BioLite Campstove = Backpacking Stove + Off-Grid Power Charger

          The BioLite Campstove is the combination of a backpacking stove as well as an off-grid power charger so you are able to cook a meal while charging your electronic gadgets at a country camping area. This mini campstove uses biomass, which decreases your carbon footprint and eliminates the ned to carry the extra weight of a solar power panel and fuel canisters.
          Simply imagine how relaxing Labor Day Weekend would be when you are able to cook your meals along with charging your devices using only firewood. However, the gadget may be heavy so if you may think finding dry wood would be hard, it may not be worth carrying the weight. Though, this mini campstove is handy when you need a power source to charge your devices and cook your meals at the same time.

Sol -- $300 Solar-Powered Laptop

           The usual problem that arises for a laptop is its power but this won't be a problem any longer for users of a new and cheap solar-powered laptop. Meet Sol, a laptop that was built for costs instead of high speed usage. The laptop features a 1.86 Ghz dual-core processor, an Intel Atom, 320 gigabytes of space, and 2 to 4 gigabytes of RAM. The display, inputs and outputs are standard, including a cellular modem, GPS, and Bluetooth 4.0 built in along with standard wifi.
           The upside with Sol is that when laptops get rusted over the years, Sol keeps on working, which is actually rare for an affordable laptop costing $300 (and has many different varieties of colors to choose from). Sol also obtains its power by the solar panels that unfold at the back of the computer. 2 hours in the sun, on average, means 8-10 hours of time using the computer uninterrupted. This can actually help those, who are in third-world countries, which have infrastructure problems.

Dutch engineer students get ready to compete in the 2013 World Solar Challenge

Young engineer students from all over the world are busy getting ready for lift off for the 2013 World Solar Challenge that is to be held in Australia from Oct 6-13. The conditions for the competition influence teams to invent and build the most efficient and unique looking vehicles that stand out. As many of you know, the vehicles will require many solar panels for them to be operational on the road. Therefore, being able to compete with other teams will require some creativity involved while in the process of having it mechanically possible.

“The project started with the first ideas in March last year, we wondered why there was no car yet that is practical, comfortable and drives purely on solar energy,” Lex Hoefsloot, team manager Solar Team Eindhoven, told the News.

Throwback of Dr. Seuss Each Step of the Way

          The Pacific Science Center had installed what is known as the solar-powered flowers at Seattle Center's festive grounds. People are able to walk in the evening, having the solar-powered flowers light their path as they absorb sunlight and store it to use at night. This new solar artwork also has the capability to interactively sing.
           The artist behind these solar-powered flowers, also known as "Sonic Boom," is Dan Corson. He has brilliantly created five giant solar flowers have sensors located in each flower triggered by people's movement, which brings them to sing harmonic tunes either day or night. Sarah Laslow from Grist has commented that this green art event has reminded her of a Dr. Seuss live experience.

14-Year-Old Solar Invention: Solar-Powered Jug Purifies Water

        A 14-year-old ninth grader from New Hampshire, Deepika Kurup, has earned the title of "America's Top Young Scientist" for inventing a solar-powered jug that is able to transform dirty water into purified water. While visiting India and witnessing the act of young children drinking contaminated water from a dirty pool, Deepika "instantly knew she had to do something about the global water crisis." She had hypothesized that a mixture of chemicals would help to kill waterborne bacteria much faster, cheaper and more portable than current technology. 

        With her talent in physics, chemistry, biology and mathematics, Deepika had successfully discovered the appropriate amount of chemicals to create photocatalytic rods designed for placement in water bottles and other portable purifying systems. Once activated with sunlight, the bacteria within the contaminated water disappeared and the water became purified in a matter of hours.

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation -- "Reinventing the Toilet"

Bill, Melinda and William H. Gates Sr.

            The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is a grant-making organization that promotes research and problem solving initiatives locally and globally. Recently, the foundation has announced a focus on their next project, which is to re-engineer the toilet with the help of Chinese researchers.

            The foundation had announced this on Thursday, which was actually a Seattle-originated project known as Reinvent the Toilet Challenge, to China, which seeks to help make toilets more environmental friendly, economical and effective. The China branch of the project is valued at $5 million, allocating anywhere near $100,000 to $500,000 to grant awardees who are selected to explore what the China Daily claims to be as the "poop power."  

