From PESWiki

Directory of Solar Applications.

Applications

General

• Communities > Building >
  Solar-Powered Monte Rosa Alpine Hut- The four-story autonomous 90% energy-independent alpine shelter accommodates 125 guests and was designed at the Swiss Federal Technical University in Zurich (ETH). Energy is generated from photovoltaic panels and solar thermal systems and a cogenerative heat and power system for backup. (Inhabitat; Oct. 9, 2008)
  

• Sharp’s Solar Powered Television - Sharp has a low-power 26-inch solar-powered LCD television that can be powered by a thin-film photovoltaic panel. It uses a 4th as much power as other LCD-based TVs.(Inhabitat; July 7, 2008)
  

• Husqvarna - the world’s first commercially available automatic electric solar powered hybrid robotic lawn mower. The mower will cut for around 40 minutes, and then charge for 40 minutes in its charging station. Video review (Ecofriend; March 6, 2008) (Thanks RLP)
  

• Solar Fridges for Quake-hit Area - It is hoped that 50 solar-powered fridges will be sent from Powys to the earthquake-hit region of Kashmir. They will store drugs and blood for victims of the disaster, which also struck Pakistan and p... (BBC; Nov. 2005)
  

• Solar Energy in Voice Recording - Using Li-Pol batteries combined with a solar collector, a Russian group has made a professional voice recorder that can meet the demands of the workaholic. (Open PR; Aug. 21, 2007)
  

• Solar-Breeze Solar Powered Swimming Pool Cleaner - Intelligent solar powered pool robotic skimmer eliminates the need of swimming pool pumps therefore it saves the electricity costs which are 66% of total maintenance costs; and the chlorine costs are reduced by 33% due to the fact that the solar breeze keeps the swimming pool clean. (Online Solar Panels)
  

• Sun and wind bring power to Navajos for the first time - The systems are portable, running on both solar and wind power, and composed of an 800 watt photovoltaic cell, 400 watt wind turbine, 10,000 watt hour batteries and an AC inverter. Added to the package is a high efficiency refrigerator and energy efficient light bulbs. (Salt Lake Tribune; June 27)
  

• Solar Sphere Solar power kits and systems, solar panels, fountains, garden lights, chargers and custom built renewable energy solutions.
  

Vehicles

See Solar Vehicles

Cooking

See: Directory:Solar Cooking - separate index page

Greenhouses

• 
  Featured: Solar > Applications / Building >
  Walipini Underground Greenhouses - The Walipini utilizes nature’s resources to provide a warm, stable, well-lit environment for year-round vegetable production. Locating the growing area 6’- 8’ underground and capturing and storing daytime solar radiation in the soil and water barrels are the most important principles in building a successful Walipini. (PESWiki; Jan. 14, 2010)
  

Cooling

• Refrigeration >
  Promethean Solar Refrigerator - Promethean Power Systems is developing a clean, quiet, solid-state solar-powered refrigeration system for commercial cold-storage applications in off-grid and partially electrified areas of developing countries, using thermoelectric cooling modules and solar photovoltaic (PV) panels. (Video Series link) (Engineering TV; Jan. 6, 2009)
  

• ISAAC Solar Ice Maker - The ISAAC Solar Icemaker is an Intermittent Solar Ammonia-water Absorption Cycle. The ISAAC uses a parabolic trough solar collector and a compact and efficient design to produce ice with no fuel or electric input, and with no moving parts. (Energy Concepts; 2002)
  

• Solar Ammonia Absorption Icemaker - The S.T.E.V.E.N. icemaker is somewhat bulky and non-portable and requires some special plumbing parts. It takes advantage of the natural day/night cycle of solar energy and eliminates the need for batteries, storing “solar cold” in the form of ice. (HomePower; June/July, 1996)

• Direct Current Air Conditioning - The patented low power Millennia is globally wholesale distributed through SolCool One, LLC, and manufactured by Senergy Cooling Systems. The 1.5 ton, 24 volt HVAC System system uses approximately 50% less energy than other high efficiency conventional equipment. (SolCool)

