Wind and Solar Power Paired With Storage Could Power Grid 99.9 Percent of the Time

Renewable energy could fully power a large electric grid 99.9 percent of the time by 2030 at costs comparable to today's electricity expenses, according to new research by the University of Delaware and Delaware Technical Community College.

A well-designed combination of wind power, solar power and storage in batteries and fuel cells would nearly always exceed electricity demands while keeping costs low, the scientists found.

"These results break the conventional wisdom that renewable energy is too unreliable and expensive," said co-author Willett Kempton, professor in the School of Marine Science and Policy in UD's College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment. "The key is to get the right combination of electricity sources and storage -- which we did by an exhaustive search -- and to calculate costs correctly."

The Earth

The heat of the Earth makes up what is known as geothermal energy. When dust and gasses from Earth mixed together 4 billion years ago, geothermal energy resulted.

Inside the Earth at its core, some 4, 000 miles deep, the temperature is estimated at about 9,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Geothermal energy has been used throughout history for bathing, relaxing, cooking and heating. It was thought by some to have healing effects and was used to treat eye and skin diseases. The first geothermal generator that produced energy was built in Lardarello, Italy in 1904. The United States followed with their first attempt at geothermal power in 1912 at The Geysers in California. Today it is produced in twenty-one countries around the world.

Ocean Tidal Power as Renewable Energy

One of the Earth’s great renewable energy sources is actually the energy that can be found in all the waves of the ocean. Let’s look at this further.

If you have ever been to the ocean, you were probably fascinated by the phenomena of the waves crashing against the shorelines as the tides came in. The ocean’s tides are the product of gravitational pull of the sun and the moon, as well as, the Earth’s rotation. It causes the ocean waters to be raised and lowered from time to time. The tides have cycles of twelve and one half hours, twice per day, and are easily predictable.

The use of tidal power is seen as early as the twelfth century where tidal mills used the force of the tides to grind grain and corn. The eighteenth century brought competition from windmills and waterwheels. Tidal mills pretty much became extinct with the invention of cheap steam engines. In 1967, France became the first to be able to put tidal wave power to work on a large scale to produce electricity.

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Renewable Energy Careers

If you are interested in an exciting career, one choice may be a career in the field of renewable energy. Finding resources for generations to come can be both challenging and satisfying.

If you’re looking into this area of interest there are many different professions that will be and are available. Because of the vast variety of existing opportunities, it will also accommodate a number of different degrees and different types of training. Your goal is to find which career path is the right fit for you.

Certain jobs in communications, community outreach, sales, marketing and business support are available in every renewable energy field. In addition, each field will need construction workers for building of the facilities, architects for the building design, mechanical and electrical engineers for research and development and technicians to maintain operations of the buildings. There are other jobs that will specifically target certain renewable energy technologies.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Renewable Energy

There are many energy sources today that are extremely limited in supply. Some of these sources include oil, natural gas, and coal. It is a matter of time before they will be exhausted.

Estimates are that they can only meet our energy demands for another fifty to seventy years. So in an effort to find alternative forms of energy, the world has turned to renewable energy sources as the solution. There are many advantages and disadvantages to this.

Renewable energy sources consist of solar, hydro, wind, geothermal, ocean and biomass. The most common advantage of each is that they are renewable and cannot be depleted. They are a clean energy, as they don’t pollute the air, and they don’t contribute to global warming or greenhouse effects. Since their sources are natural the cost of operations is reduced and they also require less maintenance on their plants. A common disadvantage to all is that it is difficult to produce the large quantities of electricity their counterpart the fossil fuels are able to. Since they are also new technologies, the cost of initiating them is high.

solar-cell fabric

Image provided by Sphelar Power on December 11 shows small spherical solar cells woven into a piece of fabric. The new fabric is made of wafer-thin solar cells woven together that could see people powering up their electronics with their sweater or trousers. Clothes that could literally light up your life were unveiled Tuesday by Japanese researchers who said their

Specially Adapted Solar Energy Collector

Researchers at MIT have come up with a low-cost system that can produce electricity and hot water or steam simultaneously using the energy of the sun. Their design is based on a conventional solar thermal system but incorporates special features that make it more efficient and flexible.