            While China is particularly interested in this challenge, researchers at Pasadena-based California Institute of Technology have received a $100,000 first prize for their unique solar-powered toilet design, which helps transform waste product into hydrogen gas and electricity. 

             A report shown by Xinhua News Agency have relatively shown some light on the subject in how much of an impact this "toilet reinvention" would help revolutionize nations and their livelihood. According to the report, 40% of the world's population--roughly 2.5 billion--do not have proper sanitization or sewage facilities and perform open defecation.

Solar Mosaic Raising Crowdfunding for Solar Panels on Military Base

         Solar Mosaic, a solar crowdfunding service, has announced that they have a project on its site that offers to fund solar energy for the U.S. Military Housing in Fort Dix, New Jersey. The project, which calls for 12,270 kilowatts, is said to be more substantial than the others currently listed. Most projects usually range from 1.5 kilowatts to 662 kilowatts. Therefore, Solar Mosaic is seeking to raise $500,000 to invest in this large project, which is being financed in partnership with CIT Group, Inc. In effect, Solar Mosaic and its investors will be funding a small portion of the $35 million project. 

         According to Mosaic's site: "The project will be installed across 547 homes, providing approximately 30% of the electricity needs to military service members and their families." This includes 55,189 solar panels. 

         The Department of Defense is actually the largest consumer of energy in the world, with an annual energy budget of $20 billion. Whether it is experimenting with renewable fuel for jets, or powering bases with solar energy, they are constantly looking for new ways to reduce fossil use. 

          In November 2011, SolarCity has created a project known as SolarStrong, which hopes to supply solar power to 120,000 military homes. Earlier this summer as well, SolarCity had announced plans to put solar panels on 7,500 military homes in Hawaii. 

          By participating in these efforts, the military is currently helping to build a market for solar power. In a May report, the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) called the U.S. Department of Defense "the world's largest energy consumer and one of the greatest catalysts of technological innovation." The trade association went on to note the efficiency of renewable energy for the military: "In most cases, the military can sign on long-term contracts for solar energy that are below local retail rates for electricity." 

Solar Energy System is Installed in the U.S. every 4 Minutes

            Many things occur in the United States in a matter of 4 minutes. During that short time span, 30 babies are born, 4,080 Big Macs may be consumed, and 48,000 tons of carbon dioxide are being exhaled. As it also seems, the U.S. is currently installing one solar photovoltaic system every 4 minutes as well. If market growth continues steadily at its current pace, the American solar industry can install a solar system 1 minute and 20 seconds by 2016.
           There has been a drastic difference from 2006, when installers were only putting up one system every 80 minutes. Shayle Kann, Vice President of GTM Research, has conducting a study and produced documents of the accelerating speed of solar deployment in the charts below:

High Oil Prices May Cause a Rise in the Solar Industry

           High oil prices are leaving questions of whether mergers and acquisitions should be occurring in the solar energy industry. On Thursday, Standard & Poors had released the results of a study examining trends in global announced mergers and acquisitions activity targeting producers and manufacturers in the solar industry.

Findings that Standard & Poors had released on the study

             Based on Standard & Poors' analysis, there lies a meaningful relationship between high prices and solar mergers and acquisitions' activity. The synopsis, which Standard & Poors had developed: "From 2004-2008, the annual value of solar M&A activity steadily rose each year, with deal activity reaching $3.1 billion in 2008 (oil prices peaked in July 2008). The global recession, which came soon after, drove down energy demand and oil prices, leading solar M&A (mergers and acquisitions) to decrease to $2.9 billion in 2009." 

Reinstallment of Solar Panels on White House

          In 1979, former President Jimmy Carter had 32 solar panels installed on the White House but in the year 1989, President Reagan had them removed. Carter's panels have eventually found a place for them on a cafeteria at the Unity College in Maine, which one was also donated to the Jimmy Carter Museum.

Former President Jimmy Carter shown with the solar panels

 
           In 2008, shortly after President Obama's inauguration, a writer had written to President Obama that he should reinstall solar panels as a symbol for his commitment to encouraging the use of renewable energy. In September 2010, Bill McKibben and 350.org drove to Washington, D.C., with Jimmy Carter's original solar panels in an attempt to pressure President Obama to reinstall them. After initially denying the free solar panels, in October of 2010, the White House had announced they would install solar panels by Spring 2011. By that time, there was no sign of any solar activities until three years later whereas the White House is upholding their promise to do so.

