling yet still allows access to it’s ports. A built0in stainless steel stand props up your iPad at an angle for watching movies or typing too. The case can charge more than just iPads which makes it great for traveling; it has a USB port to charge phones, headsets or anything else that runs on USB. Compatible with iPad2 and iPad3 and weighs just 1.5 pounds. $199 at Hammacher.

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Solar Charging iPad Case