MIT building low cost solar concentrator: related news

MIT Building Low-Cost Solar Concentrator

A team of Massachusetts Institute of Technology students are building a prototype power concentrator that they say might revolutionize the solar energy field.

MIT building low-cost solar concentrator

A team of Massachusetts Institute of Technology students is building a prototype power concentrator with a goal of revolutionizing the solar energy field.

Solar energy turns organic

(Nanowerk News) Cheap and efficient conversion of solar energy into electricity could help combat global warming and the shortage of fossil fuels. However, the high production cost of electricity from silicon-based solar cells has limited the use of the technology. Low cost solar cells with high cell performance are highly desirable and organic solar cells could be the answer. They are easy to make from inexpensive organic materials and, unlike inorganic solar cells, are lightweight, flexible and colourful.

New efficiency record for solar cells

(Nanowerk News) An improvement of more than 1 per cent (in absolute terms) may at first glance appear modest, but it can enable solar cell manufacturers to greatly increase the performance of their products. This is because higher efficiency is a very effective way of reducing the cost price of solar energy. The costs of applying the thin layer of aluminum oxide are expected to be relatively low. This will mean a significant reduction in the cost of producing solar electricity.

MIT, Chesonis Foundation announce solar revolution

Promising to transform solar power from a "boutique" option to an affordable, dependable, mainstream energy solution, MIT and the Chesonis Family Foundation today launched a "solar revolution" with the ultimate aim of making solar energy America's primary carbon-free fuel.

Nanowires May Boost Solar Cell Efficiency

SOLAR POWER, SOLAR PANELS, SOLAR CELLS, PHOTOVOLTAICS, ALTERNATIVE ENERGY, NANOWIRES, NANOSCIENCE, NANOTECHNOLOGY, NEXT-GENERATION SOLAR, NANO-SOLAR

Nanostructures Will Raise Thin-Film Solar Cell Efficiency

SOLAR POWER, SOLAR PANELS, SOLAR CELLS, PHOTOVOLTAICS, ALTERNATIVE ENERGY, NANOWIRES, NANOSCIENCE, NANOTECHNOLOGY, NEXT-GENERATION SOLAR, NANO-SOLAR

DIY Solar Resources?

TihSon writes "I'm building a large shed out back and I want to power the lighting using a surplus solar panel. In searching for information on how to go about this, I have found a lot of rough DIY guides for various projects that are close to my goal. But none seem to explain the reasoning and theory behind using solar panels, so hacking their project to suit my own needs could be pretty much hit-and-miss. I don't want to do a hacked-up job, and future solar projects are not out of the question, so something a bit more in-depth is required. Do you have suggestions for books or Web sites you have used to learn the ins and outs of using solar panels? Something that starts with basic theory and ends with the ability to wire a house would be perfect.

Spin-Stabilized Microsatellites With Solar Concentrators

A document proposes the development of spin-stabilized microsatellites powered by solar photovoltaic cells aided by solar concentrators. Each such satellite would have a cylindrical or other axisymmetric main body with solar cells mounted in a circumferential beltlike array on its exterior surface. The solar concentrator would be a halo-like outrigger cylindrical Fresnel lens array that would be deployed from and would surround the main body, connected to the main body via spokes or similar structural members.

HelioVolt Exceeds 12% Solar Thin Film Efficiency with Rapid, Scalable Printing Process

In results presented at the IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, HelioVolt Corporation announces that its proprietary FASST® reactive transfer printing process has produced thin film solar cells with 12.2 percent conversion efficiencies in a record setting six minutes. The efficiencies place HelioVolt's Copper Indium Gallium Selenide (CIGS) devices among the highest performing solar thin film products on the market today. HelioVolt is currently optimizing FASST for further efficiency gains and scaling up the process to begin commercial manufacture of thin film solar modules and building integrated solar products.

