W&T Wetenschap & Technologie
Een plek om te discussiëren over wetenschappelijke onderwerpen, wetenschappelijke problemen, technologische projecten en grootse uitvindingen.
Hmm, op zich kan die tracker een licht motortje zijn met een flinke overbrenging.quote:Op maandag 6 februari 2012 20:46 schreef Bijvlagenzinvol het volgende:
[..]
Geen idee hoe jij rekent, maar als ik een suntracker zou willen aanschaffen, dan reken ik ook die kosten om t.o.v. de verwachte meeropbrengst, en herleid ik dat tot de kosten per Wp.
Kleine moeite, groot plezier.
Je hoeft overigens niet echt te kunnen rekenen om tot de conclusie te komen dat 2400Wp aan panelen @0,90/Wp totaal slechts 2160,- kost. Stel dat die installatie 2000kWh oplevert, en de suntracker daar 35% aan toevoegd, dus 700kWh. Dat is 160,- per jaar.
Nu de suntracker... Die moet in staat zijn om circa 17m2 aan panelen op een frame, met een gewicht van ruim 400 kilo de zon te kunnen laten volgen, EN bij windkracht 12 stevig genoeg zijn om het hele zaakje overeind te houden...
Ik kan je alvast verklappen dat je de kosten van die 'tracker' nooit en te nimmer terugverdient.
Zo snel gaat de zon nu ook weer niet
En die tracker-systemen bestaan al.
Tuurlijk, de kracht om het geheel te bewegen is ansich het probleem niet. Maar je vergeet voor het gemak even het extra frame waarop de panelen moeten komen en de stormbestendigheid?quote:
Hmm, op zich kan die tracker een licht motortje zijn met een flinke overbrenging.
Zo snel gaat de zon nu ook weer niet
En die tracker-systemen bestaan al.
Ga jij maar even 17m2 aan panelen stormvast op een tracker-constructie monteren, die ook nog eens moet kunnen bewegen. Succes.
OW, en je budget voor de volledige tracker (elektronica + motor/overbrenging + frame + verankering + 30 jaar onderhoud) is dan dus 840,- daarboven is het zinloos, dan kun je beter wat extra panelen neerleggen...
[ Bericht 0% gewijzigd door Bijvlagenzinvol op 06-02-2012 23:06:21 ]
Ik ben diegene waar je moeder je altijd voor gewaarschuwd heeft...
Welded nanowires may lead to low-cost touch-screens, video displays, LEDs, and thin-film solar cells
Stanford University engineers have demonstrated a promising new nanowire welding technique to create electrically conductive meshes made of metal nanowires.
The research promises to lead to exceptional electrical throughput, low cost and easy processing for new generations of touch-screens, video displays, light-emitting diodes, and thin-film solar cells.
In processing, these delicate meshes must be heated or pressed to unite the crisscross pattern of nanowires that form the mesh, damaging them in the process.
The solution is to use plasmonics, the interaction of light and metal in which the light flows across the surface of the metal in waves.
“When two nanowires lay crisscrossed, we know that light will generate plasmon waves at the place where the two nanowires meet, creating a hot spot. The beauty is that the hot spots exist only when the nanowires initially touch, not after they have fused. The welding stops itself. It’s self-limiting,” explained Mark Brongersma, an associate professor of materials science engineering at Stanford.
“This ability to heat with precision greatly increases the control, speed and energy efficiency of nanoscale welding.”
In before-and-after electron-microscope images, individual nanowires are visually distinct prior to illumination. They lay atop one another, like fallen trees in the forest. When illuminated, the top nanowire acts like an antenna of sorts, directing the plasmon waves of light into the bottom wire and creating heat that welds the wires together. Post-illumination images show X-like nanowires lying flat against the substrate with fused joints.
In addition to making it easier to produce stronger and better performing nanowire meshes, the researchers say that the new technique could open the possibility of mesh electrodes bound to flexible or transparent plastics and polymers.
To demonstrate the possibilities, they applied their mesh on Saran wrap. They sprayed a solution containing silver nanowires in suspension on the plastic and dried it. After illumination, what was left was an ultrathin layer of welded nanowires.
This could lead to inexpensive window coatings that generate solar power while reducing glare for those inside, the researchers said.
http://www.zeitnews.org/n(...)ilm-solar-cells.html
Stanford University engineers have demonstrated a promising new nanowire welding technique to create electrically conductive meshes made of metal nanowires.
The research promises to lead to exceptional electrical throughput, low cost and easy processing for new generations of touch-screens, video displays, light-emitting diodes, and thin-film solar cells.
In processing, these delicate meshes must be heated or pressed to unite the crisscross pattern of nanowires that form the mesh, damaging them in the process.
The solution is to use plasmonics, the interaction of light and metal in which the light flows across the surface of the metal in waves.
“When two nanowires lay crisscrossed, we know that light will generate plasmon waves at the place where the two nanowires meet, creating a hot spot. The beauty is that the hot spots exist only when the nanowires initially touch, not after they have fused. The welding stops itself. It’s self-limiting,” explained Mark Brongersma, an associate professor of materials science engineering at Stanford.
“This ability to heat with precision greatly increases the control, speed and energy efficiency of nanoscale welding.”
In before-and-after electron-microscope images, individual nanowires are visually distinct prior to illumination. They lay atop one another, like fallen trees in the forest. When illuminated, the top nanowire acts like an antenna of sorts, directing the plasmon waves of light into the bottom wire and creating heat that welds the wires together. Post-illumination images show X-like nanowires lying flat against the substrate with fused joints.
In addition to making it easier to produce stronger and better performing nanowire meshes, the researchers say that the new technique could open the possibility of mesh electrodes bound to flexible or transparent plastics and polymers.
To demonstrate the possibilities, they applied their mesh on Saran wrap. They sprayed a solution containing silver nanowires in suspension on the plastic and dried it. After illumination, what was left was an ultrathin layer of welded nanowires.
This could lead to inexpensive window coatings that generate solar power while reducing glare for those inside, the researchers said.
http://www.zeitnews.org/n(...)ilm-solar-cells.html
"An educated citizenry is a vital requisite for our survival as a free people."
Ik dacht dat ik daar toch helder in was, in: Euro per kWh over de verwachte levensduur.quote:
Geen idee hoe jij rekent, maar als ik een suntracker zou willen aanschaffen, dan reken ik ook die kosten om t.o.v. de verwachte meeropbrengst, en herleid ik dat tot de kosten per Wp.
En mijn punt was dat Euro per Wp maar een grove schatting is.
Oh dat zal best, afhankelijk waar je de tracker plaatst. In NL en in kleine aantallen zal het zeker niet uit kunnen. Ik beweerde dan ook niet dat zonnestroom van een tracker altijd goedkoper is, maar dat je moet kijken naar de verwachte prijs per kWh en niet alleen moet blindstaren op de prijs per Wp.quote:Ik kan je alvast verklappen dat je de kosten van die 'tracker' nooit en te nimmer terugverdient.
Een ander voorbeeld:
Goedkope C-merk panelen voor de halve prijs die er na 10 jaar de brui aan geven of A-merk die na 30 jaar nog steeds prima functioneren. Prijs per Wp voor de C-merk panelen is beduidend lager, de prijs per geproduceerde kWh niet en daar gaat het juist om.
Geef eens een paar voorbeelden van die merken?quote:
Goedkope C-merk panelen voor de halve prijs die er na 10 jaar de brui aan geven of A-merk die na 30 jaar nog steeds prima functioneren.
En dan wel van die C-Merken waarvan je kunt onderbouwen dat ze er na 10 jaar mee ophouden natuurlijjk.
Er zijn inmiddels panelen die al ruim 30 jaar gewoon functioneren, en die zijn gemaakt met de techniek van ruim 30 jaar geleden...
Maar goed, jij stelt dat er panelen zijn die maar 10 jaar meegaan, dus jij komt ook met de merken en typenummers. Toch?
[ Bericht 25% gewijzigd door Bijvlagenzinvol op 09-02-2012 19:29:48 ]
Ik ben diegene waar je moeder je altijd voor gewaarschuwd heeft...
Doe niet zo flauw man. Je snapt toch ook wel zonder praktijkvoorbeelden dat slechte kwaliteits management of te goedkope materialen voor problemen zorgen met materialen die dag en nacht in weer en wind beschermd tegen de elementen moeten blijven? Zodra er vocht achter de folies kan komen (delaminatie) of als de contacten breken, dat dit funest is voor de werking? Dat de financiele druk op de fabrikanten om goedkoper te produceren enorm is toegenomen na de vrije val in paneelprijzen de afgelopen paar jaar?quote:
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Geef eens een paar voorbeelden van die merken?
En dan wel van die C-Merken waarvan je kunt onderbouwen dat ze er na 10 jaar mee ophouden natuurlijjk.
Er zijn inmiddels panelen die al ruim 30 jaar gewoon functioneren, en die zijn gemaakt met de techniek van ruim 30 jaar geleden...
Maar goed, jij stelt dat er panelen zijn die maar 10 jaar meegaan, dus jij komt ook met de merken en typenummers. Toch?
Maargoed voorbeelden zijn er. De Kyocera KC80 en KC120 series hadden problemen met solderingen, Photowatt idem. Sommige Isofoton I100/12 panelen delamineren, net als Shell Solar ACN2000E panelen. Bron: Photon voorjaar 2010. Tevreden nu?
Edit: online voorbeeldje: http://zonstraal.forumup.be/viewtopic.php?t=14334 Op dat forum vind je wel meer voorbeelden.
[ Bericht 2% gewijzigd door cynicus op 09-02-2012 22:30:05 ]
Daar was ik al bang voor...quote:
De Kyocera KC80 en KC120 series hadden problemen met solderingen, Photowatt idem. Sommige Isofoton I100/12 panelen delamineren, net als Shell Solar ACN2000E panelen. Bron: Photon voorjaar 2010. Tevreden nu?
Kyocera, en de Shell panelen kun je niet als C-merk panelen typeren toch? (De andere 2 weet ik niet zeker, en geen zin om nu te zoeken ook, maar doet ook niet echt terzake)
Oftewel, je kunt van geen enkel merk 100% zeker zijn. Ook niet van een A-merk. Het blijft altijd een gok.
