Solar Power

Solar Powered LED Bricks

Philip Proefrock

The days of the lamp are coming to an end. LEDs are beginning their march to turn regular things into sources of light. And the next step in that march of lite up generally dark stuff is the brick!

Sun Bricks are the size of standard modular paver bricks, and can be placed in a walkway alongside ordinary pavers to provide walkway illumination. The brick includes a solar cell to charge two AAA batteries which then provide power to two LEDs for up to 8 hours of nighttime lighting. They are completely self-contained and need no external wiring, so it's a simple fix to add in some solar-powered lighting to any walkway. Of course, at $59 a piece it's not as cheap a fix as we might hope for.

via BoingBoing via popgadget

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Solar Ferry also a Power Plant

Hank Green

USA Today has a short article this week about the Serpentine Solar Shuttle, an all-stainless-steel passenger ferry powered entirely by the sun. The Shuttle is equipped with 27solar panels and two electrical engines allowing it to reach a maximum distance of 82 miles loaded with 42 passengers.

It's not fast, but it is clean and, according to it's designer, Christoph Behling, it's the "most technologically advanced shuttle in the world." The boat cost 20% more than a diesel boat of the same size and goes about 20% as fast, but it produces 100% less pollution. Behling hopes that this boat will help spur development of further solar-powered transport.

The Shuttle is also designed to be plugged into Brittain's power grid when not in operation, turning the boat into a miniature power plant.

The next step for Behling is a 300 passenger ferry designed to run on the Thames scheduled for launch in 2008.

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Top 10 Solar Gadgets

Hank Green

We can't seem to get off this solar-power kick. It's getting cheaper and (after thirty years of work) it's going mainstream. TechEBlog recently chronicled a bit of this explosion of solar gadgetry with their "Top 10 Strangest Solar Gadgets." Largely, these things are pretty useless, (a helicopter who's propellers spin slowly in the sun tops out the list.) But the solar powered, hat-mounted, mini-fan looks like it could come in handy. Also on the list: MP3 Player, rain gauge, and a gadget charging purse.

Pictured to the right is the SunFlower Solar Power Station, probably the coolest thing on the list. The rotatable solar panel catches light from the window during the day and uses it to power the on board music system and the three standard American electrical sockets in the base. If not all of the energy is used, it can be stored in the internal rechargeable batteries. Of course, this thing is a long way from your local Best Buy, probably close to 20 years away.

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Video: History and Future of Solar from Sunpower President

Hank Green

Since I've gotten myself on the subject of Solar Power (thanks to Superman's Selfish concealment of his powers) I'm pleased that everyone with an Internet connection how has access to this 45 minute video from the President and Chief Technology Officer of Sunpower, Dr. Richard Swanson.
richard_swanson

What Superman won't tell us, we're figuring out on our own. Sunpower makes the most efficient solar cells on earth and their doing it cheaper every year. While a lot of research has gone into alternative methods for creating solar cells (concentrators and thin films particularly) traditional silicon wafer cells have gotten much cheaper and are completely in control of the solar power market.

Next year, Dr. Swanson proudly proclaims, the solar industry will consume more tons of silicon than the electronics industry. Considering that creating silicon wafers is a ridiculously dirty process requiring enormous refineries, he probably shouldn't be so proud. But it's good to see the industry in such good health and growing.

No matter what he says, though, I'm still voting for thin films and concentrators, just because they use less silicon (or none at all.) The video is a great history of silicon solar power and also gives a good account of where the industry is headed (though possibly somewhat biased, as the guy is the president of the second leading producer of solar cells in the world.)

Via TreeHugger

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Superman Solar Powered, Selfish

Hank Green

OK, I just got home from Superman Returns and I think Lex Luthor was right. I mean...Superman, sure he saves a lot of people, but usually small groups of individuals in straightforward ways. What he doesn't do is use the combined knowledge of the 28 known galaxies stored in his crystalline supercomputer to serve the interests of Mankind.

Let's just take one example: Superman is solar powered. He gets all of his amazing strength and energy from our yellow sun, but you've never seen him go to a laboratory and try to figure out how exactly that energy conversion takes place.

Instead of taking the easy way out, I guess we'll have to just labor through the next 20 or 30 years of solar power breakthroughs before we can truly rely on it as an economically viable source of power.

No thanks to Superman...

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