The PlanetSolar Catamaran is a multi-hull made of carbon-fiber composites and covered with over 5,300 square feet of photovoltaic solar panels comprising 38,000 of SunPower's solar cells capable of an impressive 22 percent efficiency.

Despite its impressive dimensions (30 meters long by 16 meters wide) and the lack of any sailing rigs, the ship looks definitely majestic on water. Behind the beauty of his silhouette hides the cutting edge technology designed by the firm MW-Line SA, which is known for her Aquarels boats on Lake Geneva or the catamarans of Expo 02.

Sophisticated technology ensures that the futuristic-looking boat's batteries can charge even when some sunshine. The engineers of PlanetSolar take care of the drive, the performance of solar collectors and energy storage, the materials and the external environment. A power of 10 kW is sufficient to the ship at 10 knots (18.5 mph) to move forward. The size of the storage batteries below deck store enough energy for several days without direct sunlight.

Another innovative feature is the use of propellers that sit at the water line, half in the water and half out. This kind of prop, known as a "surface-piercing" propeller, can be much more efficient than traditional propellers, because it prevents the blades of the propeller from interfering with one another as they push through the water, and reduces drag during the time spent out of the water.





This type of vessel appears like the ideal solution for the future. Thanks to the high efficiency of PlanetSolar's cells, they're expecting to achieve a fast journey around the world without a stop in just 80 days, which the team believe will help promote environmental conciousness. "Today, the boat is the most used means of transport of goods," the team writes. "It represents single-handedly almost 1.4 billions of tons of carbon dioxide (in 2008), that is 6% of the total carbon dioxide emissions and twice more than the air transport."

The ship in numbers:

Length: 30 meters
Width: 16 meters
Weight: 10 tons
Surface of solar collectors: 180 m2
Performance of the solar installation: 30 kW
Average speed: 10 knots, or 18.5 km / h
Maximum speed: 15 knots or 27 km / h
Capacity: 12 People
Pilot cabin: 6,50 m above the water
Cost: $24 million

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More Info:

PlanetSolar

Case Postale 70
CH-2009 Neuchâtel
Post Konto: 17-450479-6
Contact: info@planetsolar.org
Partner: partenaires@planetsolar.org
Press: press@planetsolar.org
Web: http://www.planetsolar.org/

Solar Windows from Sony that generate electricity

Sony conducts research on proprietary technologies that contribute to reduction of environmental impact so that they can be applied to new products and services, as well as manufacturing processes.

Sony is engaged in research on dye-sensitized solar cells, which use photosensitive organic dyes adsorbed on the porous electrode surface to convert light energy to electrical energy. Unlike conventional silicon-based solar cells, dye-sensitized solar cells do not require a large vacuum process machine in fabrication. Also, because they use a coating and a printing process, these cells allow low-cost fabrication and exert less of an impact on the environment due to the fact that they require fewer materials and less energy. Dye-sensitized solar cells have the additional advantage of providing excellent power generation especially in low-light situations, such as indoors or under cloudy skies. Depending on the dye color, these cells can even provide color variations.
Owing to these advantages, dye-sensitized solar cells are viewed as one of the most promising next-generation solar cell technologies.

Related Links :
- http://www.sony.net/Products/
- http://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/
- http://eco-pro.com/

Video of Solar Islands -- a concept by CSEM, Switzerland (www.csem.ch)

These artificial islands are giant platforms that float on the sea and which, in the long term, will produce the same amount of electricity as a small nuclear-power station.

Thanks to a simple design, coupled with optimized technologies and suitable materials, the energy produced could be offered at a competitive price of 10 to 20 centimes per kWh.

The free solar energy station is a concept that is made for open public and commercial spaces.
At this station, every person could charge his/her gadget for free. Simply plug in a cell phone, computer or any other gadget to the electric socket or to any of the available USB connections

The station is made of solar panels, treated bamboo, recycled metals, batteries and electronic components. The solar panels are attached to a rotational hinge. This function enables the panels to rotate and be perpendicular to the sun’s light wave; thus maximizing the energy produced.

The colors of the object are brown and green so it would capture a greener look compared to the gray city’s environment which surrounds it. The Free Energy Station could be sponsored by various organizations such as city governments and commercial companies.


The Free Solar Energy Station was designed for the Greener Gadget Design Competition. The emphasis of the design is on its sustainability.

