DIY Build Solar Panel

The project’s name, ‘LIVING EQUIA,’ comes from the phrase ‘Living Ecologic Quality and Integration of Ambience.’ These words sum up the team’s desire to create a house that can live in harmony with nature, without neglecting quality of life.

This team from Berlin is an assembly of experts across various verticals like technology, administration, marketing and so on, bringing a professional touch to the project. You can read more about the team here.

The house is built in such a way that it passes elegant shafts of light, has an energy optimizing orientation, homogeneous outer skin, flexible and modular structure, and a well-lit and spacious interior.

The house has been engineered in a way that it stays cool on summer and warm on winter. You can read about how the house achieves this and more at Living-Equia

The project team Napevomo has come up with a concept Solar Powered Home that is both comfortable and ecologically effective. The home even comes with an home automation system.

An enclosure with a high level of efficiency is the best way to achieve energy efficient housing.
The best way to achieve energy efficient housing is by having an enclosure with a high level of efficiency.

Good insulation and low-energy windows allow the interior climate to self-regulate.
The interior climate is self-regulated through good insulation and low energy windows.

The high-efficiency solar cells absorb the solar flux that is directed by a cylindrical-parabolic concentrator. The cells are cooled constantly by warm household water. Fewer solar cells can be used this way.

Source: Solar Decathlon Europe

Solar Decathlon 2010 has moved to Madrid and has already generated much anticipation and interest. The event, scheduled to take place between June 18th and 27th, will feature teams from 19 universities across the world showcasing their Solar Home projects.

The models the teams have come up with are breath-taking and the designs are simply outstanding! Let us take a closer look at each of the models in the coming weeks. For more details, have a look - SD Europe

Solar Panels that are installed in our homes are typically fixed eastwards, at a degree where there can be maximum utilization of sunlight. What this also means is we utilize the Solar Panels only for a specific period of time when there is maximum sunlight received by them. Now imagine, what if your Solar Panel just moved with the sun in order to capture the sunlight all the time? Thats exactly what CASE - Center for Architecture Science and Ecology - has come up with. Their IC (Integrated Concentrating) Dynamic Solar Facade is made up of rows of pyramid-shaped glass receptors that move with sunlight throughout the day, magnifying the incoming light and capturing it in a small photovoltaic cell located in the center of each pyramid.

Read more about this exciting development here

A typical problem we face when building / installing a Solar Panel is that the PV cells produce DC output whereas our house-hold appliances require AC supply.  This means we typically use an inverter to convert this DC output to AC and then hook it onto our grid to supplement our regular power supply.  Now, Greenray Inc., has come up with a unique solution to make use of Solar energy for residential purposes much more straightforward.  They have created an integrated module that they call SunSine AC Module that integrates the complex components of conventional solar power systems into modular, plug-and-play panels for simpler installation.  This also brings down the costs significantly, apart from increasing safety.

I think this is a fascinating module and can be a trend-setter as far solar appliances for residential use goes.

To know more, visit Greenray

Honda’s solar powered Hydrogen Refueling station just got smarter - Honda is working on a research to extend this station to further provide electricity and hot water to homes, apart from refueling the hydrogen cells in fuel cell electrical vehicles.

You can find more about this exciting experiment here

Mobile Max Pure (MMP) water filters from Worldwater & Solar Technologies (WWST) use the sun for their power and each of their unit can generate up to 3.5kW of solar electric power and provide 30,000 gallons of clean drinking water.

WorldWater for Haiti is a campaign by WorldWater & Solar Technologies, Inc. that is focused on deploying the solar powered Mobile MaxPure® [MMP] Water Filtration Systems in order to provide fresh water for years to come and immediate relief to thousands in need throughout the world.

Check out how MMP works in this video:

WWST says it is dedicated to providing disaster, humanitarian and development aid through providing clean water and power which can be of significant help in places of war and poverty.

WWST, headquartered at the Technology Center of Princeton in New Jersey, has already deployed dozens of the units in the U.S., Iraq, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Ethiopia, Darfur, Haiti and more. The company’s equipment has provided potable water to U.S. Marines and residents in the Euphrates and Tigris River Valleys in Iraq to the displaced people of Darfur, and were among the first responders to Katrina disaster in Mississippi.

What is GREENS?

GREENS stands for Ground Renewable Expeditionary ENergy System.  GREENS is a portable hybrid photovoltaic/battery power system.

What is it used for?

To provide portable un-interrupted power supply to the Marine Corps.  And oh, am not kidding! Its capable of producing 300 Watts of power which can be used to charge typical communication, targeting, and computing devices.

Learn more about GREENS here

Sanyo has come up with a new solar panel that is translucent, allowing it to capture solar energy not only from on top of the panel, but also from light reflected off the ground!

Check out the video that explains the concept more and the eneloop hybrid bicycle in particular!

Source: gizmag magazine

Solar Power has found its way to iphone charging now - Dexim has come up with an iphone/ipod power dock that is powered by green Solar Power.  Its sleek flip design suits the iphone well and at 80 USD retail price, this product is definitely a steal.

For more information, visit Dexim