Best Solar Energy

New Peugeot Hybrid diesel

administrator — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 10:19:16 +0000

There will be a new Hybrid in town….Hybrid4 made by Peugeot.

A Peugeot Hybrid Diesel was announced. The car’s name is Peugeot 3008 Hybrid4

The car will use a system that consists of a conventional 163-horsepower 2.0-liter inline-four diesel engine driving the front wheels and a 37-horsepower electric motor at the rear axle, which operates completely independent of the internal combustion drivetrain. That’s why the name is Hybrid4 … like four wheel drive.

Technical details:

The vehicle’s fuel consumption: 3.8lt/100km (equal to 61.9mpg US or 74.4mpg UK) and CO2 emissions of only 99g/km.

Performances: 0-100km/h (62mph) sprint time of 8.8 seconds and a top speed of 209km/h (130mph).

You can also switch on all four wheel drive mode. Which permits driving with permanent four-wheel drive for slippery surfaces, so the rear wheels are used for traction when the front ones start to slip.

The Peugeot 3008 Hybrid4 will be assembled at Sochaux and Mulhouse plants in France, and sales on the continent are expected to start early next year.

You might also be interrested in:

You can reduce your power bill by 80% or even eliminate it completely. With the ever increasing costs of living, there is no better time than right now to stop throwing money out the window and start generating our own electricity.

Technorati Tags: French Hybrid Car, Peugeot 3008 Hybrid4, Peugeot Hybrid

SoloPower’s Flexible Solar

Vladan — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 04:54:13 +0000

SoloPower’s proprietary electrochemical process for CIGS solar.

Flexible solar panels are less efficient, but offers some advantages over classic solar panels. Especially when it comes to pose them on the flat roof without a special equipment, because lightweight and can be installed quickly on commercial buildings with flat roofs.

Solopower is another CIGS solar panel makers out there. After Nanosolar and others, so here is SoloPower.

There are three primary types of thin-film solar cells that have been commercially developed:

amorphous silicon (a-Si)

cadmium telluride (CdTe) and

copper-indium-gallium-selenide (CIGS) based devices.

Compare different versions here:

Technology	Maximum Demonstrated Efficiency for small cells*	Advantages	Disadvantages
a-Si	12.2%	Mature manufacturing technology	Low efficiency High cost equipment
CdTe	16.5%	Low cost manufacturing	Medium efficiency Rigid glass substrate only
CIGS	19.9%	High efficiency Glass or flexible substrates	Film uniformity challenge on large substrates Costly traditional processes

Unique Roll-to-Roll Manufacturing Process.
SoloPower’s roll-to-roll manufacturing process offers unique cost advantages including low capital expenditures, high line throughput and excellent material utilization. This low cost structure combined with the optimized product design creates an unbeatable value proposition. SoloPower uses a roll-to-roll electrodeposition process, as opposed to the sputtering, printing or evaporation processes used by most CIGS vendors.

SoloPower earlier this year said that it had achieved 11 percent efficiency for its panels, which is relatively good compared with other CIGS makers.

SoloPower is not building “glass sandwich” panels. According to Harris, the CEO, they’ve “been there, done that.” Rather, SoloPower is targeting the commercial and industrial flat-roof market with applications that favor a lightweight, non-penetrating solar solution. The SoloPower panel can be rolled up and walked on.

Source: SoloPower

You might also be interrested in:

Technorati Tags: flexible solar, Flexible solar panels, Solar-thin-film

Honda Jazz – cheapest Japanese Hybrid

Vladan — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 12:51:41 +0000

Honda Jazz at Paris later this year.

Honda’s compact Jazz (Fit) gets a hybrid version, to be on display at the Paris auto show in September later this year.

The new hybrid will employ the same 1.3-liter i-VTEC SOHC aluminum alloy combustion engine and electric motor used in the Insight hybrid. Details are scarce, but the powertrain on its own develops 98 horses. Jazz should offer comparable fuel economy and CO2 emissions like the Insight.

The Honda Jazz Hybrid is differentiated from the normal one by a new grille, different bumpers, chrome taillight accent, headlights with a blue surround and a hybrid-specific Lime Green Metallic paint option. The interior has optional leather trim and a blue-lit instrument panel. It’s also available in Lime Green metallic paint color. In Europe the car should start to sell in early 2011, with pricing to be announced closer to launch.

A hybrid in a small package, the popularity of which should depend on how much of a hike there is in the Jazz’s price. Honda says that the Jazz will be able to run on its electric motor alone under “some medium and low speed conditions”.

Mr. Naughton who is a Honda spokesman said that Honda had no plans to stop offering the hybrid Civic and Insight for sale in Canada. There had been some news media speculation in Quebec that those vehicles might be pulled because of disappointing sales. “Inventory may be running low in Canada, but we will be shipping cars to any dealers that request them,” he said.