For example, it uses evaporation, condensation, and gravity to move the captured heat to the point of consumption -- no need for an energy-consuming pump. It generates electricity using a solid-state technology that converts the captured solar energy directly to electricity with no moving parts. And depending on the materials used, the heat output can range from low-temperature water for household use to high-temperature process heat for industrial applications such as aluminum smelting. The researchers are now building a prototype of their system........

Solar gangnam Style

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It's Fun Time   :)
It's Solar Time..!!
Watch this Video....

Silent wind Turbine

To harness the wind for energy, a silent wind turbine is taking the world by storm (pun intended). Wind energy naysayers have often cited the noise of wind turbines as a negative factor.

One of the earliest devices to harness the power of the wind was the windmill, which was used to pump water and grind grain. The modern equivalent of the windmill is the silent wind turbine, which, like the windmill, uses propeller-like blades to catch the wind. These blades then spin a generator, producing electricity.

WRSystems: New Emissions Monitoring System Could Change Face of Pollution at Sea

A new emissions monitoring system being developed by a Norfolk, VA, systems engineering firm will allow vessels worldwide to continuously monitor pollutants and readily report findings to regulatory agencies and inspectors.

The patent-pending Continuous Emissions Monitoring System (CEMS), developed by W R Systems, Ltd. (WRSystems), is the first technology integration of its kind. A successful land-based test of the CEMS prototype was performed in August 2009. Stringent new regulations regarding vessel emissions are forthcoming from US and worldwide governments and maritime organizations. WRSystems developed the new technology to help the maritime industry meet these new regulations and reduce their carbon footprint. The company, for more than a decade, has been developing sophisticated, high-reliability critical sensor systems for the US Department of Defense. WRSystems has also provided high reliability monitoring systems to the public transit industry.

Anesthesia : Contributing to pollution?

Protecting the environment is a matter for concern for all. Any report on intrusion of the environment by mankind attracts public glare. A recent article by Sulbaek Anderson et al. on climatic effects of inhalational anesthetics raked up the issue of environmental pollution by anesthetic gases in contemporary media. Although global climate changes are primarily attributed to emissions of carbon dioxide, the reactions of the media on pollution by anesthetic gas emission were possibly not unfounded.

Impact on Environment
Emission of infrared radiation into space is an important mechanism by which the earth loses heat and cools down. Atmospheric pollution by molecules that hinder the escape of the infrared radiation affects the temperature regulatory mechanisms of the earth and thus affects the climate.

Energy Storage and Solar Power *

Perhaps the greatest technical problem facing the increased adoption of solar power is to find ways to meet our expectations of electricity - that it be available upon demand, when we flip the switch - with the intermittent and variable nature of solar production. As critics of wide-scale adoption of solar energy technologies are quick to point out, there is not only every night, but a good portion of many days when the sun doesn't shine. While such statements miss the advances that have been made in accommodating the electricity grid to this natural phenomenon, various forms of energy storage are important for wider use of solar power.

This phenomenon is also true of wind energy, and in many ways wind and solar share similar challenges in terms of integrating more wind into our expectations of electricity production. As a result, much of the research into integrating more solar into electricity production looks at integrating both solar and wind.

Solar Energy Directly Into Steam!

Solar steam technology achieved an overall energy efficiency of 24 per cent, which is better than photovoltaic solar panels, which generally have an overall energy efficiency around 15 per cent.

A new technology has been devised by scientists at the Rice University, which uses nanoparticles to convert solar energy into steam. The researchers claim that their technology can even convert icy cold water directly into steam. Termed as 'solar steam', the researchers said the technology would be employed in sanitation and water-purification applications initially. This is about a lot more than electricity, said Naomi Halas, lead scientist on the project, director, LANP in an official posting. With this technology, we are beginning to think about solar thermal power in a completely different way.

