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Archive for the ‘solar power’ category: Page 123

Sep 4, 2016

Aquila’s First Flight

Posted by in categories: drones, internet, solar power, sustainability

Aquila — facebook’s solar powered internet drone


The internet provides information, opportunity and human connection, yet less than half the world has access. We’re proud to announce the successful first test flight of #Aquila, the solar airplane we designed to bring internet access to people living in remote locations. This innovative plane has the wingspan of an airliner but weighs less than a small car and flies on roughly the power of three blow dryers — incredible!

Source: #facebook

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Sep 3, 2016

New solar cell is more efficient, costs less than its counterparts

Posted by in categories: engineering, solar power, sustainability

35 percent efficiency.


The cost of solar power is beginning to reach price parity with cheaper fossil fuel-based electricity in many parts of the world, yet the clean energy source still accounts for slightly more than 1% of the world’s electricity mix.

To boost global solar power generation, researchers must overcome some of the technological limitations that are preventing solar power from scaling up even further, which includes the inability to develop very high-efficiency solar cells – solar cells capable of converting a significant amount of sunlight into usable electrical energy – at very low costs.

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Sep 3, 2016

This Solar-Powered Pipe Desalinates The Water That Flows Through It

Posted by in categories: solar power, sustainability

It’s called “The Pipe.” And if it works, it could change the calculus of our water problems.

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Aug 30, 2016

Watly: Clean water, electricity and internet using only the sun!

Posted by in categories: internet, solar power

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Aug 26, 2016

Cheap and Useful 3D Printed Electronics

Posted by in categories: 3D printing, mobile phones, solar power, sustainability

Nice.


Shopping trends change from time to time while consumers continue to search for more affordable products with better functionality and specs. Researchers and developers around the world continue to improve company products while lessening the cost of producing these materials.

Gadgets like smartphones, LED lights, tablets and solar cells are already part of the mainstream, and it is not going to change anytime soon. Companies that are involved in this industry must always keep a competitive edge against other manufacturers.

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Aug 22, 2016

HKUST Develops Tiny Lasers that Opens New Era for Light-based Computing

Posted by in categories: computing, engineering, physics, solar power, sustainability

Congrats Hong Kong Univ.


Researchers at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) have fabricated microscopically-small lasers directly on silicon, enabling the future-generation microprocessors to run faster and less power-hungry – a significant step towards light-based computing.

The innovation, made by Prof Kei-may Lau, Fang Professor of Engineering and Chair Professor of the Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering, in collaboration with the University of California, Santa Barbara; Sandia National Laboratories and Harvard University, marks a major breakthrough for the semiconductor industry and well beyond.

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Aug 22, 2016

A Robot Army To Build Solar Panels (On The Moon)

Posted by in categories: education, robotics/AI, solar power, space, sustainability

As the global headcount nears 8 billion, our thirst for kilowatts is growing by the minute. How will we keep the lights on without overheating the planet in fossil fuel exhaust? Alternative energy is the obvious choice, but scaling up is hard. It would take an area the size of Nevada covered in solar panels to get enough energy to power the planet, says Justin Lewis-Weber, “and to me, that’s just not feasible.” This past March, Lewis-Weber, a then-high school senior in California, came up with a radical plan: self-replicating solar panels—on the moon.

Here’s the gist: When solar panels are orbiting Earth, they enjoy 24 hours of unfiltered sunshine every day, upping their productivity. Once out there, they could convert that solar radiation into electricity (just as existing solar panels do) and then into microwave beams (using the same principle as your kitchen appliance). Those microwaves then get beamed back to Earth, where receivers convert them back into electricity to power the grid. Simple! Except that Lewis-Weber estimates that building and launching thousands of pounds of solar panels and other equipment into space will be outrageously expensive, in the range of hundreds of trillions of dollars.

Instead, he suggested, why not make them on the moon? Land a single robot on the lunar surface, and then program it to mine raw materials, construct solar panels, and (here’s the fun part) make a copy of itself. The process would repeat until an army of self-replicating lunar robot slaves has churned out thousands of solar panels for its power- hungry masters.

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Aug 15, 2016

A Quantum Computing-Dominated World Is Coming In Less Than 10 Years, Says CEO Of Acronis

Posted by in categories: quantum physics, security, solar power, supercomputing, sustainability

I told folks this; I see another one from Google has joined the QC less than 10 year club. My guess is more likely less than 7 years.


A seminal moment in the quantum technology field just happened: Google’s team of scientists have simulated a hydrogen molecule from its quantum computers, a breakthrough that suggests it could “simulate even larger chemical systems,” writes one of Google Quantum’s engineers, Ryan Rabbush. The search engine’s achievement underscores the technology’s potential as Rabbush posits it can “revolutionize the design of solar cells, industrial catalysts, batteries, flexible electronics, medicines, materials and more.”

As advances in such supercomputers continue, investment and research in this field gathers greater momentum as Google, Alibaba, Baidu, Amazon and other tech giants and governments too are racing to develop this technology. Recently, the European Commission allocated €1 billion to research, incubate and invest in quantum technologies. Meanwhile Google last month made headlines about testing its quantum security to shield its Chrome browser.

Continue reading “A Quantum Computing-Dominated World Is Coming In Less Than 10 Years, Says CEO Of Acronis” »

Aug 15, 2016

Japan can now beam solar energy from space

Posted by in categories: solar power, space, sustainability

If you think the idea of powering the whole world with solar power is still many years away, prepare to be amazed. The inspired minds at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has succeeded in transmitting solar energy right through the air. Using wireless power transmission may be the best way to gather solar energy from space in order to use it here on Earth.

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Aug 15, 2016

Japan firm marks one small step for solar energy in space

Posted by in categories: solar power, space, sustainability

A major Japanese machinery company said Friday that it has succeeded in transmitting energy wirelessly, marking a step toward making solar power generation in space a reality.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries said it used to send 10 kilowatts of power—enough to run a set of conventional kitchen appliances—through the air to a receiver 500 metres (1,640 feet) away.

Wireless power transmission is currently under development as the core technology to tap the vast amount of solar energy available in space and use it on Earth.

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