While thin film technologies are receiving worldwide attention with their potential to lower the cost of solar energy, there are researchers who are thinking outside the box and are looking into different approaches that will result in cost reductions for photovoltaic technologies.
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I just finished doing my DIY solar lantern project. I’ve always wanted to make one but I didn’t have the time to make one.

After the Earth Day, I decided to make time for this mini project of mine.

I’ve made a detailed documentation of this project including theory of operation, how it works, how to compute for the resistor value, and all these technical stuff.

Here’s a link to the detailed guide on how I did it.

DIY Solar Lantern part 1/3

DIY Solar Lantern part 2/3

DIY Solar Lantern part 3/3

Here are some of the pics.

Tags: solar lantern

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Powerenz, a manfacturer and retailer of portable solar power systems in Georgia, has designed a system to help pilots power up their light airplane avionics without having to start the engine. It can power up the aircraft avionics silently, without smoke, and without wasting aircraft fuel. The unit can be used for approximately 90 [...]

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The global trend toward biofuels came under attack last week at the International Energy Forum in Rome. Blamed by industry insiders for the nascent food crisis, alternative fuels made from cash crops - particularly grains - have been subject to increasingly vociferous criticism as it becomes evident that they aren’t the much-touted panacea for global warming many had imagined. Though these comments aren’t especially surprising coming from a bunch of oil CEOs and government policy wonks, they shouldn’t be dismissed. More and more studies are indicating that biofuels such as ethanol use at least as much energy as they are purported to save, and that the reallocation of farm land for fuel crops is putting a strain on global food markets.

We shouldn’t be so quick to dismiss biofuels, however. While they make a convenient scapegoat for the current crisis and are clearly deserving of skepticism, they may not be entirely to blame, despite what the energy moguls claim. Biofuels will probably never live up to their original hype, but with continued technological progress and more intelligent legislation, they may still find their niche on a smaller, more sustainable scale. First, while most attempts to produce biofuels utilize processes and raw materials that are inefficient, some alternative methods offer hope. The International Energy Agency (IEA) supports the use of second-generation biofuels, which use non-food crops to produce the fuel. Other methods focus on genetically engineering certain tree species to reduce lignin levels, which prevent researchers from accessing the cellulose needed for ethanol production. Given their high levels of cellulosity, trees are otherwise perfect candidates for biofuels. Such methods are not without their own controversies, however; critics of bioengineering have raised concerns over compromising the structural integrity of these experimental trees, not to mention the threat of cross-fertilization with wild strains. Second, most current subsidy policies do little but promote such inefficiency. Corn-based ethanol - the bulk of biofuel produced in the U.S. - is especially inefficient given corn’s low cellulose content compared to other potential sources. Yet Congress continues to pass bills in favor of greater corn subsidies and cornthanol production. (Click here and here to read our past posts.) At the conference, recently ousted Italian prime minister Romano Prodi astutely commented that “We have to examine very closely subsidy policies so as to avoid distortions in the allocation of resources”. Such a prudent approach may prove better in the long run than the outright dismissal of biofuels, despite the significant limitations born out by recent events.

“Tortillanomics”, a slideshow on Frontline’s website, also explores the effects of biofuel production on corn prices in Mexico. Click here.

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In a news conference early this week in a gloomy Rose Garden, President Bush argued the main reason gasoline prices were so high was a lack of domestic oil production. While his silly assertion was widely disputed by reputable sources on NPR, his claim got me to thinking, “what exactly was his stance on energy [...]

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Solar and Wind Power are catching on in Colorado which has become somewhat of a greentech or “green technology” hub. Boulder, which was at one point going to be the capital city of Colorado instead of Denver, has always been known as an entrepreneurial hub or hot spot ranked right up there with Silicon Valley, but with new discounts, rebates, and incentive programs including an Xcel energy Smart Grid test, Boulder is really taking off.

By some reports, the US solar industry has grown by nearly 50% over the past two and a half years since 2007. In many countries this increase has been even more substantial. Colorado has certainly experienced enormous growth in sustainable energy, including solar, over the past five years as new companies have relocated or sprung up to leverage the tax advantages that Boulder shares with it’s citizens. A big part of these rewards come directly from Xcel energy and their Solar*Rewards program. The dream and goal of many Xcel Solar Rewards program members is to actually receive a check from Xcel at the end of the year based on their own electricity generation. To date, Xcel has paid out nearly twenty million dollars to homeowners using solar energy!