Juliet Eilpern has reported in the Washington Post that "the White House official, who asked not to be identified because the installation is in process, wrote in an e-mail the project is 'a part of an energy retroit that will improve the overall energy efficiency of the building."

For more details, click here.

China Wins Deal of One of World's Largest Solar Power Plant in the U.S.

        Trina Solar Unlimited, one of the world's leading PV companies founded in 1997, had announced today that it will supply 1.1 million photovoltaic panels for a 250-megawatt power plant to be built in the Nevada Desert. It will not only be one of the world's largest photovoltaic power stations but it will also be the largest in the U.S. to use Chinese-made solar panels.
        While Chinese companies have attained control of most of the U.S. residential market, utilities and developers of solar power plants have actually favored U.S. companies such as First Solar and SunPower. However, this favoritism is drastically changing. In November, another Chinese solar manufacturer Yingli, won a contract to provide panels for a 200-megawatt power plant under construction in the California desert outside of San Diego.
         As the Chinese market is advancing, Trina Solar and Yingli are emerging as China's top competitors in the power plant industry. Thus, Trina and Yingli have taken measures to ensure distance from other Chinese manufacturers, whom are faced extreme pressure to cut costs as they struggle with billions of dollars in debt, and emphasize the quality of their products.

Honda Sells Renewable Energy in Japan, 2015

          The new Honda facility, located in Sakura, Japan, is where the automaker is planning to install a "mega solar system" that can produce 10 megawatt a year on a new test course. After installing a total of 70,000 solar panels on 82 acres, the track will cover approximately 62 acres, which will be used for testing "advanced safety technologies." Honda currently does not have any plans for much electricity use in Sakura but hopes to also join the green community by building a biotype on the property so that members of the local community may come and enjoy it.
           Honda's 82-acre solar farm is planned to be larger than Hyundai's 50-acre solar field in Korea and Volkswagen's 33-acre solar farm in Chattanooga, Tennessee,  which are both shown below.

Hyundai's 50-acre solar field in Korea

Volkswagen's 33-acre solar field in Chattanooga, Tennessee

Eye catching solar clothing designed to charge phones

           Wearable Solar, a potential clothing line, designed to fit today's fashion with the use of solar panels that are embedded into garments providing steady power onto your smartphones on the go. The project was led by Christiaan Holland, fashion designer Pauline van Dongen, and solar panel specialist Gertjan Jongerdan, and with a little help from students from the University of Applied Sciences in Nijmegan, Netherlands. A dress and a coat were created as prototypes and Van Dongen stated that she carefully studied the structure of human skin and rendered it to her own design. For example, the shoulder flaps, embedded with solar panels, are designed to unfold in broad daylight and folded away easily and can be worn invisibly.
           "The coat contains fairly rigid solar cells, which is why I used a combination of wool and leather. These materials both provide the strength needed and are aesthetically pleasing," said Van Dongen. "In total some 48 solar cells are incorporated into modular leather panels, allowing a typical smartphone to be 50% charged if worn in the full sun for an hour."

Researchers Double Efficiency of See-Through Cells

        Researchers at UCLA have developed a new type of see-through solar cell that could be used applicably on windows, car sunroofs, smartphone screens and other transparent surfaces that can harvest energy from the sun. First developed in the year 2012, the researchers currently have almost doubled the efficiency of the solar cell, approaching the subject of commercial visibility very closely.
        The solar device is compromised of two thin polymer solar cells that can be made in shades from light green and gray to brown, which helps to camouflage them within the colors of surfaces on buildings and other structures. The solar cells absorb more light, harvest light and use the energy from a wider point-of-view, and incorporates a variety of materials between the two solar cells to reduce energy loss. The technology had previously had an efficiency level of only 4% but the UCLA team has brought the efficiency level to 7.3%.

Wysips Glass Technology could be the next big thing

A French start-up company is testing a transparent screen that is planned to use solar energy in powering up the phone's battery life by 20%. SunPartner Groups are expecting to see the Wysips panels on phones starting next year. The panel is expected to be less than half a millimeter thick and can be built into the phone or on top of an existing screen.

SunPartner currently reported that the screen is 90% transparent but is a step ahead towards many more expensive transparent solar cells, in which it absorbs infrared instead of pure sunlight for the screen's visibility. Boost of power from the sun would essentially be useful in disastrous situations preventing use of our cell phones being charged. Phones equipped with the Wysips panels could definitely change the world, especially once being built into cars, buildings, or even billboards in the future.