Applied Materials Announces Powerful SunFab Performance Service; Signs Multiyear Agreement with T-Solar

Applied Materials, Inc. today announced another first for the solar industry with its SunFab Performance Service™ program. This unique service solution guarantees the performance cost and output of the Applied SunFab™ Thin Film Line for producing solar modules, enabling continuous cost reduction based on megawatt output. As the most comprehensive integrated support solution in the solar industry, the SunFab Performance Service allows customers to quickly ramp to volume production and optimize the efficiency and productivity of their SunFab™ Line.

Avalanche Effect Demonstrated In Solar Cells

esocid writes "Researchers at TU Delft (Netherlands) and the FOM (Foundation for Fundamental Research on Matter) have found irrefutable proof that the so-called avalanche effect by electrons occurs in specific semiconducting crystals of nanometer dimensions. This physical effect could pave the way for cheap, high-output solar cells. Solar cells currently have relatively low output, typically 15%, and high manufacturing costs. One possible improvement could derive from a new type of solar cell made of semiconducting nanocrystals and could theoretically lead to a maximum output of 44%, with the added benefit of reducing manufacturing costs. In conventional solar cells, one photon can release precisely one electron. However, in some semiconducting nanocrystals, one photon can release two or three electrons, hence the term 'avalanche effect.

iPhone 3G cost could be as low as $100, but not likely

Does the iPhone 3G only cost $100 to make? Not on your life. Several sites have cited an article from EETimes, which in turn cites Portelligent, an Austin-based "teardown" analysis company that believes the iPhone 3G has a bill of materials around $100. Portelligent arrives at this conclusion based on a teardown of the original iPhone plus some speculation of what chips and components are included in the latest iPhone hardware, not on an actual teardown of the iPhone 3G. However, the mere cost of the materials used, even when accurate, is still not a good indicator of the cost to produce any manufactured device—especially not one as complex as an iPhone.

iPhone 2.0: Solar-Powered Mobility

Solar energy is far from a new idea, but Apple (nasdaq: AAPL - news - people ) may be taking the technology to new limits. Many questions have been raised about the possibility–or probability–of Apple using solar energy to power portable devices such as its popular iPhones. It recently became known that employees at the computer, phone and software company have filed a patent to place solar cells on portable devices. (See " Apple’s Solar Strategy")

Evergreen Solar (ESLR) NewsBite - ESLR Sells $325M Convertible Notes

Evergreen Solar Inc. (ESLR) opened at 9.90. So far today, the stock has hit a low of 9.80 and a high of 10.30. ESLR is now trading at 10.03, down 0.80 (-8.08%). The stock hit its 52 week high of 18.85 in December and set its 52 week low of 7.52 in March. ESLR slipped at the beginning of this year, but is showing signs of rebound recently. Evergreen Solar shares have been plunging following a dilution from a convertible debt offering announced today and a related stock-lending agreement. Evergreen said it priced $325 million of 4% senior convertible notes due 2013. Technical indicators for the stock are bullish but slightly deteriorating while S&P gives ESLR a very positive 5 STARS (out of 5) strong buy rating. If you’re looking for a hedged play on this stock, consider an August bear-call credit spread above the $12.

NASA Set For Solar Sail Test

Solar sails have featured in various sci-fi mediums for a good while now, but NASA are planning to make the technology a reality in a mission which could launch as early as the 29th of July. An earlier 2005 launch of a solar sail craft by The Planetary Society was deemed unsuccessful, so if NASA's experiment fairs better it could be the first step to enabling space exploration powered by the sun's energy. The solar sail, dubbed the NanoSail-D is made up of aluminium and space age plastic and measures 100 square feet when unfurled. A sail of that size isn't enough to carry a craft of any significant size, but sails of thousands of square feet could open up some interesting possibilities. In theory, solar sails would be a better choice than conventional rockets for longer missions.

MIT sues Affymetrix for patent infringement

Affymetrix, the Santa Clara maker of tools used to study DNA and diagnose diseases, was sued for patent infringement by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology over the company's GeneChip system used to analyze genes. Affymetrix has knowingly infringed the patent, MIT and a company started by an MIT professor said in a federal court complaint filed Tuesday in Boston. Affymetrix filed an application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in September 2004, six months after a similar patent was approved for MIT, the university said in its complaint. The patent regulators ruled in May 2007 that the MIT group was the first inventor, according to the complaint. The GeneChip technology is used to develop new therapeutic drugs and to investigate the cause of cancer, AIDS and other diseases, Affymetrix has said.

