There
have been several big changes in the solar power industry over the past week.
Let Renogy keep you updated with our top 3 news stories this week!
1.Can
solar power trees be the answer to saving space when using renewable energy?
Scientists in New Delhi certainly think so. These “solar trees” would reduce
the amount of land needed for the solar parks the country is currently trying
to develop. With enough energy to light up five homes, the solar tree would
also make it easier for farmers and other citizens who are unwilling to give up
their land to install solar.
Figure 1
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_tree
Because of the placement of the panels on the solar
tree, it will also be possible for a system to harness 10 to 15 percent more
energy than normal rooftop panels. With solar trees potentially being used for
solar parks, India hopes to reduce a third of its carbon emissions by 2030.
With luck New Delhi will be able to obtain the land and funding to start
construction in the near future.
2.The
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) announced on Monday they had
created a way to boil water without electricity. Using just foam, copper, and
bubble wrap a convenient and simple way to boil water was invented. This system
can heat water to 212 degrees using just the sun. Several possible applications
were suggested, including sterilizing medical tools in locations without
electricity.
Figure 2 http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2016/08/25/mit-scient…
One of the researchers used his daughter’s
science fair project as inspiration for this small but powerful device. The
bubble wrap attached to the top traps the heat from the sun and transfers it
down through the copper and into the water. From this recent invention there
are so many possibilities for bringing sanitized and boiled water to
underdeveloped countries.
3.Researchers
at the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Stanford
University created a nano device that can disinfect water in about twenty
minutes. This device works much faster than the old UV method which can take
anywhere from six to 48 hours to disinfect a water bottle.
This new device uses the visible part of
the solar spectrum which is about 50% of the sun’s energy. The device is simply
placed in a container of water and when the sun hits it hydrogen peroxide is
formed. This hydrogen peroxide then begins disinfecting chemicals and killing
bacteria. When finished the chemicals simply disappear leaving behind clean
water. So far this has only been tested in lab-created
environments. It will be interesting to see its application to real world water
contaminants.