A new dimension for solar energy

Innovative 3-D designs from an MIT team can more than double the solar power generated from a given area.

Intensive research around the world has focused on improving the performance of solar photovoltaic cells and bringing down their cost. But very little attention has been paid to the best ways of arranging those cells, which are typically placed flat on a rooftop or other surface, or sometimes attached to motorized structures that keep the cells pointed toward the sun as it crosses the sky.

Now, a team of MIT researchers has come up with a very different approach: building cubes or towers that extend the solar cells upward in three-dimensional configurations. Amazingly, the results from the structures they’ve tested show power output ranging from double to more than 20 times that of fixed flat panels with the same base area.

The biggest boosts in power were seen in the situations where improvements are most needed: in locations far from the equator, in winter months and on cloudier days. The new findings, based on both computer modeling and outdoor testing of real modules, have been published  in the journal Energy and Environmental Science.

First Uses of Solar Power

Solar power was first used in space applications. In 1958 the Vanguard 1 satellite used six small solar cells to generate electricity to allow it to continue transmitting after its chemical battery was emptied. its small suite of instruments provided valuable information on Earth’s temperature ranges, size, shape and air density.

The Vanguard 1 was a pioneer of solar power
The success of Vanguard 1′s use of solar power resulted in solar cells being used by Russian and American satellites. By the late 1960s photovoltaics had become a standard source of power for satellites.

World’s Largest Concentrated Solar Plant

Once completed, the 280 MW Solana facility in Arizona will be the world’s largest concentrating solar power (CSP) plant. Abengoa will develop the solar project near Gila Bend.

The plant will use parabolic trough technology and thermal storage using molten salts. Solana, meaning “a sunny place” in Spanish, will also use solar trackers with high precision parabolic mirrors that follow the sun’s path and concentrate its energy, heating a fluid to more than 700 degrees Fahrenheit and using that heat to turn steam turbines. The solar plant will include a thermal energy storage system that allows for electricity to be produced as required, even after the sun has set.

Designing Geothermal-Solar Home

Faren Dancer, a green builder and activist, has announced his latest and award-winning project – a geothermal-solar electric home that produces enough of its own energy to be considered a zero-carbon residence. This is the first home in Northern New Mexico to utilize geothermal for radiant heating, cooling and hot water. It uses no propane or natural gas.
The home, which recently won the 2012 Sustainable Santa Fe Award for “Clean Renewable Energy Project,” uses a 3.6 KW photovoltaic solar tracker, which tracks the sun throughout the day, while providing a 20% increase in efficiency beyond a typical roof or ground mount installation. Dancer’s radio show, Unicopia Green Radio, is a featured on Hutton Broadcasting radio station Talk 1260 KTRC. Hutton Broadcasting is the parent company of SantaFe.com.

The Capitalist Case for Solar

With solar costs on a strong decline, this clean renewable energy has emerged as a viable power partner for generating cost-effective peak electricity generation, which is projected to increase to 5,000 billion kWh by 2030 from its current level of 4,361 billion kWh gross.
According to Energy Information Administration (EIA) data, 42% of the nation’s electricity is generated from coal-fired plants, 25% from natural gas, 19% nuclear and 6.5% from hydroelectric.
This paper examines the recent past and potential future of photovoltaic (PV) solar in terms of how it has compared with traditional generation and how, even without government subsidies, solar utility-scale projects will reach a price per KWh that will be at — or less than — traditional generation, possibly as soon as 2014.
Now is the time for traditional conservative thinking to re-examine the facts about solar energy and explore its potential for not only delivering more efficient and less costly power, but also for creating jobs and opportunities that jump-start economic growth.
This jump-start would be possible because electricity drives almost every part of the economy, and cheap abundant electricity keeps industry competitive.

