Currently available solar panel arrays still have the drawback of loosing lots of heat in the sunlight to energy conversion process, because of the thermodynamic inefficiencies of the process of converting the incoming energy to power. This could soon be a thing of the past though, since a team of scientists at the University of Bayreuth have created a super-efficient light-energy transport conduit. (more…)

An Austrian company Smartflower recently unveiled a unique and innovative solar energy system, which does away with traditional roof-top mounted solar panels. The so-called Smartflower POP system is a 3.2 kW solar power array that is ground-mounted. It gets its name from the folding panels, which close up at night and in strong wind conditions, and automatically unfold again in the morning. The units are available in 8 different colors.

Two years after being proposed US electrical engineer, Scott Brusaw’s system of solar powered roads is in the second prototype stage, which could lead to wide spread use. Scott’s idea is to cover highways and other roadways with photo-voltaic panels that would collect energy and feed it into a decentralized power grid. If successful, these panels could generate enough energy to power the entire country. Scott is currently raising funds via an IndieGoGo campaign to begin production.(more…)