@cafe-roker, had je niet 20 seconden kunnen wachten...
Ik ben diegene waar je moeder je altijd voor gewaarschuwd heeft...
Ja, veel -ook bekende- merken hebben problemen gehad, vooral in de beginjaren. Maar hoe lang zijn Chinese panelen nu eigenlijk op de markt? Yingli sinds 1998, Trina sinds 1997, Suntech sinds 2001... Wie heeft er hier Chinese panelen van van een niet-A merk maar die 10+ jaar oud zijn op z'n dak?
Nogmaals, voordat het verkeerde beeld ontstaat, ik heb geen enkele moeite met Chinese panelen, zeker de A-merken niet. Mij gaat het erom dat de PV markt onder zware druk staat en dat zoiets normaal gesproken leid tot negatieve uitspattingen in de productkwaliteit en dat ik daarom liever meer betaal voor een A-merk dan een iets goedkoper onbekend merk. En dus dat de prijs per Wp alleen niet bepalend is.
Nogmaals, voordat het verkeerde beeld ontstaat, ik heb geen enkele moeite met Chinese panelen, zeker de A-merken niet. Mij gaat het erom dat de PV markt onder zware druk staat en dat zoiets normaal gesproken leid tot negatieve uitspattingen in de productkwaliteit en dat ik daarom liever meer betaal voor een A-merk dan een iets goedkoper onbekend merk. En dus dat de prijs per Wp alleen niet bepalend is.
Daar heb je ansich wel gelijk in, maar ook van de A-merken zitten er type's tussen die niet voldoen. Ik heb nu 2400Wp aan panelen besteld van het merk 'Sun-Earth" @90cent/Wp (incl. BTW), dus als ze het 5 jaar uithouden zijn ze terugverdiend. Ik gok het wel hoor.quote:
En dus dat de prijs per Wp alleen niet bepalend is.
[ Bericht 2% gewijzigd door Bijvlagenzinvol op 09-02-2012 23:28:44 ]
Ik ben diegene waar je moeder je altijd voor gewaarschuwd heeft...
Veel plezier met je paneeltjes en moge zij de komende decennia veel kWh-jes produceren!
M'n Sunpowers met backcontact waren een paar jaar geleden nog wel wat duurder. Ahem...
Die moeten het zeker 20 jaar volhouden om rendabel te worden, maar gelukkig gaat het mij daar niet primair om.
M'n Sunpowers met backcontact waren een paar jaar geleden nog wel wat duurder. Ahem...
Die moeten het zeker 20 jaar volhouden om rendabel te worden, maar gelukkig gaat het mij daar niet primair om.
Ik krijg ze morgen binnen, incl. 5 jaar garantie op de panelen zelf, dus kan me geen buil vallen. (Plus de gangbare 10 jaar garantie voor de 90% opbrengst en 25 jaar garantie voor de 80% opbrengst).quote:
Veel plezier met je paneeltjes en moge zij de komende decennia veel kWh-jes produceren!
Als ze naar mijn zin presteren dan volgend jaar 3400Wp op het echte dak, maar eerst even de kat uit de boom kijken.
Ik ben diegene waar je moeder je altijd voor gewaarschuwd heeft...
Nicequote:
[..]
Ik krijg ze morgen binnen, incl. 5 jaar garantie op de panelen zelf, dus kan me geen buil vallen. (Plus de gangbare 10 jaar garantie voor de 90% opbrengst en 25 jaar garantie voor de 80% opbrengst).
Als ze naar mijn zin presteren dan volgend jaar 3400Wp op het echte dak, maar eerst even de kat uit de boom kijken.
"An educated citizenry is a vital requisite for our survival as a free people."
Photovoltaic nanoshell "whispering galleries" trap light for more efficient solar cells
For those unfamiliar with the term, a "whispering gallery" is a round room designed in such a way that sound is carried around its perimeter - this allows a person standing on one side to hear words whispered by a person on the other. Now, scientists from Stanford University have developed a new type of photovoltaic material, that essentially does for sunlight what whispering galleries do for sound. Not only does the material have a structure that circulates light entering it, but it could also result in cheaper, less fragile, and less angle-sensitive solar panels.
The new material consists of tiny hollow spheres, made out of nanocrystalline-silicon. While nanocrystalline-silicon has good electrical efficiency and is able to stand up to the damaging effects of sunlight, is isn't particularly good at absorbing light - in past attempts at using it for photovoltaics, it has had to be thickly layered, which has in turn resulted in long manufacturing times. That's where the spheres - known as nanoshells - come into play.
To make the nanoshells, the scientists coated individual balls of silica with silicon, then used hydrofluoric acid to etch away the silica in the center. This left them with the hollow transparent nanoshells.
When sunlight enters one of them, instead of passing straight through, it gets trapped and is circulated several times within the nanoshell. This is a good thing, as the longer the light stays in contact with the nanocrystalline-silicon, the more energy the material can absorb.
In a side-by-side comparison with a flat layer of silicon, a layer of the nanoshells showed "significantly more absorption over a broader spectrum of light." When the nanoshells were subsequently stacked three layers deep, that improvement went up to 75 percent for certain important ranges of the solar spectrum.
Not only are they more efficient than nanocrystalline-silicon film, but they are easier to make - according to team member Yan Yao, "A micron-thick flat film of solid nanocrystalline-silicon can take a few hours to deposit, while nanoshells achieving similar light absorption take just minutes." They also require only about one-twentieth the amount of material, which translates into one-twentieth the cost and weight, too. This point could be particularly significant if the technology were used with other, rarer substances, such as tellurium or indium.
Additionally, the efficiency of the nanoshells isn't greatly affected by their angle to the Sun, so they could be used in locations where an optimal angle isn't always possible. Finally, layers of them are thin enough that they can stand up to twisting and bending, so they could possibly even be built into items such as sails or clothing.
A paper on the research was recently published in the journal Nature Communications.
http://www.zeitnews.org/e(...)ent-solar-cells.html
For those unfamiliar with the term, a "whispering gallery" is a round room designed in such a way that sound is carried around its perimeter - this allows a person standing on one side to hear words whispered by a person on the other. Now, scientists from Stanford University have developed a new type of photovoltaic material, that essentially does for sunlight what whispering galleries do for sound. Not only does the material have a structure that circulates light entering it, but it could also result in cheaper, less fragile, and less angle-sensitive solar panels.
The new material consists of tiny hollow spheres, made out of nanocrystalline-silicon. While nanocrystalline-silicon has good electrical efficiency and is able to stand up to the damaging effects of sunlight, is isn't particularly good at absorbing light - in past attempts at using it for photovoltaics, it has had to be thickly layered, which has in turn resulted in long manufacturing times. That's where the spheres - known as nanoshells - come into play.
To make the nanoshells, the scientists coated individual balls of silica with silicon, then used hydrofluoric acid to etch away the silica in the center. This left them with the hollow transparent nanoshells.
When sunlight enters one of them, instead of passing straight through, it gets trapped and is circulated several times within the nanoshell. This is a good thing, as the longer the light stays in contact with the nanocrystalline-silicon, the more energy the material can absorb.
In a side-by-side comparison with a flat layer of silicon, a layer of the nanoshells showed "significantly more absorption over a broader spectrum of light." When the nanoshells were subsequently stacked three layers deep, that improvement went up to 75 percent for certain important ranges of the solar spectrum.
Not only are they more efficient than nanocrystalline-silicon film, but they are easier to make - according to team member Yan Yao, "A micron-thick flat film of solid nanocrystalline-silicon can take a few hours to deposit, while nanoshells achieving similar light absorption take just minutes." They also require only about one-twentieth the amount of material, which translates into one-twentieth the cost and weight, too. This point could be particularly significant if the technology were used with other, rarer substances, such as tellurium or indium.
Additionally, the efficiency of the nanoshells isn't greatly affected by their angle to the Sun, so they could be used in locations where an optimal angle isn't always possible. Finally, layers of them are thin enough that they can stand up to twisting and bending, so they could possibly even be built into items such as sails or clothing.
A paper on the research was recently published in the journal Nature Communications.
http://www.zeitnews.org/e(...)ent-solar-cells.html
"An educated citizenry is a vital requisite for our survival as a free people."
A Leap Forward for Plastic Solar Cells
A record-breaking polymer solar cell made by researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, converts 10.6 percent of the energy in sunlight into electricity. The performance of the cell surpasses the previous record, 8.6 percent, set in July of last year by the same group.
Polymer solar cells are flexible, lightweight, and potentially inexpensive, but their performance lags behind that of conventional cells made from inorganic materials such as silicon. The goal of the researchers, led by Yang Yang, professor of materials science and engineering at UCLA, is to make a polymer solar cell that can compete with thin-film silicon cells. Yang's record-breaking cell, enabled by a new photovoltaic polymer developed by a Japanese company, Sumitomo Chemical, is a sign that researchers are getting better at making solar cells from these finicky materials.
The new plastic solar cell combines two layers that work with different bands of light—a polymer that works with visible light and one that works with infrared light. "The solar spectrum is very broad, from the near infrared through the infrared to the ultraviolet, and one single solar-cell component can't do it all," says Yang.
The best inorganic solar cells are also multilayer devices, but making multilayer organic solar cells has been difficult. Polymers can be printed from solution, like printing ink on paper, which is both a primary advantage of the technology and a liability, says Alan Heeger, who shared the Nobel Prize in 2000 for his co-discovery of conductive polymers. "There are no high temperatures involved, and manufacturing is simple," he says. But figuring out the right solvents to print each layer in a cell without bleeding into the one below it is tricky. The more layers, the more complex the problem becomes. Matching the electrical properties of each layer is also a challenge, as has been connecting them together.
Yang says he wants to make a polymer solar cell with an efficiency of 15 percent. He notes that efficiency numbers typically drop by about a third when solar cells are taken out of the lab and sold in working modules. A polymer solar cell that tests at 15 percent efficiency in the lab is likely to make a module with 10 percent efficiency, which Yang believes is good enough to compete with thin-film silicon solar.
http://www.zeitnews.org/e(...)tic-solar-cells.html
A record-breaking polymer solar cell made by researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, converts 10.6 percent of the energy in sunlight into electricity. The performance of the cell surpasses the previous record, 8.6 percent, set in July of last year by the same group.