Farms

• Topaz Solar Farm - Developing an ecofriendly 550- megawatt photovoltaic (PV) solar farm in San Luis Obispo County, California with PG&E as the customer. Located on the northwestern corner of the Carrisa Plains, this project will produce sufficient electricity to power the equivalent of approximately 190,000 average California homes. (Slashdot discussion) (OptiSolar; August 14, 2008)
  

Freeways

• Solar Roadways Awarded DOT Contract to Pave Roads with Solar Cells - In a first step toward turning highways into energy-generating solar panels, the Idaho-based startup Solar Roadways has recently received a $100,000 grant from the US Department of Transportation (DOT). The company will use the money to build a prototype of its Solar Road Panel, made from solar cells and glass, that is meant to replace petroleum-based asphalt on roads and in parking lots. (PhysOrg; Sept. 7, 2009)
  

• Solar Roadways - The Solar Roadway™ is a series of interconnected glassified Solar Road Panels™ that you actually drive on. The idea is to replace all current asphalt roads, parking lots and driveways with 12 square foot Solar Road Panels™, each producing an average of 7.6kWh per day. (Solar Roadways; Nov. 17, 2008)
  

• COULD SOLAR HIGHWAYS POWER OUR CITIES? - Australian renewable energy retailer Going Solar has conceived of a clever strategy that infuses urban transit systems with energy producing potential - install solar panels in highways as sound barriers! (Inhabitat; Aug. 30. 2008)
  

Electronics

• Samsung Releases Solar Powered Phone! - Samsung has finally delivered on this promise with their brand new Blue Earth phone. Blue Earth is a gorgeous green touch phone that has a full solar panel on its back which can generate enough power to charge the phone. (Slashdot) (Inhabitat; Feb. 13, 2009)
  

• 7 Portable Solar Laptop Chargers Worth Considering - The options are getting better, but that doesn’t mean choosing the right solar charger has gotten much easier. So TreeHugger scoured the market for the best choices in solar chargers, trying to make sure each option is reasonable regarding the three key elements, and put them here for you to make shopping around a little easier. (TreeHugger; Oct. 15, 2008)
  

• One Laptop Per Child - With the solar-rechargeable XO laptop, children aren’t just learning about the world around them. They are actively learning about learning. Knowledge becomes a part of the journey instead of being simply the end goal. (PESWIKI; Sept. 6, 2008)
  

Lighting

• 
  Featured: Solar / Lighting / Emergency Preparedness >
  Hybrid Solar Flashlight an ideal Christmas gift - Flashlight has two batteries: one retains charge from solar or other bright light input, lasting 10 hours with a full 8-hour charge. The other is a lithium battery as back-up for when the solar battery is low. Super rugged. Dependable in emergencies. (PES Store; Dec. 6, 2008)

• MiniWIZ’s Solarbulb Turns Bottles Into Lamps - The Solarbulb is a brilliant solution that provides light while making use of old plastic bottles. Simply attach it to any ordinary bottle and the 0.18 W solar cells will provide up to 6 hours of continuous night lighting. (Inhabitat; Jan. 8, 2009)
  

• Solar Lighting >
  Solar Bric to Light Your Path (or Runway) - Product includes advanced solar cells, storage capability, and a crystal lighting system. The bricks can be imbedded in construction materials. The light is automatically activated after dark. (Sunrise Solar)
  

• Sunshine Solar Products-- Sales site for outdoor lighting for home & garden, decks, patios, powered by solar. "Improve your surrounding, help the environment while saving money with our durable, efficient, affordable solar lights and solar products."
  

