SOLAR PANEL WINDOWS COULD CUT COST OF GREEN POWER
20 July 2008
Thanks to a new technology from a team at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), windows could be used as powerful solar panels. The technique uses transparent dyes to capture, concentrate and redirect light along the surface of the glass to photovoltaic cells in the frame, which convert the light into electricity. This results in a tenfold increase in power output compared with use of the PV cell alone.
Costs could be slashed because the expensive PV cells only need to be installed at the sides of the panels , rather than across the whole surface. Through a device called an “organic solar concentrator”, a mixture of organic dyes are painted onto the surface of a pane or glass. The dyes trap different wavelengths of sunlight and then guide the energy towards the PV cells at the edges.
The technique can also be applied to standard solar panels on roofs and walls to improve their efficiency. The technology should cost less than 50 pence per watt to build, is relatively simple to manufacture and could be commercially available within 3 years. It is hoped that governments will give financial support.
ENCOURAGING NEWS FROM CHINA
04 July 2008
The Carbon Trust, an independent company set up by the government to help Britain reduce its co2 emissions, is exporting its skills by opening an office in Beijing, to help the fast-growing Chinese business sector reduce its carbon footprint.
GREEN ENERGY COULD BE MODERN GOLD RUSH
04 July 2008
This observation was made by Achim Steiner, head of the UN’s environment programme, as he launched the report Global Trends in Sustainable Energy Investment 2008.
The clean technology sector has bounced back from the credit crunch, unlike other sectors such as mainstream construction. The latest UN figures show a resurgence of interest from investors in alternative energy. Money raised and spent during 2008 should be ahead of 2007, which was a banner year when annual investment levels grew 60% to reach almost £73bn.VOTERS IN U.K. SAY CLIMATE MORE URGENT THAN ECONOMY
04 July 2008
In a Guardian/ICM commissioned poll published 0n 2nd July 52% said that the environment should be the Government’s priority. 44% said that the economy should be. Almost two-thirds questioned supported introducing green taxes to discourage actions that harm the environment. These results appear to show that climate change is now a mainstream political issue.