But as for now there is no plans for now to import the Hybrid Jazz to the US…

You might also be interrested in:

Technorati Tags: Honda Jazz, Hybrid Honda Jazz

Nex iPhone will be solar powered

Vladan — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 10:07:24 +0000

Next iPhone with solar panels.

Apple is preparing next iPhone… This might not be something extraordinary, since everyone knows that after iPhone 4 there will be iPhone 5, but… The iPhone 5 will most likely be running on solar energy. In fact Apple has filed a new patent for a several “media players with integrated touch sensor solar panel surfaces.” So not only iPhones 5, but also other products from Apple might be powered with solar power.

The solar cells will be placed underneath the multi-touch surface.

we see Apple detailing how they’ll be able to integrate cell panels beneath their multi-touch surface as opposed to it being applied to the top surface of their media players as previously thought. This revelation ensures us that Apple won’t be sacrificing design for function. The reason that it’s intriguing is that it supports the design shift that Apple’s iPhone prototype took. By switching the iPhone’s backside substrate to a non-metal surface would clearly open the door for Apple to implement a double-sided solar panel design

Source: Patentlyapple

You might also be interrested in:

Technorati Tags: Apple iPhone patent, iPhone 5 solar powered, iphone next patent apple, Solar powered iPhone

Spanish made solar backpack

Vladan — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 09:52:28 +0000

Solar backpack from Spain.

Quite pricey, for a backpack, but usefull when going for a trek which lasts several days and nights and needs to recharge your mobile devices. The authors are Marco Seiz, Julien Guardiola and Daniel Julier.

Solar power is harvested and stored in a battery pack located in a side panel, as shown here. When your phone or other portable is running low on power, you place it in a special pocket located above the panel. The backpack can handle a variety of devices, including MP3 players, PDAs, phones, and GPS navigators. Getting the backpack with the solar option currently costs 328 euros (or about $426).

The backpack does not deliver enough energy for reacharging a laptop computer, but you might be interrested in some more powerfull charging devices proposed from there, especially the one for charging a laptop computers, which you can find on this page. The laptop charger is combination of a Solar Power Bank SCGII plus and a thin-film 62 Wp solar panel. A new-generation solar charging control system with an integrated high-performance energy accumulator (approx. 70Wh)

A quote from the author’s and designer’s website.

We launched SEIZ in 2009 with the goal to redefine how you use your backpack as it accompanies you trough the city. Have a newspaper handy, protect your sunglasses in a special compartment, recharge your mobile phone or your podcast player, carry something precious in a secret pocket or simply protect your laptop – you are the one that best knows what you need – your possibilities are our passion – choose your path

Source: solar backpack.

You might also be interrested in:

Technorati Tags: mobile solar charger, solar backpack, solar energy

35% efficiency for thin film solar panels in 3 years

Vladan — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 15:29:13 +0000

Lab demo of multiband photovoltaic device was showed.

As you might know, the usual photovoltaic panes are efficient between 15-20%. It’s because the light spectrum is limited, and the rays falling out of the spectrum are not converted to electricity. But this might change soon.

The demonstration was done using RSLE’s IBand technology and is the first known intermediate band solar cell reduced to practice in a laboratory demonstration.

Thin film solar cells have two main advantages: cheaper to manufacture than a traditional silicon solar panels , and in addition are flexible and easily adaptable to any surface. Unfortunately, until now faced with efficiency up to about 9%.

But with the technology of RSLE, the iBand technology makes it possible to compose several thin film solar cells ,each of which captures a different part of the solar spectrum. The experimental samples were produced by using commercially available technology, so production could begin relatively soon.

The company said that this technology illustrates great promise for high efficiency thin film solar efficiencies above 35% by potentially capturing the full spectrum of the sun’s spectrum. The intermediate band solar cell developed by RSLE, is a thin film technology based on the discovery of highly mismatched alloys.

Source: RSLE

You might also be interrested in:

Technorati Tags: photovoltaic thin film, thin film solar panels, thin-film

Fastest car charger ever

Vladan — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 04:41:55 +0000

New car charging station can charge the Electric car’s battery in 3min to 50% of capacity.

The car chager that can charge your electric car in only 3 minuts to 50% of capacity ! Isn’t it great? This can be faster alternative to gas filling stations. How does it work and who makes the charger like that?

The company from Japan – JFE Engineering brought to the market new such a charger. In their test, they have been testing with Mitsubishi i-MiEV, which is Mitsubishi’s electric car. And the car was able to drive for 80km continuously after a 5-minute charge (the vehicle has a driving range of 160km on a full charge).

Well, and how about the cost of such a charger? Or it’s better to say charging station because it’s quite big. Of course all this speed you must pay. The first installations will be available and installed Japan. The cost should be arround $60,000 – for the cheaper version and .

