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How about a solar powered dress made of comfortable cotton?

High tech fabrics are moving from science fiction to reality.  It won’t be long before you can rest your head on a pillow to monitor your brain waves, wear a t-shirt that can keep track of your heart rate, or even charge your cell phone with a solar powered dress.  And, no… we are not talking solar powered dressing like the teeny, tiny item shown to the left (made up of nearly 500 circuit boards!)

100% cotton threads that have the ability to conduct electric current have been  developed in the Fiber Science and Apparel Design laboratory.  Although the material is soft and flexible, it has the conduction power of a metal wire.  Unbelievably, a knot in the specially-treated solar thread can complete a circuit.

If you think it sounds too far-fetched, think again.  A solar powered dress created using the high tech fabric will be featured this Saturday, March 13 at the annual Cornell Design League Fashion Show!

The technology involves coating cotton fibers with electrically conductive nanoparticles.   Nanotechnology sounds pretty geeky, but the end result is not only beautiful, but comfortable and practical.

Juan Hinestroza, assistant professor of Fiber Science and Apparel Design, who worked with a team of colleagues to develop the technique sees great promise in solar powered dressing:

“We can definitively have sections of a traditional cotton fabric becoming conductive, hence a great myriad of applications can be achieved.  The technology developed by us and our collaborators allows cotton to remain flexible, light and comfortable while being electronically conductive.  Previous technologies have achieved conductivity but the resulting fiber becomes rigid and heavy. Our new techniques make our yarns friendly to further processing such as weaving, sewing and knitting.”

The solar powered dress that will be on the catwalk this Saturday uses flexible solar cells that can power electronics from a USB charger in the waist of the garment.  Like a solar handbag or backpack, you could power an MP3 player, cell phone or camera on the fly.

Can you imagine solar powered dressing to re-charge your life?

Solar gates and fencing to provide convenient security

In beautiful Central Oregon where I live, there are several things that are abundant here:  sunshine and property are two of them.  Wide open spaces and sunny skies are a wonderful combination!

Many people here own larger tracts of property that they farm and/or on which they raise livestock.  More and more often, I’m noticing solar powered gates at the entrances to the ranches’ driveways.  The solar gates are useful for a number of reasons: security, privacy and convenient top the list.

At my in-laws’ 40 acres near Sisters, Oregon, there is a long, metal swinging gate in front of their driveway.  Whenever we drive up, we need to get out of the car, unlatch the gate and swing it open.  Then we drive through, get out of the car and repeat the process to close the gate behind us.

We firmly believe that they need an electric gate opener powered by the sun.  Think of it like a garage door opener for a gate.  You can purchase a solar powered gate kit (for several hundred dollars), or create your own.  Using a car battery connected to a small solar panel, trickle charging during the course of the day can generate enough free solar energy to power the electric gate opener whenever you need it.  A perfect project for DIY ranchers!

There are also beautiful wrought iron solar gates for less rustic properties.  Check out the video below:

Single swing solar gate options are also available:

Why not make your life a little easier with a solar powered gate?

Aurora Flight Sciences Solar Powered Aircraft

We’ve blogged about solar powered airplanes in recent months, but the interest has seemed to be with respect to their novelty, rather than a real potential way to address the massive amounts of fuel consumed by aircraft (and corresponding CO2 emissions).

Recognizing the need for a variety of aircraft to serve multiple purposes, Virginia-based Aurora Flight Sciences has focused on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that can be flown without pilots or passengers to carry cameras, computers and other equipment.  For military, homeland security and space exploration, solar UAVs would be perfect.  Saving on fuel and extending flight time are two of the primary benefits of using the renewable energy resource.

Last week, Virginia-based Aurora Flight Sciences announced that it had finished the fabrication and initial tests of a wing design that could revolutionize solar-powered aircraft.  The company, which specializes in the design and construction of unmanned aircraft, created a test plane wing with a span of 22 feet that is constructed of composite materials and lightweight plastics.  Advanced solar cells cover the top of the wing, which convert sunlight into electricity for use to power the aircraft and its payloads.