Polymer solar cells are flexible, lightweight, and potentially inexpensive, but their performance lags behind that of conventional cells made from inorganic materials such as silicon. The goal of the researchers, led by Yang Yang, professor of materials science and engineering at UCLA, is to make a polymer solar cell that can compete with thin-film silicon cells. Yang's record-breaking cell, enabled by a new photovoltaic polymer developed by a Japanese company, Sumitomo Chemical, is a sign that researchers are getting better at making solar cells from these finicky materials.
The new plastic solar cell combines two layers that work with different bands of light—a polymer that works with visible light and one that works with infrared light. "The solar spectrum is very broad, from the near infrared through the infrared to the ultraviolet, and one single solar-cell component can't do it all," says Yang.
The best inorganic solar cells are also multilayer devices, but making multilayer organic solar cells has been difficult. Polymers can be printed from solution, like printing ink on paper, which is both a primary advantage of the technology and a liability, says Alan Heeger, who shared the Nobel Prize in 2000 for his co-discovery of conductive polymers. "There are no high temperatures involved, and manufacturing is simple," he says. But figuring out the right solvents to print each layer in a cell without bleeding into the one below it is tricky. The more layers, the more complex the problem becomes. Matching the electrical properties of each layer is also a challenge, as has been connecting them together.
Yang says he wants to make a polymer solar cell with an efficiency of 15 percent. He notes that efficiency numbers typically drop by about a third when solar cells are taken out of the lab and sold in working modules. A polymer solar cell that tests at 15 percent efficiency in the lab is likely to make a module with 10 percent efficiency, which Yang believes is good enough to compete with thin-film silicon solar.
http://www.zeitnews.org/e(...)tic-solar-cells.html
"An educated citizenry is a vital requisite for our survival as a free people."
Interessant
Minder materiaalgebruik, potentieel veel minder energieverbuik en geschikt voor massaproductie. Nu nog hopen dat het goedkoop genoeg geproduceerd kan worden. Gewoon multikristallijn Si is ondertussen ook enorm goedkoop geworden. Dat maakt het voor nieuwe technieken lastig om ook een plek te veroveren.
Minder materiaalgebruik, potentieel veel minder energieverbuik en geschikt voor massaproductie. Nu nog hopen dat het goedkoop genoeg geproduceerd kan worden. Gewoon multikristallijn Si is ondertussen ook enorm goedkoop geworden. Dat maakt het voor nieuwe technieken lastig om ook een plek te veroveren.
Hoeveel energie zit er, op onze breedtegraad, in een vierkante meter zonlicht.
Dus niet hoeveel je eruit kunt halen.
Wie het weet mag het zeggen.
Dus niet hoeveel je eruit kunt halen.
Wie het weet mag het zeggen.
Dat hangt oa af van de tijd van het jaar, zonnig of niet, luchtvochtigheid, vervuiling, luchtdruk, opbouw atmosfeer, etc. De AM1.5 standaard die gebruikt wordt om zonnecellen te meten, heeft een invallend vermogen van ongeveer 1000W/m2quote:
Hoeveel energie zit er, op onze breedtegraad, in een vierkante meter zonlicht.
Dus niet hoeveel je eruit kunt halen.
Wie het weet mag het zeggen.
Revolutionary Sphelar Spherical Solar Cells Capture Sunlight From All Directions
Japanese company Kyosemi has developed a revolutionary spherical micro solar cell that is capable of capturing sunlight from all directions. Called the Sphelar, the cell shuns the traditional flat substrate photovoltaic design and opts for much more efficient shape – the sphere. While traditional flat solar cells are easy to design and produce, their main problem is that their efficiency relies on their relative position to the sun. While some companies have addressed this with motorized frames that follow the sun’s path, Kyosemi has gone for a completely new approach that doesn’t need costly motors to work.
Their innovative new Sphelar® is a matrix of tiny, spherical solar cells that are designed to absorb sunlight at any angle. This means not only more efficient energy production, but less power needed for motorization of solar cell frames. The design and geometry of Sphelar cells means that by harnessing reflected and indirect light, energy conversion is close to 20% efficiency – a target far beyond most flat photovoltaic technologies. Its design also makes Sphelar appropriate for applications at a variety of scales, including mobile electronic devices.
With innovation like this, it is no surprise that Japan is leading the world in solar power technology.
http://www.zeitnews.org/e(...)-all-directions.html
Japanese company Kyosemi has developed a revolutionary spherical micro solar cell that is capable of capturing sunlight from all directions. Called the Sphelar, the cell shuns the traditional flat substrate photovoltaic design and opts for much more efficient shape – the sphere. While traditional flat solar cells are easy to design and produce, their main problem is that their efficiency relies on their relative position to the sun. While some companies have addressed this with motorized frames that follow the sun’s path, Kyosemi has gone for a completely new approach that doesn’t need costly motors to work.
Their innovative new Sphelar® is a matrix of tiny, spherical solar cells that are designed to absorb sunlight at any angle. This means not only more efficient energy production, but less power needed for motorization of solar cell frames. The design and geometry of Sphelar cells means that by harnessing reflected and indirect light, energy conversion is close to 20% efficiency – a target far beyond most flat photovoltaic technologies. Its design also makes Sphelar appropriate for applications at a variety of scales, including mobile electronic devices.
With innovation like this, it is no surprise that Japan is leading the world in solar power technology.
http://www.zeitnews.org/e(...)-all-directions.html
"An educated citizenry is a vital requisite for our survival as a free people."
Dit mag iemand mij uileggenquote:
Yang says he wants to make a polymer solar cell with an efficiency of 15 percent. He notes that efficiency numbers typically drop by about a third when solar cells are taken out of the lab and sold in working modules. A polymer solar cell that tests at 15 percent efficiency in the lab is likely to make a module with 10 percent efficiency, which Yang believes is good enough to compete with thin-film silicon solar.
Health In Harmony is een non-profitorganisatie die regenwoudgemeenschappen helpt met gezondheidszorg en duurzame inkomens in ruil voor bosbescherming, en zo tegelijk klimaatverandering en armoede aanpakt. - https://www.healthinharmony.org/
1 derde is inderdaad wat aan hoge kant. Er zijn wel verliezen t.o.v. van een losse cel (ivm de lichtdoorlatendheid van de glasplaat en reflectie van die glasplaat) maar normaliter zie ik specs als cell efficiency: 17,1%, module(panel) efficiency 15%. (Of iets in die geest)quote:
Op
Ik ben diegene waar je moeder je altijd voor gewaarschuwd heeft...
Hoe moet ik me daar een paneel vol bij voorstellen? Een vlak met allemaal halve bollen erop? Dat vraagt smeekt er gewoon om, om zoveel mogelijk vuil te verzamelen.quote:
Revolutionary Sphelar Spherical Solar Cells Capture Sunlight From All Directions
Japanese company Kyosemi has developed a revolutionary spherical micro solar cell that is capable of capturing sunlight from all directions. Called the Sphelar, the cell shuns the traditional flat substrate photovoltaic design and opts for much more efficient shape – the sphere.
Ik ben diegene waar je moeder je altijd voor gewaarschuwd heeft...
Dat betwijfel ik. Het gaat om de gladheid van het oppervlak. Als je geen scherpe hoeken op de rand van die bolletjes hebt zitten zie ik niet in waarom er meer of minder achter zou blijven hangen dan bij een vlakke plaat.quote:
[..]
Hoe moet ik me daar een paneel vol bij voorstellen? Een vlak met allemaal halve bollen erop? Dat vraagt smeekt er gewoon om, om zoveel mogelijk vuil te verzamelen.
Waar ik trouwens wel benieuwd naar ben: er zitten hier nogal wat experts bij elkaar. Hoe zien jullie het gewone 'standaardpaneel' kort door de bocht, ik weet het over 5 jaar. Wat is dan gebruikelijk? En hoe verhoudt dat tot wat je nu over het algemeen krijgt?
[ Bericht 0% gewijzigd door CafeRoker op 03-03-2012 17:31:25 (typo) ]
Niet helemaal. Je hebt hoogteverschillen, waardoor er blaadjes/takken achter kunnen blijven haken, en een vlak oppervlak spoelt makkelijker schoon dan zoiets.quote:
Dat betwijfel ik. Het gaat om de gladheid van het oppervlak. Als je geen scherpe hoeken op de rand van die bolletjes hebt zitten zie ik niet in waarom er meer of minder achter zou blijven hangen dan bij een vlakke plaat.
Ik ben diegene waar je moeder je altijd voor gewaarschuwd heeft...
Lijkt me niet dat ze een paneel vol met die bollen maken en er dan nog een glasplaat overheen zetten.quote:Op donderdag 8 maart 2012 09:59 schreef Simba het volgende:
Er zit nog een gladde glasplaat voor die micro-bolletjes.
Overigens heb je met die bolen ook last van schaduwwerking op de achterliggende bollen, dus moeten ze wijder van elkaar af waardoor het rendement van het paneel ansich t.o.v. het oppervlak drastisch verminderd.
Maar het kan natuurlijk dat ik me zo'n paneel helemaal verkeerd voorstel...
Ik ben diegene waar je moeder je altijd voor gewaarschuwd heeft...
Er staat dit:quote:Op vrijdag 9 maart 2012 18:42 schreef pfaf het volgende:
Waarom zouden de bollen op een paneel moeten staan? Dat wordt toch ook niet genoemd?
Japanese company Kyosemi has developed a revolutionary spherical micro solar cell that is capable of capturing sunlight from all directions.
Blijkbaar is dus 1 'halve' bol 1 cel.
Wat had jij in gedachten met die losse cellen te gaan doen? 1000 stuks 1 voor 1 vastmaken en elektrisch met elkaar doorverbinden op het dak?
Ik ben diegene waar je moeder je altijd voor gewaarschuwd heeft...
Waarom moeten ze op een dak? En waarom meerdere?quote:
[..]
Er staat dit:
Japanese company Kyosemi has developed a revolutionary spherical micro solar cell that is capable of capturing sunlight from all directions.
Blijkbaar is dus 1 'halve' bol 1 cel.
Wat had jij in gedachten met die losse cellen te gaan doen? 1000 stuks 1 voor 1 vastmaken en elektrisch met elkaar doorverbinden op het dak?
