CleanPress

James Trainham will lecure on solar energy at the University of Delaware. … “James Trainham, senior vice president of engineering for Sundrop Fuels of Colorado, will deliver the Jack A. Gerster Memorial Lecture on solar energy at 10 a.m., Friday, March 19, in Room 102 Colburn Laboratory.” http://bit.ly/cRCnay

Arizona State University will facilitate the NAE Grand Challenge Summit where leading talent will tackle challenges such as solar energy economics. … “On April 8 and 9 at the Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix, experts will explore critical needs to develop new medicines and biomedical technologies, make solar energy economical, find better ways to manage and recycle the increasing amount of waste materials produced by growing nations, and transform education to prepare the next generations for facing these and other challenges. ”

http://bit.ly/8ZWzya

"PlanetSolar … topped by a large array of photovoltaic solar panels … will be both silent and clean. The goal is to navigate around the world at an average speed of 8 knots …"

" .. will be home to two sailors during the round-the-world attempt, and can accommodate up to fifty people during the promotional trips planned …"

Via:  PlanetSolar  LINK

First Solar leadership affirms financial guidance, while former and current CEOs adjust their stock positions. …

… “First Solar’s management team has confidence in the 2010 financial guidance we gave on Feb 18 as well as the company’s prospects for long-term growth…We continue to execute on our technology and strategic roadmaps … ” …

First Solar CEO Buys and Sells via Seeking Alpha: http://bit.ly/a5gBzN

" … solar-powered sensor system developed at the University of Michigan is the smallest that can harvest energy from its surroundings to operate nearly perpetually."

" …could enable new biomedical implants as well as home-, building- and bridge-monitoring devices. It could vastly improve the efficiency and cost of current environmental sensor networks designed to detect movement or track air and water quality."

" … can run nearly perpetually if periodically exposed to reasonable lighting conditions, even indoors … "

" … could enable less-invasive ways to monitor pressure changes in the eyes, brain, and in tumors in patients with glaucoma, head trauma, or cancer. In the body, the sensor could conceivably harvest energy from movement or heat, rather than light, the engineers say."

 Via:  University of Michigan  LINK

The UTS Tower in Sydney, Australia is may get a proposed upgrade – a solar skin.  This PV "wrap" would turn the tower into a very green and energy efficient structure.

The University of Technology Sydney (UTS) Tower "upgrade" is " … Fueled by the university’s sustainability drive … turn the building into a “landmark environmental tower” by wrapping it in a photovoltaic skin."

"The sustainable energy system, devised by postgraduate students in 2008, has been funded to allow students to build and test the project."

 There are a number of propose upgrades including wind turbines and cogeneration … the solar skin " … stretches around walls and roof elements … the building is covered in a lightweight composite mesh textile that can collect rain water, generate electricity and complement the plan’s passive ventilation system that uses natural convection."

Via:  SmartPlanet  LINK

Scientists from CalTech have developed technology that might lead efficient solar cells from silicon nanowires.  This could lead to all sorts of configurations for solar cells including fabrics.

" … CalTech scientists say they have the underlying technology. Silicon nanowires, arranged in arrays, have been engineered that … grab power from visible light …"

" … a cell geometry that not only uses 1/100th the material of traditional wafer-based devices, but also may offer increased photovoltaic efficiency owing to an effective optical concentration of up to 20 times …”

" … CalTech’s cells have efficiency comparable to solar panels now being installed on roofs."

"If nanowires can be woven into a viable matrix, combined with other material, it means fabrics can double as solar connectors, once they have a way to off-load the power they create."

Via:  SmartPlanet  LINK

A MIT spin-off has created a solar powered refrigerator that can bring cooling to those far from the electric grid – especially those in developing countries like India and China.

"Promethean Power Systems has developed a solar-powered refrigeration system for commercial cold-storage applications in off-grid and partially electrified areas of developing countries. … store and preserve perishable food items … without the need for expensive diesel-powered generators"

" … a for-profit enterprise. We believe that creating a cost-effective solution for cold-chain food distribution in emerging markets is an excellent business opportunity that could deliver enormous social and environmental benefits."

" …  study revealed a large business opportunity in India for an efficient cold-storage solution targeted to the dairy industry … Cold-storage at the village level minimizes the number of collection trips and reduces transportation cost in half. Today, the only alternative is to use commercial refrigerators with diesel-powered backup generators, a no-win situation that further exposes the dairies to escalating energy prices. "

Via:  Coolectrica  LINK

Serendipity had a hand in the discovery of solar photovoltaics. Passionate play in solar and renewable energy research can help us achieve continuing innovations. …

… “One of the scientists involved in the research of silicon-based semiconductors accidentally left a sample of silicon doped with impurities in the sunlight. What a surprise it was when he noticed an electric signal coming out of the detector that the sample was connected to. ” …

Via UCSF Synapse: Science