Scientists develop first all-carbon solar cell

Scientists at Stanford University have built the world’s first all-carbon solar cell. Because carbon offers a combination of low cost and high performance, it is a viable alternative to current photovoltaic materials, which are expensive. This new solar cell is made from materials such as carbon nanotubes and “buckyballs”.

Said Zhenan Bao, the study’s senior author, “Carbon has the potential to deliver high performance at a low cost. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of a working solar cell that has all of the components made of carbon. This study builds on previous work done in our lab.” Silicon solar panels are rigid, while the newly-built solar cell is a thin film that “can be coated from solution.”

According to Bao, in the future we could see these new flexible carbon solar cells coated on various surfaces, such as windows, rather than the rigid silicon panels often seen on roofs. The solar cell itself uses graphene and carbon nanotubes rather than indium tin oxide electrodes, a material that is becoming more expensive and scarce as demand grows. The active layer is also composed of carbon nanotubes, as well as carbon molecules called buckyballs.

The study’s co-author Michael Vosgueritchian said, “Every component in our solar cell, from top to bottom, is made of carbon materials. Other groups have reported making all-carbon solar cells, but they were referring to just the active layer in the middle, not the electrodes.” So what’s the downside? For now at least, the all-carbon cell is inefficient, mostly absorbing almost infrared wavelengths and offering a lab efficiency under 1-percent. According to Bao, the researchers have a long way to go in terms of efficiency, which they expect to increase by utilizing better processing techniques and materials.

[via Stanford]

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Voyager may exit our solar system much earlier sooner than expected

NASA launched the Voyager 1 probe back in 1977 and sent it on its journey through our solar system to study planets as it passed on its way outside of our solar system. Back in December of 2011 NASA mentioned that Voyager 1 was entering into a new region of space, the stagnation region, which is sort of like a bubble around our solar system. This region is one of the last indicators that the probe is still within our solar system.

Voyager 1 may soon become the first manmade object to leave the solar system, and the probe could leave our solar system much sooner than previously thought. Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 are currently still in what’s known as the Heliosheath where the sun’s solar wind is slowed by the pressure of interstellar gas. Both of the probes are still transmitting the data about the location through the Deep Space Network. The fact that a pair probes constructed in the 70s are still functional is impressive.

The scientists are watching three data sets to determine when the probe leaves our solar system. One of those data sets is the amount of galactic cosmic rays Voyager is encountering. The second data set is the intensity of energetic particles created inside the heliosphere. Scientists say that when the intensity subsides significantly, they will know Voyager has left our solar system. While Voyager is still within our solar system’s heliosphere, magnetic field lines are running east to west and scientists believe when the probe passes into interstellar space, magnetic field lines are expected to be in a more north-south direction.

“From January 2009 to January 2012, there had been a gradual increase of about 25 percent in the amount of galactic cosmic rays Voyager was encountering,” said Mr. Stone. “More recently, we have seen very rapid escalation in that part of the energy spectrum. Beginning on May 7, the cosmic ray hits have increased five percent in a week and nine percent in a month.”

[via TheBunsenBurner]

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Solar Transformers – If you have Sun, you have “Play Power”

I used to love building models as a kid, they were fun to make and I was proud of them when they were finished. I can’t get my kid interested in building things like that, because as she puts it “they don’t do anything” ah to be a child in the electronics age…

Well here’s an innovative solar science kit that hopefully will encourage children to exercise their often ignored creativity and imagination. This 7 in 1 kit comes with simple snap plastic parts, including solar panel and accessories  (with no screws or tools required). The kit contains easy to assemble projects that are comprised of  7 different modules, including 2 power charging stations, and 5 different vehicles.

The transforming rechargeable station has 2 output plugs; one for solar recharging and the other for battery recharging. Amazingly, the battery charging station can bring the selected unit to full power in only about 5 seconds and the solar recharging station (operational under sun or halogen lights) will fully recharge in approximately 120 seconds. The run time on these little vehicles is approximately 50-80 seconds.

The educational value is comes with the kit, The 7 in1 Solar Rechargeable Solar Transformers allows the user to experience energy that can be recharged and stored in a power source, and it lets the kids learn these principles through assembly of the vehicles.

Kids can enjoy five different vehicles: Solar Car, Concept Car, Bulldozer, Dump Truck, and Concept Race car, So with all the transforming, recharging, both indoors and out, creating, and building, kids will have something to do, with a lesson to be learned, and a toy that still “does something.” Hey, its a win-win!  Get yours for  $26.95 from owirobot.com

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Logitech Wireless Solar Keyboard K760 targets Apple products

You can say that the world is extremely hungry for energy – new and developing nations are consuming more and more resources as they focus on building up their infrastructure, while the more developed countries work on improving efficiency, by making the most out of the least that they have. Solar power is one renewable energy source that should be looked into serious by just about any company, as it is free, and many countries do get a decent amount of sunlight each year. With the Logitech Wireless Solar Keyboard K760, you know that your prayers have been answered, as it will target the Mac, iPad and iPhone.