Van mij hoeven ze niet op het dak, open veld mag ook. Het probleem blijft echter hetzelfde.quote:
Wat wilde je gaan doen met 1 cel dan?quote:En waarom meerdere?
Overigens uit de bron:
While traditional flat solar cells are easy to design and produce, their main problem is that their efficiency relies on their relative position to the sun. While some companies have addressed this with motorized frames that follow the sun’s path, Kyosemi has gone for a completely new approach that doesn’t need costly motors to work.
Daaruit maak ik dus op dat deze cellen dus als verbetering t.o.v. de huidige panelen kunnen worden beschouwd.
Ik ben diegene waar je moeder je altijd voor gewaarschuwd heeft...
Je mist m'n punt..quote:
[..]
Van mij hoeven ze niet op het dak, open veld mag ook. Het probleem blijft echter hetzelfde.
Geen idee, het is niet mijn uitvinding. Wellicht op lantaarnpalen, verkeerslichten, op rekenmachines, matrixborden, et certera?quote:Wat wilde je gaan doen met 1 cel dan?
Dat had ik gemist. Al kan het huidige paneeltje naast de snelweg ook bedoelt worden.quote:Overigens uit de bron:
While traditional flat solar cells are easy to design and produce, their main problem is that their efficiency relies on their relative position to the sun. While some companies have addressed this with motorized frames that follow the sun’s path, Kyosemi has gone for a completely new approach that doesn’t need costly motors to work.
Daaruit maak ik dus op dat deze cellen dus als verbetering t.o.v. de huidige panelen kunnen worden beschouwd.
Ook dan heb je niets aan 1 cel.quote:Op vrijdag 9 maart 2012 19:02 schreef pfaf het volgende:
Geen idee, het is niet mijn uitvinding. Wellicht op lantaarnpalen, verkeerslichten, op rekenmachines, matrixborden, et certera?
Dan nog zul je er een paneeltje van moeten maken van enkele tientallen cellen.quote:Dat had ik gemist. Al kan het huidige paneeltje naast de snelweg ook bedoelt worden.
Maar goed, de bron is ook niet al te duidelijk. Lijkt me typisch zo'n 'innovatie' die een stille dood gaat sterven.
Ik ben diegene waar je moeder je altijd voor gewaarschuwd heeft...
New design for a metamaterial could be far more efficient at capturing sunlight than existing solar cells
Metamaterials are a new class of artificial substances with properties unlike anything found in the natural world. Some have been designed to act as invisibility cloaks; others as superlenses, antenna systems or highly sensitive detectors. Now, researchers at MIT and elsewhere have found a way to use metamaterials to absorb a wide range of light with extremely high efficiency, which they say could lead to a new generation of solar cells or optical sensors.
Nicholas X. Fang, the Brit (1961) and Alex (1949) d’Arbeloff Career Development Associate Professor in Engineering Design in MIT's Department of Mechanical Engineering, says that most thin materials used to fully capture light are limited to a very narrow range of wavelengths and angles of incidence. The new design uses a pattern of wedge-shaped ridges whose widths are precisely tuned to slow and capture light of a wide range of wavelengths and angles of incidence.
These metamaterials can be extremely thin, saving weight and cost. Fang compares the tapered structures to the cochlea of the inner ear, which responds to different frequencies of sound at different points along its narrowing structure. “Our ears separate different frequencies and gather them at different depths,” he says; similarly, the metamaterial wedges harvest photons at different depths.
The actual structure of the material is etched from alternating layers of metal and an insulating material called a dielectric, whose response to polarized light can be varied by changing an electric field applied to the material. The creation of this new material is described in a paper to be published in a forthcoming issue of the journal Nano Letters. A preliminary version of Fang’s paper — co-authored with researchers at Zhejiang University and Taiyuan University in China, and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign — is available online now.
Kin Hung Fung, an MIT postdoc and co-author of the Nano Letters paper, says, “What we have done is to design a multilayer sawtooth structure that can absorb a wide range of frequencies” with an efficiency of more than 95 percent. Previously, such efficiency could only be achieved with materials tuned to a very narrow band of wavelengths. “High-efficiency absorption has been achieved before, but this design has an extremely wide window” for colors of light, Fung says.
Metamaterials have been “a very hot topic this decade,” he says, “because they can help us to design functional materials that interact with light in unconventional ways.” By using the tuned metamaterial, he says, his team was able to slow light to less than one-hundredth of its normal speed in a vacuum, making it much easier to trap inside the material. “When something is going very fast, it’s difficult to catch it,” he says, “so we slow it down so it’s easier to absorb.”
The material can easily be fabricated using equipment that is already standard in conventional photovoltaic-cell manufacturing. Although the initial work was based on computer simulations, the team is now working on lab experiments to confirm their findings.
Besides solar cells, the design could be used to make efficient infrared detectors for a selected range of wavelengths. “We can selectively enhance the material’s interaction with infrared light at the wavelengths we want,” Fung says.
Fang says that by its nature, the material would be both a very efficient emitter and absorber of photons — so in addition to potential uses in new kinds of solar cells or infrared detectors, the material could be used for infrared-light emitting applications, such as devices for generating electricity from heat. In addition, the researchers say the principle can be scaled so that it could be used to capture or emit electromagnetic radiation at other wavelengths, such as microwave and terahertz frequencies. It could even be used to produce visible light with extremely low energy loss, creating a new kind of high-efficiency light bulb.
Richard Averitt, a professor of physics at Boston University who was not involved in this research, calls the sawtooth-shaped structure developed by this team “a unique and impressive approach toward realizing functional broadband absorbers” that could have applications in thermal detection and in light harvesting for energy applications. He cautions that further work is needed to ease fabrication and integration of the materials, but adds, “This is an intriguing slow-wave structure that should inspire new developments in this field.”
http://www.zeitnews.org/n(...)ing-solar-cells.html
Metamaterials are a new class of artificial substances with properties unlike anything found in the natural world. Some have been designed to act as invisibility cloaks; others as superlenses, antenna systems or highly sensitive detectors. Now, researchers at MIT and elsewhere have found a way to use metamaterials to absorb a wide range of light with extremely high efficiency, which they say could lead to a new generation of solar cells or optical sensors.
Nicholas X. Fang, the Brit (1961) and Alex (1949) d’Arbeloff Career Development Associate Professor in Engineering Design in MIT's Department of Mechanical Engineering, says that most thin materials used to fully capture light are limited to a very narrow range of wavelengths and angles of incidence. The new design uses a pattern of wedge-shaped ridges whose widths are precisely tuned to slow and capture light of a wide range of wavelengths and angles of incidence.
These metamaterials can be extremely thin, saving weight and cost. Fang compares the tapered structures to the cochlea of the inner ear, which responds to different frequencies of sound at different points along its narrowing structure. “Our ears separate different frequencies and gather them at different depths,” he says; similarly, the metamaterial wedges harvest photons at different depths.
The actual structure of the material is etched from alternating layers of metal and an insulating material called a dielectric, whose response to polarized light can be varied by changing an electric field applied to the material. The creation of this new material is described in a paper to be published in a forthcoming issue of the journal Nano Letters. A preliminary version of Fang’s paper — co-authored with researchers at Zhejiang University and Taiyuan University in China, and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign — is available online now.
Kin Hung Fung, an MIT postdoc and co-author of the Nano Letters paper, says, “What we have done is to design a multilayer sawtooth structure that can absorb a wide range of frequencies” with an efficiency of more than 95 percent. Previously, such efficiency could only be achieved with materials tuned to a very narrow band of wavelengths. “High-efficiency absorption has been achieved before, but this design has an extremely wide window” for colors of light, Fung says.
Metamaterials have been “a very hot topic this decade,” he says, “because they can help us to design functional materials that interact with light in unconventional ways.” By using the tuned metamaterial, he says, his team was able to slow light to less than one-hundredth of its normal speed in a vacuum, making it much easier to trap inside the material. “When something is going very fast, it’s difficult to catch it,” he says, “so we slow it down so it’s easier to absorb.”
The material can easily be fabricated using equipment that is already standard in conventional photovoltaic-cell manufacturing. Although the initial work was based on computer simulations, the team is now working on lab experiments to confirm their findings.
Besides solar cells, the design could be used to make efficient infrared detectors for a selected range of wavelengths. “We can selectively enhance the material’s interaction with infrared light at the wavelengths we want,” Fung says.
Fang says that by its nature, the material would be both a very efficient emitter and absorber of photons — so in addition to potential uses in new kinds of solar cells or infrared detectors, the material could be used for infrared-light emitting applications, such as devices for generating electricity from heat. In addition, the researchers say the principle can be scaled so that it could be used to capture or emit electromagnetic radiation at other wavelengths, such as microwave and terahertz frequencies. It could even be used to produce visible light with extremely low energy loss, creating a new kind of high-efficiency light bulb.
Richard Averitt, a professor of physics at Boston University who was not involved in this research, calls the sawtooth-shaped structure developed by this team “a unique and impressive approach toward realizing functional broadband absorbers” that could have applications in thermal detection and in light harvesting for energy applications. He cautions that further work is needed to ease fabrication and integration of the materials, but adds, “This is an intriguing slow-wave structure that should inspire new developments in this field.”
http://www.zeitnews.org/n(...)ing-solar-cells.html
"An educated citizenry is a vital requisite for our survival as a free people."
Prijzen zonnecellen kunnen halveren
De startup Twin Creeks heeft een ionenkanon ontwikkeld die het mogelijk zou maken om dunnere zonnecellen uit silicium te produceren. Door aanzienlijk lagere productiekosten zouden de prijzen van zonnecellen en -panelen fors kunnen dalen.
Normale kristallijn-siliciumzonnecellen worden geproduceerd met een gemiddelde dikte van 200µm. Bij het doorsnijden van een blok silicium om de wafers te verkrijgen, gaat echter tot de helft van het materiaal verloren. Daarnaast zijn wafers, ook als deze veel dunner zijn, nog bruikbaar voor zonnecellen om elektriciteit op te wekken. Omdat silicium een broos materiaal is kunnen er bij de huidige productiemethode echter barsten ontstaan als de wafers te dun worden gesneden.
