A startup in Germany has developed a new kind of solar panel made of small, organic molecules deposited on polyester films. The technology is similar to what’s used for OLED displays for phones and flat-screen TVs. The panels are flexible, and far lighter than conventional solar panels, yet in some locations—particularly where it’s hot or cloudy—they can generate just as much electricity as a conventional solar panel.Heliatek, based in Dresden, is funded by Bosch, BASF, and others, and has raised 28 million euros so far. The company, which recently started making its panels on a small, proof-of-concept production line, hopes to raise an additional 60 million euros, part of which will be used to build a 75-megawatt factory. This is fairly small for a solar panel factory—at such a small scale, Heliatek’s panels will cost more per watt than conventional solar panels, says CEO Thibaud de Séguillon. But in four to five years, by which time Heliatek should reach large-scale production, the cost could drop to around 40 to 50 cents per watt, which would make them competitive with conventional solar panels, he says.

Tinted Windows that Generate Electricity – Technology Review

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http://www.climatewell.com/index.html#/applications

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# INTRODUCTION# DESCRIPTION OF VAPOR ADSORPTION SYSTEM# THEORETICAL STUDIES 1. Adsorption mechanisms 2. Thermodynamic model 1. Isosteric heating 2. Isobaric desorption 3. Isosteric cooling 4. Isobaric adsorption# CHOICE OF ADSORBENT–ADSORBATE PAIRS 1. Zeolite–water 2. Activated carbon–methanol 3. Silica gel–water 4. Activated carbon–ammonia# EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES OF ADSORPTION COOLING SYSTEM 1. Flat plate collector 2. Compound parabolic collector 3. Evacuated tube collector# ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF SOLAR ADSORPTION REFRIGERATION SYSTEM# PRESENT STATUS OF ADSORPTION SYSTEM AND FURTHER SCOPE OF RESEARCH# CONCLUSIONS

http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.3691610

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1. System performance and economic analysis of solar-assisted cooling/heating system
2. Prospects for solar cooling – An economic and environmental assessment

Producing refrigeration and/or air conditioning from solar energy remains an inviting prospect, given that a typical building’s cooling load peaks within 2 or 3 h of the time of maximum solar irradiation. The attractiveness of “free” cooling obtained from the sun has spawned a wealth of research over the last several decades, as summarized in a number of review articles. Obstacles—especially high initial costs—remain to the widespread commercialization of solar cooling technologies. It is not clear at the present time if thermally driven systems will prove to be more competitive than electrically driven systems. We therefore describe a technical and economic comparison of existing solar cooling approaches, including both thermally and electrically driven. We compare the initial costs of each technology, including projections about future costs of solar electric and solar thermal systems. Additionally we include estimates of the environmental impacts of the key components in each solar cooling system presented. One measure of particular importance for social acceptance of solar cooling technologies is the required “footprint,” or collector area, necessary for a given cooling capacity. We conclude with recommendations for future research and development to stimulate broader acceptance of solar cooling. The projections made show that solar electric cooling will require the lowest capital investment in 2030 due to the high COPs of vapor compression refrigeration and strong cost reduction targets for PV technology.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.solener.2012.01.020

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The present work compares the environmental impact of three different thermal energy storage (TES) systems for solar power plants. A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for these systems is developed: sensible heat storage both in solid (high temperature concrete) and liquid (molten salts) thermal storage media, and latent heat storage which uses phase change material (PCM). The aim of this paper is to analyze if the energy savings related to the stored energy of the different systems are enough to balance the environmental impact produced during the manufacturing and operation phase of each storage system. Some hypothetical scenarios are studied using LCA methodology to point out the differences between each TES system.The system based on solid media, due to his simplicity, shows the lowest environmental impact per kWh stored of all three systems compared. In addition, the liquid media (molten salts) shows the highest impact per kWh stored because it needs more material and complex equipment.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2012.01.008

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This paper presents a first assessment of the renewable energy projects, proposed by the nine Mediterranean Partner Countries (MPCs) under the Mediterranean Solar Plan (MSP) and the associated potential economic impacts. As one of the priority projects of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), the MSP’s objective which attracted most attention until now is the intention to deploy an additional 20 GW of renewable electrical capacity in the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean region (covering the MPCs plus Turkey) by 2020. The main findings of this research are: (1) as of February 2010, a total of 10.3 GW of renewable project proposals were identified in the MPCs, corresponding to about half of the 20 GW target; (2) investment needs for the identified projects could amount to EUR 21 billion by 2020, which represents about five times the amount invested by the region in conventional electricity generation in the last decade; and (3) the difference between the cost of renewable electricity generation and the economic cost of its fossil fuel alternatives could amount to EUR 1.2 billion. Insights stemming from the results of this research can generate useful regional messages for energy policy leaders in the MPCs to accelerate the development of renewable energy projects.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2012.01.052

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