PlanetSolar leaving Vieux Port (Via marcovdz)

Sometimes a simple idea or dream can lead to massive accomplishments. For Rapheal Domjan, his thought of  building a solar ship did just that.  MS Tûranor PlanetSolar, a unconventional yacht, traveled around the globe in 585 days using only solar energy to power its journey. In a quadruple record breaking feat, the ship stopped at 28 countries along the way promoting solar energy and exploiting its power. The ships demonstration of solar power will lead to many new boating innovations and will revolutionize the way ships are built.

Craig Loomes and his team designed the 40 person 'PlanetSolar' optimizing energy collection, aerodynamics, propulsion, and materials used. The ship is extremely durable , and light due to its carbon structure and also is the biggest solar powered ship built to date. Additionally, it is 35 meters long and 23 meters wide and boasts a large array of solar panels upon its top, nearly every surface. The solar panels bring in a 22.6% yield that allows for a maximum engine output of 120 kW and an average output of 20 kW. The solar panels charge a row of 6 large lithium-ion batteries that give them a maximum energy density. With the impressive completion of the solar only commute, soon many ships will be equipped with solar powered systems similar.

Working on the ship brought together a team of diverse people including electrical engineers, physicians, sea captains, and ship builders. Navigating around the globe brought them to many different places along the way. Though most of the stops were around the equator for maximum sunshine harvesting. The global adventure showed just how powerful solar energy can be. For now, the ship is resting at Hercule Harbour in Monaco soaking up rays in the sun. Solar energy is an option that may be too appealing to pass on for the future of sea faring ships.

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Glass treated with nanocrystal solar element (via University of Southern California and Dietmar Quistorf)

As the dominance of solar power in today's energy market grows, so does competition within innovation and production of this technology. A recent addition to the solar mix is the advancements being made in liquid nanocrystals solar cells. These nanocrystal cells have their main advantages over their single crystal wafer counterparts in their cost and size. However, the low efficiency of nanocrystal solar cells has been holding back their expansion. Now, scientists from the University of Southern California have found a way to improve the efficiency of liquid nanocrystal solar cells to make them more competitive and solar energy more prominent.

The liquid nanocrystals used in the production of these PV cells are about 4 nanometers across. These cells must be stabilized and kept apart from one another. To do this, scientists used organic ligands that attached to the nanocrystals. Unfortunately, these organic ligands also acted as insulators that impeded conductivity between the crystals. To over come this, scientists at USC have engineered synthetic ligands that perform the same function as the organic ones but also improve the conductivity between the crystals and thus improve the efficiency and effectiveness of liquid nanocrystal solar cells.

This type of solar panel is cheaper to make than the traditional single-crystal silicon wafer partly due to their small size. These liquid crystals can exist as paint or ink that will not melt. Liquid nanocrystals can be applied to plastic surfaces, which can be shaped to fit in more places than traditional glass surfaces. Using liquid nanocrystals, solar panels can be made to be extremely thin and flexible. However, more research is needed to find more suitable materials to make these crystals. Currently, cadmium selenide is used in their manufacture but this chemical is commercially restricted due to its high toxicity. The commercialization of this technology is still years away but is a leader in the next generation solar cells.

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M Azzuro messenger bag (via so-fi)

On element 14, we have seen various attempts to merge technology with fashion. Finally, an attempt to merge these worlds has been recognized with a prestigious Red Dot Award for Product Design in the category of fashion, lifestyle and accessories. The winner was the M Azzurro messenger bag by so-fi ®. This bag’s special capabilities are harnessing solar power to charge smart phones, tables, MP3’s, digital cameras and other portable devices via a USB port located inside the bag.

Apart from this empowering feature, the award was won because of its sleek design, remarkable craftsmanship. The M Azzurro is made of high-density nylon and has a flexible, waterproof, crushproof solar panel made by UNI-SOLAR. The built in USB port stabilizes at 5.3 volts and delivers up to 550 mA of current. At this voltage, portable devices take between 2 to 4 hours to fully charge. However, the bag is capable of delivering power to any device as the sun is shining. The bag features 2 inside pockets, a zipper-pocket inside and one outside and one snap closure outside pocket.