Solar UAV from Aurora Flight Sciences

Aurora CEO John Langford enthused:

“Our very first externally funded study, in 1989, was for a solar-powered version of the Daedalus human-powered aircraft. Today’s designs are for much larger aircraft — literally hundreds of feet in wingspan. The idea of this test panel was to develop and validate designs and manufacturing techniques. Doing this is essential for the accurate planning of any future solar aircraft development program.”

The company has been working on a viable solar plane – and one with long-range capabilities – for some time:

Aurora was selected as a contractor by the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (also known as “DARPA”) in 2008 to work on the “Vulture” ultra-long endurance aircraft program.  The large solar test panel announced last week was privately funded as an adjunct to the Vulture project.  In addition, Aurora funded the development/flight test of SunLight Eagle, another solar UAV (unmaned aerial vehicle) with a huge 114-foot wingspan last year.

Solar Power Assisted Bus

Solar powered assist for mass transit is rolling out in California.  Sunpods Inc, and San Francisco-based Bauer Intelligent Transportation developed a system in just 6 weeks’ time, which uses thin film solar panels on the roofs of buses to power an on-board battery bank.  Solar energy absorbed by the panels provide a solar powered assist system which allows A/C and wireless connectivity equipment to continue operating, even when the engine of the bus is shut off.

Operation of the solar power system will help the company meet stringent California pollution control laws that prohibit the idling of a diesel engine for more than 5 minutes.  Of course, it also helps save on fuel consumption, and minimizes CO2 emissions.

Bauer Intelligent Transportation is already a green industry leader as “the world’s most eco-friendly, full-service sustainable transportation company.”  For its buses, Bauer IT uses clean Series 60 engines, exhaust gas recirculation systems and diesel particulate filters for its fleet of bio-diesel, propane and EGR vehicles to meet the EPA emission requirements.  The company claims that 96% of the miles driven by its fleet are “green.”

Certainly, the new solar power assist system will boost the green credibility, while minimizing CO2 emissions.  And that’s a breath of fresh air!

Solar panels in your thread?

Weaving solar cells into flexible solar powered threads could be the answer to solar fabrics.  A Tokyo-based venture company, Ideal Star has come up with a way to incorporate solar cells into threads that one day will create material for use in energy-generating clothing and curtains.

Because the solar threads are coated, the need for expensive manufacturing equipment is reduced.  Once Ideal Star figures out how to make their special threads longer, they will be able to be incorporated into a number of materials, for solar power generating capabilities.

Ideal Star is supported by six Japanese universities and the government.  The prototype solar thread is 5cm long and a mere 0.8mm in diameter.

The core consists of polymer material and is surrounded by an electrode layer, and layers for hole transport, power-generating (this layer is made from fullerene), electron transport and another (transparent) electrode layer.

The solar powered threads currently have an efficiency of about 3% (meaning that 3% of the solar energy striking the threads can be converted to usable power).  However, the company believes that it can more than triple efficiency to 10%.  Ideal Star will continue to work on developing the new technology, with plans to commercialize it within five years.

There is already a market for solar powered fabrics.  From handbags to backpacks, you can already get thin layers of solar cells incorporated into everyday items, used to recharge gadgets.  The promise of solar curtains to power electronics within your home could be next on the horizon with solar powered threads!

Google's New Solar Mirror Technology is on the horizon

Reuters announced last Friday that Google has developed a prototype for new solar mirror technology.  Also known as heliostats, the structures are placed on acres of land and used to focus sunlight on a tower to superheat water, which then turns turbines for clean, renewable energy.  Google’s technology has the promise of cutting the cost of building a solar thermal plant in half!

Google’s Green Energy Czar, Bill Weihl, commented that the product could be ready for the market in 1-3 years, if development and testing proceed as hoped.

Google’s new solar mirror technology includes use of unusual materials for the reflective surface, as well as the substrate on which the mirror is mounted.  The Internet search engine company has worked the past several years to determine whether it could help cut costs of heliostats.  It has both invested in companies and conducted its own research on affordable renewable energy options, like solar thermal technology.

The hard work may be paying off!  Google believes that its cost effective innovation could be a success.  Bill Wiehl noted:

“There is a decent chance that in a small number of years, we could have a 2-X reduction in cost.”

Although the Google solar thermal technology is not yet ready to be tested externally, there is already some interest from eSolar and BrightSource – companies that are currently in the process of developing solar thermal plants.