ASA: Robotic CABG Paints Cost-Effective Benefits for Patients

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Commercialization of Nano + Solar Photovoltaic Technologies

This column focuses on issues of interest to entrepreneurs, investors, and researchers in the nano + solar space; (1) listing of some of upcoming conferences relevant to nano + solar (2) overview of commercial considerations for any nano + solar technology (3) overview of some key technologies currently in early stages of commercialization. In my early July column I will review all the new nanotechnologies and companies related to solar that are announced in the year ending June 30, 2008 - and there are many.

BeaconEquity.com - Evergreen Solar Inc. (ESLR) Enters Supply Agreements worth Almost $1 Billion

(EMAILWIRE.COM, May 24, 2008 ) BeaconEquity.com announces the publication of “Evergreen Solar Inc. (ESLR) Enters Supply Agreements worth Almost $1 Billion” Investors can view all of the investment articles for free by visiting: http://www.beaconequity.com/m - Click on News and Commentary Evergreen Solar Inc. (ESLR) Enters Supply Agreements worth Almost $1 Billion "The increasing demand for energy, coupled with rising environmental concerns, triggered energy companies to find alternative sources of energy, causing increases in solar energy demand. Solar or photovoltaic cells, used to convert sunlight into energy, are also constantly increasing in demand. Among the common uses of PV cells are calculators, sidewalk lighting systems, and along side freeways to power phones for stranded motorists.

Warm Coronal Loops May Hold the Key to Hot Solar Atmosphere

Coronal loops, the elegant and bright structures threading through the solar surface and into the solar atmosphere, are key to understanding why the corona is so hot. Yes, it's the Sun, and yes, it's hot, but its atmosphere is too hot. The puzzle as to why the solar corona is hotter than the Sun's photosphere has kept solar physicists busy since the mid-twentieth century, but with the help of modern observatories and advanced theoretical models, we now have a pretty good idea what is causing this. So is the problem solved? Not quite…

IndustrialSAVER Launches An International Building Materials On-line Auction

The industrial and construction marketplace IndustrialSAVER.com, an international trade site for industrial buyers and suppliers has launched a new online auction focusing on building materials and supplies IndustrialSAVER, an organizer, marketer and co-publisher of on-line industrial auctions and a division of the Industrial Leaders Group announced today the launch of a newly formed interactive Building Materials Auction. According to Veronica Bailey, a spokeswoman for the company, the site includes offerings for a wide variety of building products such as hardware, concrete, cement, windows, doors, lumber, flooring and other building materials.

SolarCity Helps eBay Switch To Clean Power With Largest Commercial Solar Installation In San Jose

SolarCity has announced that it has completed the largest commercial solar power installation in San Jose on eBay's North campus. The 650 kilowatt (kW) installation -- including 3,248 individual solar panels -- spans 60,000 square feet on multiple buildings. The system will be unveiled later in a ceremony to recognize eBay's first building built to the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED gold standard.

Akrion and CEA-Liten Will Collaborate on Advanced Solar Cell Development

ALLENTOWN, Pa., and GRENOBLE, France, June 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Akrion, Inc. ("Akrion"), a supplier of advanced surface preparation equipment, and CEA-Liten (Laboratory of Innovation for New Energy Technologies and Nanomaterials), a French public technological research organization, have signed an agreement to collaborate on the development of silicon-based heterojunction solar cells until at least the end of 2009. Akrion's system will provide pre-deposition surface conditioning for heterojunction solar cells as part of the research program on Liten's silicon solar cells technology platform localized in INES (French Institute for Solar Energy) in Le Bourget du Lac, France. By using INES platforms, CEA-Liten conducts research on improving the performance of silicon photovoltaic cells by optimization of manufacturing processes and the introduc

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