Solar Power Ninja » Solar Panels

Tûranor PlanetSolar Launches at 2012 World Future Energy Summit

Ninja Boy — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 18:07:00 +0000

A solar powered boat docked in Abu Dhabi just before the 2012 World Future Energy Summit has made a 48,000 kilometer voyage entirely on electrical power to get there. The boat wanted to prove that there were ways for the shipping industry to reduce the amount of green house gases that boats emit into the atmosphere. The PlanetSolar may not have been designed to carry a large amount of cargo but as a concept ship, the vessel has completed its mission. It proved that circumnavigation of the globe is possible on strictly solar electricity. It may be many years before solar-powered cargo ships are commercially possible but the Tûranor PlanetSolar, with it’s top deck completely covered in photovoltaic cells, is the first step to seeing that happen.

The Tûranor PlanetSolar relied completely on solar energy when it left a tropic port off of the coast of Panama. It sailed across the world with most of its panels displayed on the outside of the craft. The ship ran entirely on solar energy. The panels were able to store electrical energy in batteries in the craft that allowed the craft to run throughout the hours of the night.

The Turanor PlanetSolar may have demonstrated one of the uses of sun power, and it provided a great way to spark off the conference in Abu Dhabi. The delegates at the World energy conference discussed many different ways to use photovoltaic cells in non-commercial and industrial applications. The world energy conference discussed more than just solar power, the delegates discussed many different types of energy.

The captain and crew of the Turanor PlanetSolar hoped to spread a message about sustainable energy. The photovoltaics lasted throughout most of the journey, and the solar powered boat showed a sleek design that impressed many of the goers. There is no rule that says an environmentally friendly vehicle has to break any of the rules of style. The Turanor looked like a hydrofoil that could cruise across the oceans at decent speeds.

Video: Ride the Solar Highway

Jake Gosselin — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 17:42:07 +0000

What if you covered the US highways with solar panels? Well, even if they only absorbed 15% of the solar power they came in contact with they still would produce three times the amount of energy consumed by the entire country. But is this doable? Well that’s exactly what Solar Roadways is planning on finding out. Check out the video for more info.

SoloPower’s Flexible Rooftop Solar Panels

Sarah Fobes — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 16:12:18 +0000

This week, a company called SoloPower unveiled a new line of flexible solar panels for commercial rooftops. SoloPower makes thin-film cells from a combination of copper, indium, gallium, and selenium which is then placed on a flexible foil.

The panels are lighter than glass-encased solar panels and can be installed much faster than other types of solar systems, SoloPower CEO Tim Harris said in a statement. The solar panels can be laminated onto rooftops and mounted on racks to tilt the panels. SoloPower is currently applying for a Department of Energy loan to increase its production abilities at their San Jose factory.

Dow Chemical, Solar Power for the Masses

Jake Gosselin — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 22:34:41 +0000

Dow Chemical has done a 180 on its hesitance to invest in solar panel research and development. Where a few years ago the Chief Executive stated that they had no intention of entering the solar power industry, now they are investing in solar cells.

The new concept that has intrigued Dow is the use of thin-film solar cells as roofing shingles. Dow sees the thin-film solar panels, which are called Powerhouse and look like ordinary shingles, as something that will be accepted by the mass market.

Dow Chemical’s Chief Technology Officier, William Banholzer, is so confident in the future of Powerhouse solar panels that he expects the market for this sort of technology to be $5 billion by 2015 and stated that “someday Dow would be a solar company that happens to make chemicals.”

Dow Jones Goes Solar

Jake Gosselin — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 23:47:34 +0000

Dow Jones recently announced that it would be making a “major investment in solar energy.”

The investment in question involves installing solar panels at its South Brunswick, N.J. campus, covering a massive area of 230,000 square feet. The Dow Jones solar panels will produce an impressive 4.1 megawatts of electricity to become the single biggest solar power installation at a commercial site in the United States.

