Recent Discussions in Solar PV Challenges
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Vinaytakbhanu suggested Develop hybrid solar panels in Increasing the Efficiency of Solar Panels 9 months ago
R&D to identify element that emits electron at even lowest sun radiation and designing a hybrid model that can also convert heat to electricity. One can experiment on integrating all…
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I have designed a structure that utilizes the concepts of organic hydroponic vertical greenhouse farming, greenhouse gas convection control and utilization, geothermal heat and power, solar power, wind power, gravity,…
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Latest Questions - Solar PV
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Solarenergy wants to know Why Should You Build Solar PV Panels? 5 months ago
If you’re considering building solar pv panels onto your home, you probably have a ton of questions. Is solar right for me? Is it really worth the investment? Will solar really make a difference in the fight against global warming?
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Hmm I would imagine that the primary reason you would build a solar panel for your home is to become energy independent. Global warming aside, it ensures a uniform energy price for the 20 subsequent years. One thing you might want to look at before starting is the kind of incentive your local/federal government offers you. It could be in the form of feed-in tariffs or your government might pay you for the electricity that you have not consumed from the grid(since you would use your own power).Once you factor all of this in, you will get an idea of the investment return on your start up capital. Hope this helps. Feel free to shoot out any more questions that you might have.
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Most of the renewable energy initiatives have huge capital investment and long gestation time than conventional modes. This effectively shunts away most of people to use these alternative methods.
Does providing govt subsidy is the only way to make people to use these technologies ?
Any comments...in Biomass Power Production Solar PV Onshore Wind Regulations, Policies and Incentives
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then why the people don't want to use solar car?
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As discussed, on an average 100 watt energy can be generated from a meter square solar panel on a sunny day....
so what is the measurement for those incident solar radiations falling on that solar panel out of which we are able to harvest 100 watt.
so that we can conclude ---- units radiations did fall on the panel today that's why --- watt energy was harvested.
Because radiations/energy in a sunny day in New york will be different than that of in Sahara desert...in Solar PV
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Okay that makes the panels between 22% and 30% efficient, which I really doubt that is going to happen. I am wondering where he came up with these magical solar panels that are supposed to be that efficient? Still no where near 98% efficient as you first article suggested (correction 96% efficient).
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he discovery of a new type of chlorophyll in the rocky stromatolites of Shark Bay in Western Australia has resulted in Min Chen being awarded the Science Minister's Prize for Life Scientist of the Year.
Chlorophyll is the pigment found in plants that absorbs light into one of two types of photosystems which eventually allow the processing of sugars for energy.
It had previously been found to exist in four different forms named chlorophyll a, b, c and d. The new type of chlorophyll, dubbed chlorophyll f, has been shown to absorb much farther into the red end of the visible spectrum, and it has potential applications in the solar cells and crop plants.- 1 person added this post to their reference
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Kyzyl wants to know Will This Be Obama's Watergate? 8 months ago
By Jeff Siegel | Monday, October 10th, 2011
Jeff Siegel
Any time you see the words “internal memo” in a news report, you know it can't be good.
You'd think these guys in Washington would know better by now...
If you're going to do something shady, don't use email as your method of communication. Even drug dealers know better than to use email, land lines, or traceable mobile phones.
Don't get me wrong; I'm not comparing common drug dealers to politicians.
After all, drug dealers know how to support job creation in a real free market.
Laws? What Laws?
So a series of emails that were probably never meant to be shared with the public have shown that an assistant Treasury secretary told the deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget that the Solyndra deal could violate federal law because it put investors' interests ahead of taxpayers' interests.
This isn't new.
You think all those ethanol subsidies didn't put investors' interests ahead of taxpayers' interests?
You think all those agricultural subsidies don't put investors' interests ahead of taxpayers' interests?
You think all those “clean coal” subsidies don't put investors' interests ahead of taxpayers' interests?
Hell, just last month the DOE awarded $14 million to six carbon capture projects — $14 million at a time when they're supposedly getting tough on spending.
Meanwhile, the $4 billion welfare check for the oil & gas industry every year is still getting cut...
Interestingly, while the Obama administration's Solyndra scandal is making the rounds on all the cable news shows, we haven't heard much about another scandal coming out of the White House.
