Last year, in the the spring, I met Steen Carlsen. He has travelled extensively in Asia and East Africa, including Zambia, which is why I came to hear of him. Steen has a background in electronics and electrical engineering and we have had many interesting conversations already. Unfortunately, Steen is … [continued]
There’s currently an interesting Kickstarter campaign up for what’s essentially a portable hybrid solar/electric oven that promises to be very effective in both modes of operation. The man behind the SunFocus solar electric oven (as it’s known), David Chalker, has described the product as the “next-generation” of solar ovens, and … [continued]
Solar news, galore. Check ‘er out: Fox Energy, Foxconn Subsidiary, To Supply SunEdison With Solar Modules Manufactured In Mexico Study Finds Wind-Solar Hybrid Power Plants Are Twice As Efficient Solar Junction To Provide Solar Cells For European Space Agency Intersolar North America To Put More Focus On Storage New Solar … [continued]
Central Mexico has copious amounts of sun and tortillas, so perhaps it isn’t so surprising someone came up with the idea of using solar power to make them. In the town of El Sauz, north of Mexico City, German businessman Gregor Schrapers has created some solar-powered ovens to make … [continued]
The large-scale photovoltaic solar projects are often the ones that will gain the most attention, but according to a recently released NPD Solarbuzz report, 40% of solar projects currently in progress in the United States come in under the 500kW size. “These smaller projects have a considerable impact on the … [continued]
The following is an excellent short history of solar panels and solar power from guest contributor Dane Cross. I think you’ll thoroughly enjoy it — I did! What do Archimedes, Einstein and Arnold Schwarzenegger all have in common? Answer: They’ve all contributed to the development of solar power. From the 3rd Century BC when Archimedes … [continued]
When we think of all the solar innovations, they seem relatively new, but some are older than many imagine. The solar cooker is one of these. In ancient times, the Romans used mirrors and glass that didn’t just give light to their homes and bathhouses, but also enabled them to create an oven. The major cities of Rome were often crowded and wood for fires was sometimes far away. The citizens still needed heat to make food, so they took a Greek idea of using glass to magnify heat and applied it to use as an oven. Our technology has progressed quite a bit since then, but the principle remains the same to use the energy of the sun.