The huge solar panel installation is expected to take a year to be finished and will provide the campus with 15% of its electricity needs.

First Solar Researching Improved Solar Panels

Jake Gosselin — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 20:00:46 +0000

First Solar is the leader in producing thin-film solar panels. Their thin-film solar panels are unique to the solar power industry in that they are less efficient in transferring sunlight to power, but are much less expensive to produce.

Now, it’s been revealed, that First Solar has a research team working in Silicon Valley on the CIGS (copper, indium, gallium diselenide) solar panels. This type of solar panel has been pioneered by other companies, but in the hands of First Solar might be taken to the next stage of technological evolution.

CIGS offers the potential for thin-film solar panel with low production costs, but high efficiency levels of up to an incredible 20 percent. First Solar is currently at looking at ways to make this technology producible for low cost. If successful this could prove to have huge impact on the solar power industry in general.

Arizona Solar Panel Incentives Too Effective

Jake Gosselin — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 17:59:01 +0000

APS (Arizona Public Service), the biggest utility company in Arizona, has reduced the amount they are paying customers for installing solar panels claiming that it has been too effective and is costing them too much.

Kris Mayes, chairwoman of the Arizona Corporation Commission stated that, “This is a great problem to have because it means a strong solar industry has emerged in this state and that Arizonans are showing their demand for solar.”

The Arizona Corporation Commission will vote on the proposed changes. They did intend to reduce the solar panel incentives over time but just not this quickly. “We didn’t expect in a down economy we would see such strong demand for solar,” Mayes said.

The effects of the incentives were clear last year as more homes adopted solar panels than in the previous eight years combined, and this during a brutal economic recession. Approximately 113 residential home owners apply for solar panel rebates each week.

Prior to last Wednesday, APS paid about $18,000 to each solar power using customer which equaled about half the cost of the solar panel systems being used before the inclusion of Federal tax credits which pays for 30% of the remaining cost. There is also a $1,000 state level tax credit available.

The new amount covered by APS for solar panels will now average out to about $12,900 in rebates for a 6-kilowatt solar panel system.

Sunforce 123 Watt Home Solar Panel Kit

Sarah Fobes — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 02:47:17 +0000

This home solar panel kit is perfect solution for off-grid backup power and rural electrification. This kit includes ten 123 Watt solar panels, one 2500 Watt Pure Sine Wave inverter, and two 50 Amp charge controllers. The solar panels are easy for anyone to install, maintenance free, and completely weatherproof.

The panels contain high efficiency polycrystalline solar cells. The Pro Series inverter has a continuous output of 2500 Watts, with a surge power of 5000 Watts. The inverter has the following protections; soft start system, low battery shut down, DC input overload voltage, output overload, overload temperature, short circuit shut down, high speed cooling fan.

Kyocera 40 Watt Solar Panel

Sarah Fobes — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:39:45 +0000

Looking to set yourself up with some home solar panels? Great idea! These midsize 40-watt Solar Modules meet most of your modest power requirements without costing you an arm and a leg. They’re the ideal choice for smaller single applications like high-volume water pumps and high-performance attic and greenhouse fans. Kyocera’s advanced cell processing technology and automated production produce extremely efficient (16%) polycrystalline modules.

Sunforce 60-Watt Solar Charging Kit

Sarah Fobes — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 22:06:22 +0000

The Sunforce 50044 60-Watt Solar Charging Kit comes with everything you need to start generating your own solar power. It includes four 15-Watt amorphous solar panels, a 200-Watt modified sine wave power inverter, a 7-Amp solar charge controller, and a wiring kit with accessories for easy installation.

This solar charging kit is designed to protect against battery discharge at night. You can also use this kit to maintain the charge on any 12-Volt battery for clean, silent operation of various electronics. Solar power can help cut your energy bills by reducing your dependence on the main electrical grid, and can also provide back-up power during outages.