And this one is connected to a $13 billion project. -
Kyzyl wants to know Solar: Norwegian Would 9 months ago
Norway’s $2.4 billion solar pioneer Renewable Energy Corp would churn out photovoltaics in its home country, if only it could.
http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/intelligent-energy/solar-norwegian-would/9194?tag=nl.e660in Solar PV
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Rajesh1986 wants to know Is there any country in world which runs trains using Solar Energy? 9 months ago
Is it possible to run trains using solar panels ? If it's possible means how much it would cost to build such train in India?
in Solar PV
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Some updates... Trains with Solar-Power Boost - ANSA. Italy has unveiled Europe’s first solar-power-assisted train. The solar panels on the train’s roof do not drive it but provide energy for its air conditioning, illumination and safety systems - http://www.greencarcongress.com/2005/10/italian_trains_.html (see also: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/etap/inaction/pdfs/oct07_solar_train.pdf ) Solar Steam Train - http://solarsteamtrain.com/cms/ Europe’s first “solar tunnel” is providing power to high-speed trains running between Paris and Amsterdam - The 3.6-kilometer (2.2-mile) tunnel, built to protect trains from falling trees as they pass through an ancient forest near Antwerp, is covered with solar cells and could generate 3.3 MWh of electricity annually. Enfinity, the company behind the project, says that’s equivalent to the average annual consumption of nearly 1,000 homes. It also claims that the tunnel will decrease CO2 emissions by 2,400 tons per year - http://www.wired.com/autopia/2011/06/enfinity-solar-tunnel/
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Narsi wants to know Solyndra's Cylindrical Solar Thin Films - Any Technology Superiority? 9 months ago
All right, it is perhaps a bit too late to debate upon Solyndra's technology now that the company appears to be headed down the tube (pun deliberate). All the same, I got inquisitive while going through the description of their technology ( http://www.solyndra.com/technology-products/cylindrical-module/ ):
"Solyndra designs and manufactures proprietary cylindrical modules incorporating copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) thin-film technology. Our panels employ cylindrical modules which capture sunlight across a 360-degree photovoltaic surface capable of converting direct, diffuse and reflected sunlight into electricity. In the industry sometimes panels are referred to as modules; at Solyndra, each panel is made up of individual modules."
See the picture here - http://www.solyndra.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/tube-lightsources.png - to get a better idea...
I see an advantage with regard to the reflected light, but is this cylindrical shape really going to provide efficiency increases over flat thin film...for one, by making them cylindrical and requiring that there be gaps between the two cylinders, you are sacrificing that small area which in the case of flat thin film would have generated power...it is hence likely that some of the efficiencies owing to reflected light etc., could well get negated owing to structural inefficiencies such as the one I mentioned above...
Strangely, the web pages at Solyndra compare performances with crystalline silicon panels...I am not saying it is irrelevant, but they should also be doing it against flat thin films...
The other benefit touted by Solyndra about ease of installation might well be (I mean, might well had been :-)) an advantage...in Solar PV
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China govt appears to be putting in huge money into solar as well - Suntech Chief Praises China's Policy Incentives, Builds Plant in Arizona - Government policy initiatives have had a more powerful effect on the Chinese renewables industry than direct investment in research and development, said - http://energy.aol.com/2011/05/17/suntech-chief-praises-chinas-policy-incentives-builds-plant-in/
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Vinaytakbhanu suggested Develop hybrid solar panels in Increasing the Efficiency of Solar Panels 9 months ago
R&D to identify element that emits electron at even lowest sun radiation and designing a hybrid model that can also convert heat to electricity. One can experiment on integrating all the available technologies. According bringing in thin films and crystalline technology together to make panels could possibly bring down the environmental effects on the panels. However, I believe it would not be possible to achieve 40% percent in the real time situation but there would be consistency in the efficiency through out the panels lifespan.
To achieve 40% efficiency in real time as well it is essential to experiment the panels performance in all possible conditions. I would like to believe that a hybrid of amorphous silicon and crystalline silicon could perform better in all the condition with consistency in its efficiency with minor deviations in value. However, I can not comment further on this since there is no one experimenting in this dimension. And can only hope if someone indeed comes up with outside the box idea instead of trying to follow the paths of their ancestors in Solar Energy...!!!in Solar PV
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@narsi- I can't say something about commercially attractiveness of Si-Si connection, but the mechanism is the next. Amorphous silicon always contains hydrogen in quantity from 5 to 20 at%, which blocks the torn off communications of silicon, therefore it is the hydrogenated form of silicon. The hydrogenated amorphous silicon (aSi:H) is the forward-flow semiconductor with width of the forbidden zone 1.7 eV and high factor of optical absorption (α> 105 cm-1 for photons with energy 1.7 eV). It means that the film in few micron in the thickness will absorb the most part of sunlight. The disadvantage of this material is the degradation of physical properties under the influence of sunlight – the Staebler-Wronski effect. To raise stability of properties of photo cells, as the semiconductor, use crystalline silicon as addition. The diphasic material contains inclusions of micro or nano crystals of silicon in silicon amorphous matrix.
