Michaelangelica Posted June 19, 2008 Author Report Share Posted June 19, 2008 Australian solar breakthrough snapped up in US Ben Cubby, Environment ReporterJune 16, 2008 FORMER Sydney University professor Dr David Mills couldn't find funding for his giant solar power plants in Australia, but US investors had no qualms wagering at least $40 million on the idea. Dr Mills' first factory for the mass production of "solar parks" will open in Las Vegas later this month. It hosted a gaggle of interested Australian politicians last night in Nevada, including the NSW Environment Minister, Verity Firth.The Sydney Morning Herald: national, world, business, entertainment, sport and technology news from Australia's leading newspaper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michaelangelica Posted July 10, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 10, 2008 If it wasn't for the Hindenberg and good film reporting these things would ber everywhere now. ?Construction Begins of the 200 mph, Solar Powered Turtle AirshipA new way to fly! Turtle Airships company announces the beginning of construction iof a demonstration model of a new form for lighter-than-air airships. The airships are not blimps. They are solar powered and will reach speeds of 200 mph. We can save over $100 billion each year on fuel costs alone, another several hundred billion dollars in airport construction, and eliminate a major source of carbon emissions. Airships are a trillion dollar industry, still in its' infancy, that will grow for decadesConstruction Begins of the 200 mph, Solar Powered Turtle Airship Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freeztar Posted July 10, 2008 Report Share Posted July 10, 2008 If it wasn't for the Hindenberg and good film reporting these things would ber everywhere now. ? Construction Begins of the 200 mph, Solar Powered Turtle Airship While this idea immediately piqued my interest, I was very dissappointed through my follow-up research. The website for the company is a single page with contact info and nothing else. There is also a blog started by the "inventor", but the style raises many skeptical flags in my mind. Unfortunately, no scientific data is given to support this idea. For example, how does the airship travel at 200mph on solar power? What does its propulsion system consist of? etc. I'd like to start jumping up and down with excitement, but at this point, unfortunately, I see it as just a good "idea". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michaelangelica Posted July 25, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 25, 2008 Solar power in EuropeListen Now - 19072008 |Download Audio - 19072008 New technology uses solar energy to super-heat water which is used to drive steam turbines producing electricity. These plants are already in use in Spain. Test plants have been built in north Africa and the Middle East. Naomi Fowler reports on progress in other areas of Europe, including Italy where there is a strong political push for nuclear power. In many countries, current legislation assists existing electricity producers over new technologies. Show Transcript | Hide TranscriptTranscript This transcript was typed from a recording of the program. The ABC cannot guarantee its complete accuracy because of the possibility of mishearing and occasional difficulty in identifying speakers. Robyn Williams: How much of our energy needs can the sun provide in these times of costly oil? In February on this programme Ray Kurzweil from Boston, Massachusetts, predicted new solar technologies that will satisfy all our needs in 20 years if they develop the systems in the same way as IT. Doubters put the figure at between 3 and 5 per cent if we're lucky. In Europe however solar is already moving fast as Naomi Fowler reports. Science Show - 19July2008 - Solar power in Europe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InfiniteNow Posted July 25, 2008 Report Share Posted July 25, 2008 Did you see this one, Mike? It's pretty cool. :phones: MIT opens new 'window' on solar energy - Hypography - Science for everyone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michaelangelica Posted July 25, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 25, 2008 Did you see this one, Mike? It's pretty cool. :phones: MIT opens new 'window' on solar energy - Hypography - Science for everyoneNo i HADN'T SEEN IT- tHANKSsOLAR has TO BE THE FUTURE The MIT engineers, experts in optical techniques developed for lasers and organic light-emitting diodes, realized that perhaps those same advances could be applied to solar concentrators. The result? A mixture of dyes in specific ratios, applied only to the surface of the glass, that allows some level of control over light absorption and emission. "We made it so the light can travel a much longer distance," Mapel says. "We were able to substantially reduce light transport losses, resulting in a tenfold increase in the amount of power converted by the solar cells." