Sharp develops efficient solar cells for use in outer space

Earlier this year, we reported twice about Japan’s serious plans to go to outer space to generate solar energy and then beam it back to Mother Earth. And today, Sharp has shown the first solar cell that’s not only bendable (we’ve seen that before) but that also withstands conditions in space. In addition, the company says those cells boast a record-high solar efficiency of 36%.

The compound solar cells can not only be bent if needed but even folded. They are less than 20 microns thick and are made by stacking up single crystals of indium gallium, gallium arsenide and indium gallium arsenide. These single-crystal layers are grown on solid substrates before transferring them onto a flexible film base. As a result, the solar cells feature extreme flexibility material-wise.

There’s only a prototype available at this point (sorry for the small picture), but Sharp is working on getting a practical version ready in 2012. The solar cells can then be used for equipping satellites and other space applications.

[CrunchGear via Nikkei]

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California Approves Orbiting Solar Panel Deal, Aims for 2016 Launch [Solar Power]

Remember Solaren, the company that's trying to launch those space-based solar panels, the one that signed a deal with California's biggest power utility company? The whole plan got even closer to reality today, after getting approval from California legislators.
And, like we said, there's no reason Californians would reject the deal between Solaren and PG&E—the utility company isn't investing or putting up any money at all, it's just saying "sure, we'll buy energy from you if and when this thing ever works." Which, you know, duh. The 15-year contract starts in 2016, by which time hopefully we won't have already devolved into a Mad Max-style post-apocalyptic desert state.
[Gizmodo via CPUC via CNET]

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Solar collectors in space could finally solve Earth's energy problem

The Japan Space Agency, along with Mitsubishi Electric Corp. and IHI Corp., are getting even closer to next big thing: harnessing the power of the sun with a solar collector in geostationary orbit. Now there's cold hard cash involved. The plan is to drop $21 billion into a solar power generator that beams electricity to Earth via microwaves. The 1-gigawatt solar station will gather sunlight with a gigantic array of solar panels that is 4 square kilometers big.

While such an idea might be ahead of its time, Japan confidently predicts this first solar power space station will be online within three decades. Leave it to Japan to take our entire civilization ever closer to the day when we'll finally be a Type 1 civilization on the Kardashev scale. By the way, a type I civilization is able to harness all the power available on a single planet.

Actually, these Japanese innovators will be moving us closer to being a Type 2 civilization, which is able to harness all the power available in a single star. We would probably need to surround the Sun with solar panels to do such a thing, but Japan is off to a good start. Meanwhile, those innovators need to calm down the fearmongers, chattering about how those death rays of from space could kill us all.

[DVICE via Treehugger]

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Cheap, Printed Solar-Powered LEDs Could Change 1.5 Billion Lives [Solar Power]

Photovoltaic cells printed on sheets aren't news, nor are LEDs and ultrathin lithium batteries. What's news is a combination of the three which can help give light to 1.5 billion people who live in impoverished areas without access to electricity.
Frederik Krebs came up with this combination of solar panels and LED lights which, while definitely a work-in-progress, could bring cheap light to some of the world's poorest regions. I call the lamps a work-in-progress because despite being durable enough to last several years, they run at a mere 1% efficiency. But with the expected final cost of $7 a piece, they're full of life-changing potential, despite that low efficiency.

Some prototypes of the lamps are currently being tested in Zambia. As seen in the picture, the solar panels are left laying flat during the day and then rolled up (and secured with snap-button) into a cone-shaped lamp. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing the results of the prototype tests and a final product, because no one should go without artificially lit nights.
[Gizmodo via IEEE Spectrum via Pop Sci]

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LG's Pop touchscreen phone set to challenge the iPhone

South Korea's LG just rolled out its latest would-be iPhone killer called the LG GD510 aka the Pop. The company calls the phone 'the most compact 3-inch full touchscreen phone ever made.' In the green tech category, the unit offers an optional solar charging replacement battery cover.
The device also features a 3-megapixel camera, MP3 player, Bluetooth functionality, 8 gigabytes of memory and an FM radio. LG's Pop will go on sale in Europe later this month, with more countries added later. You can see video of the phone's feature set in action here.
[DVICE via LG]

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eBook Craze Goes Outside [Ebooks]

eBook Craze Goes Outside [Ebooks]: "

With the introduction of a solar-powered eBook from LG Display, owners will soon be able to read for hours on end, so long as they're outside and the sun is up.
This is because the new offering boasts both an eBook and a thin-film, 10cm solar cell. Surprise!
Four to five hours of sun exposure yields an additional day's worth of reading time. You can read inside too, of course, thanks to the battery, but if you do that how will you show off the fact that you're on the cutting edge and hip with your eBook?
[Gimodo via OLED Display]

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Honda unveils a home solar hydrogen-producing station

Despite its current impracticality, Honda keeps plugging away at its hydrogen vehicle prototype. The company just revealed a component that brings its hydrogen vehicle closer to reality — a more compact solar hydrogen-making machine that you install in your personal garage, turning water into hydrogen fuel .

The Honda Solar Hydrogen Station uses solar power to perform this alchemy, able to produce a half a kilogram of hydrogen during the day (or using cheaper electricity at night), and refueling that car when you park it in the garage that night.

The idea is to create enough hydrogen for a car to make its round-trip daily commute without using any fossil fuels. We can only hope mass production will someday bring the price of each vehicle below the hundreds of thousands of dollars it costs now.
[DVICE via Ubergizmo]

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