Research

New Super-Powered Organic Solar Cells – We Can Has Solar-Powered Laptops Nao?

14 years ago charis 14 Comments

The solar power industry is hard at work (we think, based on neat things they all keep telling us) improving, refining, and redefining solar technology. This week, Molecular Solar Ltd informs us that they’ve got what they describe as a “significant breakthrough in the performance of solar photovoltaic (PV) cells.” They’ve managed a record voltage output in organic PVs, which more or less means that yes, you can power your electronic devices with solar cells.

Okayama Solar Absorbers Use “Green Ferrite” to Generate Super-Cheap Electricity from Heat

14 years ago charis 13 Comments

Okayama Graduate School of Science and Technology is one of many developing solar cells and batteries, but their research team, led by one Professor Naoshi Ikeda, has a unique approach. Instead of silicon, currently the standard component in solar cells, the Okayama team is using an iron oxide compound it calls “green ferrite,” or GF. Professor Ikeda has gone so far as to claim his product will produce 100x the amount of energy as a traditional silicon solar cell.

Road Trip! Testing EV Highway Practicality in Europe

14 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.

Experimental Smart House Completed In Tokyo University

14 years ago charis 4 Comments

The Institute of Industrial Science of Tokyo University, widely regarded as the top university in Japan, has erected a “smart house” on their Komaba Campus, in cooperation with LIXIL Housing Corporation’s Eyeful Home Company. The current structure, the COMMA house (COMfort MAnagement), is the start of a series of prototypes and tests geared toward creating more-or-less self-sufficient home. The project is expected to have plans for a standard smart house by 2020.

Better Yield from Solar Harvest

14 years ago charis 6 Comments

The field of solar energy is changing rapidly, with new research, ideas, and results abounding on all sides. One of the many frontiers is the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (also known as ETH Zurich, for brevity), where researchers are exploring nanotechnology and the production of hydrogen directly from sunlight.