Invisible Solar Cells: See Through Solar Power

ScienceRocks · Mar 3, 2012

Invisible Solar Cells: See Through Solar Power

Invisible Solar Cells: See Through Solar Power | Solar Panels - Green Power
See through solar cells to be applied to windows

Solar technology advancements are leading to thinner, more efficient and cheaper solar panels. One of the most exciting developments may be invisible solar cells. Applied to windows, the building integrated photovoltaic technology allows for see through solar power.

Just think no bulky solar panels installed on the rooftop! Solar windows may have a clear advantage over less aesthetically pleasing alternatives.

Invisible solar cells are still in development stages, but are showing great promise for the future. Along with flexible solar cells that can be applied to a wide variety of surfaces, scientists at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory have been working on transparent solar cells. These modules can be fixed to window panes, blending seamlessly into building facades.

While the efficiency of invisible solar cells is not yet to the level of traditional PV panels, the technology is so much less expensive than the alternative (as well as less visually intrusive) that these benefits outweigh the drawbacks of the developing solar technology.

waltky · Mar 20, 2012

Obama fires shot across the bow in trade war with China...

US imposes solar duties on China
20 March 2012 - This is the latest skirmish in what many fear may turn into a trade war between the US and China

The US has imposed duties on Chinese solar panel manufacturers after it said that they received unfair subsidies. Chinese exporters into the US - including Suntech - will now face customs tariffs of between 2.9% and 4.73%, the Commerce Department said. In 2011, imports of solar cells from China into the US were valued at $3.1bn (£1.96bn), it added.

The price of solar panels dropped more than 30% last year, mainly linked to cheaper panels made in China. "Countervailable subsidies are financial assistance from foreign governments that benefit the production of goods from foreign companies," the Commerce Department said. China's Suntech, the world's largest producer of solar panels, will now face duties of 2.9% to offset what the US said is its subsidy from the Chinese government.

Another firm, Changzhou Trina Solar Energy, will receive duties of 4.73%. All others face duties of 3.61%. US customs will collect deposits equivalent to these amounts now and the Commerce Department will make a final ruling in June. The US will also rule on whether China's solar panel output is violating its anti-dumping rules on 17 May.

Chinese firms have said that they are not the only ones that receive government help - for example, the US has subsidies to encourage people to install solar panels. China has already said it will launch its own investigation into US government support for renewable energy.

BBC News - US imposes solar duties on China
Click to expand...

Full-Auto · Mar 21, 2012

waltky said: ↑

Obama fires shot across the bow in trade war with China...

US imposes solar duties on China
20 March 2012 - This is the latest skirmish in what many fear may turn into a trade war between the US and China

The US has imposed duties on Chinese solar panel manufacturers after it said that they received unfair subsidies. Chinese exporters into the US - including Suntech - will now face customs tariffs of between 2.9% and 4.73%, the Commerce Department said. In 2011, imports of solar cells from China into the US were valued at $3.1bn (£1.96bn), it added.

The price of solar panels dropped more than 30% last year, mainly linked to cheaper panels made in China. "Countervailable subsidies are financial assistance from foreign governments that benefit the production of goods from foreign companies," the Commerce Department said. China's Suntech, the world's largest producer of solar panels, will now face duties of 2.9% to offset what the US said is its subsidy from the Chinese government.

Another firm, Changzhou Trina Solar Energy, will receive duties of 4.73%. All others face duties of 3.61%. US customs will collect deposits equivalent to these amounts now and the Commerce Department will make a final ruling in June. The US will also rule on whether China's solar panel output is violating its anti-dumping rules on 17 May.

Chinese firms have said that they are not the only ones that receive government help - for example, the US has subsidies to encourage people to install solar panels. China has already said it will launch its own investigation into US government support for renewable energy.

BBC News - US imposes solar duties on China
Click to expand...

Click to expand...

What ever it takes to increase energy prices. Obama cronies can not profit enough with competition. Its chinas fault most of his buddies went belly up.

waltky · Mar 21, 2012

Granny says dat means dey can put it where the sun don't shine...

Thermosolar power station in Spain works at night
Mar 18, 2012* - The unique thermosolar power station in southern Spain can shrug off cloudy days: energy stored when the sun shines lets it produce electricity even during the night.

The Gemasolar station, up and running since last May, stands out in the plains of Andalusia. From the road between Seville and Cordoba, one can see its central tower lit up like a beacon by 2,600 solar mirrors, each 120 square metres (28,500 square feet), that surround it in an immense 195-hectare (480-acre) circle. "It is the first station in the world that works 24 hours a day, a solar power station that works day and night!" said Santago Arias, technical director of Torresol Energy, which runs the station.

The mechanism is "very easy to explain," he said: the panels reflect the suns rays on to the tower, transmitting energy at an intensity 1,000 times higher than that of the sun's rays reaching the earth. Energy is stored in a vat filled with molten salts at a temperature of more than 500 degrees C (930 F). Those salts are used to produce steam to turn the turbines and produce electricity. It is the station's capacity to store energy that makes Gemasolar so different because it allows the plant to transmit power during the night, relying on energy it has accumulated during the day. "I use that energy as I see fit, and not as the sun dictates," Arias explained.

As a result, the plant produces 60 percent more energy than a station without storage capacity because it can work 6,400 hours a year compared to 1,200-2,000 hours for other solar power stations, he said. "The amount of energy we produce a year is equal to the consumption of 30,000 Spanish households," Arias said, an annual saving of 30,000 tonnes of CO2.

Helped by generous state aid, renewable energies have enjoyed a boom in Spain, the world number two in solar energy and the biggest wind power producer in Europe, ahead of Germany. For the Gemasolar solar product, foreign investors helped too: Torresol Energy is a joint venture between the Spanish engineering group Sener, which holds 60 percent, and Abu Dhabi-financed renewable energy firm Masdar.

Thermosolar power station in Spain works at night
Click to expand...

See also:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-IFks2n3hM]Video: Solar Power Station Works At Night[/ame]

whitehall · Mar 21, 2012

Gee, if the opaque junk that doesn't work is so expensive how much will the transparent junk cost?

Mr. H. · Mar 21, 2012

Maybe they'll fashion women's clothing with it.

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