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Dr Farooq Abdullah in the opening ceremony of CSP TODAY INDIA
 Dr Abdullah, the Union Minister of New and Renewable Energy of India demonstrated the commitment of the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy to the concentrated solar thermal power industry by opening the inaugural CSP TODAY INDIA event. |
Efficiency record of 17.6% on flexible CIGS solar cell on plastic developed at EMPA
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A Textbook Example: Why American Schools Must Go Green
 Schools are a black hole for energy consumption. The buildings, which often serve as the hub of communities, are open from early morning to late at night. With air conditioning or heating systems that run continually, it is not unusual for a single building to use hundreds of thousands of gallons of fossil fuel each year. While this energy consumption is a major concern to students, teachers, administrators and the community ? who all wish to lessen dependence on fossil fuels ? school systems are moving at a glacial pace when it comes to making environmentally conscious decision regarding what technologies should power their facilities. |
US-India Solar Business Council Formed
In an effort to promote trade and investment in the solar industry between the U.S. and India the U.S.-India Business Council (USIBC) was formed this week. The USIBC is comprised of private-sector companies and seeks to help the United States' export solar technologies while furthering India's goal of reducing its dependence on imported coal and fossil fuels through the use of solar energy. The USIBC Solar Task Force is a subcommittee of USIBC's Energy, Environment, Enterprise (EEE) Executive Committee, which is comprised of more than 100 members. |
RENEWABLE ENERGY BUSINESS SECTOR RESPONDS TO RICK SCOTT ATTACK
 A group of businessmen, farmers and renewable energy advocates who met today to support Alex Sink for Governor, were abruptly met with an attack from the Rick Scott campaign. |
Green Collars--Where are the Jobs?
 What about a recently laid-off woman who now pushes a reel mower yard to yard to make money? Would lawn lady's be a green job created, a general job lost, or would the two cancel one another for a net job gain of zero? |
| Everyone Should Weigh In on the New EPA Vehicle Ratings |
What's a Watt?
The evolving discussion over renewable energy technologies has a tendency to get a bit technical. Most of us who work in the renewable energy space take for granted that many potential customers, investors and partners haven't spent any time in academia studying photovaltaics or wind turbines. In fact, they may not have a background in general energy metrics. Terms that once belonged to the realm of industry-insider jargon are quickly becoming standard. Thus, anyone who wants to follow the renewable versus traditional energy debate needs to know what we mean when we say "watt." Here, then, is a brief crash course in energy lingo. |
Desertec Solar Hopes Cloud over as Support Starts To Waver
 A significant piece of good news for the ambitious ?400 billion (Dh1.87 trillion, US $509 billion) scheme came in April, when one of its members, Germany's Solar Millennium, said its 150 MW Kuraymat project in Egypt was nearing completion and could serve as a template for other north African solar farms. |
Cheaper, Better Solar Cell Is Full of Holes
 A new low-cost etching technique developed at the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory can put a trillion holes in a silicon wafer the size of a compact disc. |
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Latest comments made on this video:
By: magicyte. on 08 Sep 10, 12:50:16
@HHO4ALL Fresnel lens dont really have heating applications...since the sun only outputs per sq meter what it outputs. A 1 sq meter fresnel lens captures the same amount a solar air heater would. Stacking them actually would REDUCE the power a heater would receive...due to losing light transmission through the lens...which only gets worse since that same reduced light still would have to travel through the lens of the solar heater.
By: magicyte. on 08 Sep 10, 12:47:36
Cutting fins can easily be avoided by creative hole placement on the ends of the cans..so instead of fin cutting...you cut holes in the ends of the cans. Sort of like lug nuts on a tire config...5 holes...then the next can has 5 holes....but you align the cans "off" each other at about 5 to 10 degrees...which would naturally force the air to swirl...rather than doing all that labour cutting.
By: zsnowshredder. on 26 Aug 10, 17:26:10
@poploco When its 30 degrees outside it gets about 55 degrees inside. Thermometer is the temp coming out of the heater & inside temp of the garage
By: poploco. on 21 Aug 10, 07:26:27
Great project! That,s alot of work. Without any electric heaters in there, how high does the temperature go in winter on a sunny day? I was a bit confused by that thermometer.
By: HHO4ALL. on 20 Aug 10, 04:47:14
I'm sure someone else has probably mentioned this, but why not mount it on the roof. That would give you the angle necessary to capture more sunlight. You could also experiment with using a large Fresnel lens 6" to 12" outside of the box to focus the sunlight onto the cans. Have you considered running copper pipe through each stack of cans and flowing water through the pipe and back into the shop? It could serve 2 purposes... Air & Water Heater.
By: Bobster986. on 16 Aug 10, 19:43:30
It that your House? I love it! Where do you live?
By: c9ari. on 03 Aug 10, 03:32:02
What happens at night?