Twin Creeks heeft onder de naam Hyperion een geheel nieuwe productiemethode ontwikkeld die het mogelijk moet maken om veel dunnere wafers te ontwikkelen. Daarvoor gebruikt het bedrijf een ionenkanon. Allereerst worden er 3mm dunne siliciumwafers in een rad geplaatst. De wafers worden vervolgens door een ionenkanon gebombardeerd met waterstofionen. Door de spanning van het ionenkanon nauwkeurig te bepalen, nestelen de ionen zich 20µm diep in het silicium.
In een tweede stap worden de wafers met een robotarm een oven ingeschoven. Door de verhitting zetten de waterstofionen uit door het ontstaan van waterstofgas. Hierdoor breekt een flinterdunne toplaag los van 20µm dik. Achter de toplaag wordt een dunne en buigzame metaallaag geplakt. Vervolgens kunnen de wafers worden gebruikt om er functionerende zonnecellen van te maken, terwijl het resterende silicium gebruikt kan worden voor een volgende gang naar het Hyperion-ionenkanon.
Twin Creeks stelt dat er met deze nieuwe productiemethode tot 90 procent minder silicium wordt verspild, waardoor de productiekosten van zonnecellen met de helft gereduceerd kunnen worden. Dit zou goed nieuws betekenen voor de producenten van zonnepanelen omdat de prijs zou kunnen zakken naar 40 dollarcent per Watt. Hierdoor kan de prijs van met zonnepanelen opgewekte energie flink dalen en beter concurreren met fossiele brandstoffen.
Naast een efficiëntere productie van zonnecellen stelt Twin Creeks dat zijn ionenkanon ook gebruikt kan worden voor andere producten. Zo zou Hyperion ook toegepast kunnen worden bij de productie van cmos-sensoren en leds. De startup zegt zich echter vooral te willen richten op de producenten van zonnecellen in een poging de kostprijs van zonnecellen te drukken.
http://tweakers.net/nieuw(...)ruik-ionenkanon.html
De startup Twin Creeks heeft een ionenkanon ontwikkeld die het mogelijk zou maken om dunnere zonnecellen uit silicium te produceren. Door aanzienlijk lagere productiekosten zouden de prijzen van zonnecellen en -panelen fors kunnen dalen.
Normale kristallijn-siliciumzonnecellen worden geproduceerd met een gemiddelde dikte van 200µm. Bij het doorsnijden van een blok silicium om de wafers te verkrijgen, gaat echter tot de helft van het materiaal verloren. Daarnaast zijn wafers, ook als deze veel dunner zijn, nog bruikbaar voor zonnecellen om elektriciteit op te wekken. Omdat silicium een broos materiaal is kunnen er bij de huidige productiemethode echter barsten ontstaan als de wafers te dun worden gesneden.
Twin Creeks heeft onder de naam Hyperion een geheel nieuwe productiemethode ontwikkeld die het mogelijk moet maken om veel dunnere wafers te ontwikkelen. Daarvoor gebruikt het bedrijf een ionenkanon. Allereerst worden er 3mm dunne siliciumwafers in een rad geplaatst. De wafers worden vervolgens door een ionenkanon gebombardeerd met waterstofionen. Door de spanning van het ionenkanon nauwkeurig te bepalen, nestelen de ionen zich 20µm diep in het silicium.
In een tweede stap worden de wafers met een robotarm een oven ingeschoven. Door de verhitting zetten de waterstofionen uit door het ontstaan van waterstofgas. Hierdoor breekt een flinterdunne toplaag los van 20µm dik. Achter de toplaag wordt een dunne en buigzame metaallaag geplakt. Vervolgens kunnen de wafers worden gebruikt om er functionerende zonnecellen van te maken, terwijl het resterende silicium gebruikt kan worden voor een volgende gang naar het Hyperion-ionenkanon.
Twin Creeks stelt dat er met deze nieuwe productiemethode tot 90 procent minder silicium wordt verspild, waardoor de productiekosten van zonnecellen met de helft gereduceerd kunnen worden. Dit zou goed nieuws betekenen voor de producenten van zonnepanelen omdat de prijs zou kunnen zakken naar 40 dollarcent per Watt. Hierdoor kan de prijs van met zonnepanelen opgewekte energie flink dalen en beter concurreren met fossiele brandstoffen.
Naast een efficiëntere productie van zonnecellen stelt Twin Creeks dat zijn ionenkanon ook gebruikt kan worden voor andere producten. Zo zou Hyperion ook toegepast kunnen worden bij de productie van cmos-sensoren en leds. De startup zegt zich echter vooral te willen richten op de producenten van zonnecellen in een poging de kostprijs van zonnecellen te drukken.
http://tweakers.net/nieuw(...)ruik-ionenkanon.html
Ik ben diegene waar je moeder je altijd voor gewaarschuwd heeft...
Heeft iemand dit wel eens gezien? Een bedrijf dat losse componenten verkoopt voor panelen, zodat je ze zelf in elkaar kunt bouwen.
<knip>
Geen idee of het iets is trouwens. Ik neig ernaar dat je beter een goede aanbieding voor kant en klare kunt opzoeken, maar voor hobbygebruik is het wel handig als je wat flexibeler in de vorm en grootte van de panelen bent.
[ Bericht 12% gewijzigd door CafeRoker op 23-03-2012 20:59:05 (als ebay ermee volstaat hoeft de link ook niet) ]
<knip>
Geen idee of het iets is trouwens. Ik neig ernaar dat je beter een goede aanbieding voor kant en klare kunt opzoeken, maar voor hobbygebruik is het wel handig als je wat flexibeler in de vorm en grootte van de panelen bent.
[ Bericht 12% gewijzigd door CafeRoker op 23-03-2012 20:59:05 (als ebay ermee volstaat hoeft de link ook niet) ]
Daar wordt je op Ebay mee doodgegooid. Leuk inderdaad als je afwijkende afmetingen hebt of bv een afdakje wilt maken, maar zeer arbeidsintensief en met de huidige paneelprijzen volstrekt onrendabel.quote:
Heeft iemand dit wel eens gezien? Een bedrijf dat losse componenten verkoopt voor panelen, zodat je ze zelf in elkaar kunt bouwen.
Ik ben diegene waar je moeder je altijd voor gewaarschuwd heeft...
Scientists Develop Ultra-thin Solar Cells
Austrian and Japanese researchers on Wednesday unveiled solar cells thinner than a thread of spider silk that are flexible enough to be wrapped around a single human hair.
The thin-film device, comprising electrodes on a plastic foil, is about 1.9 micrometers thick, a tenth the size of the thinnest solar cells currently available, the researchers said.
"The total thickness of this device is less than a typical thread of spider silk" the researchers said in a report carried by online science journal Nature Communications.
"Being ultra-thin means you don't feel its weight and it is elastic," said one of the researchers, Tsuyoshi Sekitani from the University of Tokyo.
"You could attach the device to your clothes like a badge to collect electricity (from the sun)... Elderly people who might want to wear sensors to monitor their health would not need to carry around batteries," Sekitani told AFP.
The research was done jointly by Martin Kaltenbrunner, Siegfried Bauer and other researchers from Johannes Kepler University of Austria as well as Sekitani and other contributors from University of Tokyo.
Sekitani said it was possible to make the cells bigger.
"Power generation by solar cells increases with their size. As this device is soft, it is less prone to damage by bending even if it gets bigger," he said.
Sekitani said the team hoped to increase the rate at which the device converts sunlight into electricity and put it to practical use in around five years.
http://www.zeitnews.org/e(...)hin-solar-cells.html
Austrian and Japanese researchers on Wednesday unveiled solar cells thinner than a thread of spider silk that are flexible enough to be wrapped around a single human hair.
The thin-film device, comprising electrodes on a plastic foil, is about 1.9 micrometers thick, a tenth the size of the thinnest solar cells currently available, the researchers said.
"The total thickness of this device is less than a typical thread of spider silk" the researchers said in a report carried by online science journal Nature Communications.
"Being ultra-thin means you don't feel its weight and it is elastic," said one of the researchers, Tsuyoshi Sekitani from the University of Tokyo.
"You could attach the device to your clothes like a badge to collect electricity (from the sun)... Elderly people who might want to wear sensors to monitor their health would not need to carry around batteries," Sekitani told AFP.
The research was done jointly by Martin Kaltenbrunner, Siegfried Bauer and other researchers from Johannes Kepler University of Austria as well as Sekitani and other contributors from University of Tokyo.
Sekitani said it was possible to make the cells bigger.
"Power generation by solar cells increases with their size. As this device is soft, it is less prone to damage by bending even if it gets bigger," he said.
Sekitani said the team hoped to increase the rate at which the device converts sunlight into electricity and put it to practical use in around five years.
http://www.zeitnews.org/e(...)hin-solar-cells.html
"An educated citizenry is a vital requisite for our survival as a free people."
Japan is druk op zoek naar alternatieven nu ze geen kernenergie meer kunnen gebruiken..
http://inhabitat.com/kyoc(...)-largest-solar-farm/
http://inhabitat.com/kyoc(...)-largest-solar-farm/
Opgeblazen gevoel of winderigheid? Zo opgelost met Rennie!
Nicequote:Op woensdag 11 april 2012 01:57 schreef Eyjafjallajoekull het volgende:
Japan is druk op zoek naar alternatieven nu ze geen kernenergie meer kunnen gebruiken..
http://inhabitat.com/kyoc(...)-largest-solar-farm/
[ afbeelding ]
Nog meer innovaties:
A Smarter Mirror for Cheaper Solar Power
Rather than try to reinvent the solar cell, startup Thermata has engineered a high-tech mirror to cut the cost of solar power.
The company, incubated at Idealabs, has completed initial testing on a system executives say can cut the cost of sun-tracking mirrors, or heliostats, in half using cameras and other digital technologies. Thermata plans to start beta testing the heliostats this year with potential customers, which are concentrating solar power technology companies, and with Sandia National Laboratories.
Thermata typifies a new breed of green-technology startup which is targeting a specific niche in energy using technologies from other fields. Its system uses a camera to detect the angle of heliostats and a mesh network of microprocessors to position each mirror with the ideal tilt. In a concentrating solar power plant, thousands or even millions of heliostats concentrate light onto a tower to produce steam, which turns a turbine to generate electricity.
