Energy Innovation: 6 Radical Solar Energy Technologies
By Yoni Binstock
Greentech Innovation and Solar Energy
The Energy Collective
theenergycollective.com
Saturday, November 16, 2013
The U.S. Department of Energy has set a goal of reaching
less than $1 a watt for complete installed solar systems
by 2020. Reaching $1/watt would bring the cost of solar
power to six cents/ kWh, which is cheaper than the
average cost from new natural gas power plants and would
allow solar to grow without any subsidies. But how are we
going to get there? Scientists and entrepreneurs from
around the world are working in their labs and garages
developing new solar technologies. They range from big
leaps in existing technologies to completely
transformative innovations. Here’s a list of several new
technologies that we’re most excited about.
1) Solar Paint
Instead of being limited to flat surfaces, researchers at
the University of Notre Dame have developed low-cost
solar paint using nano-sized particles of titanium
dioxide, coated with cadmium sulfide or cadmium selenide.
Once brushed onto any conducting materials and exposed to
the sunlight, the paint will create electricity with a
light-to-energy conversion efficiency of 1%. Its
efficiency isn’t high enough for current market use, but
hopefully with continued development, we can imagine a
day that any surface could generate solar power.
(Image courtesy of TreeHugger)
2) Solar Fabric
A company called Pvillion is currently making fabric with
solar power capabilities for use in commercial
applications. The company’s fabric, which is as efficient
as standard rigid solar panels, could be used to cover
structures such as the US embassy in London, which will
have a generation capacity of 124MW.
3) Solar Windows
One of the ways that solar could become mainstream is by
diversifying the locations that it could be placed,
rather than just rooftops and large installations in the
desert. Companies like Oxford Photovoltaics are working
to develop transparent glass solar panels, which would
allow windows to become power generators. Imagine how
useful this technology could be if we turned every window
covering our skyscrapers clean energy producers.
4) Solar Roadways
Another location that’s currently being tested for solar
capabilities are walkways, roads, and parking lots.
Spanish tech company Onyx Solar is currently developing
walkable PV floor panels and Solar Roadways is currently
prototyping their plan to cover roads with embedded solar
panels with 12 x 36 foot parking lot. Parking lots cover
up to 15% of city surfaces and highways crisscrossing all
over the country, so the potential for this technology is
enormous.
5) Space-based Solar
If we ever run out of space for all these new
technologies, we might start getting our energy from
outer space. That’s exactly what Solaren Corp is thinking
as they plan to beam down solar power from orbit
beginning in mid 2016. Even Pacific Gas & Electric is
interested in the idea and has agreed to purchase 200 MW
of electricity from them.
6) Increased Efficiency
What about ways to increase the efficiency of today’s
technology? Solar panel manufacturer China Sunergy, is
building a pilot manufacturing line for a two-sided solar
cell that can absorb light from both the front and back.
Where one-sided solar panel might generate 340 watts, a
two-sided one might generate up to 400 watts. They expect
the panels to generate 10 to 20 percent more electricity
over the course of a year compared to one-sided panels.
At the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE,
Soitec, CEA-Leti and the Helmholtz Center Berlin jointly
announced a new record for solar efficiency of 44.7%
using CPV or concentrated photovoltaic technology.
Although just in the research phase, these efficiencies
have the potential to revolutionize the solar industry.
These technologies are just a sample of the great
innovations in both business models and technologies
happening around the world in the field of photovoltaics.
Some of them may not pan out, but many others will and
will usher in a new era of renewable energy. For all of
us in the field, the future of solar looks very bright.
Original article
Authored by:
Yoni Binstock
Yoni is a Fellow at Mosaic working on their PR,
marketing, and their mobile app. He graduated from
Rollins College in three years in Political Science and
International Business. He then spent three months
volunteering in rural India where he met his fiancée.
After attending Boston University’s Graduate Program in
Energy and Environmental Analysis, he worked at a web
startup for a year in Cambridge. He then left to start
Climate Scores, a website dedicated in grading
Congressmen on how they stood on climate change. He then
worked at Ashoka as their lead strategist on targeting
Gen Y donors. In his free time, he likes to read science
fiction, play quality video games, and run.