I wanted to create an object whose output would produce energy; I liked the idea of giving away free energy, so I looked for ways to do so,

says the designer of the project, Jonathan Globerson;

solar power stands as the foundation of my idea. But I wanted to take into consideration the social impact. This is by way of helping citizens of the world get familiarized with alternative energy resources. The 'Free Solar Energy Station' will allow the average person to experience the usability of alternative energy without paying for it. It will help make 'solar energy' an everyday term, in the user’s vocabulary.

The PS10 project, is an 11 MW Solar Thermal Power Plant 15 km west of the city of Seville in Southern Spain.

The plant is the first Solar Central Receiver System of its kind and generates 11 Megawatts (MW) of electricity, enough to power up to 6,000 homes although it is expected that when the entire project is completed it should generate enough electricity to cover the needs of the 600,000 population of Seville.

It works by concentrating the reflected rays from each of the 624 mirrors with a mobile curved reflective surface measuring 120 square meters to the top of a 115 meter where a solar receiver turns water into steam. The turbine drives a generator, producing electricity.

Compared to conventional flat panel solar cells, concentrating photovoltaics is more cost efficient because the solar collector is less expensive than an equivalent area of solar cells.
Concentrating photovoltaics operates most effectively in sunny weather, since clouds and overcast conditions create diffuse light which essentially can not be concentrated.

The PS10 solar power plant is promoted by Solúcar Energía, an Abengoa Group company.
This project has counted with the co-funding from the 5th European Union Framework Program. Activities of Solgate Technology are still continuing today, with the presence of Solúcar R&D in the Solhyco Project which intent to obtain the hybridization of the system developed on the Solgate stage with gasified biomass. The Solhyco Project counts with the collaboration of renowned research centers such as DLR and Ciemat, and which has been co-funded under the 6th European Union Framework Program.

Because concentrating photovoltaics perform better in environments with clear skies, Europe is also looking across the Mediterranean to the Sahara desert, where solar farms could provide clean electricity for the whole of Europe, according to EU scientists working on an scheme to build a €4.500.000 European supergrid that would allow countries across the continent to share electricity from abundant green sources.
In addition, because the sunlight in this area is more intense, solar photovoltaic (PV) panels in northern Africa could generate up to three times the electricity compared with similar panels in northern Europe.
Arnulf Jaeger-Walden of the European commission's Institute for Energy, speaking at the Euroscience Open Forum in Barcelona, said it would require the capture of just 0.3% of the light falling on the Sahara and Middle Eastern deserts to provide all of Europe's energy needs.

Jaeger-Walden explained how electricity produced in solar farms in Africa, each containing power plants generating around 50-200MW of power, could be fed thousands of miles across European countries by using high-voltage direct current transmission lines instead of the traditional alternating current lines. Energy losses on DC lines are far lower than AC ones where transmission of energy over long distances is uneconomic.

The Iqua SUN is a solar-powered wireless Bluetooth powered by a photovoltaic cell that uses any available light (even indoors) to recharge itself. It can also be recharged by plugging it into your computer using a mini USB charging cable.

Manufactured by Finnish based Iqua, this nifty gadget has been designed to feel "like a natural extension of your senses and personality". That's at least the idea behind Iqua's innovative range in design and functionalities that presently cover both mono and stereo headsets.

With an Iqua headset, you can connect wirelessly with the maximum number of Bluetooth® enabled devices, such as iPods, mp3s, PDAs, laptops or consumer electronics products, as well as with any brand of Bluetooth mobile phones that support the Headset or Handsfree profiles.

For a hands-on review of the Iqua 603 Sun read the following article by Eric Zeman at the Information Week Blog:
http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main/archives/2008/01/review_iqua_sol.html



Features
• Answer/end/reject call
• Last number redial
• Voice dial activate (when supported by mobile phone)
• Mute
• Volume control
• Switch between phone and handsfree modes
• Bluetooth connection active, call status and battery low indicated by multi-colored LEDs
• Automatic reconnection to default user or the last user
• Automatic reconnection at power on and disconnect at power off
• Support for VOIP calls
• Reset hardware and software

Specs

• Size 48 (L) x 25 (W) x 12 (H) mm
• Weight 14g
• Talktime Up to 12h
• Standby time Infinite(In sunlight)
• Battery type 3.7v/110mAh Lithium-Polymer
• Bluetooth Standard Bluetooth Spec. 2.0 EDR
• Supported Bluetooth profiles Handsfree 1.0 and Headset 1.1
• Chipset CSR BC04 Audio ROM
• Connection Point-to-point
• Paired devices Up to 8, one at a time
• Operating Distance 10 meters
• Operating temperature range 0°C to 55°C

Available from:
Iqua

The HYmini is a a hybrid universal charger and adapter gadget that that fits in the palm of your hand and uses a combination of wind, solar, hand-cranking, USB outlets and conventional wall plug power (100~240V wall plug) to recharge just about any 5V digital gadgets.