The bag can be purchased from the so-fi website for around $200 dollars. Once you have it, you wont have to worry about forgetting your phone charger again, as long as it is sunny.

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Kit concept drawing (via Siliken)

When it comes to outfitting your house with solar power, it usually means that you have to use a pre-made one-size-fits-all solution that has little to no configurability. This is where a Spanish company 'Siliken' comes in with a fully customizable solar package that can be tailored to fit your houses unique dimensions. Siliken’s ‘energyBox’ is designed to be scalable to the individuals needs and overcomes any obstacle associated with different rooftops.

Depending on your power requirements, the "E-Box" can be configured to use up to 48 PV (photovoltaic cells) panels (maximum system voltage of 1000Vcc) with a power variable between 2 kWp (15 m² surface area) and 11.5 kWp (80 m²) which can be alternatively connected together based on your power needs. Each E-Box comes with everything you need to get set up, which includes the panels, inverters, mounting brackets and even wiring so set up is a breeze. The company also gives you free customer support in the event you have any questions regarding the setup or performance of any E-Box configuration.

DIY kits are often expensive, around $1,000 USD per kW. Siliken's customizable kit will undoubtedly cost much more than that. No work on the prices yet. Can we put a price tag on saving the planet?

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(Left) Erik Koepf (Right) Professor Ajay Prasad standing over the solar reactor

Using hydrogen refined from natural gas for use as a power source has a fundamental flaw, the process of extraction produces carbon dioxide. This isn’t good for the atmosphere and heats up the earth like a pizza-oven (making us the pizzas!). However, doctoral student Erik Koepf, from the University of Delaware, has found a way to refine the hydrogen gas without the toxic byproduct which will help in turning down the heat on our pizza-oven atmosphere.

To accomplish the earth-friendly process, Erik designed a reactor that uses zinc oxide and concentrated sunlight that essentially kills-off the carbon dioxide, sort of like a natural filter. His reactor uses gravity to disperse the zinc oxide which is housed in 15 ‘hoppers’ located on top of a hollow cylinder (comprised of ceramic materials and insulation). Concentrated sunlight (equaling the energy of 10,000 suns) enters the cylinder from a focal point on top of the reactor that fry’s the zinc on the cylinders ceramic surface. This, in turn, creates zinc vapor, which is then turned into solar-made hydrogen when water is introduced to the vapor cloud. In theory, the byproduct left over from the zinc-oxide reaction could be used again which would make the reactor somewhat self-sustaining. That depends on how many times you could re-use it, so I wouldn’t say indefinitely. The reactor is promising, as future versions could be created on a massive scale that would give us a renewed endeavor for space exploration as well as a viable solution for electric power.

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3D Solar Array (via MIT)

Sure, MIT’s 3D solar array may look like art, but its looks are pure function. Unlike sun-tracking solar arrays that follow the fiery sphere along its ecliptic path to maximize its power gathering potential, MIT's 3D solar array is designed to efficiently gather energy by positioning its photovoltaic cells upward. Conceived by Associate Professor Jeffrey Grossman and his team at MIT, the 3D solar array provides more than double (and in some cases 20 times more) the power output than fixed emplacements.

Special computer algorithms were used to test different configurations of cell placement as well as a host of different seasons, weather and locations. The team then went on to build three different configured models based on the algorithmic findings which were then put through a week long testing process. The chosen 3D design was able to beat out current panels even in adverse conditions including overcast skies. According to the propeller-heads, the reason the 3D configuration is better at grabbing energy when the sun is positioned closer to the horizon such as mornings and evenings. The design does have one downside over current set-ups: Money. It costs more to build the 3D array. According to MIT, the energy collected over existing arrays is worth the additional cost to build them. I’ll go one step further in saying that they look more interesting and appealing, as well.

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3D Solar collection concept (via Solar3D)

Another solar vie for the record holder.

An obvious draw back to the conventional solar panel is that it attempts to capture, in a flat area, a highly reflective entity which travels through three-dimensional space. Electrical engineer, Nadir Dagli, an expert in photonics and nanophotonics, from a company called Solar3D, is thinking out side the conventional plane, proposing a solar cell which exploits the reflectivity of photons by designing a three dimensional solar cell.