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michaelangelica Posted September 3, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 3, 2008 What's big in solar energy today... Advertise in Solar Daily and reach thousands of customers the world over Dow Corning Significantly Increases Solar Panel Production Rates Midland MI (SPX) Sep 03, 2008 -Dow Corning has demonstrated a manufacturing process featuring new developmental silicone materials that significantly increases the production rate of solar panels, effectively lowering the cost per watt of solar power. "This technology represents a real step-change in the industry, and will help make solar power a viable and sustainable energy option globally," said Gaetan Borgers, global ... more More solar energy news... Advertise here Modular Residential Solar Shade Structures Created By Envision Solar NanoGram Signs OTB As Partner For SilFoil Solar Module Pilot Plant Georgia Power Seeks Approval To Expand Its Green Energy Program Advent Solar Introduces Ventura Technology ET Solar Group Announces PV Plant Contract With Wattner Linde Nippon Sanso To Power Spain's First Thin Film Solar Plant Sino-American Silicon Invests In Silfab LDK Signs Wafer Supply Agreement With Hyundai Heavy Industries MORE NEWS Energy Daily Terra Daily Bio Fuel Daily Seed Daily Nuclear Power Daily Solar Daily SOLAR ENERGY SOLUTIONS Commercial & Residential SolarFree Solar Install DVD available Call 310-373-3169 for yourFREE DVD or visit ABCsolar Solar Energy Solutions Advertise in Solar Daily and reach thousands of customers the world over. CONTACT US:Editorial/Advertising 310-373-3169 (Los Angeles) orMail: PO Box A447 - Sydney South, NSW Australia 1235 XML/RSS FEEDS NOW AVAILABLE+ SpaceDaily XML :: TerraDaily XML :: SpaceWar XML Sign Up For More Of Our Daily Newsletters + GPS News - Disaster Management+ Solar Energy - Nuclear Energy+ Space Industry News - Mars Daily Express + Click here for our one-stop sign up page! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michaelangelica Posted October 22, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 22, 2008 PhotovaltaicsPlastic solar or light cells?Robyn Williams: It's very interesting because when I was in Britain I heard a program on the radio, they used a most wonderful line saying it's 'chips for silicon because plastic is coming'. And the paradox of plastic being able to conduct in this way is counterintuitive, isn't it. Paul Byrne: It certainly is counterintuitive, and in fact one of the best things about it is you can confuse electricians, because most electricians are quite happy to use plastic covered wires, as we all are. Plastic covers the wires for our toasters, our kettles and so on. But there are certain plastics that you can design that you can induce to conduct electricity, and if you can do that then you can actually develop devices and have various applications where you can effectively convert electricity into light or light into electricity, and that's very useful.New photovoltaic plastics - Science Show - 18 October 2008also developing tredns hereProspects for photovoltaics listen now | download audio Photovoltaics were developed in 1956 and have since dropped to one-hundredth of their price then. Phil Livingston says major cost reductions are in train in solar thin-film technologies opening up possibilities for a wide range of products and applications. The push now is to have photovoltaic materials on the surfaces of most buildings, such as the tinting on windows, or the tiles on roofs.Prospects for photovoltaics - Science Show - 18 October 2008Audio is only available for 4 weeks transcript is there all the time (?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michaelangelica Posted October 25, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 25, 2008 Australia has best solar cell efficiency Solar installation at UNSW.by Staff WritersSydney (UPI) Oct 23, 2008Australian scientists at the University of New South Wales say they have become the first to achieve 25 percent efficiency in a silicon solar cell.Australia has best solar cell efficiency Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michaelangelica Posted October 26, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 26, 2008 Highest Silicon Solar Cell Efficiency Ever Reached ScienceDaily (Oct. 24, 2008) — University of New South Wales' ARC Photovoltaic Centre of Excellence has created the first silicon solar cell to achieve the milestone of 25 per cent efficiency.Professor Martin Green and Dr. Anita Ho-Baillie with a silicon wafer which contains six large PERL cells of the type which set the world record. (Credit: Australian Research Council) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michaelangelica Posted December 6, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 6, 2008 Yes, I agree so much science news is hype maybe ten years before any real invention/pill whatever appears on the market.Maybe they do this to attract investment? Yet another project is claiming to be the world’s largest solar power plant, albeit solar thermal.This time it is the company, WorleyParsons, who strangely already knee deep in coal, nuclear and Canadian