Flexible Solar Cells Mounted On Everyday 8.5 x 11 Paper By: David Russell Schilling | June 18th, 2013 Miles Barr, an MIT student studying chemical engineering, was awarded the 2012 $30,000 Lemelson-MIT student prize for his innovative “Printed Paper Photovoltaics” or “3PV” design. The design competition was funded by Italian oil company Eni which invested $5 million in the Emi-MIT Solar Frontiers Research Center at MIT. The center also received $2 million from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Barr’s paper detailing the process was published in the Journal of Advanced Materials. Reducing the Cost of “Inactive” Solar Cell Components Barr uses a low temperature printing process allowing the mounting of solar cells on a wide variety of materials. Imagine people carrying around paper in their pockets and unfolding it to generate electricity in real time. Integration of Solar Cells Into Common Everyday Items Barr sees a world where solar cells can be mounted on just about anything from window shades to wallpaper, roof tiles and even clothing.
Free-Energy Devices, zero-point energy, and water as fuel NASA develops 3D printing factory in space News: NASA is developing an orbiting factory that will use 3D printing and robots to fabricate giant structures such as antennas and solar arrays of up to a kilometre in length, as part of its ongoing search for extra-terrestrial life. The US space agency this week announced it was awarding technology firm Tethers Unlimited Inc (TUI) a $500,000 contract to develop the facility. The NASA funding - a second-phase contract that follows an initial contract issued earlier this year - will allow TUI to continue work on its SpiderFab technology, which allows large-scale spacecraft components to be built in space, avoiding the expense of building the components on earth and transporting them into space using rockets. “On-orbit fabrication allows the material for these critical components to be launched in a very compact and durable form, such as spools of fiber or blocks of polymer, so they can fit into a smaller, less expensive launch vehicle.” Via GigaOm. Here's a press release from TUI:
Solar Power To Be Sold For Less Than Coal Clean Power Published on February 3rd, 2013 | by Nicholas Brown Update: Some sentences and links have been added to this post to provide better context and comparison. Update #2: I’ve published two articles on energy subsidies in response to comments on this post regarding that matter. They are: “Energy Subsidies — Clean Energy Subsidies vs Fossil Subsidies” and “Oil Subsidies & Natural Gas Subsidies — Subsidies For The Big Boys.” According to a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) between El Paso Electric Company and First Solar, electricity will be sold from First Solar’s thin-film solar panels to El Paso Electric Company for 5.8 cents per kWh (a good 4-8 cents cheaper than new coal, which is in the 10-14 cents per kWh range). A First Solar installation of some of its CdTe panels. The name of the power plant is Macho Springs Solar Park. Clearly, even compared to the wholesale price of electricity from the cheapest energy options, this is quite competitive. Follow me on Twitter: @Kompulsa
Prusa Bonjour, En suivant les différents articles que j’ai publié jusqu’à maintenant, vous devriez arriver à un résultat semblable à celui-ci, voir mieux si vous êtes plus ordonné que moi. Afin de poursuivre notre avancée vers le fonctionnement final de la Prusa, nous allons voir comment monter, positionner et enfin paramétrer les fins de course (switchs). Tout d’abord, il faut savoir que les capteur de fin de course ont 2 fonctions au sein de la Reprap ( et des autres imprimantes). Prévenir le shield RAMPS que le chariot de l’extrudeur a atteint l’une des extrémités des axes et qu’il faut stopper le moteur sous peine de casser le matériel. A savoir: le fonctionnement de ces 2 types de capteurs est inversé, l’extrudeur est arrivé en fin de course lorsque qu’un capteur mécanique est en position fermé (languette rabattue) ou lorsqu’un capteur optique st en position ouverte ( faisceau coupé). * les switchs mécaniques: * les switchs optiques: Etape 1 : Etape 2 : Insérer la Led dans l’emplacement prévu.
porównanie elektroniki do reprapa | Designfutures.pl Po trzech tutorialach opisujących budowę drukarki Mendel Prusa, przyjrzymy się teraz kilku sprawom dotyczącym elektroniki, bez której nie może się obejść żadna drukarka. Typów układów jest wiele, i nie znając się za bardzo na temacie na pewno trudno wybrać model pasujący do naszych potrzeb. Aby uprościć ten wybór, skupimy się tutaj na trzech modelach : Generacja 3, Sanguinololu i RAMPS. Elektronika Trzeciej Generacji Najstarsza, rzadko już dzisiaj spotykana wersja elektroniki, ale też jest to model, od którego zapoczątkował się przełom. W pełni udokumentowana na stronach wiki, dobrze opisana, możliwa do wykonania w domu (pod warunkiem, że umiemy lutować elementy SMT). Mimo tego, że w porównaniu do nowych rozwiązań w oczy odrazu rzuca się duża złożoność systemu, jest to w pełni funkcjonalna i dobra elektronika. Jeśli używamy czystych, nieprzesadnie skomplikowanych modeli 3D, ta wersja na pewno wystarczy każdemu. Sanguinololu Firmware : Sprinter, Marlin, TeaCup i inne.
Print Your Own 3D models PlusBooksanalysisinsightsopinionblog About BaekdalFollow Baekdal RSSAdvertiseSearch BAEKDAL PLUS Subscribe now Sign-in Reset password: Something to think about... / blog Print Your Own 3D models Written by Thomas Baekdal on November 3, 2008 3D printing has been around for a long time, but it is still far too expensive for small businesses or personal use. Shapeways.com will print your 3D model for $2-3 per square centimeter, just upload a 3D file, wait about 10 days, and there you go. Here are a couple of examples: ...and here are the 5 materials you can choose from: (via The Future of Things, and Shapeways.com) Share on Thomas Baekdal Founder of Baekdal, author, writer, strategic consultant, and new media advocate. Follow Subscribe for $9/month Baekdal PLUS: Premium content that helps you make the right decisions, take the right actions, and focus on what really matters. There is always more... Oculus Rift and Facebook. I have launched a Blog » Robots vs Journalists? Newspapers and Engagement »
Printable functional 'bionic' ear melds electronics and biology Scientists at Princeton University used off-the-shelf printing tools to create a functional ear that can "hear" radio frequencies far beyond the range of normal human capability. The researchers' primary purpose was to explore an efficient and versatile means to merge electronics with tissue. The scientists used 3D printing of cells and nanoparticles followed by cell culture to combine a small coil antenna with cartilage, creating what they term a bionic ear. "In general, there are mechanical and thermal challenges with interfacing electronic materials with biological materials," said Michael McAlpine, an assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Princeton and the lead researcher. "Previously, researchers have suggested some strategies to tailor the electronics so that this merger is less awkward. McAlpine's team has made several advances in recent years involving the use of small-scale medical sensors and antenna.
Masdar Buys Inkjet Printer for 3D Printing Solar Cells! The Masdar Institute of Science and Technology (MIST) in Abu Dhabi, which is affiliated with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), has purchased a Fujifilm Dimatix DMP283 inkjet printer – the learning institute’s first step towards printing its very own solar cells! For the longest time, the United Arab Emirates had no chance to keep pace with the western world’s clean tech advancements mostly because of a dearth of skills and a non-existent supply chain of necessary materials. But that is changing now as government and civil society leaders recognize the importance of keeping pace with western developments – particularly to secure the region’s energy hegemony for the future. As such, Beirut recently opened the first 3-D printing shop and now MIST, a branch of Masdar, has announced that it has purchased a Fujifilm Dimatix DMP283 inkjet printer in order to prepare its graduate students to learn how to print their own organic optoelectronics. “Dr. MIST President Dr. :: Arab Brains