New Stored Energy Solutions

EnerSys has recently announced its entrance into the large-energy storage systems segment for utilities and large industrial applications with the introduction of its OptiGrid Stored Energy Solutions. A flexible, turnkey, utility-scale capacity optimization system, OptiGrid Stored Energy Solutions is available in the full range of battery chemistries offered by the manufacturer.
“EnerSys and its predecessor companies have been manufacturers of industrial batteries for over 100 years,” explained Mike Kulesky, EnerSys director of marketing for telecommunications, utility and new technologies. “This accumulation and diversity of experience allows us to create just the right platform and correct use of chemistries to match each customer’s requirements.”

Solar Auto-That Charges On Petrol !

Source: EFY Magazine

The vehicle utilises petrol to recharge its battery and can also be charged via plug-in.           
At times, when petrol as a fuel is being used abundantly, the need for innovation is apparent and this requirement has been met by EEE students of PSNA College of Engineering and Technology, Dindigul, who have designed a hybrid auto rickshaw powered by solar and wind energy, further aided by use of petrol, which is used only to recharge battery of the vehicle. While, plug in charging facility is also available.
The auto can run for about 80 km continuously on full charge carrying four passengers and it can travel up to 96 km with solar energy and wind energy. Interestingly, this auto results in fuel emission cut by 90 per cent.

Facts about Biofuel *

Ethanol is another name for ethyl alcohol, or “grain alcohol” (CH3CH2OH). The alcohol in a glass of wine, beer, or liquor is ethanol. Fuel ethanol is “denatured” by the addition of 2-5% gasoline, which makes it undrinkable. In the U.S. today fuel ethanol is mostly made from the starch in corn kernels; in Brazil it is made from the juice in sugar cane. Commercial production of ethanol from cellulose (plant fiber) is expected within the next few years

How is Biofuel Made

          With rising greenhouse gas emissions, increasing pollution, steadily depleting natural resources, and spiking oil prices, we now have a much greater need for alternative fuel and energy sources than ever before. Biofuel is the next generation of fuels that can possible provide us with this type of sustained alternative energy. Keep reading for more information to answer the question of how is biofuel made.

Inverters for renewable energy applications

The invertor industry is facing a very pivotal point in its history. It is going through the intense phrase of advance technological innovation, but also contention. Inverters are increasingly a focal point for investors, regulators, and project developers looking to find a balance between functionality, reliability, and safety. The increasing number of technical standards and requirements for connecting to the AC electric grid are formidable, but companies are, for the most part, rising to the challenge.

Incumbent inverter manufacturers SMA, Fronius, Satcon, Power-One, KACO new energy, and Ingeteam have the advantage of size and market reach. However, disruptive technological innovation by well-funded startups and early-stage companies is rapidly changing the face of the industry. Many see microinverter technology as the future of distributed

Latest SMF batteries in the Market

Sealed maintenance free (SMF) batteries, which are also pollution free, are becoming popular for a host of applications
systems to large systems deployed in huge industrial plants. Currently, this technology is widely used in solar, telecom and power sectors, and to some extent in the railways. Despite its price being on the higher side, SMF batteries are becoming popular as customers are now more aware and do not mind spending a few hundred rupees more for these batteries, as they are safer than conventional batteries.

What’s available in the market?

The plates of SMF VRLA batteries are made of lead calcium, which offers a longer life and higher efficiency due to low self discharge. SMF batteries are also environment friendly, require less space, and can be used in any position. Based on their rated capacity, SMF VRLA batteries broadly fall into three segments—small, which is 3 to 17 Ah; medium: 26 to 200 Ah; and large single cells: 2V 100 Ah to 2V 3000 Ah.

Tough year ahead for PV inverter manufacturers

Although 35 GW of installed PV capacity has been predicted for 2013, inverter manufacturers are set for yet another challenging year with global revenues forecast to remain flat.

According to the recently released quarterly update to World Market for PV Inverters report, IMS Researchers forecast that the top 10 PV inverter manufacturers are likely to suffer from declining inverter prices and, as a result, may turn to new markets such as Japan, China, India and the US to make up for the losses in the core markets of Italy and Germany.

Specifically, cuts in feed-in tariffs in mature inverter markets such as Germany and Italy are pushing manufacturers towards growth markets in Asia and the US. However, these new markets are not easily accessible and manufacturers may find it difficult to penetrate into these markets in order to gain market share..............

