It’s true—amazing solar tech innovations just keep coming. Some advances come in the form of new handheld devices and applications. Others promise to elevate solar into a mainstream energy source that may one day replace greenhouse-gas-emitting fossil fuels. Here are five recent innovations that have left both solar experts and newbies in a daze.
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5. Belgium’s Solar Tunnel
Along a high-speed rail line in Belgium, sit 16,000 solar panels atop two miles of man-made tunnel. The Solar Tunnel marks the first time in European history that a railway infrastructure has been used to generate clean power.
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Do the same along the interstates to power recharging stations and create the infrastructure for electric vehicles. In many areas of the country, add wind turbines along the right of ways and a power the communities along side the roads. Use excess instantaneous energy production to electrolyze water to store the energy when recharging demand is low and use fuel cells and with CHP to meet peak demand periods and heating needs of nearby buildings.
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I hadn't caught those yet, thanks Par. I've been catching some on the YouTube the things the inventors are coming up with are nothing short of excellent. It's spreading too all over the world. In mud huts in Africa they have one light bulb in their hut from a small solar panel..They treated it like it was gold. It made me thankful for what I and we all have here in America.
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mstanley... can you imagine for the first time people will be able to light the poor, give electricity to those that never had it, and empower the world..no matter where one calls home..
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Although I have a problem with my computer sound.. watching it was amazing.. exactly what the world needs.. Imagine on your own island and having the ability for electric without it being wired in..
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that was just Uganda, there were more in other countries in Africa, solar is like Huge there.
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Solar in these cases needs to be tied into hydrogen production from water and fuel cells. The reason for this is that potable water is as much of an issue as electricity if not more so. Think of a system powered by the sun that provide electricity and fresh water at the same time. As well as eliminating the need to build an expensive grid system in the beginning. This is where technology like the solar leaf is especially critical. Or better yet the cobalt/phosphate catalyst that can use water of any contamination content to produce hydrogen and oxygen and a fuel cell to produce electricity and clean, pure water. Think of the reduction in diseases caught by drinking contaminated water this would prevent.
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Nocera's leaf is good, but I don't think it is as efficient as generating electricity directly and using instantaneous surplus for electrolysis of water and fuel sell generation. With the leaf idea all the electricity that is used is generated by the fuel cell. That means the losses in producing the hydrogen and using it to generate electricity are in every kW you use. Whereas, using it to store excess electricity allows you to skip these losses for immediate usage.
I love the "Lotus". It is a good example of how the aesthetics "issue" can be eliminated. It is a mixture of art and practicality. If I had an artistic bone in my body, I would work on this same concept with wind power. Making an artistic mobile into a wind turbine or a wind turbine into a work of art in motion.
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Yes that is the type of artists touch. I like the 3D wind spinners with the holograms. Imagine a VAWT with a hummingbird hologram showing the wings beating in flight as the turbine turns in the wind. Or a holographic tree with the branches moving in the wind.
Here are Nocera's artificial leaf and his power for one times 6 billion. One of the key advantages to both of these is the production of fresh, pure water when used with a fuel cell in areas with clean water problems. Any water can be used, no matter how contaminated and the by product is drinkable, clean water. Imagine the advantage of that in preventing water born illness in underdeveloped areas.
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