Solar Decathlon: Green Tech Chatter

Have an idea for a solar-operated house? Interested in making your house more efficient and getting to know about the latest solar technology? Then the Solar Decathalon might be the place for you. The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon, coming up in September, is a program that challenges 20 teams of college students from around the world to come up with solar houses. The teams do everything from designing to construction, and the houses are judged on their cost and energy-efficiency, as well as their attractiveness and aesthetic design. There is also a European version of the competition, with the next event scheduled to take place in Madrid in 2012.

Since its introduction in 2002, the competition has been held in 2005, 2007 and 2009. This year’s event will take place in the National Mall’s West Potomac Park in Washington, D.C., from September 23 to October 2. It is free and open to the public, including elementary and high-school students, and visitors are encouraged to tour the houses to learn about energy-saving practices and devices that could be used in their own homes and possibly inspire future contenders. Furthermore, the participating students gain a unique experience that prepares them for future careers in the alternative energy and green building sectors.

This week for Green Tech Chatter we have rounded up some news and information on the event, as well as brief profiles of some of the 20 participating teams. Check them out!

 

• Get to know the teams participating this year, and read about their entries, and check out photos of some of 2009′s home designs.
• The Baltimore Sun and WJLA report on “Watershed,” the University of Maryland’s 2011 entry. The University of Maryland was 2007′s Decathalon winner.
• SmartPlanet has the scoop on the entry from Belgium’s Ghent University, the
  E-Cube.
• NJ.com reports on “Team NJ,” made up of students from NJIT and Rutgers, and their 2011 entry.
• The DOE’s Energy Blog discusses the entry idea from Team New York, made up of students from the City College of New York.
• The Burlington Free Press reports on the only liberal arts college participating in the Decathalon, Middlebury College.
• If you or someone you know is interested in participating in the next Solar Decathalon, the US Department of Energy is now accepting proposals for its 2013 competition. But hurry–the deadline is November, 2011.

Paper Airplanes with MIT Solar Technology can Make Electricity

Solar panels come in many forms: Crystalline silicon, thin film, even sprays and transparent plastic. Time to add paper to the list.

A research team from the MIT has developed a flexible and extremely thin solar technology that, when printed, looks like an ordinary document ready to be stapled and turned in as homework.

But when wires are clipped to one end of a floppy sheet and set in the sun, it can power an LCD clock display and other small “gizmos,” researchers said. The technology may help push the solar industry away from hulking, expensive installations and toward options that can easily generate renewable electricity anywhere.

Using vaporous “inks” made from common elements rather than expensive, toxic components like tellurium, solar cells are deposited onto plain, untreated paper, including tissue, tracing paper and even newsprint.

The process, which is similar to the one used to make the shiny interior of potato chip bags, is nearly as simple as ink-jet printing -- just with a vacuum chamber thrown in.

The pages can be molded into paper airplanes and still generate electricity when unfolded. They’re also long-lasting, according to researchers, who tested cells produced last year.

The technology, according to MIT engineers, is cheaper and more adaptable than current commercial solar options that use glass and require heavy support structures. Paper solar cells, they said, can be taped to a wall, attached to laptops or made into window shades and clothing, even laminated to protect against harsh weather.

It will be a while before commercialization, since researchers are still working on improving the device’s efficiency from its current 1%. But may be Apple Inc., which has studied how to create solar-powered touch screen for its Smartphones, should call them up. embedded The MIT team reported the findings in the Advanced Materials journal this month. To watch this cell click embedded link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=21O0tBe-Alk