Portable, Pliable Photovoltaics
Campers, soldiers, and homeowners are the benefactors of the lightweight, flexible, thin-film Copper Indium Gallium diSelenide (CIGS) photovoltaic (PV) modules , developed by researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, Colo., and Global Solar Energy, Tucson, Ariz. The modules’ flexible stainless steel backing and CIGS formulation supports a 40% gain in conversion efficiency, nearly twice the power-to-weight ratio, and three times the power-to-volume ratio found in amorphous silicon-based cells.
Adding to its advantages is the self-repairing nature of the CIGS film due to the natural tendency of copper atoms in the film to spread into damaged areas. Physical vapor deposition is used to build up substrate layers with the final deposition attributed to a proprietary GSE roll-to-roll process. The end result is a smaller, lighter package at a similar cost per watt, with average power ranging from 5 to 56 W, depending on the application.
These qualities have sparked the interest of organizations such as the U.S. Army which have taken steps to integrate this technology into the field for use as a means of portable power for advance troops and transportable AC power. Consumer applications are already in place, with CIGS-based camping gear and roofing shingles being finalized for production.
>>More info: www.nrel.gov
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Fire Up!
While it may seem straightforward, there indeed exists a need for precise and efficient heating strategies in current R&D programs. Most of the challenges within industrial heating applications have centered around two main issues-power consumption and productivity. Developers at Micropyretics Heaters Intl., Cincinnati, Ohio, have taken a unique approach to the subject with the One Atmosphere Plasma Airtorch . This innovation is a sustained one atmosphere, mid-temperature plasma generation device, which works by converting air into a predominantly nitrogen plasma maintained at one atmosphere. Its design differs significantly from conventional plasma-based systems, which are characterized by a dependency on oxygen-free gases.
Capable of reaching temperatures up to 1500 °C, this system offers an alternative to the highly capital-intensive equipment such as vacuum brazing and/or hydrogen brazing furnaces used to treat localized areas of large parts. Energy efficiency levels of the one atmosphere plasma are greater than 95%, compared to about 5% for conventional plasmas systems. Moreover, its footprint is estimated to be less than 10% of conventional plasmas. The low-cost of consumables required will also be an added benefit to cost-conscious, manufacturing plants. Applications include engine manufacturing, printing on plastic food containers, and ceramics.
>>More info: www.mhi-inc.com
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Smart Windows
Booming energy costs and stricter regulatory policies have incited a movement toward environmentally friendly building designs, even stirring the creation of programs solely devoted to the subject matter such as the U.S. Green Building Council Leadership Awards. Heeding the call for smarter and more versatile window coatings, Thomas Richardson and Jonathan Slack, of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, Calif., have formulated a unique type of Transition Metal Switchable Mirror (TMSM) using a magnesium alloy and a mixture of transition metals (Ni, Mn, etc.).
Based on its composition, the LBL team’s TMSM boasts a 22-42% gain in energy savings performance over other low emissivity glazings and a significant decrease in cost compared to similar mirrors constructed with rare-earth metals. The key to the TMSM’s usefulness is its reflective electrochromic property which enables it to switch from a transparent, to a mirrored, or partially mirrored state to accommodate the needs of the user. This is accomplished by applying a small electrical current across the surface of the mirror. The potential energy savings from this technology could result in more than 25% of the energy currently lost through home and commercial windows.
>>More info: www.lbl.gov
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Let the Sun Shine Inor Not
SAGE Electrochomics, Inc., Faribault, Minn., has developed a "switchable," absorbing electrochromic window. The SageGlass Smart Window Glazing is an all solid-state, ceramic materials technology in which the electrochromic films are adhered to the glass surface through high-temperature annealing.
SageGlass allows the user to control the amount of incoming sunlight and solar heat with the push of a button. Applying a low DC voltage to the electrochromic device
in its “clear” state causes the active electrochromic layers to darken; reversing the voltage polarity causes the layers to lighten. A house full of SageGlass windows takes less energy to run than a single 75 W incandescent light bulb.
Tests indicate strong durability, with a lifetime in excess of 20 yr. This is greater than other switchable window technology; in addition, organic systems have shown degradation under UV and thermal stresses.The SageGlass pane can be fabricated into standard dual pane windows or a conventional laminated glass structure, when strength and safety are required.
This technology was co-developed with the U.S. Dept. of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory, Morgantown, W. Va., the U.S. Air Force, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, the National Institute of Standards and Technology Advanced Technology Program, Gaithersburg, Md., the U.S. Army, Warren, Mich., and the National Science Foundation, Arlington, Va.
>>More info: www.sage-ec.com |
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