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Solyndra, a California-based solar start up, says it's figured out a way to make solar panels cheaper to install and better at producing energy--rolling them up. The company's solar panels are comprised of rows of cylindrical solar cells deposited on glass tubes, a new type of shape that purportedly lets them absorb more light during the day.
Google, who in aggregate, effectively knows everything, unsurprisingly has a solution for our energy problems. The plan, called Clean Energy 2030 will cost $US4.4 trillion over its 22-year span, if we start on it right now. Google says it'll give us back a net of $US1 trillion, like half of which will be savings on Google's massive power bill notes the former Fake Steve.
Japan mobile phone carrier KDDI has a knack for turning out handsets that belong in museums. Past hit designs like the INFOBAR, talby, neon and MEDIA SKIN made into the permanent collection at the MoMa in New York. The trendy telecom showed off some of its concepts at CEATEC outside Tokyo, showcasing the talents of Hideo Kambara, a designer from Hiroshima who also made into the MoMa with his Kadokeshi eraser that has 28 corners. Kambara's PLY phones are inspired by songs, novels, numbers and symbols. PLY means "lamination layers," according to KDDI, and the whimsical handsets in the series include concepts like a mobile projector, a printer, a game controller, tissue dispenser, and a mint tablet dispenser. The other concept phones from KDDI include models resembling jewel boxes and satellites, and are apparently equipped with mini solar panels. Just in case civilization fails, there's always the sun.
Marcelo da Luz was driving his solar-powered Xof1 car when he was pulled over by Alaskan police. They chased him for a while, trying to figure what the heck his vehicle was, then decided to stop him. The reason: 911 received an UFO sighting alert. And no, there's no Sarah Palin connection here, because this wasn't the first time it happened to him.
Another day, another golf cart size, three-wheeled solar-powered car with style ripped from the 1980's. At least with this one, the Solar Taxi, there's a record at stake, as Swiss "adventurer" Louis Palmer is taking the car on a trip across the planet without using a drop of gasoline. He'll be the first to do it, and we're hoping his example will inspire more alternative energy cars (hopefully a few have that elusive fourth wheel). The 56kph top speed is going to be a tough sell with us Yanks. Palmer, my man, haven't you heard? Women and men alike get hot and bothered by power and speed.
An Australian PhD student has found a cheap way to make solar cells with nail polish, a pizza oven and an ink jet printer. 23-year-old Nicole Kuepper's invention, named iJET, doesn't require the pricey clean rooms and high-temperature ovens of traditional solar panel manufacturing plants, thus dramatically lowering the cost of solar and paving the road for introducing the technology to third-world countries.
AC manufacturer Greencore has come up with a long-awaited solution to the inherent problem in solar-powered air conditioning units--solar panels are still not efficient enough to power the energy-gobbling machines on their own. The company's 10200 model uses a single 170-watt solar panel during the day and electricity from the power grid during the night to charge its batteries, leading to massive energy savings even if the solution isn't 100% solar.
Solar powered spotlights seem like a pretty smart idea for areas of the country that have enough light. Think Geek tested it with a south-facing balcony and it was able to get enough sun power to shine both lights at full power for eight hours. That's pretty impressive, seeing as it's unlikely that you'd be in the dark for eight hours unless you were burying a body in your backyard. What's even better about this version is that it's RC, so you can point it at any direction you want via the 20-foot range IR remote. Hell, you can even shine it at your neighbour's window for eight hours at a time if they're being ridiculously loud. [ThinkGeek]
Solar panels are great, don't get me wrong, and the technology still has plenty of room to improve. But today, they still only capture about 20% of the energy coming from light...and there's a young, promising challenger on the horizon. The technology is called a nanoantenna skin. It can suck 92% of the energy from infrared light (in theoretical simulations, about 80% in early lab testing). And because it doesn't simply collect energy from the visible light spectrum, it even can harness the Earth's solar energy it stores during the day and radiates at night.
Thinking of camping out at Ikea once they start selling those solar panels? While you're waiting, RoofRay will help you plan exactly how many SUNGLYÄSS units you'll need, and how much you'll save. Draw the shape of a prospective solar array on Google Maps' satellite image of your roof, enter its slope angle, and watch RoofRay calculate how much DC juice your panels will generate. It doesn't take into account exactly what kind of panels you'll be using, so of course it's an estimate, but an interesting tool for getting the general idea of how much you could knock off the electric bill. See it in action in a demo video below.