Solar Energy at Night !!

If you've ever bought carbon offsets, you may have noticed that the most or all of the purchase price goes toward wind energy, not solar. In the world of large-scale alternative energy, wind reigns supreme, mostly because it's cheaper. But a recent development in solar-energy production could make solar power a far more viable option.

In most cases, the sun's energy is converted into electricity in one of two ways: using photovoltaic cells, which turn the sun's light into electricity using a semiconductor material that absorbs photons and releases electrons; or using solar-thermal turbines, which use the sun's heat to generate steam, which then spins a turbine to produce electricity. It's the solar-thermal power plant that is poised for a big change.

Canada to add 1.2GW of wind in 2012 in 20% growth rate

The contribution of wind power to Canada’s electricity supply is expected to grow by almost 20 per cent in 2012.

The Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA) expects new turbines to add almost 1.2GW of clean energy to the grid’s capability this year.

This marks the second consecutive year with more than 1GW of new installed capacity.
CanWEA’s analysis suggests that every 1GW that is added stimulates investment worth C$2.5bn ($2.5bn), creates a combined 10,500 years of employment and provides power for around 300,000 homes.

A Village In Assam Uses Solar Power To Run PCs!

Residents of Baleswar in Assam's Nalbari district of Assam boast that they never witness any power cuts like big cities and towns as solar energy power their households. 

Source: EFY Magazine

A farmer named Ainul Hussain has bought a computer for his son in a remote tiny village-island of Baleswar in Assam's Nalbari district, which has a population of around 1,500. Officially, there is no electricity in the region but villagers have taken a step to uplift their standard of living by introducing solar panels in their households.

"We have to be careful with its usage, because it needs a lot of energy to run. My son operates it and it is for him that I bought it," he said. "These panels are available in Nalbari, but I bought mine from Guwahati. I had to shell out about Rs 10,000, which is a large amount for a simple man like me, but our quality of life has improved. So it's all worth it," explained Hussain in an IANS report.

US DoC On Solar PV AD And CVD Rulings

The Department of Commerce (Commerce) announced its affirmative final determinations in the antidumping duty and countervailing duty investigations of imports of solar cells from China.

Solar cells are produced from ultra-refined polysilicon and are the building blocks of solar photovoltaic power-generation systems, which convert the energy of sunlight directly into electricity.
Commerce determined that Chinese producers/exporters have sold solar cells in the United States at dumping margins ranging from 18.32 to 249.96 per cent. Commerce also determined that Chinese producers/exporters have received countervailable subsidies of 14.78 to 15.97 per cent.

The Findings of DoC:
* On October 10, 2012, the Department of Commerce (Commerce) announced its affirmative final determinations in the antidumping (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) investigations of imports of crystalline silicon photovoltaic cells, whether or not assembled into modules (solar cells) from the People's Republic of China (China).

Home Solar Power

The introduction of a home solar power system can provide a significant level of free, clean and renewable electricity for members of your household. Not only can these systems provide electricity but they can also help to heat your hot water supply which can result in lower energy bills.

If you're interested in reducing your carbon footprint whilst contributing to a cleaner environment then you may already be considering the installation of a renewable energy system to your home. Solar power is often the renewable energy of choice for homeowners across the world due to its general affordability and reliability.

Vision For PV Manufacturing In US

USA: Beyond policy and financial constraints of today, this session on PV manufacturing at the recently held Intersolar America 2012 revealed the shape of the future industry structure, from manufacturing to energy production, where value and performance will become the new paradigm.

US strengths to encourage solar manufacturing
Speaking on PV Manufacturing in the US: Leveraging US strengths will encourage domestic solar manufacturing, Eric Peeters, Business VP, Dow Corning Solar Solutions said that the global PV challenge includes driving down the cost of solar. Three key opportunities for cost reduction will drive future investment in solar. These are: module and cell efficiency, operational excellence/economy of scale and balance of systems innovation.

