Solarati

Engineers have just developed one of the world?s most advanced Smart Electricity Meters. The smart meter monitors energy consumption, giving information not just through a traditional power reading, but in a user-friendly way by displaying animated graphics of money on a large clear screen on the meter.

Scientists at the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory have set a world record in solar cell efficiency with a photovoltaic device that converts 40.8 percent of the light that hits it into electricity. This is the highest confirmed efficiency of any photovoltaic device to date.

At 39.7% efficiency for a multi-junction solar cell, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems have exceeded their own European record of 37.6% which they achieved just a short time ago. III-V semiconductor multi-junction solar cells are used in photovoltaic concentrator technology for solar power stations.

Chemical clues from a comet's halo are challenging common views about the history and evolution of the solar system and showing it may be more mixed-up than previously thought.

There is an excellent article from Dan Hahn, over at Solar Power Rocks digging into how oil and coal contributions affects the way US Senators vote on renewable energy legislation.

There is the obvious split down the middle with regard to Republicans and Democrats, but there are also some very interesting insights the funding and voting of the two presidential candidates, Obama and McCain.

via Solar Power Rocks

Engineers have devised a new way to slice thin wafers of the chemical element germanium for use in the most efficient type of solar power cells. They say the new method should lower the cost of such cells by reducing the waste and breakage of the brittle semiconductor.

For someone who believes that world oil supplies are about to begin an inexorable decline, possibly dragging down civil society in the process, Rob Hopkins is a rather cheery fellow. Hopkins, a 40-year-old doctoral student at Plymouth University in the United Kingdom, is the founder of the Transition movement, which encourages people to wean their neighborhoods, communities, and towns off oil and nudge them onto a path of self-sufficiency in an increasingly energy-scarce world. “The change we have seen over the past hundred years will be nothing compared with what we will see over the next twenty,” he says. But it’s not a dire warning; it’s an adventure. “This is an extraordinary time to be alive. I feel really fortunate to be around—it’s going to be a fascinating time in history.”

Read the full story at urbanitebaltimore.com

Many products can be powered by the sun. We take a look at five of the best solar buys.

Solar iPod charger

Price: $89.96
Available from: Amazon

If you’re on the move but want to stay connected, the Solio Solar Charger will give you hours of charge time without slowing you down.

How it works: Leave the panels in direct sunlight and the charger will give you up to nine hours charge time while you’re on the go. For its size, it is one of the most powerful solar chargers on the market - it can charge an iPod fully with enough power left to top up a mobile phone.

Pros: It comes with assorted adaptors to fit dozens of gadgets and gizmos, including Blackberrys, Gameboys and cameras.

Cons: There is no specific information on how to charge some of the gadgets in the pack, so you may need to call the advice line for details.

Solar-powered bike bag

Price: £99
Available from: The Solar Centre
Suitable for charging: mobile phone, MP3 player, AA batteries, GPS player.

If you’re a keen, green cyclist, you can keep your emissions down even further with this solar-powered bag that charges your electronics as you ride.

How it works: The Nomad Solar Bike Bag’s thin, flexible solar panel provides up to 1.5 watts of power - charging your small electronic devices as you ride.

Pros: No special adaptors are needed (just use the same type as you would to charge your gadget from a car). The bag also comes in one universal size so should mount to any standard rear bicycle rack.

Cons: The bag’s solar powers won’t stretch to charging a laptop computer - and at £99 the cost of going green doesn’t come cheap. But if you cycle regularly, this could be a great investment buy.

Solar-powered car kit

Price: £53.95
Available from: Expansys

Hands-free and wireless, LG’s snazzy new HFB-500 bluetooth kit will boost your eco-credentials on the move.

How it works: Suckered safely onto your windscreen, the compact HFB-500 converts two hours of sunlight into one hour of talktime for hands-free mobile use. Fully charged, you can natter on sun power for 960 minutes.

Pros: Smart, simple to use and with impressive call quality, the HFB-500has a lot going for it. On some phones, it will provide voice dialling, lastnumber redial and call muting. On LG phones, it even doubles as an emergency phone charger.

Cons: One drawback of the sleek design – you need nimble fingers to use the volume and call/end keys.

Solar-powered rechargeable shaver

Price: £24.99
Available from: Select Solar

If you want to reduce your electricity bills and stay clean-shaven, this solar-rechargeable shaver is a good green option.

How it works: The shaver needs eight to 12 hours in sunlight to charge fully. But it can be plugged into mains power if necessary.

Pros: It’s slim, compact and lightweight which makes it an ideal companion for camping or travelling trips.

Cons: The long charging time makes the solar panel more useful as a handy top-up rather than a practical power source. The razor is also suitable for dry-shaving only.

Waterproof solar charging torch

Price: £19.99
Available from: Nigel’s Eco Store

If you like camping, you’ll know that a good torch is essential at night. This robust, solar-powered variety is practical and green.

How it works: This solar torch just needs to be kept on a windowsill where it will receive sunlight and the integral solar panel will keep the batteries topped up. It charges from flat in approximately four to five hours of sunlight and this should give you approximately one to two hours of light. This torch is a tough cookie too - made from lightweight and waterproof material it will even float in water.

Pros: For extra brightness, the torch includes the latest and brightest LED bulb.

Cons: It may be slightly more expensive than a conventional torch, but treat it well and it should last you a lifetime.

via HomeGardenGreen

Scientists are working to convert sunlight to cheap electricity. They are working with new materials that can make devices used for converting sunlight to electricity cheaper and more efficient.

The proliferation of solar, wind and even tidal electric generation and the rapid emergence of hybrid electric automobiles demands flexible and reliable methods of high-capacity electrical storage. Now materials scientists are developing ferroelectric polymer-based capacitors that can deliver power more rapidly and are much lighter than conventional batteries.