Sporting a built-in Bluetooth connection, the Logitech Wireless Solar Keyboard K760 will continue from where the Logitech Wireless Solar Keyboard K750 and the Logitech Solar Keyboard Folio for iPad left off. You get an easy-switching capability that enables you to pair different devices simultaneously, where switching among them is as simple as pushing a button.

Denis Pavillard, vice president of experience design at Logitech, said, “Laptops, smartphones and tablets are ubiquitous – both at work and at play. Because Apple devices are central to this trend, Logitech is committed to improving the way people interact with them. With its simple solar charging, familiar Mac layout and comfortable design, the Logitech Wireless Solar Keyboard K760 will appeal to Apple users worldwide.”

The Logitech Wireless Solar Keyboard K760 comes in a stylish form factor that is compact, so that it will not look out of place when working alongside your beautifully designed product from Cupertino. Thanks to its aforementioned easy-switching Bluetooth connection, you are able to pair your keyboard to as many as a trio of devices and switch among them without the need to reconnect.

The minimalist design on the Logitech Wireless Solar Keyboard K760 even comes with Mac-specific keys, such as Command, Brightness, Eject and more to make you feel as comfortable as possible. Not only that, the unique Logitech concave key design will enable you to be more comfortable when typing, delivering speedier response and greater precision compared to typing on an on-screen keyboard.

Expect the Logitech Wireless Solar Keyboard K760 to arrive in the US and Europe from next month onwards, where it will retail for $79.99 a pop.

Press Release

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Department of Commerce slaps large tariffs on Chinese solar panels

By Stephen Lacey

A version of this article originally appeared on Climate Progress.

In a long-awaited decision, the U.S. Department of Commerce has issued a preliminary decision to apply tariffs to Chinese-made solar modules being imported into the U.S. The tariffs range from 31 percent to 250 percent.

The preliminary tariffs were issued after a lengthy investigation by the Commerce Department into whether Chinese companies are “dumping” solar panels into the U.S. market below cost. These tariffs follow a March decision to issue small countervailing duties on Chinese module producers that are getting illegal domestic subsidies, according to the Commerce Department.

Today’s issued tariffs are as follows: Trina, 31.14 percent; Suntech, 31.22 percent; and 31.18 percent for all other Chinese producers that participated in the investigation. For companies that did not participate, Commerce has slapped a massive preliminary tariff of 249.96 percent.

The combination of these new tariffs and the countervailing duties will add substantial cost to imported Chinese solar panels. With panel prices hovering in the $1-per-watt range, it could add around 30 cents to each panel for leading producers, and vastly more for producers that didn’t get involved in Commerce’s investigation.

These are preliminary fines and can be negotiated and changed before Commerce makes a final decision. The solar industry’s trade group, the Solar Energy Industries Association, has called on the U.S. and Chinese governments to negotiate a settlement — potentially resulting in more moderate tariffs:

The solar industry calls upon the U.S. and Chinese governments to immediately work together towards a mutually-satisfactory resolution of the growing trade conflict within the solar industry. While trade remedy proceedings are basic principles of the rules-based global trading system, so too are collaboration and negotiations.

Importantly, disputes within one segment of the industry affect the entire solar supply chain — and these broad implications must be recognized. In addition, the U.S. solar manufacturing base goes well beyond solar cell and module production and includes billions of dollars of recent investments into the production of polysilicon, polymers, and solar manufacturing equipment, products which are largely destined for export. If the U.S.-China solar trade disputes continue to escalate, it will jeopardize these U.S. investments.

Given these broader implications, it is imperative that the U.S., China, and other players in the dynamic global marketplace work constructively to avert or resolve trade disputes that will ultimately hurt consumers and businesses throughout the solar value chain. [my emphasis]

The solar industry has been on edge since last October, when the manufacturer SolarWorld and six other anonymous companies issued a complaint about illegal trade practices. They argued that China’s subsidies were allowing companies to dump panels below cost, thus driving U.S.-based manufacturers out of business.

However, downstream developers have enjoyed falling panel prices — a factor that has allowed the industry to expand 109 percent in 2011. A group of solar companies known as the Coalition for American Solar Energy has been staunchly opposed to tariffs, saying they’ll dramatically drive up the cost of solar installations in the U.S.

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