photovoltaic archives - planet forward - 克罗地亚vs加拿大让球

solar panels on buildings at the university

mon, 03 nov 2014 20:59:21 +0000

from the sun to people exercising in the gym, furman is capturing energy from any source they can.

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a wintry solar bike ride under 15 watts

sat, 12 jan 2013 10:00:28 +0000

in this wintertime video my custom electric bike operates on just 3 volts or sub-15 watts of solar power, the lightweight hand made solar panel is rated for approximately 24 watts in optimal conditions. monocrystalline silicon solar cells are used but they offer just 16-17% in efficiency and are extremely brittle, newer flexible pv cell technology is close to 11% more efficient. two summers ago i initially performed a three-volt solar powered ride and was successful, i never got to video document that special test and have diligently been fighting set backs since then to make this video happen. out from my tool chest what i have now shown is basically a reflector that has extremely high-diffuse reflectance and has greater than 97% reflectance across the visible spectrum. with amazing advances announced in photovoltaics in labs during the past year alone, i believe we are on the cusp of a new age of solar transportation.

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photovoltaic solar panels on a parking garage

sat, 23 jun 2012 07:00:04 +0000

earlier this week, saint paul rivercentre’s parking ramp was outfitted with almost 350 photovoltaic solar panels, funded in part by the american recovery and reinvestment act (arra) and minnesota department of commerce.
thanks to better designed panels, some of which are made here in minnesota, installation is cheaper and safer than ever. major minnesota companies are getting on board to both save money on utility costs and reduce environmental impacts.

the magnitude of this installation puts the project in the top ten largest state-funded projects to date. as the technology continues to increase year to year, look for more strategic solar installations like this one. large spaces such as parking garages serve as great locations for these type of projects, which hopefully will move us from the 21st century into the 22nd.

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episode 8: walkthrough — net-zero energy, comfortable living, efficient technology

fri, 26 aug 2011 11:30:35 +0000

new zealand: victoria university of wellington is the first team from the southern hemisphere to compete in the u.s. department of energy solar decathlon 2011. the team has made this video walk through of the first light house – take a tour through the house and see what makes it unique.

visit the solar decathlon category page!

looking to keep track of team new zealand?

click here to view the previous idea submission from new zealand’s solar decathlon team. for access to the entire archive of new zealand solar decathlon 2011 videos: visit the member page

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“father of energy efficiency” schools congress on cool-roof effects

thu, 04 aug 2011 11:30:41 +0000

cool roofs improve comfort on hot summer days and reduce the amount of energy used for air-conditioning – thereby reducing energy costs and improving air quality. whitening flat roofs is a low-cost solution which, if implemented in certain cities across the globe, has been estimated to have the potential to offset the carbon emissions of 300 million automobiles.

in this video, renowned physicist and energy efficiency expert arthur rosenfeld discusses research at lawrence berkeley national laboratory (lbnl) that for the first time quantifies the reflective power (albedo) of urban surfaces that would be necessary to mitigate the urban heat-island effect and offset carbon dioxide emissions. other speakers discuss insulated and vegetated (“green”) roofs and how different types of cool roofs may be combined or integrated with solar-roofing systems, photovoltaics (pv) and/or solar thermal technology. more information is available at bit.ly/coolrf

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installing a solar panel network on electric poles

fri, 29 jul 2011 11:00:50 +0000

in 1995, i proposed to florida light and power they install two photovoltaic (pv) panels per pole. how many giant metal electric poles do you suppose there are in the entire continental usa? too many to mention. wow, a built-in network of poles already existing to clamp a little pv panel. now if you simply used 250-watt panels and put two on each pole that would add 500 watts per pole. now imagine that times how many poles there are out there. it is mind boggling as to why this was not done 15 years ago.

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an innovative heating solution: fiber optics

sun, 24 jul 2011 10:30:43 +0000

can solar heat be transmitted through special fiber optics to distant places where it is cold?

i know that fiber optics transmit light but i wonder about heat as well. solar energy is at its most efficient when heat from sunlight is utilized directly instead of being converted into trickles of electrical juices. reflect sunlight to heat indoors at the shady back sides of houses that face to the north is one good example which i am using already. it can be aluminum foil or glassless mirrors made of special treated aluminum, like durabright patented by alcoa, and things like that.

i also wonder about whether fiber optics can carry vast amounts of sun heat captured in the deserts to the colder climates during winters? or can special reflectors be able to reflect infrared heat without the glare of the sunlight?? why are we so overfocused on photovoltaics and inverters alone? think reflection and concentration! not just passive photovoltaics and unnecessary inverters and batteries that cost too much for our tax credits that will go only to the wealthy…

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solar mirror space heater

sat, 14 may 2011 09:30:03 +0000

most of us are so focused toward converting sunlight into electricity that we overlook the biggest residential energy user of all – home furnaces, space heaters , even air polluting fireplaces and wood stoves. my idea is not going to replace them entirely but can do the job every bit as good whenever the sun shines. if it is foggy or raining, we can always go back to the old standbys. if the sun is shining, turn them off and switch to my idea that uses simple mirrors to reflect sunlight through windows and even sliding glass doors. we can borrow the suntracking mechanism from the solar tower with those heliostats all around it and retrofit with mirrors so that we don’t need to go out and readjust the mirrors every hour manually. mirrors doesn’t need to use any glass panes as there are already new kinds of mirrors that reflect as effectively as the glass mirrors. there are already some kind of mylar based reflecting surfaces that using bright aluminum coatings. silver can be used as well. we are too focused on producing kilowatts from the sun , but we can also focus on producing btus (british thermal units) as well. nearly all utility ratepayers usually pay for both fuel and electricity. some use natural gas, heating oil, firewood, etc which is measured in btus not kilowatts. some of us do have electric furnaces, water heaters, of course. generally speaking, it is far cheaper and more efficient to convert sunlight into btus with reflective surfaces than kilowatts with photovoltaics. people don’t seem to grasp that simple concept of producing btus from the sun very well. this is the real dilemma with our solar energy picture. solar thermal technologies are already everywhere , but they are not being marketed efficiently. photovoltaics which are far less efficient and far more aggressively marketed at greater costs to our governments through much heavier paid in tariffs and subsidies. solar thermal technologies will use aluminum extensively , yet we are not using it as much as we should. there are already excess inventories of idle aluminum lying around in the ports. what is going on?

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create a clean, affordable solar power service to supply energy

thu, 20 jan 2011 09:30:37 +0000

50% of the electricity in the u.s. is currently generated from coal. coal power plants emit co2, produce solid waste, and are highly toxic to people living close by. it’s time to change the story of coal with clean, renewable energy.

however, solar systems traditionally cost anywhere between $20,000-$45,000, and that can make it too expensive for most people to purchase systems for their homes. but, instead of purchasing a system, homeowners can now purchase solar electricity! sunrun created the first residential solar ppa (power purchase agreement) in 2007 that offers solar power as a service.

now, you can cut miles of transmission lines and avoid consequences of dirty coal and bring the solution right to your rooftop, literally.

learn more about the story of coal: http://www.sunrunhome.com/why-solar/solar-video/the-story-of-coal

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create completely solar-powered vehicles which can reach high speeds and long distances.

thu, 06 jan 2011 17:39:32 +0000

the university of texas solar vehicles team, a campus club made up of students from all academic disciplines, designs high performance racing cars powered by the sun.

since the 1980s, the club has been custom building, testing and racing carbon-neutral electric vehicles.

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