It’s simple, and cool, literally. In theory, this would be a great way to cool yourself but in practice you might look like too nerdy. It doesn’t need any battery, since it's solar-powered and what better place to get sunlight than a cap visor? It might kill attacking mosquitoes too... Brando is currently selling it for $10.

General Motors will be partnering with Clairvoyant Energy, Veolia Environmental and the Government of Aragon to install the World's Largest rooftop solar array on its Zaragosa assembly plant in Spain. According to GM, the array will be 12MW, dwarfing the size of the previous record holder by 9.64MW(Atlantic Convention Centre at 2.36MW) and will cover 2 million square feet with its 85,000 panels. GM hopes that this project will help reduce their cost as well as provide “clean power” to the local power grid. Clairvoyant Energy and Veolia Environmental's part in this project will be to operate and maintain the installation. GM also operates two of its California warehouses that are installed with solar panels, which provides up to 50% of the electricity usage in these facilities. 

I have seen all kinds of devices like that. Living in an urban area, I have little use for it, but it has a solar panel, so it sparked my interest. It turns solar energy into electricity that is used to generate a sonic tone that is supposed to deter animals like moles from squatting in your garden.

The key Chain solar charger is meant to slow down the drain of your battery, but if you’re patient enough, you might be able to charge it, although I guess that it would take a few days for a full charge (if the phone is turned off).

The manufacturer had some kind of marketing gimmick around “being green”, but that’s crap: more carbon will be generated by creating, shipping and disposing of this device than it will ever save. Price: $22

I guess it makes perfect sense that nobody would want to mow the lawn when it is raining, so the premise for a solar-powered lawnmower is a no-brainer. Husqvarna has rolled out its automatic electric solar-powered hybrid robotic lawn mower that claims to be the first of its kind in the world, offering a professionally cut lawn every time at a steep price - £2,000, to be exact. Well, I guess as long as the sun shines this piece of machinery will keep on going, but just how robust and tough are the insides? This lawnmower can clear 2,300 square meters of grass and is programmable to work only at certain times or days of the week. It has a battery life of approximately 40 minutes before a 40 minute charging time juices it up, but on a sunny day, its cutting time can be extended by another 50%.

Konarka Technologies Inc has demonstrated its solar-cell manufacturing based on inkjet printing technology. They are not the only ones in the thin-film solar cells space, but I guess that having more players increases the odds of having something that we can buy soon.

Using thin film instead of silicon decreases the cost of solar panels - a critical reason why solar energy is not ubiquitous, yet.

Thankfully the sun is still the same no matter where you are in the world, as solar panels don't discriminate against plugs of any sort. The CIGS 52W Folding Solar Panel is capable of pumping out 52W of power thanks to its Copper Indium Gallium diSelenide panels. In addition, you can hook up to three of these together to work in unison. Features include :-

• 12V output
• Multi-section folding panels
• Battery clamp cable for vehicle battery charging
• Built-in blocking diode
• Functional under most weather conditions including low light

<

Rotartica, a Spanish company, is coming up with a new Solar powered air conditioning system by combining the existing technologies: they use evacuated tube thermal collectors with a water-heated absorption chiller, and package it in a relatively small sized box that produces a 4.5 kw cooling power. Dimensions and weight: 109 cm x 76 cm x 115 cm, 290 kg (43”x30”x45”, 640 lb). The existing solutions were either big units or did not use both technologies together. The way this unit works is simple: you put hot water and you get cold water out.

If you are interested in knowing more, check out the article on TreeHugger or the manufacturer product page.

This is quite exciting for solar energy fans: nanosolar is shipping their first panels and so far, here are where the three first ones are going (from the nanosolar blog):

• Panel #1 will remain at Nanosolar for exhibit.
• Panel #2 can be purchased by you in an auction on eBay starting today.
• Panel #3 has been donated to the Tech Museum in San Jose.

If you don’t know what nanosolar does, their mission basically makes cheaper solar panel than anyone else (as measured in $/Watt). According to nanosolar, their panel costs $1/Watt.

I’m not shopping for solar panels often, but I think that a good price used to be $4/Watt, so it would be a significant edge. What do you think? Real or hype?

nanosolar website

The Belgian "Princess Elisabeth" station aims to be the first ever zero-emission research station in the world. It will be built in Antarctica by the International Polar Foundation during the summer season 2007-2008, and hopes to achieve its green status by equipping 408 Kyocera solar modules all over. Since the "Princess Elisabeth" research station is located in an extremely harsh environment (temperatures hitting minus 60 degrees Celsius and wind speeds of 250 km/h), a reliable energy supply is as important as breathing air. Couple the Kyocera solar modules and eight wind turbines, you get a total of 98.6 kilowatt hours, enough to power communication infrastructure, heating and electronics.

Australia will play host to the first solar-powered electric bus in the world, with Tindo leading the charge in Adelaide, Australia. 100% powered by solar energy thanks to a BP Solar-sourced photovoltaic station, this green ride can ferry up to 42 passengers at once - without forking out a single cent. According to the Adelaide City Council, "The solar electric bus and the recharging system at the Adelaide Central Bus Station represent a significant investment by the Adelaide City Council into a sustainable future for the City of Adelaide, while providing leadership in sustainable public transport options for cities around Australia." When will we see such buses roaming the streets of US?

Thankfully just about every part of part of the earth receives sunlight - which is what makes solar-powered devices all the more appealing. The Nanomars solar bags from Taiwan will definitely come in handy during times when you can't find a power outlet nearby. A solar panel is located on the outside of the bag, storing converted power into its 4,400mAh Samsung li-ion battery that claims to offer anywhere between 2 to 3 times more juice than standard mobile batteries. The bag is equipped with different connectors that cater to Nokia, Motorola, Sony Ericsson, Samsung and Siemens cellphones, iPods, MP3 players, digital cameras, PDAs and handheld consoles. Currently, the Nanomars A701 Solar Backpack and A706 Solar Bag retail for $68 per bag for 500 units, so individual bags would come with a higher price tag.