Technological advances in the way solar panel components are being produced have prompted predictions that solar power will soon be as cheap as coal. The price of crystalline silicon modules has fallen from $4 per watt in 2007 to $0.50 per watt in 2014 following new, low-cost production processes. Some of the more unique solar applications being tried:
A bike lane in South Korea sits in the middle of a highway and is fitted with a solar panel roof. The path stretches the 20 miles between the two cities of Daejeon and Sejong. In addition to providing a safe place for the cyclists to ride, the route also provides energy for nearby areas. The bike path has become so popular that a new lane is being planned around the city of Sejong that will stretch for 217 miles.
This idea is not to be confused with the solar bike path that opened recently in the Netherlands, which is a solar roadway. This project is a bit different since it is a pavement road with a solar roof.
Mirror gives Italian Village Its Place in the Sun. A village in the Italian Alps is finally basking in winter sunlight thanks to a giant mirror installed on a mountain top to reflect the sun’s rays into the main square.” They use a heliostat to reflect sun into the town square. I’ve thought about doing this (on a much smaller scale) to reflect light into my east facing living room windows.
Pretty detailed description of a building using the soap bubble insulation scheme.
I’d say this is on the experimental side, but the idea has been used on some “real” greenhouses — quite an interesting concept!
Doug’s homemade heat pump that efficiently cools his beer kegs and heats domestic hot water. Its a heat pump that pumps heat out of the beer and into the domestic hot water tank.
Many more projects that will upset corporate oil companies…
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