Take the Solar PV Challenge
- Decreasing the Capital Costs of Solar PV
- Increasing the Efficiency of Solar Panels
- Making BIPV Cheaper
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- Reducing Toxic Materials in the Manufacture of Solar Panels
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Latest Discussions - Solar PV
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Gaya3 wants to discuss Solar Cell that Shines in Order to Produce More Electricity (Record-Breaking Technology) - CleanTechnica 4 weeks ago
Solar Cell that Shines in Order to Produce More Electricity (Record-Breaking Technology) - CleanTechnica - http://cleantechnica.com/2012/04/23/solar-cell-that-shines-in-order-to-produce-more-electricity-innovative-research-record-breaking-technology/?utm_source=dlvr.it
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Gaya3 wants to discuss Monarch Lotus - Focused Solar Power (FSP) 3 months ago
The Monarch Lotus has been designed to look like a lotus flower. It is meant to capture the solar energy and aid in generating electricity, providing hot water to small hotels or homes. The lotus is capable of generating 2KW , sufficient for an average household. http://www.monarch-power.com/blog/2012/02/28/introducing-the-monarch-lotus/
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Virafmehta posted a blog WASTE WARRIORS 4 months ago
Waste warriors is a group of professional Environmentalists engaged in creating a clean and green environment with social awareness.
We are a group of professionals engaged in the business of Developing and promoting Products in Bio plastics and MSWM Systems , Alternative Energy Products and Systems, Energy efficiency,At source composting of organic kitchen waste and Recycling of all recyclable waste materials from homes,offices and industries including e-waste recycling and hazardous medical waste management.
We would like to have your support in developing CDM Projects and work on developing actual data on emissions management with respect to the benefits of a Decentralized…Company : GREEN TECHNOLOGY PRODUCTS AND SERVICESin Solar PV Thin Film Solar Cells Sewage Waste Management Agri Waste Management eWaste Management Plastic Management Water Purification Water Conservation and Reuse Ecotourism Cleantech Government Policies and Regulations Clean Development Mechanism Biopolymers and Bioplastics
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Good work
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Divyajeychandren shared a picture Solar-powered, waterproof iPhone case 4 months ago
Snow Lizard has unveiled their AQUA TEK S case for iPhone 4 and 4S, the first that is battery-charged, waterproof and solar-powered for outdoor adventures.
This case isn't a thin, sleek case for keeping in your pocket, it's made for people who take their phones into more extreme situations and need a little more padding. The case is built from thick, dirt-resistant poly-carbonate with rubber grips and it is waterproof up to 20 feet. It features a built-in battery that can be recharged by the solar panel on the back of the phone. All of the phone's features and controls -- camera, volume, speakers and display -- are still accessible when using the case, meaning you can finally put the improved 4S camera to the test with some underwater photos.
http://www.treehugger.com/gadgets/solar-powered-waterproof-iphone-case-backpackers-dream.html?campaign=daily_nlin Solar PV
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Apple $ 1 billion data center in Maiden, North Carolina, will have a 20 MW solar installation, located on 100 acres which will supply 42 million kWh of renewable energy each year. Apple is also building a 5 MW fuel cell installation adjacent to the data center, which will be powered by 100% biogas and provide more than 40 million kWh of baseload renewable energy annually.
The facility has already earned the LEED Platinum certification. The data centre’s chilled water storage system is designed to improve chiller efficiency by transferring 10,400 kWh of electricity consumption from peak to off-peak hours every day. Outside air is funneled into the building at night and during cool-weather hours. Use of outside air and the water storage system allows the chillers to be turned off more than 75% of the time.
The data centre also boosts white cool-roof to reflect sun, high-efficiency LED lighting equipped with motion sensors, and power distributed at higher voltages to increase efficiency by reducing power loss.
http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/intelligent-energy/apple-reveals-details-on-solar-powered-data-center/13294 -
Divyajeychandren shared a picture Wireless solar charging for electric buses 4 months ago
ATC Solar Curve Bus Stop concept is being developed by Studio Mango for the city Noord-Brabant, Netherlands, which would allow inductive charging technology at existing bus stops, which will enable electric buses to recharge each time they stop to pick up passengers.
