Solar-Powered Umbrella - Unique Light for your Patio or Backyard Area

Solar-powered umbrella is an excellent idea and a really cool summer gadget that already exist on the market and you can buy one for your patio, backyard, or garden.

This item is great for providing shade during the day and lights for your patio or backyard area at night without adding to your energy bill. During the day, it utilizes and stores energy from the sun in a solar panel located on top of the umbrella. When the sun goes down, the solar patio umbrella lights automatically turn on, proving sophisticated, gentle illumination. It is perfect for those outdoor summer gatherings and romantic dinners.

Solar-powered umbrella has a hi-tech solar panel attaches at the finial (top) of the umbrella to power the white LED's which are located on the ribs. Most models have also been designed with a center hub light that includes several LED's inside. The batteries inside the solar panel are replaceable and the LED's are also replaceable. The panel will charge in direct sunlight and fully charged provides 6-8 hours of light.

Solar-powered Tech Chair on the Beach

The solar-powered Tech Chair is definitely an interesting idea thought up by experts from the UK-based computer retailer PC World. It may easily become the summer favorite possession especially for the geeks as it boasts all the essential ports for various gadgets to hook up to while you're lying on the beach and tanning under the summer sun. Keep in mind, however, that you should place all your gadgets in a shaded area or under an umbrella, since the direct exposure to sunlight is incompatible with electronics.

The major feature of the chair is that it is solar-powered, harnessing energy from the sun so you can plug in all your gadgets. The overhead shade maker is equipped with solar cells to power the docks for your phone, MP3 player, camera, video recorder, and laptop, plus there's a game console holder, LCD screen, speakers, and headphone sockets. An interesting feature also is the automatic sunshade which follows the sun to keep your face shielded. The special solar fabric will provide protection from sun, wind, sand, water and suncream.

Perhaps most useful is the built-in long-range WiFi and Bluetooth antenna for keeping you connected. Another nice thing is a sliding laptop table which is available so you can work in the sun. And at the foot of the tech chair there is even a GPS device.

Anina Castle, spokesperson for PC World said: "We're also looking to incorporate a mobile text reservations system, whereby the Tech Chair can be booked by text and located via GPS so Britons don't have to worry about getting up before their early-rising European cousins."

"The Tech Chair unites a number of electrical products in a lightweight portable package that can be folded into a compact suitcase design small enough to take as carry-on luggage.", a PC World spokeswoman also said.

The solar-powered Tech Chair is still a concept design and experts have not yet worked out how much it will cost to buy.

Sources: The Design Blog, Sky News, Metro Headlines

Rotating Skyscraper Powered by Wind and Sun in Dubai

The Italian architect David Fisher said he is ready to start construction on a  futuristic rotating skyscraper in Dubai that will be "the world's first building in motion". The modern "Dynamic Tower" construction, which would be energy self sufficient and cost about 700 million dollars to build, will represent an 80-storey tower with revolving floors that give it an ever-shifting shape. 

The spinning floors, hung like rings around an immobile central column, would offer residents a constantly changing view of the city's skyline and the Persian Gulf. Each floor will rotate independently at different speeds. It will take between one and three hours for the floors to make a complete rotation.

Rotating floors are just one of several futuristic features in the building. Using wind and solar power, it will generate more electricity than it uses. Horizontally mounted giant wind turbines fitted between each rotating floor will generate enough energy to power the tower and nearby buildings. 20% of each roof will be exposed to the sun and photovoltaic cells placed on the roof of each rotating floor will produce solar energy. For the interior of the luxury apartments will be used only natural and recyclable materials, including stone, marble, glass and wood.

The dwellings will be assembled in a factory outside Bari in southern Italy, equipped with plumbing and electricity systems, kitchens, bathrooms and ceilings. They will arrive also painted, decorated and, in some cases, with walls hung with artwork. An apartment will cost between $3.7 million to $36 million dollars. Lifts will allow penthouse residents to park their cars right at their apartments.