The United States is well positioned to help with these challenges. In terms of efficiency, the US is home to many materials equipment R&D. Gains are essential to a sustainable growing industry. New technologies, materials and equipment are now required.

Small Wind Turbines

Before purchasing small wind turbines for your home or business, you should consider the surrounding environment of the placement location, and if it meets the requirements for a wind turbine installation to be cost effective and efficient.
Wind speeds vary a great deal, depending on your surroundings. For example, if you live in an estate (collection of compact houses), the power from the wind is usually weaker than in the middle of a field in the countryside.

If you live in the countryside, and are surrounded by many fields and open spaces, then the average wind speed approaching your home may be more powerful than inner town or city locations.

Another factor to consider is the way the land around you lies.

Wind Energy Facts

There are many different wind energy facts relating to the use of this renewable energy source.
Wind energy is fast becoming a more popular choice for many large scale renewable energy designs and construction.
A well known wind energy fact lies within the opposition usually met from a proposed wind farm development and this is down to the "NIMBY" factor (not in my backyard).
Most people would like the idea of a wind farm proposal to provide clean, cheap electricity from wind energy, yet how many of these people would like a wind farm close to their home?

Advantages & Disadvantages Of Wind Energy

There are a range of advantages and disadvantages of wind energy to look at, including the many problems associated with wind turbines.

In this day and age, the world needs to look at the different natural energy sources available to us. Global warming could be due our energy craving lifestyle, so we should look into more environmentally friendly energy sources.

How To Transform Wind Into Energy

There are many ways in which transforming wind into energy can be beneficial, as wind is used for a variety of purposes and activities.
We shall now explore a range of wind energy factors, including how wind can be fun and how to use this wind to your own advantage.
Wind energy has existed since life on our planet began, it is currently used in recreation and industry.
It is believe that the Egyptians were the first to successfully harness wind and turn it into energy, and achieved this through the use of sails. This is still used today, however mainly within the yacht industry.

Wind Turbines At Sea

For many years, wind turbines at sea have been producing significant quantities of electricity for a large range of countries across the globe.
With the construction of on-shore wind turbines on the rise, should we be looking into the construction of more off-shore wind farms?
Coastal wind energy is usually much more reliable and of a greater force than in land wind energy.

This coastal energy is far greater due to the open spaces the wind is able to use. The sea is flat, until you come to land, this gives wind energy a large open, clear path, where it can gain energy before hitting a land mass.

Wind Turbines Impact On The Surrounding Environment

There are many issues relating to a wind turbines impact on the surrounding environment, and these contribute to the significant level of disadvantages of wind turbines.

This article discusses some of the impacts wind turbines place upon the environment, and the disadvantages of producing this type of natural electricity.

Noise Pollution

The most noticeable impact a wind turbine places upon the environment is noise pollution.
Many people think wind turbines are a great idea, yet a large proportion of these people would oppose a wind farm development close to their home.
This is down to the noise, and many people compare the sound output of a wind turbine to a small jet engine.

How Do Wind Turbines Work

This article covers the topic of how wind turbines work, in order to provide a basic understanding on the process of electricity production from the wind.
Firstly, it is important to understand the design of the two main types of wind turbines available today.
It is significant to ask this question as the two main types of wind turbines are horizontal and vertical, and these designs use the wind in slightly different ways regarding the wind energy harnessing process.

Wind Powered Energy

Many countries have seen an increase in the number of wind powered energy appliances aimed to produce low-cost, renewable electricity for more and more people.
A wind turbine works by harnessing energy from the wind and turning this into power.
The main advantage of using wind turbines to generate more of our electricity is down to the fact that wind energy is a totally renewable and clean method for generating electricity.

Wind Energy India

You may not associate wind energy in India as a viable renewable energy source, yet some energy consulting services will support the use of wind power in India. During 2001, India produced around 1000 MW of wind energy making it the third largest user of wind energy in the world. India trails just behind Europe and the United States for the lead in renewable energy production from the winds energy source.