oil sands, are making the noise. Weird, huh? Maybe they see the writing on the wall, or least figure it is safe to have a bet each way.Anyhow, according to the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) the firm plan on having a 250 Megawatt plant (using the sun’s radiation to power steam turbines) by 2011. It should power the equivalent of 100,000 houses. Though WorleyParsons’ Chief Executive Officer John Grill also reckons "A solar facility a single square kilometre in size could power 50,000 households”. And furthermore they'd like to deliver 40% of the country’s renewable energy by such plants by 2020. (The government want 20% of Australia’s total electricity supplied by renewables by this same period.)Australia To Get World's Largest Solar Thermal Plant? : TreeHugger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michaelangelica Posted March 7, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2009 Press ReleaseMonash Newsline (Monash University) Thin, flexible and low-cost solar cells roll off the presses26 February 2009Video demonstration of solar cell being used as a power source. Monash University researchers have developed a solar cell which is thin, flexible and can be produced on a mass-scale using the same technology used to print polymer banknotes. The first of the trial polymer solar cells have rolled off the presses at the Melbourne-based plant of Securency International -- the company responsible for printing Australian polymer banknotes and currency for 26 countries around the world. Monash researchers Dr Udo Bach and Professor Yi-Bing Cheng are part of the Victorian Organic Solar Cell Consortium -- a team of scientists and industry partners working in collaboration to develop a polymer solar cell that can be printed cheaply and efficiently. "The film-like solar cells are fabricated on a polymer substrate and are almost as thin as a sheet of paper. The ultimate goal of our work is to develop this alternative solar cell technology to a point where it can compete with conventional photovoltaic technologies already established on the market," Dr Bach said. More at:Monash Newsline (Monash University) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michaelangelica Posted October 10, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 10, 2009 Introducing the Most Efficient Solar Power in the World | Alternative Energy | DISCOVER Magazine More promises or something better?Do all scientists nowadays need a PR team to ensure funding? Or am I being too cynical. In 1986 solar panels were literally ripped from the White House roof. But political will and financial incentives have reignited the search for efficient, affordable ways to harness the sun’s energy. Two new solar thermal technologies—which focus sunlight to create heat rather than convert it directly to electricity, as photovoltaics do—promise to make solar power practical at vastly different scales. The SunCatcher solar thermal system, developed by Tessera Solar and built by Stirling Energy Systems at the Sandia National Laboratories’ National Solar Thermal Test Facility, captures solar energy at 31.25 percent efficiency, the highest ever achieved by this technology. Each of SunCatcher’s 38-foot-wide dishes collects enough heat energy to run a Stirling engine that can then generate 25 kilowatts of electric power. The system will fulfill two of the world’s largest solar contracts, providing a planned 1,600 megawatts to Southern California by 2014. It improved on its predecessor with a new design that makes each dish substantially lighter and cheaper to manufacture.and hereMIT opens new 'window' on solar energy - Hypography - Science for everyoneWhere have these 2008 promises gone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michaelangelica Posted January 1, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 1, 2010 Hidden fibres capture solar power Tuesday, 10 November 2009 Eric BlandDiscovery NewsUsing what they call the world's first 3-D solar panel system, scientists in the US have created photovoltaic cells that work underground. The breakthrough is taking solar panels off the roofs of homes and cars, and moving them under the house and into the walls. The new panels could unobtrusively provide solar power while simultaneously protecting the delicate photovoltaics. "No one wants to buy a big, nice, fancy car with a huge solar panel on the roof," says Dr Zhong Wang of the Georgia Institute of Technology in the United States. Instead of using traditional solar panels, the system captures sunlight and turns it into electricity using fibre optics cables coated with zinc oxide, the same white compound lifeguards slather on their noses. The fibre optic cables, each one two to three times the width of a human hair, would be installed on the roof of a house, car or any other structure. Only the very tip of the cables would be exposed to the outside environment. Hidden fibres capture solar power › News in Science (ABC Science) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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