The recharge is done through its USB 2.0 outlet by inserting the USB transfer cable provided to connect HYmini and the gadget.
You can also use the original manufacture USB core to recharge your devices (iPods, MP3 players, cameras, etc)

Various adaptors included in the HYmini Basic Package allow you to charge a great number of mobile phones.

• Micro wind power generator

  Built-in to the portable power unit as a supplemental power source with a 65 mA capacity. Translucent, removable and impact safe wind turbine that glows green when charging. Minimum of 9mph wind speed to start charging.

  

• LED night light, and charge-in green indicator

  Generate electricity during everyday activities.

  

• 1200 mAh built in lithium ion polymer rechargeable battery power bank.

  5V adaptive 200~850mA output through USB 2.0.
  Built-in rechargeable battery inside the casing.

  

• Hybrid Recharger
  

  Rechargeable through 100~240V wall pug, DC jack, miniSOLAR panels, hand crank generator and hydro generator.

  

Available from:
HYmini

One of the products that is shinning the most (pun intended) at CES 2008 is the Solio, the perfect solar charger to power up your gadgets.

The Solio® Hybrid 1000 is fitted with a powerful solar panel and battery that makes it both simple and inexpensive to recharge virtually all your electronic devices. The Sun is not its only source of power because it can also be charged from the USB port of any computer.
As a sample, a fuul Solio H1000 will completely charge a common mobile phone. According to the specifications, with just 1 hour of sunshine you'll get enough power to talk on your cellular for over 15 minutes or listen to 40 minutes of MP3 music.

The Solio comes bundled with:

• Adapter tip system cable (attached)
• USB Charging Cable (plug into your computer's USB port or your iPod's USB Power Adapter)
• USB Port Replicator tip (powers iPhone and iPod)
• Mini-USB tip (powers Motorola, Blackberry, Garmin, iriver)
• Nokia tip

It works out of the box with most common mobile phones, MP3 players, GPS units, etc. by simply changing the adaptor tip.

Technical Specifications:

• Rechargeable battery 3.7V 1000mAh (Lithium Ion).
• Rated output 1.5 to 5 watts. DC input charge range: 5-6 volts at 400mA.
• Solar panel output 0.6 watts. Dimensions 198 x 68 x 18mm.

More Info:
Solio

The MagiKomputer Team is toddling around the CES at Las Vegas this year and the main impression they get is colored with Green.

It seems like Green is the main trend at CES 2008.
Even part of their website has become Green, check it out:


The CEA (producer of CES) announced that CES 2008 is taking unprecedented steps to 'go green' by reducing its carbon footprint and with the use of sustainable and energy efficient practices.

"As the world’s largest tradeshow for consumer technology, we are also the first tradeshow of our size to reduce our carbon footprint,.
We will do so by reducing energy consumption, increasing our recycling efforts, improving efficiency where possible, and making strides toward offsetting our unavoidable emissions. Consumer electronics are part of an energy-saving solution and improve the way we live, work and play, which gives this industry an opportunity to be a positive force for change and integral to environmental solutions that will ensure future generations inherit a healthy planet.
In addition to offsetting the carbon emissions of all CES venues, freight, shuttle buses and hotel rooms, we will provide attendees with the opportunity to offset their airline travel via CESweb and kiosks on the show floor."

said Gary Shapiro, CEA’s president and CEO.

CEA has even partnered with Carbonfund, the leading non-profit provider of certified carbon offsets, to reduce the carbon footprint of the event. Carbonfund will offset the approximately 20,000 tons of carbon associated with the International CES by investing in a combination of certified renewable energy, reforestation and energy efficiency projects.
As an example, by offsetting CES and consolidating trips that would have been necessary for the same meetings, the net savings in travel is over 700 million miles.

HP, for example, says its entire booth is 'green', including carpeting made from corn. Even the company's pens are made from 100% recycled material, including a cardboard body, and popsicle stick-like handle. There are solar-powered devices, 'green' power-saving devices, and even bags made from recycled materials."

One of the stars of the event has been the Solio portable solar panel.
Below Ed Kohler tells us about this green universal charger for electronic devices that stores power:



Sources:

Marketnews - Christine Persaud
Marketnews - Gadget Talk: CES 2008: Gadgets Galore and Going Green

MagiKomputer - Gefio Norse
MagiKomputer: CES 2008 Going Green

After five years of product development, Nanosolar has shipped its first solar panels priced at $1 a watt, the price at which solar energy gets cheaper than coal.