The concept calls for installation of 15.5 meters of solar panels on top of a bus stop’s roof, which would convert sunlight to solar power throughout the day. The curved roof would be sufficiently tilted down to enable wireless energy transfer to buses using inductive charging, which employs the use of an electromagnetic field to transfer energy.
http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/transportation/wireless-solar-charging-for-electric-buses/1422in Solar PV Electric, Hybrid and Plug in Hybrid Electric Cars Buses and Cleantech
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Arunpillai wants to discuss Harnessing nature’s solar cells 4 months ago
Andreas Mershin, a research scientist in the MIT Center for Bits and Atoms, noticed that while most of the pines had bare trunks and a canopy of branches only at the very top, a few had small branches all the way down the length of the trunk, capturing any sunlight that trickled down from above. He decided to create a microscopic forest on a chip, with PS-I coating his “trees” from top to bottom.
Turning that insight into a practical device took years of work, but in the end Mershin was able to create a tiny forest of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowires as well as a sponge-like titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanostructure coated with the light-collecting material derived from bacteria. The nanowires not only served as a supporting structure for the material, but also as wires to carry the flow of electrons generated by the molecules down to the supporting layer of material, from which it could be connected to a circuit. “It’s like an electric nanoforest,” he says.
Read More - http://www.mit.edu/newsoffice/2012/biosolar-0203.html -
More than a billion people worldwide lack access to electricity. The best way to bring it to them — while reducing greenhouse gas emissions — is to launch a global initiative to provide solar panels and other forms of distributed renewable power to poor villages and neighborhoods.
If we want the poor to benefit from electricity we cannot wait for the grid, and we cannot rely on fossil fuels. The International Energy Agency, historically a grid-centric, establishment voice, admits that half of those without electricity today will never be wired. The government of India estimates that two-thirds of its non-electrified households need distributed power.
Fortunately, the historic barriers to getting distributed renewable power to scale in poor villages and neighborhoods are rapidly being dismantled by progress in technology, finance, and business models. Getting 1.2 billion people local solar power they can afford is within grasp — if we only think about the problem in a different way. In fact, the world can finish this job by 2020.
Read More: http://e360.yale.edu/feature/solar_power_off_the_grid_energy_access_for_worlds_poor/2480/in Solar PV
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Arunpillai wants to discuss New York's Solar Balance Sheet - NYTimes.com 4 months ago
Despite uncertainties in the solar energy market, New York officials should support the “steady and measured growth” of solar power in the state as part of a balanced renewable energy strategy, a new report recommends.
Read More: http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/01/new-yorks-solar-balance-sheet/in Solar PV
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Arunpillai wants to discuss Renewables M&A Hits New Record Highs 4 months ago
Deals for 'new generation' renewable technologies – wind, solar, biomass - are entering the big time driving the market to new record highs, reports PwC in its annual global analysis of merger and acquisition (M&A) transactions in the renewable sector.
Some of the main points include:
• Total renewables deal value leaps 40% worldwide, driven by industry shake-out
• Reappraisal of nuclear post Fukushima gives extra boost to renewables' generation and prospects
Read More: http://press.pwc.com/GLOBAL/News-releases/renewables-ma-hits-new-record-highs/s/ce2bd04f-23cb-493e-b5c9-7813bb13423ein Solar PV Solar Thermal Onshore Wind Offshore Wind Cleantech Venture Capital and Private Equity Cleantech Careers and Jobs
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Arunpillai shared a picture Solar Cells In OLED Screen To Power Smartphones 4 months ago
A thin-film system harvests energy from wasted light in an OLED display. Image credit: Arokia Nathan (via IEEE)
With the world’s showroom floors crammed with prototype smartphones promising advanced functions, bigger displays, stunning resolution, wouldn’t you think the biggest crowd-pleasers would dominate? The ultimate attraction in a smartphone, the one that never has to be charged again? This ultimate solution at least has scientists working toward that end, to bring in an easier time where users will not need to worry about the batteries wearing out.
Read More: http://www.physorg.com/news/2012-01-cambridge-team-solar-cells-oled.html -
Arunpillai wants to discuss Power to the People: Rooftop Renewables Are the Future of Power Generation 4 months ago
Since the time of Edison, the solution to increased demand for power has been to build more power plants. But not only is it impractical to continue building expensive and unpopular generating capacity, it is increasingly straining antiquated and inefficient electricity grids. Rather than build both capacity and transmission, a recent study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Energy Initiative has proposed an ambitious “third-way” that pushes for the deployment of tens of thousands of megawatts installed on millions of residential and commercial buildings.
Read More: http://www.txchnologist.com/2012/power-to-the-people-rooftop-renewables-are-the-future-of-power-generationin Solar PV
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Arunpillai shared a picture The ‘Sun-Root’ Living Green Roof 5 months ago
The ‘Sun-Root’ living green roof system optimizes Photovoltaic (PV) element energy production by creating a cooler surrounding micro-climate through evaporation and evapotranspiration.
