It may seem like a while since the great state of New Jersey made a valuable contribution to modern science, unless of course you count the under-the-influence antics of Snooki, The Situation and Paulie D, testing the utter limitations of human consumption. However, researchers at Rutgers University, New Jersey’s flagship institution, claim to have discovered new cellular properties with the potential to lead to less expensive plastic solar cells.According to the research, energy-carrying particles generated by packets of light can travel 1,000 times further in carbon-based semiconductors than previous reports indicated. What does this mean? The essential benefit manifests in that these new cells can be created in plastic sheets as opposed to the silicon standby. It doesn’t take a scientist or plastic surgeon to understand the basic price differential between the two materials. Plastic solar cells designed with these advancements in mind could ultimately replace the expensive traditional model of silicon solar cells in the photovoltaic process. The end result would not only offer solar energy conversion an new cost lows but also heightened levels of performance, perhaps one day making silicon solar cells obsolete entirely. Read the rest of this entry »

To critics who have complained large solar panels are simply unsightly, the fashion world tends to disagree. If it seemed like runway at Portland Fashion Week was beaming with energy, perhaps it’s because the platform was professionally engineered to do so. SolarWorld, this year’s primary sponsor of the event, provided flat black solar panels which were transformed via keen eye for design into the actual strip cat walked by models from start to finish. Sleek, elegant and environmentally conscious found common ground, quite literally, just beneath the feet of fashionistas as surrounding crowds applauded in approval.The set-up itself was not all that energized crowds throughout the event. As designers from host city of Portland all the way across the pond to Paris converged to bring together some of the freshest designs around, crowds lost themselves in a word of style and imagination, while remembering the importance of preserving the world around them. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s generally assumed you need sunlight for solar energy to be effective. The city of Seattle is out to disprove this notion. Though it may have a reputation as one of America’s rainiest cities, Seattle’s solar ambition far outshines the local climate. If early proposals come to fruition, Qwest Field, home of the Seahawks, is in line to become the largest photovoltaic installed major sports venue in the United States. The already state of the art stadium would receive 600 kilowatts of solar power under the new energy structure, offsetting a significant portion of Qwest Field’s traditional usage. Currently, the 364 kilowatts of sun-supplied energy that powered the Los Angeles Lakers to an NBA title last season reign supreme among American arenas.According to official estimates, Seattle does, in fact, receive enough sunlight to justify a solar energy switch, a particularly popular move in the always environmentally conscious Northwest. Of course, desire only goes so far as many large scale initiatives in the past have fallen short to dreary weather outlook. Hopefully, if the Seahawks solar powered stadium breeds successful results, alternative energy ambition in the Northwest will be make giant leaps forward. Read the rest of this entry »