Metal trees with a seven-meter canopy of solar panels that generate electricity may soon be coming to car parks and shopping malls in the UK.

Solar trees could soon be charging your car

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Metal trees with a seven-meter canopy of solar panels that generate electricity may soon be coming to car parks and shopping malls in the UK.

The structures, which will capture the sun’s energy through nano photovoltaic “leaves” and could store it in a battery placed within the tree’s trunk, were designed by British startup SolarBotanic Trees as a power source for charging electric vehicles (EV). The company recently completed a half-scale prototype of the device and is now looking to build and test a full-size version, before beginning commercial production at the end of the year.

In the UK, EV charging infrastructure is rapidly growing, with more than 40,000 public charging points installed by the end of April 2023, up 37% from the previous year, according to ZapMap, an EV mapping service. But this still does not keep up with demand, with the UK’s Climate Change Committee estimating that 325,000 charging points will be needed by 2032 to support the growing electric fleet.

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Source: CNN

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Scientists have achieved a new world record for a next-generation solar cell, which holds the promise for novel applications like building-integrated and window solar panels.

Scientists break world record for solar power window material

Scientists have achieved a new world record for a next-generation solar cell, which holds the promise for novel applications like building-integrated and window solar panels.

The breakthrough follows two years of research from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University into organic solar cells (OSCs), which until now have been too inefficient and costly to be used widely in practical applications.

The research team invented a new technique to boost the stability of OSCs, achieving a power-conversion efficiency of 19.3 per cent.

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Source: Independent

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France-based off-grid solutions provider Sunwind has developed a PV module that can be used at ski stations, ski lifts and resorts at high altitudes in mountainous areas.

Solar panels for ski areas

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France-based off-grid solutions provider Sunwind has developed a PV module that can be used at ski stations, ski lifts and resorts at high altitudes in mountainous areas.

“The mountain is in our DNA,”§ the company’s founder, Xavier Duport, told pv magazine France. “The high mountain environment is conducive to the production of solar electricity, due to greater irradiation, less atmospheric pollution, and a stronger albedo effect which brings 5 to 10% of production in more about the winter months thanks to the snowpack.”

For the modules, the company uses a special encapsulation process based on a composite multi-layer that gives them the exact shape of the polycarbonate side windows they replace.

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Source: PV Magazine

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Agrivoltaics has other benefits besides dual land use and food security; it could also reduce greenhouse gas emissions and make more efficient use of water.

Could growing crops under solar panels provide food and energy at the same time?

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Imagine growing greens in your back yard under a solar panel, and then juicing them in a blender powered by the same energy. A new University of Alberta project is working to make that a reality.

By growing spinach under different solar panels, two U of A researchers are measuring how the process affects both plant growth and the electrical output of the panels.

Known as agrivoltaics, the fairly new sustainable practice integrates solar panels with crops, making simultaneous use of land for both food and energy production.

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Source: University of Alberta

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The microclimate created underneath the solar panels conserves the water and protects plants from excess sun, wind, hail and soil erosion.

How shading crops with solar panels can improve farming, lower food costs and reduce emissions

If you have lived in a home with a trampoline in the backyard, you may have observed the unreasonably tall grass growing under it. This is because many crops, including these grasses, actually grow better when protected from the sun, to an extent.

And while the grass under your trampoline grows by itself, researchers in the field of solar photovoltaic technology — made up of solar cells that convert sunlight directly into electricity — have been working on shading large crop lands with solar panels — on purpose.

This practice of growing crops in the protected shadows of solar panels is called agrivoltaic farming. And it is happening right here in Canada.

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Source: The Conversation

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San Francisco-based Built Robotics launched the "RPD 35," a robot based on an excavator. It can carry heavy solar piles used to support solar panels and install them on a solar farm.

How this new robot will help build solar farms in a fast, effective way

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A Bay Area company recently launched a robot that will help build solar farms.

San Francisco-based Built Robotics launched the “RPD 35,” a robot based on an excavator. It can carry heavy solar piles used to support solar panels and install them on a solar farm.

The company said the robot helps build solar farms in a faster, safer and more cost-effective way.

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Source: ABC7 News

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New study finds that an optimal arrangement of solar panels on farms can cool the panels down by 10 degrees—crucial for their efficiency.

Solar panels handle heat better when they’re combined with crops

It’s an ironic fact that sun-harvesting solar panels function better when they’re not too hot. But luckily researchers have now discovered precisely how to cool them down. Building solar panels at a specific height above crops can reduce surface temperatures by up to 10 °C, compared to traditional panels constructed over bare ground, they’ve found.

The results, published in the journal Applied Energy, are the latest contribution to a growing body of research on agrivoltaics: a farming method that aims to maximize land use by pairing solar panels with cropland, thus minimizing competition between energy production and food. We already know that agrivoltaics can increase land-use efficiency, produce plenty of electricity on minimal land, and may also improve crop yields by shielding plants from heat and wind.

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Source: Anthropocene

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For about 40 years, car companies, startups and DIY enthusiasts have been pursuing the plug-less electric car, one that could wirelessly recharge via photons.

How solar roofs are being used to power electric cars

Every two years, engineering students from across the US compete in the American Solar Challenge, where around 10 schools cobble together a car designed to go as far as possible, powered exclusively by the sun. In 2022, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology took the top prize with a car that looks sort of like a ping-pong table sprouted wheels. On its best day, the Nimbus made it an impressive 869 miles (1,398 kilometers), roughly the distance from New York to Milwaukee. Of course, there are just a few impracticalities to contend with: The Nimbus can’t carry a passenger, for one, let alone a haul of groceries.

The quest to develop a solar-powered car that is at once functional, useful and practical has stumped more than the young wizards at MIT. In February, Sono Group NV said it would abandon its Sion solar-electric car after failing to raise enough money for the project. A month earlier, Dutch startup Lightyear suspended production of its €250,000 ($264,450) solar car and filed for bankruptcy. (Both declined interviews for this piece.) California’s Aptera Motors, while happy with its three-wheeled solar-powered machine, has struggled to complete a crowdfunding campaign to get it into production.

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Source: Bloomberg

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ALVA Yachts is back with its latest solar electric catamaran, equipped with the solar and electric propulsion technology to reach a top speed of 16-17 mph at sea.

New 78-foot solar electric catamaran with ‘transatlantic range’

Luxury electric boatbuilder ALVA Yachts is back with its latest solar electric catamaran. The upcoming OCEAN ECO 78 will arrive as a mid-size marine vessel in ALVA’s current lineup and comes equipped with the solar and electric propulsion technology to reach a top speed of 14-15 knots (16-17 mph) at sea, plus plenty of battery capacity to go far – all backed by solar panels on its roof.

ALVA Yachts is a German company founded in 2020 by Mathias May and Holger Henn, evolving out of PICA yachts, which was originally founded back in 2013. In that time, ALVA’s predecessor launched over forty 20-30 foot sailing and electric powerboats.

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Source: electrek

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Sesame Solar aims to provide renewable energy even in the face of disasters and can also be used to stay off the grid in remote areas.

Mobile solar solution provides access to clean water and emergency power

Sesame Solar, a U.S.-based startup in the renewable sector, aims to provide renewable energy even in the face of disasters. Its mobile nano-grid solution can also be used to stay off the grid in remote areas. All it needs is sunlight and water.

When a natural disaster strikes, power and water ae disrupted. Until grid-based power can be restored, generators are often rushed to the site. Powered by fossil fuels, these contribute to carbon emissions. At a time when natural disasters are common, Sesame Solar has a simple solution to keep the diesel generator at bay.

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Source: Interesting Engineering

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