"Instead of using calculations and past knowledge to infer where the mirror is, we can physically measure the angle and control it explicitly," said CEO Terry Bailey. "We've use intelligence instead of steel."
Heliostats now used at concentrating solar power plants are heavy-duty pieces of equipment, mounted on pylons to withstand high winds and connected via wires to control their motion.
Thermata's system is designed to be smaller, lighter, and operate wirelessly. There are eight heliostats on a "pod" with the mirrors' motors operated by small, two-watt photovoltaic solar panels, explained Chief Technology Officer Brad Hines.
Each mirror is equipped with four small "diffusers," or small square mirrors raised above the surface of the heliostat. A camera placed at a distance and out of the glare made by the heliostat takes pictures of the diffusers. Based on the light pattern and intensity, it can determine its location and optimize the tilt, Hines said.
Each heliostat has a microprocessor with a Zigbee wireless chip in it. Those nodes create a mesh network to send information to a central computer which dispatches information on the best position.
"The fact that we can talk to these heliostats wirelessly is a big part of the technology and that technology has only really become available in the last three or four year," Hines said. "That, combined with the optical processing, is what enabled our invention."
Small is beautiful
Having a smaller heliostat means lower costs, which is significant since heliostats are about 40 percent of the cost in solar power plant.
The size means mirrors can be closer to the ground and require less-expensive mounting, Hines said. Gears can be made out of plastic, rather than steel, and the heliostats can be handled by two people, making installation simpler. "We've taken what was traditionally aerospace engineering and we've turned it into automotive," Hines said.
As for the camera and optics, Hines said that digital imaging has progressed so much, the company can get ample imaging processing for under $25 or $30 and built-in image stabilization means cameras can operate on poles which move in the wind.
It's still not clear that Thermata's system will satisfy concentrating solar power developers' demands, but those companies, such as BrightSource Energy and SolarReserve, do need to lower their costs.
The dramatic drop in the cost of solar panels has forced some plant developers to drop solar thermal systems in favor of solar photovoltaics. Thermata's heliostats can also be used for enhanced oli recovery, where steam is injected in used oil wells to stimulate more flow.
Thermata estimates its smaller, cheaper heliostats can take roughly $100 million off of a $600 million solar power plant construction cost, based on savings on heliostats, wiring, and labor. The key is making smaller, lighter devices, something which solar engineers have long desired but has been difficult to do.
"As you go bigger, you get taller and then the wind becomes a significant factor to the design. Then you need yet more precision, more weight, and stiffness -- it's an escalating problem," said Bailey. "This breakthrough allows us to go small and low."
http://www.zeitnews.org/e(...)per-solar-power.html
"An educated citizenry is a vital requisite for our survival as a free people."
Of deze dan:
Black Solar Cell Absorbs 99.7% of All Light
Scientists over at Natcore Tech have created what is now the "blackest" solar cell to date. While that might sound as trivial as creating a white iPhone, this is a fairly huge advancement in the world of solar technology. With an average reflectance of 0.3%, these black silicon wafers absorb more light than any other out there, which means more of the sun's energy is actually converted into energy.
By the way, reflectance is the ratio of reflected light to that of which actually hits the surface. So a reflectance of 0.3% means that only 0.3% of all light is reflected from the solar cell's surface and that the remaining 99.7% is absorbed.
This breakthrough makes industry standards such as anti-reflective coatings now obsolete. Those coatings perform poorly anyway, especially during morning and afternoon hours when the sun is at an angle. The black solar also outperforms standard cells on cloudy days.
“One of the ways this matters,” said Chuck Provini , the company’s CEO, “is that there isn’t a whole lot of difference between the electricity you get on a sunny day vs. a cloudy day. Diffused light won’t matter that much.”
Its higher energy output, combined with a lower cost using Natcore's patented process, could quickly make black silicon the global solar technology of choice.
Of course, with every new solar breakthrough comes the promise of grossly affordable solar cells and the clean tech utopia we've all been hoping for. I don't think this totally changes the game but it could lead to advancements that might. So I am hopeful.
One thing is for sure, this is the one instance where black is...the new black.
http://www.zeitnews.org/e(...)97-of-all-light.html
Black Solar Cell Absorbs 99.7% of All Light
Scientists over at Natcore Tech have created what is now the "blackest" solar cell to date. While that might sound as trivial as creating a white iPhone, this is a fairly huge advancement in the world of solar technology. With an average reflectance of 0.3%, these black silicon wafers absorb more light than any other out there, which means more of the sun's energy is actually converted into energy.
By the way, reflectance is the ratio of reflected light to that of which actually hits the surface. So a reflectance of 0.3% means that only 0.3% of all light is reflected from the solar cell's surface and that the remaining 99.7% is absorbed.
This breakthrough makes industry standards such as anti-reflective coatings now obsolete. Those coatings perform poorly anyway, especially during morning and afternoon hours when the sun is at an angle. The black solar also outperforms standard cells on cloudy days.
“One of the ways this matters,” said Chuck Provini , the company’s CEO, “is that there isn’t a whole lot of difference between the electricity you get on a sunny day vs. a cloudy day. Diffused light won’t matter that much.”
Its higher energy output, combined with a lower cost using Natcore's patented process, could quickly make black silicon the global solar technology of choice.
Of course, with every new solar breakthrough comes the promise of grossly affordable solar cells and the clean tech utopia we've all been hoping for. I don't think this totally changes the game but it could lead to advancements that might. So I am hopeful.
One thing is for sure, this is the one instance where black is...the new black.
http://www.zeitnews.org/e(...)97-of-all-light.html
"An educated citizenry is a vital requisite for our survival as a free people."
Of zullen we het anders gewoon met een satelliet naar de aarde sturen?
Proposed Satellite Would Beam Solar Power to Earth
PASADENA, Calif. — An energy-hungry Earth is in need of transformational and sustainable energy solutions, experts say.
For decades, researchers have been appraising the use of power-beaming solar-power satellites. But the projected cost, complexity and energy economics of the notion seemingly short-circuited the idea.
Now, a unique new approach has entered the scene, dubbed SPS-ALPHA, short for Solar Power Satellite via Arbitrarily Large PHased Array. Leader of the concept is John Mankins of Artemis Innovation Management Solutions of Santa Maria, Calif.
Mankins provided a detailed overview of the power-beaming concept here during the 2012 NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts meeting March 27-29. [Video: Beaming Power From Space]
The NIAC is under the wing of NASA's Office of the Chief Technologist, which is providing a technology and innovation focus for the space agency.
Huge platforms
Last August, Artemis Innovation Management Solutions was selected for a NASA NIAC award to dive into the details of what Mankins labels "the first practical solar-power satellite concept."
The project will be an energetic one-year study of the design. Mankins is drawing upon a 25-year career at NASA and Caltech's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, doing work that ranged from flight projects and space mission operations to systems-level innovation and advanced technology research.
Along with reviewing the conceptual feasibility of the SPS-ALPHA, the team will carry out select proof-of-concept technology experiments.
SPS-ALPHA is a novel "biomimetic" approach to the challenge of space solar power, Mankins told SPACE.com.
Biomimetic refers to human-made processes, substances, devices or systems that imitate nature. The booming field of biomimetics is of interest to researchers in nanotechnology, robotics, artificial intelligence, the medical industry and the military.
Megawatts of power
If successful, Mankins said that this project would make possible the construction of huge platforms from tens of thousands of small elements that can deliver remotely and affordably tens to thousands of megawatts using wireless power transmission to markets on Earth, as well as missions in space, Mankins said.
SPS-ALPHA uses a large array of individually controlled thin-film mirrors, outfitted on the curved surface of the satellite. These movable mirrors intercept and redirect incoming sunlight toward photovoltaic cells affixed to the backside of the solar power satellite's large array.
The Earth-pointing side of this large modular circular array is tiled with a collection of microwave-power transmission panels that generate the coherent, low-intensity beam of radio frequency energy and transmits that energy to Earth.
Mass production
According to Mankins, the SPS-ALPHA has several important advantages over past solar-power satellite approaches.
For example, this new approach eliminates the need for a large integrated power management and distribution system. That significantly reduces the projected cost of the platform, Mankins said during the NIAC gathering.
Moreover, the SPS-ALPHA concept, Mankins said, enables a solar-power satellite that can be assembled entirely from individual system elements that weigh no more than 110 to 440 pounds (50 to 200 kilograms), allowing all pieces to be mass produced at dramatically lower cost than traditional space systems. Therefore, a drastically reduced cost of the SPS system is realizable, he said.
"The current project will provide a detailed analytical understanding of the SPS-ALPHA concept, with supporting experiments," Mankins said. "The needed next steps are to develop a working prototype of one or more of the modules and demonstrate the assembled system in the field. Over the next several years, the goal is to realize a low-Earth orbit flight test of the system," he concluded.
Filmpje: http://www.space.com/9819-beaming-solar-power-space.html
http://www.zeitnews.org/e(...)-power-to-earth.html
Proposed Satellite Would Beam Solar Power to Earth
PASADENA, Calif. — An energy-hungry Earth is in need of transformational and sustainable energy solutions, experts say.
For decades, researchers have been appraising the use of power-beaming solar-power satellites. But the projected cost, complexity and energy economics of the notion seemingly short-circuited the idea.
Now, a unique new approach has entered the scene, dubbed SPS-ALPHA, short for Solar Power Satellite via Arbitrarily Large PHased Array. Leader of the concept is John Mankins of Artemis Innovation Management Solutions of Santa Maria, Calif.
Mankins provided a detailed overview of the power-beaming concept here during the 2012 NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts meeting March 27-29. [Video: Beaming Power From Space]
The NIAC is under the wing of NASA's Office of the Chief Technologist, which is providing a technology and innovation focus for the space agency.
Huge platforms
Last August, Artemis Innovation Management Solutions was selected for a NASA NIAC award to dive into the details of what Mankins labels "the first practical solar-power satellite concept."
The project will be an energetic one-year study of the design. Mankins is drawing upon a 25-year career at NASA and Caltech's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, doing work that ranged from flight projects and space mission operations to systems-level innovation and advanced technology research.
Along with reviewing the conceptual feasibility of the SPS-ALPHA, the team will carry out select proof-of-concept technology experiments.
