Blog
Ransomhall writes - [via]
Thanks to this nice tutorial http://ladyada.net/make/solarlogger/ I’ve done a substantial upgrade! Now I can monitor and save the following data:
- Voltage: Panel, Battery, Load
- Current: Panel and soon battery (waiting on parts)
- Temperature: battery, in case it gets too hot.
Solar MintyBoost - [Link]
An unconventional, scalable high efficiency 12V solar power system, a battery charge controller with low voltage cutout to protect the battery. www.opend.co.za writes:
Low idling current
This circuit was designed for small to medium lead acid systems and feature a lowish idle current ( 5mA ) which increases battery life on small capacity systems.Easily obtainable parts
All the parts in this design are through hole parts and can be found from a number of sources. None of the parts need programing and only a voltmeter and an adjustable supply is needed to calibrate the board. This makes it easy and cheap to build and maintain.Late generation
This is the 3rd iteration of the design, with improvements and bug fixes at every step.
A Novel high efficiency scalable solar regulator - [Link]
While roofs across the world sport photovoltaic solar panels to convert sunlight into electricity, a Duke University engineer believes a novel hybrid system can wring even more useful energy out of the sun’s rays.
Instead of systems based on standard solar panels, Duke University engineer Nico Hotz proposes a hybrid option in which sunlight heats a combination of water and methanol in a maze of glass tubes on a rooftop. After two catalytic reactions, the system produces hydrogen much more efficiently than current technology without significant impurities. The resulting hydrogen can be stored and used on demand in fuel cells. [via]
Hybrid solar system makes rooftop hydrogen - [Link]
2 Watt Solar Panel Powers Bike Sharing @ Voltaic Systems – [via]
Social Bicycles released their revamped design for their bike sharing platform. It is a “GPS-enabled bike that you can find and unlock using your mobile phone.” What we like about it is that it enables companies, organizations and institutions of any size to easily create and manage their own bike share program. We think it also provides a great user experience.
The GPS locator and lock are powered by a battery system which is in turn powered by a dynamo and our 2 Watt solar panel. i.e. if the bike isn’t in motion for several days, the battery is going to stay powered up and transmitting its location.
2 Watt Solar Panel Powers Bike Sharing – [Link]
Boeing-Spectrolab has developed a solar cell that can convert almost 41 percent of the sunlight that strikes it into electricity, the latest step in trying to drop the cost of solar power.
Potentially, the solar cell could bring the cost of solar power down to around $3 a watt, after installation costs and other expenses are factored in, over the life of the panel. The new cost information comes from Boeing, whose Spectrolab unit supplies searchlights and solar simulators, and the Department of Energy, which sponsored the project. Current silicon solar cells provide electricity at about $8 a watt, before government rebates. The goal is to bring it to $1 a watt without rebates or incentives.
Solar cell breaks efficiency record – [Link]
Very cool project, Jeff writes – [via]
We met Chris Jefferies a few weeks back at Maker Faire. Turns out he is using our small solar panels to do something we’ve been interested in for a while. Chris is building wireless sensor networks using open source software and hardware that could be used in a variety of applications like air quality or home energy monitoring. It looks like he was inspired by Tweetawatt and is using xBee and ASUS wifi for communication in conjunction with Pachube for data display.
Solar Powered Wireless Sensor Networks - [Link]
news.cnet.com writes:
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.–Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have successfully coated paper with a solar cell, part of a suite of research projects aimed at energy breakthroughs.
Susan Hockfield, MIT’s president, and Paolo Scaroni, CEO of Italian oil company Eni, on Tuesday officially dedicated the Eni-MIT Solar Frontiers Research Center. Eni invested $5 million into the center, which is also receiving a $2 million National Science Foundation grant, said Vladimir Bulovic, the center’s director.
The printed solar cells, which Bulovic showed at a press conference Tuesday, are still in the research phase and are years from being commercialized.
However, the technique, in which paper is coated with organic semiconductor material using a process similar to an inkjet printer, is a promising way to lower the weight of solar panels. “If you could use a staple gun to install a solar panel, there could be a lot of value,” Bulovic said.
MIT researchers print solar cell on paper – [Link]
Building your own commercial-grade daisy chained solar array has never been easier. Check out this step-by-step video from our friends at Parallax and learn how you can build your own 30 watt solar power station with the Parallax 33000.
Build Your Own 30 Watt Solar Panel - [Link]
Unitronic is planning to present a wireless solar-powered sensor module for the continuous monitoring of carbon monoxide (CO) concentration in buildings and in industrial applications at the upcoming SENSOR+TEST 2011 in Nuremberg, Germany.
The core of the Unitronic Solar CO Sensor Module (USCSM) is an innovative electrochemical carbon monoxide sensor with a standard AA battery form factor, developed by Figaro, which meets the specifications of EN 50291 and VDI 2053, and a STM 300 programmable, bidirectional wireless sensor module for 315/868 MHz from EnOcean. [via]
Wireless solar-powered sensor monitors carbon monoxide levels - [Link]
Phil Gonski, Christine Placek writes:
We propose to build a solar battery charger that will charge a variety of batteries: NiMH, NiCd, Li-ion, lead acid. Although there are solar battery chargers on the market, most are only for one application: cell phone, NiMH batteries, etc. Our charger will have the user input the battery type, capacity, and voltage. It will display the charge status and incorporate various safety systems, including temperature monitoring and battery polarity checking.
Solar Powered Battery Charger - [Link]
