Solar cell efficiency goal

Image from: http://www.observatorynano.eu/project/document/2016/

The efficiency of solar cells with multijunction concentrators is increasing since 1988. In the image we can see a great development of the Three-junction solar cell.

Now, scientist has designed a new multijunction solar cell, with am efficiency of 51.8 %.

Credit: Marina S. Leite, et al. ©2013 American Institute of Physics

(Phys.org)—Scientists have designed a new multijunction solar cell that, in simulations, can achieve an efficiency of 51.8%. This high performance exceeds the current goal of 50% efficiency in multijunction solar cell research as well as the current world record of 43.5% for a 3-junction solar cell.

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2013-02-multijunction-solar-cell-efficiency-goal.html#jCp

Ultra efficient solar cell

Researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) have developed a radically new design for a concentrator solar cell that, when irradiated from the side, generates solar conversion efficiencies which rival, and may eventually surpass, the most ultra-efficient photovoltaics.

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2012-11-team-side-illuminated-ultra-efficient-solar-cell.html#jCp

Spin cell more efficient than solar flat panels

(Phys.org)—V3Solar has developed a new way to convert the sun's energy into electricity using traditional technology in a new way, and in so doing have discovered a way to get twenty times more electricity out of the same amount of solar cells. Their new device, called the Spin Cell, does away with the traditional flat panel and instead places the solar cells on a cone shaped frame which are then covered with energy concentrators. Once in operation, the whole works spins, making unnecessary the need for tracking hardware and software. What's more, they actually look nice.

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2012-10-v3solar-photovoltaic-cell-electricity-flat.html#jCp

Annular Solar Eclipse, May 2012

Watch this images and videos about the Annular Solar Eclipse occurred last Sunday.

The Power of a Solar Storm

A Solar Storm can be refered to different situations:

• Solar flare, a large explosion in the Sun's atmosphere
• Coronal mass ejection (CME), a massive burst of solar wind, sometimes associated with solar flares
• Geomagnetic storm, the interaction of the Sun's outburst with Earth's magnetic field

Solar Storm

On January 23, 2012, the sun unleashed an M8.7 flare accompanied by a CME and an SEP that created one of the strongest radiation storms since 2005.

Watch this close up (credit NASA):

3-D Photovoltaics Could Revolutionize Solar Power

A revolution for sun panels can begin not in flat panels but in 3D shapes:

The Sun sends some 87 Petawatts of power our way and converting some small fraction of this into usable power is one of the key battlefronts in the fight to free the world from its addiction to oil.

A team from MIT simulated the performance of various shapes and tested several of these on the roof of a building at MIT. Their results indicate that 3D structures can increase the amount of energy that can be generated by a given footprint by as much as 20 times. These structures can also double the number of useful peak hours of generation and reduce seasonal variation to boot.

There are two effects at work. The 3D structure can pick up light when the Sun is at lower angles and internal reflections within the structure help increase the amount of captured light.

in Technology Review

Ref: arxiv.org/abs/1112.3266: Solar Energy Generation in Three-Dimensions

Making H2 from solar panel

This is the hybrid system schematic. Credit: Nico Hotz

Hybrid solar system makes rooftop hydrogen

While roofs across the world sport photovoltaic solar panels to convert sunlight into electricity, a Duke University engineer believes a novel hybrid system can wring even more useful energy out of the sun's rays.

"Instead of systems based on standard solar panels, Duke engineer Nico Hotz proposes a hybrid option in which sunlight heats a combination of water and methanol in a maze of glass tubes on a rooftop. After two catalytic reactions, the system produces hydrogen much more efficiently than current technology without significant impurities. The resulting hydrogen can be stored and used on demand in fuel cells."

Read full article in PhysicsOrg.com

Scientists discover mechanism that could feed solar explosions

Scientists discover mechanism that could feed solar explosions
(PhysOrg.com) -- Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) are violent solar explosions that can propel up to 10 billion tons of the Sun’s atmosphere – at a million miles an hour – out through the corona and into space. These fast, powerful ejections can take as little as 18 hours to reach Earth and give rise to geomagnetic storms, which can disrupt radio transmissions, induce large currents in power lines and oil pipelines, seriously disrupt spacecraft and be extremely hazardous to astronauts. New instruments on advanced spacecraft have provided fresh insight into these cataclysmic phenomena, and illuminated a path toward predicting space weather.
in PhysOrg.com

Stereo Sun

NASA put 2 STeReO (Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory) probes in opposite locations to study the Sun, wich will  take pictures further, in real time, of the two hemispheres of the Sun.
Thus, we can know what happen simultaneously across all the Sun's surface.

The forecasting benefits aren't limited to Earth.

"With this nice global model, we can now track solar storms heading toward other planets, too," points out Guhathakurta. "This is important for NASA missions to Mercury, Mars, asteroids … you name it."

font NASA


Portuguese version: AstroPT

Snaking Filament [HD Video]

Snaking Filament [HD Video], upload feito originalmente por NASA Goddard Photo and Video.

Video about a Solar Flare.

Animation of the planetary system around Sun-like star HD 10180

Animation about a Solar System like ours, but with seven planets.

Animação de um Sistema Solar parecido com o nosso, mas com sete planetas.

Animación de un sistema solar como el nuestro, pero con siete planetas.

Solar Eclipse

A total solar eclipse arced across the southern Pacific Ocean Sunday, blotting out the sun and offering stunning views to skywatchers, some of whom ventured to remote islands or rode cruise ships just to see the event. in space.com

As seen from the Earth, a solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth, and the Moon fully or partially covers the Sun as viewed from a location on Earth. This can only happen during a new moon, when the Sun and Moon are in conjunction as seen from Earth. font wikipedia

Image represents a schematic representation of solar system (from wikipedia)

Eclipse Solar

Dia 1 de Agosto vai ocorrer um eclipse solar.
A trajectória, segundo à qual é possível vê-lo, passa pelo Canadá, Islândia e Ártico, depois deslocar-se-á pela zona central da Rússia, Mongólia e China.