SPS-ALPHA is a novel "biomimetic" approach to the challenge of space solar power, Mankins told SPACE.com.
Biomimetic refers to human-made processes, substances, devices or systems that imitate nature. The booming field of biomimetics is of interest to researchers in nanotechnology, robotics, artificial intelligence, the medical industry and the military.
Megawatts of power
If successful, Mankins said that this project would make possible the construction of huge platforms from tens of thousands of small elements that can deliver remotely and affordably tens to thousands of megawatts using wireless power transmission to markets on Earth, as well as missions in space, Mankins said.
SPS-ALPHA uses a large array of individually controlled thin-film mirrors, outfitted on the curved surface of the satellite. These movable mirrors intercept and redirect incoming sunlight toward photovoltaic cells affixed to the backside of the solar power satellite's large array.
The Earth-pointing side of this large modular circular array is tiled with a collection of microwave-power transmission panels that generate the coherent, low-intensity beam of radio frequency energy and transmits that energy to Earth.
Mass production
According to Mankins, the SPS-ALPHA has several important advantages over past solar-power satellite approaches.
For example, this new approach eliminates the need for a large integrated power management and distribution system. That significantly reduces the projected cost of the platform, Mankins said during the NIAC gathering.
Moreover, the SPS-ALPHA concept, Mankins said, enables a solar-power satellite that can be assembled entirely from individual system elements that weigh no more than 110 to 440 pounds (50 to 200 kilograms), allowing all pieces to be mass produced at dramatically lower cost than traditional space systems. Therefore, a drastically reduced cost of the SPS system is realizable, he said.
"The current project will provide a detailed analytical understanding of the SPS-ALPHA concept, with supporting experiments," Mankins said. "The needed next steps are to develop a working prototype of one or more of the modules and demonstrate the assembled system in the field. Over the next several years, the goal is to realize a low-Earth orbit flight test of the system," he concluded.
Filmpje: http://www.space.com/9819-beaming-solar-power-space.html
http://www.zeitnews.org/e(...)-power-to-earth.html
"An educated citizenry is a vital requisite for our survival as a free people."
Waarom zon? Waarom gewoon niet energie uit aarde halen(lava) of uit lucht zelf? Oneindig stroom opwekken en leveren aan heel de wereld zal iedereen goed doen, maar ja, sommige bedrijven wensen geen concurrentie omdat zij zodoende hun macht verspelen. Zij leveren energie aan bijna alle sectoren. Voedsel produceren maakt ze al rijk omdat zij energie leveren aan de producenten. Ook deze koningen zullen ooit vallen.
Op TheOilDrum is een paar weken geleden een artikel verschenen waarin een natuurkunde professor naar de haalbaarheid van space solar energiecentrales kijkt. Hij was niet positief over dit idee.
'Markt voor zonne-energie aan opmars bezig'
AMSTERDAM - Ook zonder subsidies blijft de Nederlandse zonne-energiemarkt dit jaar groeien, blijkt woensdag uit een verwachting van Solarplaza, een platform voor de zonne-energiebranche.
Dit jaar wordt er naar verwachting 45 tot 60 megawatt aan nieuwe zonnepanelen geïnstalleerd, licht een woordvoerder van Solarplaza toe. De groei zit met name op de daken van particuliere woningen en kleine bedrijven.
Daarmee zou het totale vermogen dit jaar uitkomen op 167 tot 182 Megawatt. Dat staat gelijk aan het stroomverbruik van zo’n 167.000 tot 182.000 huishoudens.
Vorig jaar groeide het geïnstalleerde vermogen, dankzij een aanwas van 33 Megawatt aan nieuwe panelen, naar een totaal van 122 Megawatt. In 2010 bedroeg de groei nog 20 Megawatt.
"De prijs van zonnepanelen is inmiddels zo hard gedaald, het afgelopen jaar 40 procent, dat het nu op meer plekken rendabel wordt om zonnecellen te installeren", aldus de woordvoerder. De subsidieloze groei maakt ons land volgens Solarplaza uniek in de wereld.
Kennis
Door een veelheid aan burgerinitiatieven en andere lokale projecten daalt de prijs van zonne-energie verder. Die stranden nog wel te vaak door een gebrek aan kennis of belemmerende wet- en regelgeving, zegt Bart Jan Krouwel, voorzitter van e-Decentraal, een vereniging die lokale initiatieven begeleidt.
“Voor zonnepanelen op je eigen dak krijg je nog wel een beperkte vrijstelling van energiebelasting, maar niet als je bijvoorbeeld het dak van een boerenstal wilt huren om voor de hele buurt energie op te wekken", aldus Krouwel.
"Wij lobbyen bij Tweede Kamerleden en ministeries om die exploitatie toe te staan, zodat er meer ruimte komt voor een beweging van burgerinitiatieven die stroom voor eigen gebruik willen opwekken."
bron
AMSTERDAM - Ook zonder subsidies blijft de Nederlandse zonne-energiemarkt dit jaar groeien, blijkt woensdag uit een verwachting van Solarplaza, een platform voor de zonne-energiebranche.
Dit jaar wordt er naar verwachting 45 tot 60 megawatt aan nieuwe zonnepanelen geïnstalleerd, licht een woordvoerder van Solarplaza toe. De groei zit met name op de daken van particuliere woningen en kleine bedrijven.
Daarmee zou het totale vermogen dit jaar uitkomen op 167 tot 182 Megawatt. Dat staat gelijk aan het stroomverbruik van zo’n 167.000 tot 182.000 huishoudens.
Vorig jaar groeide het geïnstalleerde vermogen, dankzij een aanwas van 33 Megawatt aan nieuwe panelen, naar een totaal van 122 Megawatt. In 2010 bedroeg de groei nog 20 Megawatt.
"De prijs van zonnepanelen is inmiddels zo hard gedaald, het afgelopen jaar 40 procent, dat het nu op meer plekken rendabel wordt om zonnecellen te installeren", aldus de woordvoerder. De subsidieloze groei maakt ons land volgens Solarplaza uniek in de wereld.
Kennis
Door een veelheid aan burgerinitiatieven en andere lokale projecten daalt de prijs van zonne-energie verder. Die stranden nog wel te vaak door een gebrek aan kennis of belemmerende wet- en regelgeving, zegt Bart Jan Krouwel, voorzitter van e-Decentraal, een vereniging die lokale initiatieven begeleidt.
“Voor zonnepanelen op je eigen dak krijg je nog wel een beperkte vrijstelling van energiebelasting, maar niet als je bijvoorbeeld het dak van een boerenstal wilt huren om voor de hele buurt energie op te wekken", aldus Krouwel.
"Wij lobbyen bij Tweede Kamerleden en ministeries om die exploitatie toe te staan, zodat er meer ruimte komt voor een beweging van burgerinitiatieven die stroom voor eigen gebruik willen opwekken."
bron
I only tell you once. Don't fuck me, Tony. Don't you ever try to fuck me.
“Photochemical upconversion” could allow conventional solar cells to break 40% efficiency
While the overall efficiency of conventional silicon solar cells has continued to improve in recent years, the technology faces a natural theoretical limit at around 33%. This is because the laws of physics prevent the cells from absorbing photons below a certain energy level, meaning that this low-energy light cannot be converted into electricity and is simply lost. Now researchers have found a way join two energy-poor red photons to form a single energy-rich yellow photon, allowing the harvesting of this part of the spectrum currently unused by single p-n junction crystalline silicon solar cells, and potentially enabling a record-breaking efficiency of 40%.
The technique, called “photochemical upconversion,” relies on two different types of molecules that are placed behind the solar cell in a solution to combine two low-energy photons into a single high-energy photon. The first type of molecule absorbs the energy-poor red photons, preventing them from escaping and storing them in a persistent state. This persistent state lasts long enough so that the energy can be transferred to a second, organic molecule when they encounter each other in the solution.
When two of these excited organic molecules then encounter each other, one returns to its base state and the other assumes a higher energy state. This higher-energy state is extremely short-lived, as the molecule then sends off a single yellow photon that is if a high enough energy to be absorbed by the solar cell.
"We are able to boost efficiency by forcing two energy-poor red photons in the cell to join and make one energy-rich yellow photon that can capture light, which is then turned into electricity," says University of Sydney Associate Professor Schmidt who developed the so-called “turbo for solar cells” with partners at Helmholtz Centre Berlin for Materials and Energy. “We now have a benchmark for the performance of an upconverting solar cell. We need to improve this several times, but the pathway is now clear."
The photochemical upconversion technique was detailed in the journal Energy & Environmental Science, earlier this year.
http://www.zeitnews.org/e(...)k-40-efficiency.html
While the overall efficiency of conventional silicon solar cells has continued to improve in recent years, the technology faces a natural theoretical limit at around 33%. This is because the laws of physics prevent the cells from absorbing photons below a certain energy level, meaning that this low-energy light cannot be converted into electricity and is simply lost. Now researchers have found a way join two energy-poor red photons to form a single energy-rich yellow photon, allowing the harvesting of this part of the spectrum currently unused by single p-n junction crystalline silicon solar cells, and potentially enabling a record-breaking efficiency of 40%.
The technique, called “photochemical upconversion,” relies on two different types of molecules that are placed behind the solar cell in a solution to combine two low-energy photons into a single high-energy photon. The first type of molecule absorbs the energy-poor red photons, preventing them from escaping and storing them in a persistent state. This persistent state lasts long enough so that the energy can be transferred to a second, organic molecule when they encounter each other in the solution.
When two of these excited organic molecules then encounter each other, one returns to its base state and the other assumes a higher energy state. This higher-energy state is extremely short-lived, as the molecule then sends off a single yellow photon that is if a high enough energy to be absorbed by the solar cell.
"We are able to boost efficiency by forcing two energy-poor red photons in the cell to join and make one energy-rich yellow photon that can capture light, which is then turned into electricity," says University of Sydney Associate Professor Schmidt who developed the so-called “turbo for solar cells” with partners at Helmholtz Centre Berlin for Materials and Energy. “We now have a benchmark for the performance of an upconverting solar cell. We need to improve this several times, but the pathway is now clear."
The photochemical upconversion technique was detailed in the journal Energy & Environmental Science, earlier this year.
http://www.zeitnews.org/e(...)k-40-efficiency.html
"An educated citizenry is a vital requisite for our survival as a free people."