How does solar power square against coal or hydro from an environmental standpoint

I’ve been a land use and environmental lawyer for over 15 years, and one of the most common questions my clients get when developing a large-scale project like a solar farm is, what will the environmental impact be?

It goes without saying that any development, no matter how “green,” will affect the environment to some degree.  The question under U.S. federal (and most states) law is whether there will be a significant adverse environmental impact.

Be assured that no large-scale project will be approved by a governmental agency until the impacts are identified, studied, analyzed and determined to have been mitigated to the greatest degree required under law.  Somewhat ironic is the fact that solar power plants have been under fire for their potential impacts recently — even though drawing on clean solar power will have an overall diminished impact on the environment compared to coal, natural gas, or even wind power!

Nonetheless, the fact that a clean energy project is proposed does not give it a free pass.  Solar adverse impact must still be assessed – and mitigated – before permits can be issued.

In the California Mojave Desert, thousands of acres of land would be directly impacted by proposed solar thermal energy plants.  And California is not alone.  The U.S. Bureau of Land Management reportedly has 31 solar projects in “fast track” review.  In addition, many states are pushing development of solar power plants with aggressive renewable energy standards and timelines, which means more projects will soon be in the works.

What is the impact of solar thermal power plants?

So, when it comes to solar farms, what types of environmental impacts can be expected?

First and foremost is the disruption of what might have been pristine property.  Obviously, construction is intensive, but even the fact of having large parabolic solar panels or mirrors taking up acres of land.  Migration routes and habitat of wildlife, flora and fauna could be displaced.

Often, new solar installation sites are graded, sprayed with weed control chemicals and shaded.  Each one of these steps will change the dynamics of the original function of the land with respect to plant and animal inhabitants.  Humans will be present on a more regular basis, likely driving to the site in vehicles and disposing of trash, etc. through maintenance and operation of the solar power plants.

Wondering about the impact of solar power plants?

Although each individual project is analyzed on a case-by-case basis, the general environmental impact of solar farms is under consideration by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).  The national laboratory is studying how prairie ecosystems are affected by the construction and operation of solar power plants.  From prairie dogs and grasses to birds of prey, a range of plants and wildlife are considered.  NREL is conducting a comparison between a developed site and one left untouched.

NREL Senior Biologist Brenda Beatty noted:

“The experiments will begin to give us a handle on how PV installations and operations affect vegetation in our portion of the arid West, and the information obtained may be useful for other NREL projects, and for revegetation efforts at other solar installations.”

Solar power is not the only target of the analysis at NREL.  The lab is also conducting research on how wind turbines and meteorological towers affect birds and bats.

In the end, however, be assured that no matter the perceived solar adverse impact, environmental issues will be vetted prior to the issuance of any permits.  Solar power plants definitely may affect the environment, but the alternative seems less green to me!

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Negotiated prices for solar panels with 1BOG

Group discounts for solar panels?  That’s the theory behind the organization called One Block of the Grid, or 1BOG.

For people wishing to install solar panels on their home or small business, there is power in numbers.  If a solar company can sell 5 solar power systems, instead of just 1, its a good deal for them.  If you can save 10-20% (or more) off the retail price of solar panels… plus the generous federal, state and local tax incentives…. why wouldn’t you want to go solar?

One Block Off the Grid does much of the leg-work for you.  You can easily register on the website and see if there are interested people in your community with which you can join.  1BOG does the actual negotiation and collective bargaining with salespeople to obtain bulk pricing.

Find solar communities using 1BOG mapping

One Block Off the Grid has been helping negotiate solar panel group discounts since 2008.  Just last year alone, the organization helped facilitate over 600 solar power installations.

Already 2010 is looking bright!  The recent infusion of $5 million in venture capital funding, acquired from New Enterprise Associates should allow a 10-fold increase in business and services for 1BOG.  And all that new work will lead to green jobs – a tripling in the workforce is projected this year.

The concept of a solar power community is a strong one.  After all, there truly is power in numbers.  What better way to connect with friends, associates and neighbors than through joining forces for a clean, bright renewable energy future?

Why not register at 1BOG today?  Its easy and its free!