Scientists develop ultra-thin solar cells

Austrian and Japanese researchers on Wednesday unveiled solar cells thinner than a thread of spider silk that are flexible enough to be wrapped around a single human hair.

The thin-film device, comprising electrodes on a plastic foil, is about 1.9 micro-metres thick, a tenth the size of the thinnest solar cells currently available, the researchers said.

One micro-metre is one millionth of a metre (3.3 feet).

“The total thickness of this device is less than a typical thread of spider silk,” the researchers said in a report carried by online science journal Nature Communications.

“Being ultra-thin means you don’t feel its weight and it is elastic,” said one of the researchers, Tsuyoshi Sekitani from the University of Tokyo.

“You could attach the device to your clothes like a badge to collect electricity (from the sun)… Elderly people who might want to wear sensors to monitor their health would not need to carry around batteries,” Sekitani told AFP.

The research was done jointly by Martin Kaltenbrunner, Siegfried Bauer and other researchers from Johannes Kepler University of Austria as well as Sekitani and other contributors from University of Tokyo.

Sekitani said it was possible to make the cells bigger.

“Power generation by solar cells increases with their size. As this device is soft, it is less prone to damage by bending even if it gets bigger,” he said.

Sekitani said the team hoped to increase the rate at which the device converts sunlight into electricity and put it to practical use in around five years.

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Natural Homes and Trend Magazine Debut Zero Energy Solar Home in Santa…

Santa Fe, NM (PRWEB) March 31, 2012

On Saturday March 17th, Alan Hoffman of Natural Homes and Cynthia Canyon of Trend Magazine hosted the premier of a new line of Zero Energy Solar Homes being built by Renaissance Builders. The goal of attaining cost effective homes with little or no annual utility bills has been the stuff of wishful thinking, but it is finally here.

The sustainable home premiered includes custom features like hand plastered walls, beamed ceilings, solid stone counter tops and expansive covered patios and was built for less then some conventional custom homes being built today in Santa Fe. What Renaissance includes at no additional cost is the state of the art in super insulated walls and ceilings, efficient boilers, lighting and appliances, whole house heat recovery ventilation and 3.4 Kilowatts of solar panels on the roof. This is enough energy savings and solar electric generation to attain close to a net zero utility bill and at least a couple residents of similar homes make a net annual profit, through careful use of their energy. They actually get a check from the utility company. And to top it off, every buyer of a Zero Energy Home gets State and Federal tax credits, as much as $20,000.

One host of the premier event was Alan Hoffman of Natural Homes, a Green Real Estate marketing group within Logic Real Estate of Santa Fe. Alan has been designing and marketing Solar Homes since 1977 and is championing the state of the art certified, energy efficient homes. “Solar homes took a big step forward with the support of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, expanding the national LEED program with crucial research and tax credits”. (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design).

Co-host, Cynthia Canyon is the founder of Trend Magazine and is celebrating the upcoming premier of Eco Trend source magazine in April. “Sustainable living is the fastest growing mega-trend I have ever seen, Eco Trend Source Magazine will cover all aspects of Green building, Earth friendly design and diverse lifestyles”.

The home premiered is known as the Summa House and was rebuilt when the original home burnt down. Alan Hoffman sold the original house to the Summa family 22 years ago when it was the state of the art at the time when energy was cheap. Mr. Hoffman said “We will be analyzing the efficiency of this home now that it’s 3.45 Kilowatt solar array has been connected to the electric grid”. The construction of the home, was followed by the Santa Fe Real Estate Guide magazine, in a series of articles.

The opening reception brought out green business leaders, interested home buyers and members of the environmental community.State Representative Brian Egolf, one of the most productive members of the New Mexico State Legislature was seen there. He played a roll in the creation of Green legislation and continues to bring forward significant legislation to expand energy self-reliance and environmental improvement.

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Sunergy America Signs 385 KW Solar Project for Elder Care Facility in…

Toms River, New Jersey (PRWEB) March 31, 2012

Today, Sunergy America, a New Jersey solar solutions energy provider, announced the signing of an agreement for the building of a 385 KW solar plant in Toms River, New Jersey. The system will be comprised of a 90KW rooftop system and a 295KW Solaire carport system utilizing CNPV power 240Watt modules, and Solectria Invertors. The innovative system provides for distributed power to Rose Garden Nursing Facility to provide clean reliable cost effective solar electricity and reduced grid dependency. The solar plant is expected to be commissioned in the summer of 2012.

Sunergy America offers a “Turnkey” energy solutions program and will assist Rose Garden with executing an interconnection Agreement with Jersey Central Power & Light for net metering. This is a metering option that:

1) Credits customer-generators at the full retail rate for each kilowatt-hour produced by a Class 1 renewable energy system installed on the customer-generator’s side of the electric revenue meter, up to the total amount of electricity used by that customer during an annualized period; and

2) Compensates the customer-generator at the end of the annualized period for any remaining credits, at a rate equal to the supplier/provider’s avoided cost of wholesale power.

In addition to the solar plant Sunergy America will also install a 75KW Cogeneration system to provide electricity during times when the solar system will fall short of the facility’s energy needs. The Cogeneration system will also provide a back up generator to ensure Rose Garden is never without power. “It is crucial for our facility to maintain reliable, affordable energy at all times in the nursing care environment. Our residents live at this facility and expect to receive the highest living standards.”, said Bob Notte.

In order to cover some of the costs for the new solar and cogeneration power system, Sunergy America assisted Rose Garden to register so they can acquire a US Treasury Section 1603 Federal Grant that covered up to 30% of the system cost and qualify them to earn New Jersey Solar Renewable Energy Certificates (SREC). These SREC Certificates are sold to the electric companies to help them meet New Jersey carbon reduction emissions standards.

Bob Notte, Member of the LLC ownership stated, “Sunergy America helped us realize our plan to reduce energy costs. We are thrilled to go Green and it makes great economic sense. Ultimately Sunergy America will afford us the ability to effectuate the savings on energy costs which can be used for the benefit of the residents. Their team of professionals answered all of our questions and provided us with an excellent alternative energy saving system.”

Bruno J. D’Uva, CEO said, “We are happy to contribute towards job creation and clean reliable energy in New Jersey. We look forward to continuing creating new relationships with clients that are interested in reducing their energy cost and grid dependency.”

Sunergy America is a renewable energy solutions provider that delivers clean, reliable energy for commercial, industrial and institutional organizations including solar power and cogeneration systems. Our services include design, engineering, financing, compliance, procurement, construction, monitoring and maintenance. For more information about Sunergy America, visit http://www.sunergyamerica.com.

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