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December 2009

India’s cleantech start-ups

We all know that China is the world leader in relatively low-tech solar panels.  Now a clutch of tiny Indian start-ups  are proving  that global warming’s business opportunities  will not be the exclusive preserve of  the developed nations.

EnNatura of Dehli has developed washable,bio-degradable printing ink from vegetable oil.The offset printing industry in India alone consumes one million tonnes of petroleum products and emits 500,000 tonnes of volatile organic compounds every year.
“I can see a company like this growing into a billion dollar global business,” says Vivek Wadhwa of Duke University, who studies entrepreneurs.
Solar-based LED lighting start-up Pegasus Semiconductor of Rajasthan makes off-grid home and street lighting systems using LED lights and solar for the power. It has done about 1,200 installations in Rajasthan and about 35 with companies and government and is expecting to reach revenues of $250,000 by the end of fiscal 2009.

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How I built a solar panel for $100 – You can too

In this article I am going to describe how to build a photo voltaic solar panel for a fraction of the price you would pay a manufacturer. I’ll show you how inexpensive materials and common tools can be used to make panels that rival commercial products in power production, but blow them away on price.

Several years ago I bought a remote property in Arizona. I am an astronomer and wanted a place to practice my hobby far away from the sky-wrecking light pollution found near cities of any real size. I found a great piece of land, but it’s so remote that there is no electricity. That’s definitely a good thing- no electricity equals no light pollution. But it would be nice to have at least a little power, since so much of life in the 21st century is dependent on it.

Initially I built a wind turbine. And it works great… when the wind blows. It was soon clear however that I needed not only more power but more dependable power.

I do get well over 300 sunny days a year on the property though, so solar power seemed like the obvious choice to supplement the turbine. My problem was cost –as I say, I’m an astronomer and the price of solar panels is astronomical. So I decided to try my hand at building my own.

Really a solar panel is just a box that holds an array of solar cells. Solar cells are the things that do the actual work of turning sunlight into electricity. Sorry to any one who thought I was going to tell them how to make their own cells. As far as I know it is impossible without complex production facilities.

Seconds from e bay
However it takes a lot of cells to make a useful amount of power, and being largely glass, they are very fragile. That’s why individual cells are assembled into protective panels. It doesn’t sound too complicated. I was convinced I could do it myself.  It was clear however that the main stumbling block to building solar panels is acquiring solar cells at a reasonable price. But once I realised that I could use blemished and factory-second solar cells to build my panels and that they were available on e bay , I got down to work.

I started by buying a couple of bricks of 3 X 6 mono-crystalline solar cells on Ebay   It takes a total of 36 of these type solar cells wired in series to make a panel. Each cell produces about 1/2 Volt. 36 in series would give about 18 volts  which would be B good for charging 12 volt batteries. (Yes, you really need that high a voltage to effectively charge 12 Volt batteries).

This type of solar cell is as thin as paper and as brittle and fragile as glass. They are …

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Community

Off-Grid update

Winter RoadWhat a great early Christmas gift, I know that to those who get snow every winter, it’s not that exciting, but for those of us that live in places with little to no snowfall, it transforms everything into a winter wonderland.

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Propane Appliances, or Electric?

The Department of Energy reported in 2007 that natural gas or propane is still the cheaper form of energy compared with electric. Comparing previous years indicates that the cost of using electricity to power and heat our homes will continue to rise. Using alternative forms of power to generate electricity such as solar panels and wind turbines enables us to get out from under the electric companies high bills, unreliable service, and help protect the environment.

That being said however there are some limitations to the types of appliances that we as off-gridders’ are able to use with just solar or wind power.

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Mobile

Portable battery chargers

Battery charging is an important part of off-grid life. Some of the devices I rely on when I’m on the road are ones that basically sit in my backpack doing nothing at all.
We’re talking portable battery chargers — devices that store a charge and recharge a phone, camera or whatever small electronic device you’ve \run down.

Best buy is the ALLSTART AMPG-108 1700 Amp Marina Portable Power Generator With Power Inverter.

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Copenhagen’s off-grid tree

With international climate change talks less than a week away, the host city has taken its Christmas tree off-grid with a rack of bicycles powering LED lights.

The traditional Christmas tree in Copenhagen’s City Hall Square will be powered by people, rather than a distant power plant. The square has been equipped with 15 bicycles which, when pedalled, light up the 700 LED bulbs on the tree.

During the summit, organisers say the city hall square will be take on the name “Hopenhagen Live” and become a hub for environmental and cultural activity.

Project manager Stephen Risguard said that a number of bikes are connected to a different section of the tree and if no-one used the cycles, then there would be no power to turn the lights on.

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Energy

How Big Power will keep control

The man who runs one of the largest Energy retailers in America (and Britain) has signalled the death of the traditional utility company. He is typical of a new breed of Energy executive which will try to take the mantle of environmentalism to keep the profits rolling in and keep control of the industry firmly away from end users.

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Community

Off-Grid questions

Every now and again, I get an email with some great questions, this evening I received such an email from a new ‘net friend, Marcy. She has recently taken the plunge to live completely off-grid. She is starting out in a rather primitive way, much like we did. I found her questions very good and decided I would post the email exchange here. Thanks Marcy, enjoy!

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Off-Grid 101

Foreclosed? Move to Rio Rancho

Architecturally, the dwellings run the gamut — railroad cars, travel trailers, plywood shacks, doublewides and two-story ranch-style homes.

Here in Rio Rancho outside Albuquerque, residents are beyond the reach of power lines and piped water. A few have solar panels or small wind turbines. For others, like a shanty built by Liz Owens, 57, the cost of renewable power sources and drilling a water well is prohibitive. Generators and plastic water tanks are common yard features.

The local County is concerned about the proliferation of informal development. Sandoval County’s long-term planner said home styles in the area range from railroad cars to travel trailers, plywood shacks and ranch-type homes.

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