For India, renewable energy production such as wind power, plays a huge role in supporting future generations and providing them with a source of clean, low cost electricity. The use of wind turbines globally is on the increase, yet some criticism in areas such as Britain is associated to the placement of some wind farms.

What Is Solar Power?

People who are starting to learn about solar energy and how we can harness and utilise this renewable energy source may ask themselves the question of what is solar power? This article aims to provide easy to understand information covering the topic of what solar power is.......

Solar Power Battery Chargers

You may not realize just how useful and convenient solar power battery chargers actually are.

A solar power charger is able to charge a battery (or number of) in order to store electricity as a solar energy supply for use when you need the power.
Before solar battery chargers came along, solar power was only useful during daylight hours.
Remember solar calculators? The earlier models were only efficient during bright periods, and no power could be stored to use the calculator during dark periods.

Deforestation: A dirty business

If you thought that illegal logging and forest clearing was mainly carried out by poor farmers and land squatters who simply can’t afford to obey the law, well then you've been misled. Like most big problems, corruption and big money are to blame.

Pros & Cons of Solar Energy

Below is an in depth list of the pros and cons of solar energy.
These pros and cons will cover areas such as solar energy for the home, and the industrial use of solar power.

Solar Energy Pros:

• Solar panels give off no pollution, the only pollution produced as a result of solar panels is the manufacturing of these devices in factories, transportation of the goods, and installation.
• The production of energy from the use of fossil and some renewable fuels (e.g. wind turbines) can be noisy, yet solar energy produces electricity very quietly.
• One of the great pros of solar energy is the ability to harness electricity in remote locations that are not linked to a national grid. A prime example of this is in space, where satellites are powered by high efficiency solar cells.

The myth of renewable energy

Renewable energy is natural energy which does not have a limited supply. Renewable energy can be used again and again, and will never run out.

In other words, solar and wind energy is supposed to be the magic pudding of energy.
But if you want to create renewable energy, you need a huge amount of solar panels and wind turbines. By one count, Germany will need 111,000 100-meter wind turbines to replace the nuclear power plants that it has decided to phase out. Even if we ignore the carbon dioxide created in building these turbines, this will have zero net savings in carbon dioxide emissions once they are in place. And of course, unlike the nuclear power plants, the turbines will produce no electricity when the wind is not blowing.

FOOD POLLUTION_what's it?

Food pollution means the presence in food or associated with food of toxic chemicals (elements or compounds) and/or biological contaminants which are not naturally present in food or are above their natural background levels (for those chemicals which are naturally found in some foods). This may affect each of us by causing mild to severe food-illnesses or, even worse, contributing or causing the development of serious health problems such as hormonal and metabolism problems, or even various types of cancer. Nervous system problems may also be induced by food polluted with certain pesticides. Additionally, in rare cases when highly polluted food is consumed, serious food poisoning or death may occur almost immediately. In average, more than 70 million cases of food-borne illnesses occur in U.S. every year resulting in approx. 5,000 deaths per year!

Converting Sunlight Into Electricity: European Project Breaks Efficiency Record

Scientists of the Commission-financed project FULLSPECTRUM have developed photovoltaic (PV) multi-junction (MJ) solar cells which are able to convert 39.7% of the energy of sun light into electricity. This is the highest percentage ever reached in Europe, according to researchers after their final workshop today in El Escorial, Spain.

The main barrier to large-scale deployment of PV systems is the high production cost of electricity, due to the significant capital investment costs. Research is engaged to reduce manufacturing costs and to raise the efficiency of the cells. Today conventional PV cells made of silicon are converting only a fraction of the solar light spectrum around 17%.

Two-Thirds of the World's New Solar Panels Were Installed in Europe in 2011

Europe accounted for two thirds of the world-wide newly installed photovoltaic (PV) capacity in 2011, with 18.5 GW. Its overall PV capacity totalled 52 GW. The yearly electricity produced by PV could power a country with the electricity demand of Austria, which corresponds to 2% of the EU's electricity needs. These are some of the highlights of the 2012 Photovoltaics Status Report published September 24 by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre.

