One of the biggest problems with current solar power solutions is that they rely on solar panels made from silicon. These are rigid, making them ideal for placing on roofs of houses but nearly impossible to put on something which is innately curved like a car or the back of many smartphones.

New technology from the University of Sheffield could change all of that by making the application of solar cells as simple as spray painting the surface of anything that needs solar power.

The spray-on cells uses a mineral called perovskite which, in addition to being naturally occurring, is both cheaper and simpler to obtain and process than its rival, silicon. It also has the added benefit of needing just a 1 micrometer thick layer of light absorbing material versus the 180 micrometer thick layer required for silicon making allowing it to be sprayed onto a surface.

The biggest question one has to ask when dealing with solar cells is always going to be the efficiency of the panel to deliver energy from the sunlight that it absorbs. Current silicon solar cells sit at around 25% efficiency and while the perovskite spray-on cells are at just 11% efficiency at the moment regular solar cells made with the mineral have a 19% efficiency. Another problem with the efficiency yield of perovskite spray on cells is that they lose efficiency when they are applied to curved surfaces once again lowering energy output.

The use case for spray on solar cells is intriguing with the likes of electric cars, notebooks and smartphones all able to benefit from having some sort of power generation built into them, especially when it is as thin as the perovskite cells can be.

Whether or not the technology will become the standard for solar power generation will almost certainly all come down to whether the efficiency yield can be brought up to the magical 25% mark and beyond.

[Source:  http://www.htxt.co.za/]

As the world’s combustible energy sources and oil supplies are busy being depleted, many companies and nations have turned to implementing renewable energy sources for the last couple of years – and South Africa is not far behind.

While SA has a number of solar-powered energy plants scattered across the country, one of the biggest ones recently came online. The De Aar 3 plant, situated just outside the sleepy Northern Cape town of De Aar, is an 85MW solar project that uses 200 000 amorphous silicon thin-film modules. This makes it South Africa’s biggest thin-film photovoltaic (PV) power plant.

Sitting on 270 hectares of desert sand, the project will be able to generate 150,000 MWh per year for 35 000 households – through a contract signed with electricity provider Eskom. Under the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement (REIPPP) programme, Eskom agreed to purchase electricity from the plant for the next 20 years.

[Source:  http://www.htxt.co.za/]

Countries around the world currently have very impressive plans to supply all of their energy needs with renewable energy options. How do they plan on doing it?  Global Director, Kevin Smith of Renewable, suggests that these are lofty ambitions, and powering an entire country with renewable energy can be inspirational, and in a few countries even achievable; however, the environment of such countries must be blessed with abundant renewables that can be used safely and cost-effectively.

Renewable energies may very well offer 100% energy sources in the future, however most experts agree, that it’s not within the foreseeable future of 10 to 15 years. Goals are incremental, so reaching total 100% renewable energy sources is possible in a far off future.

[Source:  http://www.greenerideal.com/]

South Africans could be suffering escalating power outages shortly,  following the collapse of a coal silo at the Majuba power station in the east of the country at the beginning of the month.

Eskom has said that the blackouts which started as a result, were likely to continue. The news came as the government announced that Eskom needs $6.5bn to avoid a power crisis.
The power cuts are being blamed on poor maintenance practices stretching back many years.  It is the second time this year that Eskom has imposed rolling blackouts and analysts say that these power outages could severely affect the economy. The country’s mining sector, in particular, is very vulnerable to any reduction in electricity available.

Last month, the national Treasury announced it would inject R20bn into Eskom, but some analysts say that is nowhere near enough to reverse years of underinvestment and lack of maintenance of the power infrastructure.