Panels features include:

• World’s first printed thin-film solar cell in a commercial panel product
• World’s first thin-film solar cell with a low-cost back-contact capability
• World’s lowest-cost solar panel (as little as $.99/Watt)
• World’s highest-current thin-film solar panel, delivering five times the current of any other thin-film panel on the market today and thus simplifying system deployment
• Intensely systems-optimized product with the lowest balance-of-system cost of any thin-film panel

Thin-film solar films are more than 100x thinner than silicon-wafer cells and thus have correspondingly lower materials cost.Combining the materials-cost advantage of thin films with the process cost advantage of Nanosolar's 100x faster process technology leads to the best of both worlds.

Technology Wave	I. Wafer Cells	II. Vacuum-Based Thin-Film-on-Glass	III. Roll-Printed Thin-Film-on-Foil
Process:	Silicon wafer processing	Sputtering, evaporation in a vacuum chamber	Printing in plain air
Process Control:	Fragile wafers	Expensive metrology	Built-in bottom-up reproducibility
Process Yield:	Robust	Fragile	Robust
Materials Utilization:	30%	30-50%	Over 95%
Substrate:	Wafer	Glass	Conductive Foil
Continuous Processing:	No -- wafer handling	No -- glass handling	Yes
Cell Matching:	Yes	No	Yes
Panel Current:	High	Low	High
Energy Payback:	3 years	1.7 years	<>
Throughput/CapEx	1	2-5	10-25

First shipping panels have been shipped for deployment in Eastern Germany.

Popular Science Magazine has awarded Nanosolar's solar electricity technology the top Innovation of the Year 2007.

Nanosolar has already raised $100 million to build a factory, and has secured more than 600,000 feet of manufacturing space.
Worth noting that the company already has orders for the first 18 months of manufacturing capacity.

More Info:

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Article on nanosolar

The Freeloader is a portable solar charging gadget that processes enough solar energy to power any hand held electronic gadget.

The Freeloader gets power from its solar panels.
Once fully charged, Freeloaders internal battery can power an iPod for 18hours, a mobile phone for 44 hours, PSP for 2.5 hours a PDA for 22 hours and much much more.

The device can also be charged by means of a supplied charge cable that plugs into a computers’ USB.

Supplied in a tough but stylish aluminium body

Technical Specs:

• 120mA premium quality crystalline solar cells
• 1000mAh environmentally friendly Li-ion battery with a typical battery life of 2 years.
• Freeloaders solar panels can charge its internal battery in as little as 5 hours or 3 hours when using the supplied USB charging cable
• Supplied with a computer USB charging cable
• Supplied with a power master cable and twelve adaptors to fit the following:

1. LG Chocolate series phones
2. Motorola V66 series and current V3 series phones
3. All Nokia current and N series phones
4. Samsung A288 and current D800 series phones
5. Sony Ericsson T28 and current K750 series phones
6. 4mm straight jack for Sony PSP, Tom Tom sat nav, digital camera’s, PDA’s and two-way radio’s
7. Mini USB for Blackberry Smart phones, Bluetooth headsets etc
8. USB 2.0 female socket for iPod, iPod Shuffle, MP3 players, smart phones, PDA’s, GPS plus much more
9. Nintendo DS lite connector
10. Supports iPod, iPod shuffle & iPod video.

• Impact resistant, rust free aluminum body.
• Freeloader holds its battery charge for up to 3 months
• Freeloader can simultaneously charge hand held devices whilst at the same time having its internal battery charged by its solar cells or via its USB charge cable
• Supplied with detailed user manual
• Size – 123 x 62 x 17
• Weight – 185g

Electrical Characteristics / Performance

Solar Panel (mono/multi crystalline): 5.5V 120mA

Rechargeable Lithium Battery: 3.7V 1000mAh

USB charging cable: 5V 500mA

DC Output: 5.5V+/– 0.5% 500mA

Time required to deliver power from Freeloader: 30 minutes to 1 hour

Time required to charge the FreeLoader internal battery using the USB charge cable: 3 to 4 hours

Time required to charge the FreeLoader internal battery in sunny conditions using the solar panels: 5 to 10 hours.

As with any other solar cell the power generated and the charging speed depends on the amount of light received by the solar cells.