The plan was revealed by Mr Fisher in a press conference at the Plaza Hotel in New York on June 24. "Today's life is dynamic, so the space we are living in should be dynamic as well," he said. "Buildings will follow rhythms of nature. They will change direction and shape from spring to summer, from sunrise to sunset, and adjust themselves to the weather. In other words, buildings will be alive."

Construction of the rotating skyscraper is scheduled to be completed by 2010.

Update 2020: The project has not been completed yet.

Mandatory solar panels in German town of Marburg

The central German town of Marburg is the first in German to make solar panels mandatory for almost all rooftops of private and commercial buildings. The controversial new law requires a solar panel for every new building and every old building that is being renovated. The historical buildings such as the Marburg Castle, Marburg's City Hall, and the Elisabeth Church will be exempt from the requirement.

The solar law was approved by the town's council on June 20, and will take effect Oct. 1. According to the law, a 1 square meter (10 square feet) panel must be installed for every 20 square meters (200 square feet) of surface area. Installing the panels could cost homeowners up to €5,000 ($7,800). The cost would be paid off through savings in energy bills over a 15-year period, the town's mayor, Franz Kahle, said. Those violating the law will face fines starting at €1,000 ($1,500).

The town is home to Marburg University and has about 80,000 residents. Most of the residents support the decision made by the Social Democrats and Greens, but the opposition leaders say that to force people to equip their homes with solar panels equates to a "green dictatorship," and that "nobody dares to say anything."

"Sometimes you must force the hand of consumers for their own good", says the specialist in solar Vajen Klaus, a professor at the University of Kasel.

Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Panels

Solar photovoltaic (PV) technology uses the sunlight to produce electricity. PV cell is the smallest element in the PV system. A PV cell is made up of two thin layers of semi-conducting material (usually silicon), treated with small amounts of substances giving the cell the means to produce electricity when exposed to sunlight.

The basic PV or solar cell typically produces only a small amount of power. To produce more power, solar cells can be connected in series to make a PV module (a.k.a. PV panel, solar electric panel). Solar cells or more photovoltaic modules form a PV array. The amount of power solar panels produce is determined by the quality of the solar panel, solar cells and technology used in making the solar panel.

Conventional PV solar panels made from silicon wafers (monocrystalline silicon) convert about 17 to 20 percent of sunlight into usable electricity. The latest solar panels that utilize the new cell can convert into electricity 22 percent of the sunlight they collect. Polycrystalline panels efficiency typically range from 15% to 17%.

Typically, PV panels are mounted on a roof or are integrated in the roof so they act as both a part of the roof or shingles, and a solar panel at the same time. PV can also be incorporated as building facades and canopies. Integrated PV systems are usually installed during construction of the building. The amount of power that a PV panel will deliver is proportional to the amount of sunlight that falls upon it. Ideally PV panels are best placed so that they face south (±450). Photovoltaic panels, however, suffer from decreased power output when they heat up, so high temperatures decrease their efficiency.

When the PV panel is tied to a power grid, the DC (direct current) is converted to alternating current (AC) at grid rating by an inverter. Grid connect PV systems are often integrated into buildings. If you generate more power than you consume, the meter spins backward, as that surplus electricity flows back into the grid for others to use. By returning surplus electricity to the grid, no battery is needed. Some power companies will compensate surplus at a rate that is different than the cost of consumption.

A basic off-grid PV system consists of a solar panel, which generates DC power, a battery bank that stores the DC power, and an inverter (if AC power is required). Modern PV systems are also equipped with some kind of electronic charge controller. The main job of the charge controller is to prevent the battery from being overcharged and also from deep discharging of the battery. The charge controller also protects the solar panels from electrical damage.

The working life of a solar panel is approximately 20 to 25 years and once purchased they continue to produce electrical power for many years. Virtually, they require little or no maintenance, but dust or grime on the front of solar panels will substantially reduce the output, so they should be cleaned periodically.