The study summarises and evaluates the current activities regarding manufacturing, policies and market implementation world-wide.

Over the past ten years, the PV industry grew in Europe by an average of over 40% per year and the production costs have decreased by around 60%. Underlying this progress is the EU commitment towards PV systems as a means to achieve the goal of using 20% of renewable energy by 2020.

Top 12 PCB Manufacturers in India

According to Innovative Business Enterprises, the demand for PCBs in India is expected to grow to over 45 million sq m by 2014, translating to an impressive CAGR of 17 per cent. While India is exporting about 24 per cent of its PCB production to the US, Germany, Malaysia, Austria, Belgium, etc, it has a fairly large domestic market to cater to.
 

The main demand for PCBs comes from the consumer electronics, industrial and automotive electronics markets, as well as from power and telecommunications......

India plans to double solar capacity, thanks to blackouts

India suffers from frequent power shortages and blackouts, which have impeded the nation’s economic growth. This is mostly because India depends on coal for two-thirds of its power generation. Most of the coal in India is controlled by Coal India, a government-based group that struggles to meet electricity demand because of corruption and weak policies. In fact, the gap between electricity supply and demand is about 10%.

Price gap between local and imported solar modules trouble manufacturers in Andhra

Power holiday for three days in a week in Andhra Pradesh is proving beneficial to China and European solar module importers indirectly.Though various module manufacturing companies are seeing an increase in number of enquires for solar modules, they are not sure if they would be converted into sales as cheaper options, in the form of imports from China, are available.

Sunshine for India

India has a large solar energy potential. According to Reuters, in July 2009, India had unveiled a $19 billion plan to produce 20 gw of solar power by 2020. According to this plan, the use of solar power will become mandatory in all government buildings, hospitals and hotels.

T Muneer and colleagues in an article published in the journal Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews say the daily average solar energy incident on our country varies between four and seven kWh/m2 with about 1,500-2,000 sunshine hours per year. This amount of solar energy is far more than the current domestic total energy consumption and even with a low 10 per cent efficiency of solar cells would still be greater than the domestic electricity demand projected in 2015.

Transparent Solar Cell

UCLA researchers have developed a new see-through solar cell for windows that generate electricity. According to the researchers, it is an advance toward giving windows in homes and other buildings the ability to generate electricity while still allowing people to see outside. In other words, these transparent solar cells could one day be used to build solar windows or even sun collecting smartphones.

                The UCLA team says that the new kind of polymer solar cell (PSC) produces energy by absorbing mainly infrared light, not visible light, making the cells almost 70 per cent transparent to the human eye. They made the device from a photoactive plastic that converts infrared light into an electrical current.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Biofuels

          The world is getting warmer and the price of oil continues to rise. Fortunately, there are several different important methods and innovative resources that are now being taken advantage of that are helping to address these very important issues. Among the top things that we are doing to address these important issues is biofuel. However, as the different types of biofuels that are now in production and development are still relatively new to the market, there is still a good degree of debate as to the overall efficiency, effectiveness and safety of biofuels. Keep reading for an overview on the advantages and disadvantages of biofuels.

Recycling

Recycling turns materials that would otherwise become waste into valuable resources. Collecting used bottles, cans, and newspapers and taking them to the curb or to a collection facility is just the first in a series of steps that generates a host of financial, environmental, and social returns. Some of these benefits accrue locally as well as globally.

Why Electric Cars Are More Polluting than Gas Guzzlers

Electric Cars Are More Polluting than Gas Guzzlers

Electric cars are all the rage in China, but they may not be helping to clean up the environment or protect human health from pollution.

It’s unspoken, but every driver gliding around town behind the wheel of a Prius is thinking the same thing: “I’m saving the planet. What are you doing, you dirty-fossil-fuel burner?”

What’s implied is that hybrid or electric-car drivers are also saving human lives, since the fuel-burning internal combustion engines that power conventional vehicles emit carbon dioxide and fine particulate matter including acids, organic chemicals as well as dust and soil; this pollution has been linked to respiratory and heart problems and cancer.