Liquid Solar Cells Can Be Painted Onto Surfaces
Scientists at USC have developed a potential pathway to cheap, stable solar cells made from nanocrystals so small they can exist as a liquid ink and be painted or printed onto clear surfaces.
The solar nanocrystals are about four nanometers in size -- meaning you could fit more than 250,000,000,000 on the head of a pin -- and float them in a liquid solution, so "like you print a newspaper, you can print solar cells," said Richard L. Brutchey, assistant professor of chemistry at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences.
Brutchey and USC postdoctoral researcher David H. Webber developed a new surface coating for the nanocrystals, which are made of the semiconductor cadmium selenide. Their research is featured as a "hot article" this month in the international journal for inorganic chemistry Dalton Transactions.
Liquid nanocrystal solar cells are cheaper to fabricate than available single-crystal silicon wafer solar cells but are not nearly as efficient at converting sunlight to electricity. Brutchey and Webber solved one of the key problems of liquid solar cells: how to create a stable liquid that also conducts electricity.
In the past, organic ligand molecules were attached to the nanocrystals to keep them stable and to prevent them from sticking together. These molecules also insulated the crystals, making the whole thing terrible at conducting electricity.
"That has been a real challenge in this field," Brutchey said.
Brutchey and Webber discovered a synthetic ligand that not only works well at stabilizing nanocrystals, but actually builds tiny bridges connecting the nanocrystals to help transmit current.
With a relatively low-temperature process, the researchers' method also allows for the possibility that solar cells can be printed onto plastic instead of glass without any issues with melting -- resulting in a flexible solar panel that can be shaped to fit anywhere.
As they continue their research, Brutchey said he plans to work on nanocrystals built from materials other than cadmium, which is restricted in commercial applications due to toxicity.
"While the commercialization of this technology is still years away, we see a clear path forward toward integrating this into the next generation of solar cell technologies," Brutchey said.
http://www.zeitnews.org/e(...)d-onto-surfaces.html
Scientists at USC have developed a potential pathway to cheap, stable solar cells made from nanocrystals so small they can exist as a liquid ink and be painted or printed onto clear surfaces.
The solar nanocrystals are about four nanometers in size -- meaning you could fit more than 250,000,000,000 on the head of a pin -- and float them in a liquid solution, so "like you print a newspaper, you can print solar cells," said Richard L. Brutchey, assistant professor of chemistry at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences.
Brutchey and USC postdoctoral researcher David H. Webber developed a new surface coating for the nanocrystals, which are made of the semiconductor cadmium selenide. Their research is featured as a "hot article" this month in the international journal for inorganic chemistry Dalton Transactions.
Liquid nanocrystal solar cells are cheaper to fabricate than available single-crystal silicon wafer solar cells but are not nearly as efficient at converting sunlight to electricity. Brutchey and Webber solved one of the key problems of liquid solar cells: how to create a stable liquid that also conducts electricity.
In the past, organic ligand molecules were attached to the nanocrystals to keep them stable and to prevent them from sticking together. These molecules also insulated the crystals, making the whole thing terrible at conducting electricity.
"That has been a real challenge in this field," Brutchey said.
Brutchey and Webber discovered a synthetic ligand that not only works well at stabilizing nanocrystals, but actually builds tiny bridges connecting the nanocrystals to help transmit current.
With a relatively low-temperature process, the researchers' method also allows for the possibility that solar cells can be printed onto plastic instead of glass without any issues with melting -- resulting in a flexible solar panel that can be shaped to fit anywhere.
As they continue their research, Brutchey said he plans to work on nanocrystals built from materials other than cadmium, which is restricted in commercial applications due to toxicity.
"While the commercialization of this technology is still years away, we see a clear path forward toward integrating this into the next generation of solar cell technologies," Brutchey said.
http://www.zeitnews.org/e(...)d-onto-surfaces.html
"An educated citizenry is a vital requisite for our survival as a free people."
Tesla and SolarCity Team Up to Create New Off-the-Grid Solar Power Storage System
Tesla may be best known for exceptionally good-looking electric sports cars, but their role in the automotive industry has honed their skills in battery-making too. Now, the company is teaming up with solar rental company SolarCity, and the pair is set to apply their battery know-how to create a complete off-the-grid kit for home solar power storage. The partnership could provide an easy (though potentially costly) way to overcome a long-standing problem: almost all solar systems are tied to and somewhat dependent on an electric grid. When the grid is off, the solar panels are out, and when the sun is off, there’s no solar power stored and you’re back on the electrical grid. And if both are out, you’re completely in the dark. But Tesla and SolarCity’s new off-the-shelf lithium-ion battery pack could just solve that once and for all.
Some solar users have overcome this problem with battery storage systems of their own. Gizmodo reports that these battery packs are often comprised of a gang of less than eco-friendly lead acid car batteries. Tesla has been working on developing lithium-ion batteries—the kind one typically finds in a laptop computer—for use in their electric vehicles. Through their partnership with SolarCity, a California-based company who provide solar panel lease options and full service installation in 12 states, Tesla hopes to provide a rack of these lithium-ion batteries which can be easily hooked up to SolarCity’s arrays of photovoltaic panels for a fully off-the-grid system.
The battery unit is presently displayed on SolarCity’s website, and takes the form of a wall-mounted unit which is “about the size of a solar-inverter,” and can be placed either inside or outside the home. SolarCity claims that “A fully charged battery will power basic home needs for a few days and a solar powered home can recharge the battery from the sun to run indefinitely,” enabling one to be “prepared for anything” from an average blip in the power supply to a natural disaster.
The partnership between the two companies began two years ago, when they received a $1.8 million grant from the California Public Utilities Commission to research a solar-storage battery unit. It’s somewhat of a family affair since Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk is the cousin of SolarCity co-founder and COO Peter Rive. In 2010 Rive commented to the New York Times that “We think in the years ahead this will be the default way that solar is installed. Getting the costs down, though, is not going to be an easy task.”
Solving the cost-effectiveness issue of the technology appears to be the project’s next step, as the companies are reportedly waiting for approval for subsidies from the California Public Utility Commission’s Self-Generation Incentive Program (SGIP), and federal investment tax credit (ITC) for clean power before rolling out the tech commercially.
http://www.zeitnews.org/t(...)-storage-system.html
Tesla may be best known for exceptionally good-looking electric sports cars, but their role in the automotive industry has honed their skills in battery-making too. Now, the company is teaming up with solar rental company SolarCity, and the pair is set to apply their battery know-how to create a complete off-the-grid kit for home solar power storage. The partnership could provide an easy (though potentially costly) way to overcome a long-standing problem: almost all solar systems are tied to and somewhat dependent on an electric grid. When the grid is off, the solar panels are out, and when the sun is off, there’s no solar power stored and you’re back on the electrical grid. And if both are out, you’re completely in the dark. But Tesla and SolarCity’s new off-the-shelf lithium-ion battery pack could just solve that once and for all.
Some solar users have overcome this problem with battery storage systems of their own. Gizmodo reports that these battery packs are often comprised of a gang of less than eco-friendly lead acid car batteries. Tesla has been working on developing lithium-ion batteries—the kind one typically finds in a laptop computer—for use in their electric vehicles. Through their partnership with SolarCity, a California-based company who provide solar panel lease options and full service installation in 12 states, Tesla hopes to provide a rack of these lithium-ion batteries which can be easily hooked up to SolarCity’s arrays of photovoltaic panels for a fully off-the-grid system.
The battery unit is presently displayed on SolarCity’s website, and takes the form of a wall-mounted unit which is “about the size of a solar-inverter,” and can be placed either inside or outside the home. SolarCity claims that “A fully charged battery will power basic home needs for a few days and a solar powered home can recharge the battery from the sun to run indefinitely,” enabling one to be “prepared for anything” from an average blip in the power supply to a natural disaster.
The partnership between the two companies began two years ago, when they received a $1.8 million grant from the California Public Utilities Commission to research a solar-storage battery unit. It’s somewhat of a family affair since Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk is the cousin of SolarCity co-founder and COO Peter Rive. In 2010 Rive commented to the New York Times that “We think in the years ahead this will be the default way that solar is installed. Getting the costs down, though, is not going to be an easy task.”
Solving the cost-effectiveness issue of the technology appears to be the project’s next step, as the companies are reportedly waiting for approval for subsidies from the California Public Utility Commission’s Self-Generation Incentive Program (SGIP), and federal investment tax credit (ITC) for clean power before rolling out the tech commercially.
http://www.zeitnews.org/t(...)-storage-system.html
"An educated citizenry is a vital requisite for our survival as a free people."
'Woestijn kan wereld twintig keer van energie voorzien'
Woestijnen vangen jaarlijks 20 keer zoveel (zonne-)energie op als de wereld nodig heeft. Een Duitse professor legt dit in een video over het zonne-project Desertec nog eens haarfijn uit.
Hoogleraar Michael Düren beschrijft de zon als een natuurlijke, en veilige, bron van kernfusie. "We bevinden ons gelukkig op een veilige afstand van 150 miljoen kilometer", zegt hij in een geanimeerde voordracht.
Het voordeel voor Afrika is wat hem betreft dat de schone energie ingezet zou kunnen worden voor het ontzilten van zeewater. Ook de creatie van nieuwe banen zou Afrika politiek gezien stabieler kunnen maken.
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bron met video: http://www.nuzakelijk.nl/(...)-voorzien-video.html
Woestijnen vangen jaarlijks 20 keer zoveel (zonne-)energie op als de wereld nodig heeft. Een Duitse professor legt dit in een video over het zonne-project Desertec nog eens haarfijn uit.
Hoogleraar Michael Düren beschrijft de zon als een natuurlijke, en veilige, bron van kernfusie. "We bevinden ons gelukkig op een veilige afstand van 150 miljoen kilometer", zegt hij in een geanimeerde voordracht.
Het voordeel voor Afrika is wat hem betreft dat de schone energie ingezet zou kunnen worden voor het ontzilten van zeewater. Ook de creatie van nieuwe banen zou Afrika politiek gezien stabieler kunnen maken.
\
bron met video: http://www.nuzakelijk.nl/(...)-voorzien-video.html
I only tell you once. Don't fuck me, Tony. Don't you ever try to fuck me.
