Author: charis

Making Cheaper and More Efficient Solar Cells with Copper

13 years ago charis 6 Comments

There are two ways to lower the cost of producing energy through photovoltaics – more efficient solar cells (more power per square foot) and lower production costs (lower cost per square foot). The ETAlab of the Fraunhofer ISE has devised a way to do both simultaneously. The research team in the laboratory for new solar cell structures and processing steps has not only made the solar cell contacts out of 100% cost-effective materials (replacing expensive silver with cheaper copper and nickel), but the process also increases the efficiency of the solar cell to a very respectable 21.4%.

Using Sunlight to Dry Clothes – Indoors

13 years ago charis 8 Comments

Solar energy is a common method of clothes-drying in many parts of the world. However, hanging clothes on a line costs time, rather than money, and depends on the weather. The German company Miele has removed the weather and the extra time from the equation altogether by designing the world’s first solar-heated dryer.

De-Salting Northern Japan

13 years ago charis 0 Comments

Not long ago, we saw the development of salt-tolerant crops in areas that couldn’t be irrigated or were damaged by a flood of salt-water. And then came the massive wave swamping northern Japan last March — it would seem like good timing, but it’s difficult to grow even salt-tolerant strains of anything in the wake of that mess.

Mitsubishi Building Green in the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor

13 years ago charis 1 Comment

The Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor is an ambitious project, and it’s no surprise that Japan wanted in. One of its companies slated to participate in construction projects is Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. MHI’s angle is the promotion of eco-friendly cities – which it calls “Smart Communities” – built from the ground up. MHI is currently conducting studies on economic feasibility along with India’s leading business conglomerate, the Tata Group.

Road Trip! Testing EV Highway Practicality in Europe

13 years ago charis 3 Comments

It’s not uncommon to see incentives for buying an electric car, but owning one is another matter entirely.

Electric cars have many qualities making them attractive as urban commuter vehicles – particularly when driving through heavy traffic. The question of how an EV does on a longer road trip is one that does not as of yet have a definitive answer. France, for example, is installing charging stations on its highways, but that project isn’t finished.

Unicorn Power? Not in Switzerland

13 years ago charis 0 Comments

Every so often, a little leaflet shows up with the monthly power bill, explaining where the electricity flowing through my outlets originated. Sometimes these leaflets can be a little less than helpful (such as the one fellow CleanTechnica writer Jo Borras received stating ALL the electricity was from “unknown sources” – Jo suggested that perhaps the power company was employing unicorns).