More at:
http://theenergycollective.
By Yoni Binstock
Greentech Innovation and Solar Energy
The Energy Collective
theenergycollective.com
Saturday, November 16, 2013
The U.S. Department of Energy has set a goal of reaching
less than $1 a watt for complete installed solar systems
by 2020. Reaching $1/watt would bring the cost of solar
power to six cents/ kWh, which is cheaper than the
average cost from new natural gas power plants and would
allow solar to grow without any subsidies. But how are we
going to get there? Scientists and entrepreneurs from
around the world are working in their labs and garages
developing new solar technologies. They range from big
leaps in existing technologies to completely
transformative innovations. Here’s a list of several new
technologies that we’re most excited about.
1) Solar Paint
Instead of being limited to flat surfaces, researchers at
the University of Notre Dame have developed low-cost
solar paint using nano-sized particles of titanium
dioxide, coated with cadmium sulfide or cadmium selenide.
Once brushed onto any conducting materials and exposed to
the sunlight, the paint will create electricity with a
light-to-energy conversion efficiency of 1%. Its
efficiency isn’t high enough for current market use, but
hopefully with continued development, we can imagine a
day that any surface could generate solar power.
(Image courtesy of TreeHugger)
2) Solar Fabric
A company called Pvillion is currently making fabric with
solar power capabilities for use in commercial
applications. The company’s fabric, which is as efficient
as standard rigid solar panels, could be used to cover
structures such as the US embassy in London, which will
have a generation capacity of 124MW.
3) Solar Windows
One of the ways that solar could become mainstream is by
diversifying the locations that it could be placed,
rather than just rooftops and large installations in the
desert. Companies like Oxford Photovoltaics are working
to develop transparent glass solar panels, which would
allow windows to become power generators. Imagine how
useful this technology could be if we turned every window
covering our skyscrapers clean energy producers.
4) Solar Roadways
Another location that’s currently being tested for solar
capabilities are walkways, roads, and parking lots.
Spanish tech company Onyx Solar is currently developing
walkable PV floor panels and Solar Roadways is currently
prototyping their plan to cover roads with embedded solar
panels with 12 x 36 foot parking lot. Parking lots cover
up to 15% of city surfaces and highways crisscrossing all
over the country, so the potential for this technology is
enormous.
5) Space-based Solar
If we ever run out of space for all these new
technologies, we might start getting our energy from
outer space. That’s exactly what Solaren Corp is thinking
as they plan to beam down solar power from orbit
beginning in mid 2016. Even Pacific Gas & Electric is
interested in the idea and has agreed to purchase 200 MW
of electricity from them.
6) Increased Efficiency
What about ways to increase the efficiency of today’s
technology? Solar panel manufacturer China Sunergy, is
building a pilot manufacturing line for a two-sided solar
cell that can absorb light from both the front and back.
Where one-sided solar panel might generate 340 watts, a
two-sided one might generate up to 400 watts. They expect
the panels to generate 10 to 20 percent more electricity
over the course of a year compared to one-sided panels.
At the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE,
Soitec, CEA-Leti and the Helmholtz Center Berlin jointly
announced a new record for solar efficiency of 44.7%
using CPV or concentrated photovoltaic technology.
Although just in the research phase, these efficiencies
have the potential to revolutionize the solar industry.
These technologies are just a sample of the great
innovations in both business models and technologies
happening around the world in the field of photovoltaics.
Some of them may not pan out, but many others will and
will usher in a new era of renewable energy. For all of
us in the field, the future of solar looks very bright.
Original article
Authored by:
Yoni Binstock
Yoni is a Fellow at Mosaic working on their PR,
marketing, and their mobile app. He graduated from
Rollins College in three years in Political Science and
International Business. He then spent three months
volunteering in rural India where he met his fiancée.
After attending Boston University’s Graduate Program in
Energy and Environmental Analysis, he worked at a web
startup for a year in Cambridge. He then left to start
Climate Scores, a website dedicated in grading
Congressmen on how they stood on climate change. He then
worked at Ashoka as their lead strategist on targeting
Gen Y donors. In his free time, he likes to read science
fiction, play quality video games, and run.
More at:
http://theenergycollective.
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