Solar Energy

riven wrote:Even at 140 oil is cheap. Everybody still drives a car even though 10 years ago people laughted at my idea of the one pound litre of petrol.

clareman51 wrote:I see that a new factory producing the nanotechnology-based solar panels is going into production, and expect to roll out about 1 gigawatt a year.

clareman51 wrote:That may not be as outlandish as it seems.

clareman51 wrote:On Digg.com, in the science section, there's an article about a solar-powered bikini.

cactus flower wrote:

clareman51 wrote:On Digg.com, in the science section, there's an article about a solar-powered bikini.

What does it power ?

Ard-Taoiseach wrote:

cactus flower wrote:

clareman51 wrote:On Digg.com, in the science section, there's an article about a solar-powered bikini.

What does it power ?

An in-built toaster!

Ard-Taoiseach wrote:

cactus flower wrote:

clareman51 wrote:On Digg.com, in the science section, there's an article about a solar-powered bikini.

What does it power ?

An in-built toaster!

Ecogeek wrote:Solar bags so far are notoriously expensive. From $1500 for a briefcase, to $300-$400 for a carry-on style bag, to $250 for a beach bag. All of which are fairly ugly. They grasp desperately onto some appeal factor by looking like anything you can pick up at Target, but end up utterly unspectacular except for the sore-thumb solar cells on the sides. Luckily, women - or men exceedingly comfortable with their sexuality - will be able to have their style and solar power too.

Cost competitive for other bags we’ve seen (though still pretty pricy), is the new Solarjo Power Purse. Coming in at $285, it’s about what someone with extra cash would spend on a fancy purse. And this one looks like something you might find at a nicer department store – in fact, it looks really stylish.

The purse is covered in solar cells that can soak up enough sun in two hours to charge a cell phone battery. The PV cells are laminated for protection from scratches, and two batteries held in the lining of the purse hold a full charge that can last for up to a month. A USB port inside the purse can be used for charging most any small device, from phones to cameras, palm pilots to iPods. Basically, someone can just plop it on a window sill at work or some sunny location, wait for a charge, and plug in their doo-dads, all with the purse functioning exactly as a purse should – no obtrusive wires or obnoxiously geeky give-aways.

A new program for Connecticut homeowners is promising to explode the installation of home solar systems in the state. Basically, the state will be providing low interest loans to anyone of "moderate or low" income.

The solar systems will be installed for free, and then the residents will pay a flat low rate, presumably in exchange for the power the panels generate. While the upfront costs of solar panels (often more than $30,000) are out of reach for most homeowners, they actually promise to save money over the life of the panels.

So the state is absorbing the up-front costs of the panels for anyone who makes less than 150% of the median income of their area. The households will pay a monthly rate of less than $120. This should represent a nice steady source of income for the state. And, of course, it has wonderful environmental consequences as well, all for less than the cost of some cable TV packages.

Still, they only expect about 1,000 homeowners to take advantage of the program over the next three years. It seems to me that more people would be interested in taking advantage of the program. It's possible that CT is limiting applications at first to ensure viability of the program.

Similar solar lease programs have taken off in California as well, and Wal-Mart has installed many of it's solar panels with similar financing techniques.

So if you're a Nutmegger, go to the CT Solar Lease site and see if you can get into the program. And if you have any report on how it goes, email me at tips@ecogeek.org.