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Available from:
Solar Technology

Seyoum Goitom is a 38 year old inventor from Eritrea that has designed and built a number of eco-friendly devices.
He is one of the most experienced and talented mechanics in his home town, in spite of not having attended any kind of technical college. Seyoum taught himself nearly everything he knows about repairing gadgets.

Seyoum got funding from the Dutch embassy in Eritrea for his latest idea: a solar powered cooker.
He is convinced that the cooker will interest enough of his fellow country men, and in the long run, it will help to stop cutting down trees for firewood.
Some 95 percent of Eritrea’s forests have already been lost in the past century because of drought, a growing population and during the war for independence from Ethiopia.
The most significant environmental problems in Eritrea are deforestation, desertification, soil erosion, overgrazing, famine, and damage due to the infrastructure from warfare.
Widespread deforestation, which is one of the the main causes for desertification, is also a major threat to Africa’s most vulnerable communities.

Seyoum uses an old satellite dish covered in tin-foil that has been converted into a solar cooker.

Solar cookers are devices that heat food using only solar energy.
Since they use no fuel and they cost nothing to run, many humanitarian organizations are promoting their use worldwide to help slow deforestation and desertification caused by the need for firewood used to cook.
Solar cookers can be also used in outdoors cooking, especially in situations where minimal fuel consumption or fire risk are considered highly important.

Most solar cookers work on basic principles: sunlight is converted to heat energy that is retained for cooking.
Sunlight is the "fuel." A solar cooker needs an outdoor spot that is sunny for several hours and protected from strong wind, and where food will be safe.
Obviously, solar cookers don't work at night or on cloudy days.

Dark surfaces get very hot in sunlight, whereas light surfaces don't. Food cooks best in dark, shallow, thin metal pots with dark, tight-fitting lids to hold in heat and moisture.

A transparent heat trap around the dark pot lets in sunlight, but keeps in the heat. This is a clear, heat-resistant plastic bag or large inverted glass bowl (in panel cookers) or an insulated box with a glass or plastic window (in box cookers).

Curved concentrator cookers, such as the one shown in the illustration, typically don't require a heat trap .

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External Links:

• Solar Cooking Archive
• Compendium of Solar Cooker Designs
• Hybrid solar oven
• Cornell University ESW Solar Oven Project
• High Quality Solar Grill
• Solar Cookers International
  

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GoneGreen is offering a range of Wind-Up radios, some of them combined with solar cells.

A Wind-Up radio is powered by a clockwork wind-up mechanism that drives an internal electrical generator.
No more need for batteries with these devices, which are not only eco-frienly, but also a great resource for camping, boating, etc.

	Devo windup DABs radio	Details
	Enjoy digital radio anywhere, anytime with the Devo rechargeable and wind-up DAB and FM radio. Reliable, portable and rugged – crystal clear sound at home, in the office or outdoors.
	Person-powered dynamo radio	Details
	You provide the power - batteries not needed! With this great little dynamo torch and FM radio combo you´ll never run out of batteries - because there are none.
	Ranger solar/dymano FM/AM radio	Details
	An ideal travel radio, the Ranger´s high capacity NiMH battery pack (non-removable) can be recharged from mains, wind-up or solar for reliable radio listening. It incorporates the latest in Freeplay´s self-sufficient technology – which means unparalleled sound quality, playtime performance, dependability, and durability.
	Summit solar/dynamo FM/AM radio	Details
	This premium rechargeable radio combines unparalleled sound quality with the reliability of multiple power options: wind up, solar and mains rechargeable. Supplied with a world travel adapter and protective travel pouch, the Freeplay Summit is the perfect radio for business or leisure travel.

GoneGreen is also offering a range of Organic and environment friendly products, such as organic clothing for babys, kids and adults, (including organic jeans), solar-powered gadgets, or eco-friendly cleaning products and books.

Visit thir shop here:
www.gonegreen.co.uk

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Solar recharge your PSP, GBA or Nintendo DS for free, using clean environment-friendly energy.

It takes only about 4 hours of sunlight for the PSP Solar Charger to recharge any PSP, Nintendo DS or GBA SP.
Although, in fact it doesn't really need the sunlight since it can even be used indoors and charge from artificial lights.

No power supply is required, which means that now you can take your PSP anywhere (not inside a dark cave, no).

Dimensions:
84 x 82 x 22 mm

Better Energy Systems Solio Solar Powered Charger & Battery for iPod

4.4 Watt Foldable Solar Charger with Battery Charger.
Designed for small electronics like PDAs, GPS units, cell phones or digital cameras.