See also Directory:Lighting

Prosthetics

• Photovoltaic Eye Implant Could Give Sight To the Blind - Researchers at Stanford University recently announced that they have developed a new artificial retina implant that uses photovoltaic power and could help the blind see. Miniature photovoltaic cells are used to provide power to the chip as well as to transmit data through the eye to the brain. (Inhabitiat; Dec. 29, 2009)
  

• SOLAR EAR: Affordable Sun-Powered Hearing Aids - Solar Ear, a Brazilian company, creates low-cost hearing aids that get their juice from solar-powered batteries, seriously cut back on battery waste, while being more affordable than traditional hearing aids. Two AA batteries are recharged by solar power; and the AA batteries recharge the hearing aid batteries. (Inhabitat; Jan. 6, 2009)
  

Recharging Stations

See Directory:Electric Vehicle Recharging Stations

• Solar / EV > Recharging Stations >
  Solar Filling Stations: On-Demand Fuel for Electric Cars and Bikes - You know where the power is coming from with the E-Move Charging Station, a solar-powered filling station in Denmark that can charge up to eight vehicles at the same time. (Inhabitat; Sept. 17, 2009)
  

Water

• Water Heaters Put Solar Energy Within Reach - Andrei Mitran of Cary, NC says he has no desire to live "off the grid." But when choosing a replacement for his 18-year-old hot water heater, the computer programmer says he decided to look into purchasing a Solar H2OT solar unit. (PhysOrg; Jan. 21, 2009)
  

• Largest Water Solar Heater with PET Bottles Installed in Parana, Brazil - The State of Parana in Brazil, hosts the largest solar water heater in Brazil, built with 1.8 thousand PET bottles and 1.5 thousand tetra-packs. The heater was installed in Palmas, in southern Parana, over a building belonging to the Brazilian army that serves as home for 50 soldiers and consumes eight thousand liters of water daily. (TreeHugger; August 11, 2008)
  

• Mobile MaxPure solar-powered water purification system set for Iraq duty - WorldWater & Solar Technologies Corp's, the stand-alone Mobile Max Pure® unit is a 7-foot cube that opens up at the press of a button to reveal a solar array that can deliver around 3.2 kw of electricity, which combine with the company’s patented AquaMax controls to pump out and purify over 30,000 gallons of water per day. Optional back-up generator. (EcoFriend; June 23, 2008)
  

Big Brother

• Conspiracy >
  Swarms of Solar Microbots May Revolutionize Data Gathering - Researchers are developing ways to mass-produce tiny robots the size of a fly that operate like swarms of insects to collect data to aid in surveillance, micromanufacturing, medicine, and more. The microbots have all the equipment necessary to move, communicate, and collect data. (Inhabitat; August 31, 2009)
  

Concepts

• Electric Vehicle Recharging Stations >
  Solar Forest Cools and Charges Electric Cars - Designer Neville Mars envisions a parking lot that keeps your electric car cool and charges it while you do whatever you need to do after parking your car. The collectors would track the sun, also maintaining optimal shade below. (Alt Energy News; Aug. 10, 2009)
  

See also

SOLAR GENERAL:
- Directory:Solar - index of resources
- PowerPedia:Solar Energy - Encyclopedic review of history and future
- News:Solar
- Directory:Solar Energy Research and Development
- Videos:Solar
SOLAR MODALITIES:
- Directory:Concentrated Solar Power
- Directory:Solar PhotoVoltaics | Directory:Home Generation:Solar PV
- Directory:Solar Thermal
- Directory:Home Generation:Solar Heating
- Directory:Thin Film Solar
- Directory:Solar:Photosynthesis Imitation
- Directory:Solar Tower
- Directory:Floating Solar Chimney
- Directory:Space Based Solar Power
- Directory:Solar Sails
SOLAR INFRASTRUCTURE
- Directory:Plastic Solar Cells
- Directory:Silicon - more efficient uses, alternatives, methods
- Directory:Black Silicon
- Directory:Synchronous Solar Heliostat
- Directory:Solar:Installation and Consultation
- Directory:Solar:Largest
SOLAR APPLICATIONS:
- Directory:Solar Applications
- Directory:Solar:Chargers
- Directory:Solar:Vehicles
- Directory:Solar Hydrogen
- Directory:Walipini Underground Greenhouses
- OS:Solar Ethanol - distiller design
- Directory:Solar Pavement - black-body absorption of the asphalt

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