Solar Power Supply

Atomic scale battery packs punch

Rick — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 06:18:59 +0000

Devices from electric cars to laptops could benefit from a new kind of capacitor, which combines the best features of conventional devices to store a large quantity of charge and release it rapidly.

New reactor could make nuclear power safer and cheaper

Rick — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 18:34:55 +0000

Scientists there have come up with a preliminary design for a reactor that requires only a small amount of enriched fuel–that is, the kind whose atoms can easily be split in a chain reaction. It’s called a traveling-wave reactor. And while government researchers intermittently bring out new reactor designs, the traveling-wave reactor is noteworthy for having come from something that barely exists in the nuclear industry: a privately funded research company.

Ream more here: http://www.technologyreview.com/energy/22114/

Windows that generate electricity

Rick — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 18:40:11 +0000

Solar power continues to be a focus for the United States—a nation continuing to strive for breakthroughs in alternative energy. Last night, when President Barack Obama addressed Congress, he mentioned solar power in the United States. “We invented solar technology, but we’ve fallen behind countries like Germany and Japan in producing it.” While other countries may be manufacturing quantities of solar cells like no one else in the world, the U.S. continues to be a front runner in solar-powered innovation. We submit Exhibit A: Electricity-generating windows, from the Massachusetts-based MIT and California-based Covalent Solar.

DOE Seeking Public Input on Wind Energy Workshops

Rick — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 18:36:17 +0000

The US Department of Energy invites comments and suggestions on all key topics, findings, themes, and suggestions found in the Proceedings of their Wind Energy Workshops. Input is especially encouraged on possible analytical and R&D pathways which could contribute to the achievement of the 20% Wind by 2030 scenario.

Solar panel manufacturing drops to $1 per watt

Rick — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 17:56:39 +0000

A solar power milestone was reached on Tuesday when First Solar Inc. brought its manufacturing costs for solar panels down to $1 per watt. But a study from the University of California and Lawrence Berkeley National Labs suggests that this might be the bottom for a price-point—if solar power is ever going to scale up to become competitive with other forms of energy. Here are the new challenges facing the solar industry and some suggestions to make a brighter future.

German solar company to build PV panels in Tenn.

Rick — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 01:04:48 +0000

Wacker Chemie AG, a German chemical company, announced Thursday that it will build a $1 billion plant with 500 jobs in southeastern Tennessee to produce hyperpure polycrystalline silicon, a product used to make solar panels and semiconductors.

California solar installers get boost from utils.

Rick — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 00:56:49 +0000

California’s solar power market and its startups stand to gain from utilities making a direct play into renewable energy development, a prominent industry representative said in an interview yesterday.

Microbes turn compost into fuel

Rick — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 02:33:05 +0000

A UK company is using microbes designated TM242 to turn rubbish into ethanol. Ethanol has been pushed as a climate-friendly substitute for gasoline and an alternative to depending on unstable oil producing countries. In theory, using ethanol in vehicles reduces CO2 emissions, because CO2 has been absorbed by the plant used as a raw material, as it grows.

Using bacteria to save energy on manufacturing

Rick — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 18:49:57 +0000

The idea of exploiting microbial products is not new. Now, researchers in the growing field of metabolic engineering are trying to manipulate bacteria’s unique abilities to help generate energy and clean up Earth’s atmosphere.