“Heat is the enemy of energy production.” said Jorg Breuning. “Any time atmospheric temperatures on a roof begin to rise PV elements lose their efficiency and can shut down if temperatures rise too high. We sought a way to counteract this negative phenomenon by combining solar modules with an extensive green roof. People have been using green roofs for centuries to keep their roofs cool in the summers and warmer in the winter. It was a no-brainer combination.”
Read More: http://www.earthtechling.com/2012/01/green-roof-plants-help-solar-panels-chill/ -
Spain’s ULMA Agrícola consortium and Tecnalia research center have developed a photovoltaic solar panel for greenhouses that generates electricity without an adverse effect on the crops growing inside.
Read More: http://cleantechnica.com/2012/01/16/new-pv-panel-shows-promise-for-solar-green-house-in-spain-source/ -
Arunpillai shared a picture 1800 Watt Solar Generator - Solar Generator for Home / Office 5 months ago
This solar generator can run all of your essential electrical devices and it even has room for expansion with the option for doubling your backup power capacity. This solar generator home system includes: an inverter, 140 watt solar panel, 10 amp charge controller, battery storage and cabling to provide a system that can be used for back-up or stand alone household power for emergency outages or off-grid outbuilding applications.
Read More: http://www.earthtechproducts.com/1800-watt-solar-generator.htmlin Solar PV
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Arunpillai shared a picture The "Sun-Catcher" - A sculpture by Deedee Morrison 5 months ago
Recycled aluminum, colored lucite and solar panels were used to fabricate this powerful 15 ft. tall Sun-Catcher sculpture for Sculpture360: Season IV in the City of Clearwater, Florida. The solar panel installed on the top panel of the sun totem - captures the energy of the sun during the day and emits its dramatic stored light at night. The Sun-Catcher is thus, a visual display of the power and energy that’s available every day from a single solar panel’s relationship with the sun.
Read More: http://www.deedeemorrisonsculpture.com/portfolio/Portfolio/25/Sun-Catcher -
Arunpillai wants to discuss 13-Year-Old Makes Solar Power Breakthrough by Harnessing the Fibonacci Sequence 5 months ago
Aidan's exploration in the woods uncovered a mystery of science and he designed a fascinating tree solar collector as a result of his discoveries. After studying how trees branch in a very specific way, Aidan Dwyer created a solar cell tree that produces 20-50% more power than a uniform array of photovoltaic panels.
Read more: http://inhabitat.com/13-year-old-makes-solar-power-breakthrough-by-harnessing-the-fibonacci-sequence/ -
Arunpillai shared a picture Optical Furnace - using lightbulbs to treat silicon wafers - credit Dennis Schroeder 5 months ago
Making solar cells involves subjecting silicon wafers to temperatures in excess of 1,000 °C. The process normally involves the use of heating elements, and requires a lot of energy.
A new optical furnace developed by researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado, heats up solar wafers by focusing light on them—a much more efficient process that uses about half the energy of a conventional furnace.
Read More: http://www.technologyreview.in/energy/39314/in Solar PV
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Divyajeychandren shared a picture Cars Capture Solar Energy in Chilean Desert 6 months ago
No need to worry about finding a gas station on these desolate roads. This car fuels up on sunshine while members of Universidad de Chile's team ready Eolian 2 for stage two of the Atacama Solar Challenge in Antofagasta.
The car's name references eolian processes, through which winds erode, transport, and deposit materials to shape the earth's surface—especially in arid environments.
The first version of the Eolian car competed in 2007 at the World Solar Challenge in Australia. At this year's edition of the race, the second-generation sleek design was the only entry from a Latin American country. Although Eolian 2 placed 22nd in a field of 37 in the Outback, the car finished second in the Atacama Desert.in Solar PV Electric, Hybrid and Plug in Hybrid Electric Cars
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Yeah, I agree this appears a more ride-ble and sit-able car
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Divyajeychandren shared a picture Solar Powered Bird House Is Eco-friendly 6 months ago
A small solar panel is fixed on top of the roof of bird house, which is charged by a battery inside the bird’s house. The stored energy will be used for light during the night which is not meant for birds to guide and find their home, but to attract bugs. Now, the bird’s dinner is ready.
in Solar PV
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sure.. they are on sale already : The solar birdhouses are hot sale items at Charles & Marie and you could pay a visit for OOOMS website for sale. It is priced at $120.

















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