By: radioastronomer01. on 27 Jul 10, 21:27:37
I have not read all the comments so I don't know all that is said.... I'm a backyard astronomer. Astrophotographers have what is called a "barn door mount" where the camera mount will track the stars. This is done with two pieces of wood, a hinge on one side, a threaded rod through one bord, a stepper motor turning the rod a set number of times a minute pushing the other board. Overly simple calculations. Use a modified version and track the sun with the heater.
By: magicyte. on 05 Jul 10, 13:11:42
@pervezak Reflectors are truly meant for cooking...to increase the heat simply put 4 of these on a house...all working together would equilibriate the air in the house and most likely would even need "house" heat to sustain temps. There's no law saying you can't have an entire south facing wall covered in these.
By: magicyte. on 05 Jul 10, 13:09:55
@rathor1622 Yeah...that's why I was mentioning to another guy about forcing the air through the unit through the cold air in...rather than sucking the air from the hot air out. Sucking causes directional flow...while blowing the air causes multidirectional through the cans...only slightly less air movement...but full circulation.
By: magicyte. on 05 Jul 10, 13:06:59
@DD826 You have to "swirl" cut the cans if you "suck" the air from the hot air out. But if you "blow" the air through the unit from the cold air in...the air is forced to travel over every inch of metal...thus eliminating the need for special cutting...it's the only thing that "cansolair" has done right. Otherwise cansolair is a major rip off.
By: magicyte. on 05 Jul 10, 13:04:36
@jawbraeka Then again once I got my prototype built and try to make a business of it...corrosion won't be a pronlem since I'll be trying for custom built radiators with long fins...the build will be a matter of a day or to vs. monekying around with individual pieces of metal or baffles. Time vs. Money. should be a better trade off.
By: magicyte. on 05 Jul 10, 13:02:20
@jawbraeka Yo...still collecting crap to build it...but will be more than happy to share the specs once it's done...my biggest problem is metal corrosion right now...copper don't like aluminum...
By: magicyte. on 05 Jul 10, 13:01:05
@jobillfleetwood Good idea if the unit is being built "in place", but it would be too heavy to mount otherwise...there's other methods of storing that heat that I'll share once I get my unit built...it's really awesome that's how excited I am about it.
By: nprgonline. on 22 Jun 10, 19:28:29
my suggestion if it helps would be an adjustment in mounting with perhaps a bracket that would enable you to pull the box out away from its stationary position and allow you to position it more to achieve more sun. That and a parabolic mirror vs a regular one that you could mount on to the top of your design. :)
By: nprgonline. on 22 Jun 10, 19:28:23
my suggestion if it helps would be an adjustment in mounting with perhaps a bracket that would enable you to pull the box out away from its stationary position and allow you to position it more to achieve more sun. That and a parabolic mirror vs a regular one that you could mount on to the top of your design. :)
By: pervezak. on 26 May 10, 08:34:07
Put some reflectors,like the ones in solar cooking ovens.Tht should increase the heat gain.
By: jobillfleetwood. on 14 May 10, 01:30:34
One mistake! Don't line the box with insulation board. Run 3/4 inch strips around edge and then fill with salt or sand. After the sun goes down you will still have heat for awhile.
By: jawbraeka. on 09 May 10, 18:41:49
also the oil tubes was a great idea insulate them and you could actually store this for night time use also.... once again great thinking.
By: jawbraeka. on 09 May 10, 18:39:12
@magicyte can you do an updated video of the design please as i would love to see this also :D great work and keep it up... also check GreenPowerScience channel as they have wicked ideas about generating new forms of energy and maybe even show them this
By: GetMeThere1. on 08 May 10, 22:28:36
OK, I see. You're drawing from inside the shop.
By: GetMeThere1. on 08 May 10, 22:22:04
Sorry, I'm not clear on one thing: are you pulling air from you house to "re-heat" or are you pulling fresh air from outside?
By: magicyte. on 05 May 10, 19:16:44
@jawbraeka If this prototype works out I won't be using cans...since I might actually start a business from it...and at that point I'm thinking of getting custom made 4x8 shallow oil pans to replace the cans and what not. With that design all the heat would be forced go go under the oil pan all the way fro the cold air in to hot out. It even eliminates the need for seperate compartments for the air in/out
By: magicyte. on 05 May 10, 19:13:12
@jawbraeka Basically my problem is that I'm combining oil tubes through the center of the cans that stretch the entire length of the unit. I've done some tests on oil and figured out it really stays hot for a long time. So that's my secret...lol. But I know it will even give heat a few hours after the sun has set. Oil has great heat retention.
By: magicyte. on 05 May 10, 19:09:08
@jawbraeka Yeah but you gotta be careful not to reflect the light back out through the face...maybe use thin mirrors along the inner outside edge aimed at the metal at roughly 40 degrees..................but that might be so little of a gain it might not be worth it. I think the biggest challenge is what I'm doing.....making sure my unit gets full coverage of insulation is a bitch.