Igor Delovski Board

[delovski]

Slashdot: 40% Efficiency Solar Cells Developed

"A story published at Physorg.com discusses recently published research
into the fabrication of solar cells that surpass the 40% efficiency milestone.
Such devices would be the high water-mark to date, and hint at the possibility
of even more effective technology. 'In the design, multijunction cells divide
the broad solar spectrum into three smaller sections by using three subcell
band gaps.

Each of the subcells can capture a different wavelength range of light, enabling
each subcell to efficiently convert that light into electricity. With their conversion
efficiency measured at 40.7%, the metamorphic multijunction concentrator
cells surpass the theoretical limit of 37% of single-junction cells at 1000 suns,
due to their multijunction structure.'"

[Ike]

NY Tymes: Putting Energy Hogs in the Home on a Strict Low-Power Diet

"A Comcast digital cable set-top box made by Motorola that I tested was
drawing about 40 watts. My DVD player was drawing 26 watts while idle,
and my audio system — which I rarely turned off — was using 47 watts.
This was in addition to the numerous power adapters and chargers, each
drawing 1 or 2 watts, not to mention several other devices sipping energy
to keep clocks running or to be ready to turn on at the push of a button."

[Ike]

Slashdot: LEDs Lighting Up the African Darkness

"In a non-electrified society, life is defined by the sun and little is accompli-
shed once it sets around 6 pm. Only 19 percent of rural areas in Ghana
have electricity. The rest use foul-smelling kerosene lamps to light their
huts, which pollute, provide little light and are major fire hazards. But now
Philips has partnered with KITE, a not-for-profit Ghanaian organization, to
bring artificial light to villages that have no electricity.

The new Philips products include a portable lantern which provides bright
white light where it is needed, the Dynamo Multi LED self-powered (wind-
up) flashlight that provides 17 minutes of light from two minutes hand wind-
ing, and the 'My Reading Light,' which is a solar-powered reading light with
built-in rechargeable battery. 'People can now do things in the evening,'
says Harriette Amissah-Arthur, KITE's director. 'If you could only see the
joy these products bring the villagers. You look at their faces; you have to
see it to believe it.'"

[XNote]

news.bbc.co.uk - Battery that 'charges in seconds'

"A new manufacturing method for lithium-ion batteries could lead to smaller,
lighter batteries that can be charged in just seconds."

[Ike]

bbc - Malawi windmill boy with big fans

"As the blades began to spin in the breeze, the bulb flickered to life and
a crowd of astonished onlookers went wild. Soon the whiz kid's 12-watt
wonder was pumping power into his family's mud brick compound."

[Ike]

money.msn.com - Cable boxes use more power than the fridge

"And it gets worse. Even if you never turn them on, it's not going to matter
much, because set-top boxes use nearly as much electricity whether they're
on or off. How much is it costing us as a nation?"

[Ike]

fool.com - Is THIS the Biggest Invention of the Decade?

"The problem is that we just can't economically store electricity. That is until
now.

Privately held Eos Energy Storage is just starting to ramp up production of
its low-cost zinc hybrid cathode battery technology. It's designed to inte-
grate renewable energy production, increase the electricity grid's efficiency
and resiliency, while at the same time lower the costs for utilities and for
consumers of electricity. It could just be the biggest invention this decade."

[Ike]

fool.com - Why Warren Buffett Is Betting $30 Billion on Solar and Wind

"With Berkshire's "elephant gun" now loaded with $35 billion in excess
cash, Buffett is steering Berkshire and "intensifying the company's focus
on rudimentary, long-lasting businesses," according to Lawrence Cun-
ningham, George Washington University professor and author of the
forthcoming book "Berkshire Beyond Buffett." Utility projects are attractive
because they allow for continued reinvestment and add-on acquisitions, as
Buffett has been doing since acquiring MidAmerican energy, the largest
electrical utility in Iowa, in 1999 for $9 billion."

[delovski]

AT - Tesla's Solar Roof Is Actually Cheaper Than a Normal Roof

"Orders are now being taken for the Tesla Solar Roof at a price of $21.85
per square foot, which is nearly 20 percent less than the cost of a normal
roof - even without factoring in the energy savings."

[delovski]

r - Corrupt state politicians have been passing laws on behalf of power companies to prevent citizens from using solar technology. We need federal protection, we need: THE SOLAR FREEDOM ACT

"No argument about ownership rights. However, citizens do not have the
right to jeopardize the reliability power delivery to other citizens. What is
needed is coordination and understanding of the real technical issues at
play here. Maintaining a reliable power system has real costs and requires
careful coordination. If sharing a portion of those costs and coordination
requirements is untenable, there is nothing stopping any solar owners
from buying a bunch of batteries and dropping off the grid. But to use
the grid as a massive battery and expect a free pass to use that service
without consideration for the integrity of the power system is simply
naive."