Important Innovations

Solar Cars Go Mass Market Source:  Tokai Challenger Solar Prototype Solar cars are typically electric vehicles powered solely or mainly by solar energy.  Photovoltaic cells contained in the solar panels convert the sun's energy into electricity.  They combine some of the technologies used in the aerospace, alternative energy, automotive and bicycle industries.  The design of the cars has been limited by the amount of solar panels needed to draw in enough solar energy to power the vehicles.  As a result, prototype solar cars have primarily been built for solar car racing.  But now that is changing. Road Ready Chinese solar panel manufacturer Hanergy has developed four prototype solar cars for the consumer mass market.  Production is scheduled for 2019.  The cars are equipped with lithium ion batteries powered by the sun.  They'll first be offered to Chinese consumers and are styled like a normal car. Hanergy says exposure to 5...

Caltech's Orbiting Flying Carpets Scientists from California Institute of Technology and NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab are wishing on Aladdin's Lamp for a magic carpet ride.  Their solar energy research project involves launching 2500 "magic carpets" tightly side by side into space orbit to absorb the sun's energy.  The carpet system would beam the energy back to earth ground-stations to generate electricity. Orbiting Carpets to Light the World The carpets will fly over an area the size of 1,670 football fields or 3.5 square miles. The carpets are only one inch thick.  They're designed to precisely beam energy back to earth to targeted locations.  Primary targets would be global areas in need of energy, particularly in the third world.  It would be the largest space structure ever built.  And the targeted beam precision is provided by technology called "phased array" and is currently used in radar systems.  The principle is controlling th...