Solar Power Search Results

News: This Giant Glass Globe Turns Moon and Sunlight into Power—Possibly Even Solar Death Rays!

André Broessel of rawlemon has developed a solar energy generator that can use both sun and moonlight to create usable power. Oh... and it's gorgeous. The device is essentially a huge glass sphere filled with water that uses a ball lens to refract light in a way that increases energy efficiency by 35 percent. It's completely weatherproof and has an optical tracking device, meaning that it can be incorporated into architecture. Here's a concept design of how it could be used to power buildings...

How To: Make a dye-sensitized solar cell with titanium dioxide and anthocyanin

Discover the power of raspberries! Literally. In this NurdRage science video, learn how some crushed raspberries and some titanium dioxide (TiO2) can create a powered dye-sensitized solar cell. Inside a raspberry is something called anthocyanin, which is a flavonoid pigment. Commercially purchased solar cells are way more powerful than this DIY solar cell, but with a little improvement, who knows. Nurd Rage also lets you know how this works.

How To: Make a solar cell with a condom

Make a solar cell from a condom with this video tutorial. Solar energy is plentiful and better for the environment, so why not take an easily accessible commodity (like a condom), and use it to harvest the power of the sun. To replicate this hack at home, you'll need the following materials: 12 iron hairpins, 2 pennies (pressed before 1982), 2 electrical wires, 1 sheet of aluminum, 2 strong magnets, a condom, and mineral water. For more on making your own condom-based solar cell, watch this h...

How To: Create teenie tiny solar insect robots

Create teenie tiny solar robots with Bre Pettis of Make Magazine. Learn to make little teeny tiny robots called beambots that are powered by the sun! One of the great things about these little solar powered bots is that you can make them from scavenged materials. Use parts from broken electronics and bring them back to life as little robots! If you are not an expert in circuits, you will need books and pdf's to supplement this video.

How To: Make a solar food dehydrator

Rick van Man of Container Gardening For Food details his techniques for making a solar-powered food dehydrator out of such household debris as scrap wood and old pint cans. The finished product looks amazingly professional! Truly a must-watch for any DIY-inclined gardening enthusiast.

How To: Use microgeneration to generate power

In this video, we learn how to use microgeneration to generate power. You can start by placing solar panels on your roof which is very easy to get installed. It's not a huge job, it just takes some workers and a meter that is in the house. This will tell you how much power you are getting through the solar panels. Another edition you can have is a panel that will give you hot water, which can save you money on your monthly bills. This will give you confidence in your energy because you are pr...

How To: Wire a solar cell into an electrical circuit

The Solar Schoolhouse presents this video tutorial on how to use the Solar Cell Classroom Set. The purpose of this set is to give students hands on experience making electricity using sunlight. See what's inside the set, and then see how to wire three different types of electrical circuits: a simple circuit, a series circuit, and finally a parallel circuit.

How To: Live off the grid

PeteMcCormack2 teaches viewers how they can live off the grid! First, you will need shelter, heat and water! And possibly some electricity. You need head so you can use a high efficiency wood stove. You always need to have water so you can use a well or a water pump. Also, for a pump you will need power, you can use solar power for this! You can also use a pressure tank. This way of life does not necessarily cost much and with self installation it will lower the cost also. All you have to do ...

How To: Make inexpensive solar panels from broken ones

As far as the world of consumer electronics goes, it doesn't get much greener than recycling solar panels. In this video tutorial, you'll learn how to solder together broken solar panels, giving them new life as a functional AA battery charger, which produces about 6 volts in direct sunlight and about 3 volts indoors. In order to get started on this hack, you'll need a number broken solar panels (which can be had cheap for cheap on the Internet), a low-temperature soldering iron, silver-beari...

How To: Use solar thermal microgeneration

Solar Thermal Microgeneration may be used to reduce your hot water bill, fossil fuel use, and lower your carbon footprint. For water heating, water is collected from solar panels. It is used to heat the water, as it filters through the water heater. Some areas require all new homes to provide an energy rating to buyers. Solar thermal panels harness the suns energy and reducing the need for fossil fuels to heat water. You will need the combination of solar panels, a traditional water heater, a...

How To: Make your own solar panel

In this video, we learn how to make your own solar panel.The amorphous solar glass is the cheapest but it's also the least efficient. You can do anything you want with these and they are durable. The hexagon cells are the most efficient and most expensive as well. The poly crystalline is almost 2 watts a piece and can be purchase in lots of any size. You have to tab these cells together and they are extremely fragile. Be careful when you work with these. To make these, you will solder tabbing...

How To: Install solar panels to your home

Solar panels have been around for quite some time now and more people are taking a shot at being "green" with their homes. Finding and picking the right solar panels can be easy, but getting it ready is another story. This is a task that many people try to tackle on their own, but is sometimes better to hire a professional. In this tutorial, you'll see what it takes to install solar panels on a home. It's easy to follow and can make life better for you and others. Good luck and enjoy!

How To: Save energy by installing a solar water heater

Saving energy in your home is as easy as pie. There are many areas of the home that you can tackle. One area that can be helpful is the water heater. There are a couple of water heaters that you can use to not only save energy but money. One way is by using an active or passive solar water heating system.

How To: Help NASA Write Code to Fix the International Space Station and You Could Win $10,000!

The International Space Station is a habitable man-made satellite currently in orbit around the Earth. Launched in 1998, the ISS is used mainly as a microgravity and space environment research laboratory where astronauts perform experiments in large variety of fields, including biology and physics. In order to be hospitable for crew members and scientists, the ISS needs energy. To do this, the station uses its solar panels to capture rays of sun and power the station up. In order to garner th...

How To: Add solar to your home

Each day, more and more people are going "green" and taking the necessary actions to make sure they don't leave a big footprint on the Earth. One way of doing this is by adding solar energy to your home. This is a great way to save money on your energy bill and gives you a good feeling. So in this tutorial, you'll find out what it takes to buy solar panels and how it works in your home. So check out the video above and good luck!

How To: Install solar window screens

Hub Kirkpatrick teaches the viewers how to save handyman bills by installing solar window screens by yourself. This video describes the step-by-step process of installing solar screens on windows. According to Hub, these screens are not only very easy to install using tools found in everyone's garage, they are also only about one-third of the price of the conventional roll-down screens. In addition, these screens, if properly installed, can drastically reduce air-conditioning bills by prevent...

How To: Prepare for a solar eclipse

On August 1, 2008 a rare total solar eclipse will appear in the skies over parts of Canada, Greenland, Russia, Mongolia, and China. During this spectacular event, the moon will cross in front of the sun, completely blocking out the sun's disk, and casting a shadow over part of the Earth. While only people in a small area of the world will be able to see the eclipse in person, viewers all across the globe can view the eclipse as it happens on NASA TV.