Solar Power | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net KitGuru.net - Tech News | Hardware News | Hardware Reviews | IOS | Mobile | Gaming | Graphics Cards Mon, 02 Jun 2014 10:08:34 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://www.kitguru.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/cropped-KITGURU-Light-Background-SQUARE2-32x32.png Solar Power | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net 32 32 Solar Roadways Indiegogo project is closing in on $2 million https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/solar-roadways-indiegogo-project-is-closing-in-on-2-million/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/solar-roadways-indiegogo-project-is-closing-in-on-2-million/#comments Mon, 02 Jun 2014 10:00:12 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=196096 The Solar roadways project took the internet by storm when it first went up for funding on Indiegogo. The project has already surpassed its $1 million goal and now it looks to be closing in on the $2 million mark, bringing the world changing project closer to reality. The initial funding is only going to …

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The Solar roadways project took the internet by storm when it first went up for funding on Indiegogo. The project has already surpassed its $1 million goal and now it looks to be closing in on the $2 million mark, bringing the world changing project closer to reality.

The initial funding is only going to take the project so far, it's going to allow for the Solar Roadway creators, Scott and Julie Brusaw, to hire engineers and a team of people to help streamline the technology, which will then allow for it to go in to full production. If you haven't come across the Solar Roadways project just yet then watch this video:

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlTA3rnpgzU']

This second video is a little more informative but not as fun to watch:

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNMFKKyFU60′]

20140508113108-Sandpoint_1

The solar roadways project already received two phases of funding from the U.S. Federal Highway Administration, phase one allowed for the research and development of the technology while phase two of the contract requires the team to build a functioning car park for demonstration purposes.

This project will eventually pay for itself as the roads will generate clean energy, powering cities through the sun. It has been estimated that if all of the roads in the US were replaced by these solar panels then it would generate 3 times more energy than what is currently used. This could help eliminate the need for fossil fuels and even pave the way for electric cars that run off of clean energy and can charge on the road.

You can check out the Indiegogo project page, HERE. 

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: This technology could help make the world a better place and would solve a ton of problems. It'll take years for it to spread across the planet but it will be pretty awesome when it finally does. What do you guys think of this? Is it a feasible project? Would it really have that much of an effect on the planet?

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Sol solar powered Ubuntu laptop coming this year https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/laptops/jon-martindale/sol-solar-powered-ubuntu-laptop-coming-this-year/ https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/laptops/jon-martindale/sol-solar-powered-ubuntu-laptop-coming-this-year/#respond Tue, 17 Sep 2013 10:30:34 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=152803 While companies like Intel might be hammering away at improving the efficiency of components while maintaining performance, we're not quite at a stage yet where mobile electronics like laptops are able to sustain their operating life between charges much over 10 hours, if that. However, that doesn't matter so much if you can charge it …

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While companies like Intel might be hammering away at improving the efficiency of components while maintaining performance, we're not quite at a stage yet where mobile electronics like laptops are able to sustain their operating life between charges much over 10 hours, if that. However, that doesn't matter so much if you can charge it wherever you are, freely, thanks to the power of the sun.

Enter Sol, the Ubuntu powered, economical and somewhat powerful laptop, that comes packing giant solar panels, letting you charge up while using it, at no cost to you whatsoever and with no reliance on a power socket. Of course, you'll need a bit of direct sunlight to be getting on with – so this isn't the ideal basement computer solution – but it's perfect for taking places where you'll be far from power.

sol
You'll need some space, but there's a lot of it on top of a mountain

Internally, those solar rays will be powering an Intel Atom D2500 running at 1.86GHz, an onboard Intel GMA3600 (this isn't going to play any GPU hungry modern games, but older ones should be doable at low resolutions), a 320GB Seagate HDD and 2-4GB of DDR3 memory. Externally, the Sol features a 13.3″ LCD screen running at 1366 x 768, a 3MP camera, built in speakers are microphone running off of the Realtek ALC661 HD audio chip, three USB 2.0 slots and a card reader.

It also supports 3G and 5G connections, can hook up to to b/g/n wireless signals, identify its location using GPS or hook up to other devices over bluetooth.

There's even five different colours to choose from:

colours
Which would you go for?

On top of its affordable $350 (£220) asking price, the Sol comes with the Ubuntu Linux distro loaded as standard, so you don't even need to pay for an operating system. While this might not be ideal for everyone, it keeps costs down and functionality high.

There is a more expensive version, which depending on where you are could be between $50 and $100 more. It's known as the Sol Marine and along with the solar panels and all other standard features, it adds water proofing, making it submersible. Both models however aren't available yet, being listed on the official site as “coming soon.” We're assured however, that they will be buyable by the end of the year.

KitGuru Says: An impressive piece of kit. The solar panels look fairly large when folded out, but this isn't the kind of notebook you'll be whipping out in the office. This is for sending emails while on top of a mountain.

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UK getting new giant solar farm https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/uk-getting-new-giant-solar-farm/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/uk-getting-new-giant-solar-farm/#respond Mon, 19 Nov 2012 11:38:31 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=115821 A new solar power installation has been given planning permission in Leicester, which when constructed, will be the UK's biggest, producing 35 Megawatts in total – this could potentially power over 35,000 homes. Set to be built on a new World War 2 airfield known as Wymeswold, in Leicestershire, the new installation will be made …

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A new solar power installation has been given planning permission in Leicester, which when constructed, will be the UK's biggest, producing 35 Megawatts in total – this could potentially power over 35,000 homes.

Set to be built on a new World War 2 airfield known as Wymeswold, in Leicestershire, the new installation will be made up of 125,000 panels. However they won't dominate the site as much as you'd think, since they'll be placed between the runways so that the area's driving circuit can still be used.

Wired has it that construction will begin as early as the end of this month, with the facility expected to come online in early 2013. Apparently this quick turn around is because next year the British government plans to cut subsidies for solar power, making their investment far less financially viable.

Solar Power
Solar contributes a fraction of the national power usage, but it's a start

“We are delighted to be involved in this large, first-of-its-kind project in the UK,” said Ben Guest, managing partner of Hazel Capital, the money behind the project. “We believe that larger industrial sites make great locations for solar projects going forward in the UK.”

Hazel Capital also plans to build solar arrays in Ellough and Stradishall in Suffolk, each site delivering a further 30MW of power to the local community.

KitGuru Says: Baby steps people. Baby steps.

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