It’s great that incentives exist to encourage solar adoption, rebates and rewards help to soften the blow of an initial fifteen thousand dollar system… The high end systems can cost as much as fifty thousand dollars. In Colorado homeowners who use solar can often recoup as much as fifty percent of their solar costs through local and federal rebates, but it isn’t guaranteed and in many cases it depends on exactly where your home is located. Being outside Boulder Cit limits might mean that you don’t qualify for the same incentive program.

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Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Solar, Green Daily, USA

Alright, so maybe some of the homebuilt solar-powered cars that we’ve shown here in the past aren’t the best-looking contraptions. Give then this, though: they certainly are useful. The latest example was made by a California man named Brent Hatch, who decided enough was enough when he got a $700 gas bill. With seven kids to drive to school and back along with record-high gas prices, it’s easy to see why Hatch was fed up. His solution centers around a four-wheeled, pedal-powered bike that has been equipped with three roof-mounted solar panels. These provide electricity to a small electric motor. Maintenance charges have also gone down considerably, with the only real wear item being the vehicle’s sole rear tire, which is powered. Perhaps it’s not the most elegant solution we’ve ever seen… but it’s hard to argue that it gets the job done. Watch a video of the machine in action here.

[Source: CBS 2 via Engadget]

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Xcel Energy is spending over one hundred million dollars on a new smart grid “beta test” in Boulder Colorado. The goal is to test out new forms of technology in the grid structure that will allow for wind, solar, and other alternatives to contribute efficiency. Eventually these technologies, having been tested and proven in Boulder, will trickle down nation wide.

The Xcel Smart grid is just one example of the work going on in Boulder since 2004 when the Climate Action Plan was put into place to strive for Kyoto Protocol compliance. The goal is to reduce greenhouse gases below 7% of 1990 levels and Boulder has made advancements towards this goal with biodiesel, natural gas, solar, and wind. In Boulder, private enterprise is responsible for ~59% of carbon emissions so these efforts have had to take place without cutting away profitability and the primary source of funding for these projects has come from an electricity tax which goes directly to the source of CO2 emissions but only amounts to about $10 a year for the average Boulder homeowner.

Boulder’s solar rebate program is setup to provide incentives to local homeowners (within Boulder city limits) to speed adoption of sustainable technologies and reduce Carbon emissions. There are two aspects of this program, basic discounts to businesses and home owners who put up solar panels designed to incentivize adoption and a second aspect which goes towards funding solar power for nonprofits and other organizations that might not otherwise have been able to afford solar. This is all funded by a sales and use tax in Boulder, both in the form of a rebates from the sales and use tax and also money directly from this fund. The fund has tremendously increased the number of solar users in Boulder and also lead to numerous solar companies moving to Boulder, making it a green-tech hub.

There are a large number of climate smart programs in Boulder to help educate the community and you can learn more at BeClimateSmart.com and from the following three interviews with Kevin Afflerbaugh, the Boulder Sustainability Coordinator. More on these topics at the CU Student Blog Front Range Environment

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Last week on Earth Day (April 22) Governor David A. Paterson announced a major alternative energy project that would more than triple the state’s current solar power capacity by adding 50 MW of new photovoltaic generation throughout Long Island. Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) President and CEO Kevin S. Law said LIPA released a Request for Proposals (RFP) to initiate the project last week.

The new capacity would provide enough power to sustain more than 6,500 households and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 20,000 tons, and importantly it would add a critical burst of clean power right when the state needs it most - hot, sunny summer days. The solar energy would be produced by one or more developers of solar photovoltaic systems and will be introduced onto the LIPA grid and purchased by LIPA.

The project will meet 50% of a 100 MW-by-2011 goal that was set by Paterson last fall when he headed up the state’s Renewable Energy Task Force as Lt. Governor.

Solar One commends the Governor’s progressive leadership on this issue. The project marks an important step towards making solar a truly viable source in the Empire State over the course of the coming decade. Additional measures in the State Legislator must be advanced, however, for this end to ultimately be achieved. Please visit our I Heart PV campaign page to find out about simple ways in which you can help push for greater political support for solar power in New York today.

(click here for the official press release announcing the Long Island solar project.)

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On May 12 the price of a stamp is rising by one cent. (a 2.4 percent increase). Right now you have the opportunity to lock in the 41 cent price forever. Is there any doubt, given the cost of gasoline, that the price will be rising again soon? This might rank as one of the best investments opportunities for businesses in a long time.

The stamp is…

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