Solar Panels, from the Ocean to the Grove to Your Phone

Alrighty, I’ve got more solar power updates for you. Two of these I find to be very cool, the other one – kinda sketchy, in my opinion. Since I like to leave on a good note, I think I’ll start with the suspicious one.

Ocean Floating Panels — Full of Saltwater?

SunEnergy has come up with a new type of solar panel: the waterproof, ocean floating solar panel. Now, I get it, I really do: something like 75 percent of the Earth’s surface is covered by water, which makes it a prime candidate for capturing the sun’s rays. And since so much of our land is covered with roads and structures or is blessedly bare and we want to keep it that way (thank you very much), then what could be better than a solar panel drifting out at sea? However, (and this is a big but), they didn’t say how they plan to protect these nifty little devices. They float during sunny weather when there are rays to consume and store and they submerge themselves during cloudy or stormy days. BUT…what is keeping them from being attacked by sea animals, run over by ocean crafts, or caught up and dragged under by sea plants? I imagine the company will have to come up with a designated part of the ocean where it can moor the floating panels together in a sort-of panel farm, but isn’t this just another way to negatively impact an eco-system?

Solar Phones Made from Recycled Water Bottles

Photo Credit: Shazari

Ok, enough of that, moving right along we are all soon to have the newest in cell phone technology – the solar phone! KDDI, Corp of Japan has invented a phone with its own solar power. Unfortunately it takes 10 minutes of soaking up the rays to power a one-minute phone call, but it’s new and I’m sure it will be improved upon soon. The sun can power the phone’s battery up to an 80 percent charge, reducing the amount of electricity you’ll need to charge your phone. Even better, the phones are made from the plastics extracted from recycled water bottles.

Plug In and Drive in Chicago

Lastly, Chicago is installing solar groves in an effort to encourage the use of electric vehicles and as the answer to EV drivers who need a little pick-me-up while out and about the town.

Photo Credit: frankh

These Solar Plug-in Stations weren’t just installed out of the goodness of their hearts, though, the city is showing them off as part of their bid to host the 2016 Olympic Games. Nevertheless, it was a positive move and they are very proud of the solar groves, which, they noted, will be in much more demand soon. Chicago seems very hopeful, if not confident that we’ll all be tooling around in EVs very soon. While you would be hard-pressed to convince me that that’s true, I find it reassuring to know that others have such great faith.

Posted on May 7th in Solar Products by Jennifer.