Scientists at USC develop solar cells that can be painted onto plastic surfaces

We’ve seen solar panels utilize spinach which was used to replace the more expensive silicon components, and if going green is your thing, you might be interested to hear that scientists at the University of Southern California have managed to develop a new type of solar cell made from nanocrystals that are apparently so small, you would be able to fit 250 billion of them onto the head of a pin! Thanks to their size, these nanocrystals can be made into an ink and painted or printed onto clear surfaces, thus allowing solar cells to be printed on materials like plastic that can be bent and shaped to fit just about anywhere.

Not only are these liquid nanocrystal solar cells smaller and more flexible, they are also cheaper to produce compared to the more traditional silicon wafer solar cells. The only drawback is that at the moment, the nanocrystal solar cells aren’t as efficient at converting sunlight to electricity. The coating used (cadmium selenide) is also considered to be toxic and cannot be used commercially. Either way the scientists are still pretty optimistic about their discovery and are working on looking for an alternative to cadmium

Source:http://www.ubergizmo.com/2012/05/scientists-at-usc-develop-solar-cells-that-can-be-painted-onto-plastic-surfaces/

Colorado Acrylic Manufacturer Reynolds Polymer Technology Goes Green with Installation of Solar Power

The installation of solar panels at RPT’s Grand Junction, Colorado facility expects to reduce traditional energy consumption by 10 percent. The panels are part of an ongoing effort to improve sustainability at the high desert acrylic manufacturing facility.

Grand Junction, CO (PRWEB) May 02, 2012

A few months ago, all the power Reynolds Polymer Technology, Inc.">Reynolds Polymer Technology, Inc.(RPT) needed to run the ovens that form the acrylic for commercial aquariums, power the computers in use throughout the building, or simply turn on the lights all came from one place – the power company. That’s all changing now, thanks to a new solar panel array installed on RPT’s roof.

The 404 panel solar system with nine inverters will save RPT about $1,000 each month in electric costs. With electricity rates increasing each year, those savings will increase, too. Calculations predict that those savings will add up and the array of panels will pay for itself in less than 5 years.

“We’ve been focusing on practical ways to reduce our carbon footprint for several years,” said Roger R. Reynolds, III, CEO of RPT. “Installing this solar panel system offered a good way to do this. It reduces our traditional energy consumption by 10 percent and was the right time for us to move forward with this project.”

The 100 kilowatt photovoltaic system ties into the traditional power grid. All solar power generated gets distributed throughout the building with any surplus solar polar sold back to the power company.

All the panels and power inverters are US-made and installed using a ballasted roof installation to prevent any penetration through the roof structure or roof materials.

The addition of solar power complements the existing efforts in place to improve RPT’s sustainability. A water reclamation system started in 2009 currently reduces water consumption by 41.3 percent, changing to high efficiency lighting saved 50 percent on the lighting bill, the painting of the roof white reduced energy consumption as it keeps the shop floor cooler in the summer, and various recycling programs in place ensure as much waste as possible is kept out of the landfill.

About Reynolds Polymer Technology, Inc.
Reynolds Polymer Technology, Inc. has completed more than 1,600 projects in 53 countries in their nearly 30 years in business. RPT is known as the leading manufacturer, fabricator, designer, and installer of R-Cast® acrylic and resin sheets. In fact, RPT is the only acrylic aquarium panel manufacturer in the U.S. Their products have been used extensively in the architectural, signage, aquarium, water-retaining, and scientific industries worldwide, including major projects in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and South America. RPT is constantly raising the standard for what can be done with acrylic and resins. Headquartered in Grand Junction, Colorado, RPT also has operations in Rayong, Thailand.

SOurce: http://www.beaumontenterprise.com/business/press-releases/article/Colorado-Acrylic-Manufacturer-Reynolds-Polymer-3526738.php#ixzz1tj5Xxm8m

Solar lily concept has energy sitting pretty

A Green Dot Award winner from ZM Architecture in the U.K. uses the concept of large lily pads, modified to attain the highest possible level of photosynthesis, as the central principle of this nature-inspired repurposing of unused waterways to capture solar energy on a utility scale.

In doing so, the design also hopes to stimulate activity around the multitude of unused and largely ignored canals, rivers and tributaries around the globe, perhaps by encouraging neighborhood revitalization or the construction of new, energy efficient green housing, or simply an influx of tradespeople large and small to provide a riverside shopping and dining experience like a large, open mall.

ZM Architecture calls its winning entry "Solar Lily," and imagines that these approximately 100-foot diameter constructs are anchored to the riverbed and turned via integrated motors that function as the equivalent of solar tracking devices used on land. That is, they turn the lily pads to optimize solar collection during the day. The solar lilies can also be disconnected, dismantled and moved should the situation require it.

Given the stamp of approval at the 2007 International Design awards, and taking second place at the 2008 Green Dot Awards, the solar lilies have drawn attention from municipal agencies and other organizations in Asia, Brazil, Europe and Korea. They were also shown in Vilnius, Lithuania, at the 2009 European Capital of Culture exhibition, Vilnius being one of two cities to capture that cultural award, and at the National Design Triennial.

The solar lily pad concept was tested in one small output canal on the River Clyde, Scotland, and the Glasgow City Council has intimated it would like to test the solar lilies, again on the river, with the cooperation of the Glasgow Science Museum, which opened its door in 2001.

The solar lilies are not to be confused with the iPad's solar charging case called the LilyPad, which we reported on last year, or with the concentrating solar technology used in the floating solar panel prototype by Solaris Energy and EDF Group, which was also launched in 2011.

Source:http://www.tgdaily.com/sustainability-features/63082-solar-lily-concept-has-energy-sitting-pretty