This 3D solar cell attempts to manage incident light by using new fiber optic materials and techniques. The cell is comprised of a volume, in which light is collected and reflected with in it. This type of collection allows for the photons to bounce inside the cell until it is absorbed by a photovoltaic cell.

The orientations of the photovoltaic cells increase the cells efficiency in three ways. They allow more time for photons to be absorbed, wiring is placed under the cells and will not block incident photons and the electron hole pairs created by the ejected electron have to travel a lot less to the anodes located directly under and thus will have less chance of being reabsorbed. There three issues play an important part in the inefficiency of conventional flat solar cells. This three dimensional geometry aims to harness the energy lost by the estimated 30% of photons that bounce off of the surface of conventional solar cells.

Micro-scale prototypes have been achieved, but nothing full sized just yet. These early tests have resulted in an efficiency of 25.47%, which is already higher than the industry norm of about 23%. They are also currently searching a partner to fabricate their semiconductors.

Jim Nelson, President and CEO of Solar3D explained that their ultimate goal is not only to increase the efficiency of solar cells, but do it in a what which is cheaper than conventional solar panels available today. He explained that if the results of their preliminary testing continue, this goal will be reached.

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Solar energy collection might just be the best alternative energy solution. It collects energy from outside the earth's ecosystem, instead of stealing the kinetic energy from the planet itself. If we are going to do so, collecting more of that energy is paramount. Up until now, commercial solar energy collection peak at around 15% light to energy transfer efficiency. Those standard returns have been shattered by a couple of companies out of the USA.

Alta Devices solar panel (via University of California at Berkeley)

Founded in 2007, California based Alta Devices has collected well over 72 million USD in investment funding. At the Photovoltaic Specialists conference (PVSC37) Alta Devices demonstrated single-junction solar cells, made of gallium arsenide (GaAs),with a conversion efficiency of 27.6%, gaining them the world record for conversion under 1 Sun illumination. Maximum to date form Alta was 28.2%

Alta Devices co-founder and University of California at Berkeley Professor Eli Yablonovitch explained the tech behind the world record at PVSC37, "Up until now it was understood that to increase the current from our best solar materials, we had to find ways to get the material to absorb more light. But, the voltage is a different story. It was not recognized that to maximize the voltage, we needed the material to generate more photons inside the solar cell. Counter-intuitively, efficient light emission is the key for these high efficiencies.”

The photovoltaic (PV) boost from Alta Devices was later evaluated by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to have a consistent 23.5% conversion rate. To go along with the boost is an Alta invented manufacturing process where one micron thin GsAS layer, making for an extremely flexible solar cell. This process brings down the cost of the solar panel substantially. With price and efficiency into consideration, the Alta Devices cell is a close competitor to fossil fuels, even without subsidies.

The theoretical maximum efficiency for single junction cells is 33.5%, also known as the "Schocley-Queisser Limit." Alta strives to get even closer in the coming years.

(Left) Semprius solar panel (via NREL) (Right) Die placeing solar dots on a substrate (via Semprius)

On the other side of the country, North Carolina based Semprius gains a 33.9% PV module efficiency (850w/m²). Semprius employs high-concentration PV (HCPV) Triple-junction GaAS cells. Even with the ability to print solar cells as small as a sentence period, Semprius is burdened with the high-cost of triple-junction cells. Never the less, it is the first time that over 1/3 of the sun's energy has been converted. The NREL recorded that with the concentration of 1,000 suns, the triple-junction was able to convert 41% of the energy.

Semprius CPV applications engineer Kanchan Ghosal  explained, "We're using a completely different approach to what has been practiced. This approach uses micro-cells and transfer printing to significantly reduce the use of materials in highly concentrated PV modules. And it provides a highly parallel method to manufacture the module, based on established microelectronics processes and equipment."

After inventing a way to lower solar-cell printing at Semprius, Seimens bought a 16% stake in the company. Coupled with over $38 million in other investments, Semprius make make a solar splash yet.

Either way one goes, there is a sizable return on investment cost with solar energy. Up to 5 years to pay off the cost of equipment is standard.  The efficiency boosts lower that time, initial cost still remains the number one hurdle to a wider adoption of solar.

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