Quand a votre PC, ma prochaine visite chez SPHB pour effectuer les sauvegardes avec les images Acronis est prévu le 18. Aout

You might also be interrested in:

Technorati Tags: Electric i-MIEV, Fast Charging station, Mitsubishi i-MIEV

Top Environmental Car Care Tips

Vladan — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 03:55:28 +0000

Environmentally friendly car care is really easy. There’s a lot of things which you can do that will help the environment, save money, and save labor, too. If you’re paying off your car loan, saving a few bucks on maintenance and care can really help.

Car washing and care

No-rinse products are becoming very popular as a green alternative to the messy process of saturating the area when cleaning the car. These products wash the car, and add a layer of shine, bonding directly to the surface. That also saves a lot of water, so you’re saving money in several ways.

Non-toxic interior care products are also hitting the markets in response to consumer demand. Check out your car care products, and you’ll notice several with good green credentials.

Cleaning cloths and tools

Wipes are another issue. A simple micro fiber cloth can do more good than anyone would imagine, picking up minute particles. Don’t be surprised to see a “clean” surface producing a lot of gunk.

Cotton buds are the perfect tool for cleaning out smaller areas with no mess. A little bicarbonate or vinegar (see below) on a cotton bud will clean anything.

Micro filter vacuuming with a new household vacuum cleaner is a very good option for your personal environment in the car. This removes the inevitable airborne particulates inside a car, and you can actually feel the difference in the car’s air.

Filters

Replacing filters, both air conditioning and car exhaust filters, is a definite plus in environmental terms, for you and the planet. These filters remove a lot of junk from the air, and if you’ve been having sinus, hay fever or breathing problems, they’ll help with those, too.

Cleaning ideas

Bicarbonate of soda is the easy way to remove most stains with no fumes, or those odd smells some upholstery cleaners produce. This is the old-fashioned, cheap, way of saving a fortune on cleaners, and you’ll find it’ll do most jobs very well.

Window cleaners can be equally cheap, and very efficient. Vinegar is also known as acetic acid, and a half cup of it can power through the build up of materials on windows like you wouldn’t believe. Add a little liquid lemon juice for a nice smell, and save a fortune in expensive, messy cleaners. Vinegar and lemon juice are fully biodegradable.

Note: If you’re using lemon juice and vinegar on upholstery, do a test on a small inconspicuous area first, because the pigments in some upholstery aren’t great, and can bleach.

General tips

Car maintenance requirements are based on use and the way the car is used. Some people spend a fortune on car care, just to have recurring problems. The trick is to pin down and eliminate the causes.

Smells: Usually caused by inadequate aeration and leaving things in the car too long. Open the windows when the car’s in a secure place, and allow air to circulate. It’ll get rid of any stale smells and bad air, too. Look for sources of outdoors.

Constant need to clean the exterior: You may just be parking in the wrong places, or the garage needs work.

The greener your car, the better you’ll feel, and the more money you’ll save.

This article was written by: Marcela DIAS

If you’re interested by writing a guest post, you can get in contact by e-mail.

You might also be interrested in:

Technorati Tags: Car care tips, Envronmental car care tips

Electric Car broke world record in Mileage

Vladan — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 02:09:30 +0000

Lithium-Ion Japanese car broke it’s own record.

The car was powered with a Litium-Ion rechargable batteries. And the batteries are great, but very costly as I can see. The guys at Wired done a little calculation for the price cost with this type of batterie found on e-bay. It seems that the car was powered with 8,320 OF THEM….

The car has done the longest EV trip without recharging when it completed a 623.76 mile run !!! Well done.

The Daihatsu Mira EV, with the SANYO’s batteries inside was converted from gas to electric by the Japan EV Club.

The record took more than 22 hours.

Source: Wired

You might also be interrested in:

Technorati Tags: Electric car, EV powered Lithium-Ion, Lithium-Ion battery, World record EV

Will blueberries replace silicion in solar pannels?

Vladan — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 07:05:03 +0000

Italian scientists have developed solar panels using a pigment found in blueberries, thus eliminating the need for silicon. The result is a much cheaper solar panel with greater efficiency.

The research team concluded that they could make a solar panel that was completely devoid of all silicon, and the end result was a solar panel that is much cheaper and more efficient, because the panels and also made from no toxic materials.

Extraction of the pigment is done by applying a quick procedure which consist in chemical purification, according to Professor Di Carlo in the Department of Electronic Engineering at the University of Rome Tor Vergata.

“At the moment, the use of natural dyes in solar cells is quite compelling because it demonstrates that with simple, organic ingredients, one can create electrical power from sunlight,” Di Carlo said.

Existing silicon-based solar panels achieve an efficiency rate of roughly 15 percent, whereas solar panels made with blueberries achieve only 5-to 10 percent efficiency today. By using synthetic dyes, efficiency rates of 10 percent or more can be achieved.

Source: Metaefficient

You might also be interrested in:

Technorati Tags: blueberries used for making solar pannels, Solar Cells, solar pannels, Solar pannels from blueberries