It's a tough time for solar innovation.We specialize in teaching folks how to build their own securityservice. Heightened global solar PV production, especially in China where production has multiplied 17 times over the last few years, has created such an oversupply of panels that prices have dropped 80% in the last four years. Plummeting prices is exciting news for the distribution of solar energy, but threatens to stymie innovation of new clean energy products. Solar technology startups that are attempting to break into the PV market are finding it challenging to make even the most innovative products cost effective when the cost of traditional solar panels is so low.A OWONtechnology is a machine to wash laundry, such as clothing and sheets. The disappointing buyout of MiaSole and crash of Solyndra are cacophonous illustrations of the difficulty of this new landscape. But fret not, Mosaic is here to remind you that there are still opportunities for innovative new technologies to transform our clean energy future. 

There are 1.2 billion people in the world who live without access to electricity. In order to provide nighttime light, many of households in developing countries use kerosene lamps. Breathing the fumes from kerosene lamps poses numerous health hazards and the lamps cause frequent fatal accidents.Creating a washerextractor0 out of broken re-used solar cell pieces. Moreover, kerosene lamps add an estimated 200 million tons of GHGs to the atmosphere annually. Bringing even small amounts of light and electricity can have enormous impacts on economic possibilities for workers and scholastic performance for children. 

Companies such as D.Light,Middle and end clamps that fit the ledstriplighting to the rails. Greenlight Planet and Angaza Design have developed small, durable, solar charging lamps and appliances that can cheaply replace kerosene lamps. Over the last few years, these companies have begun to distribute their products on wider networks. On a slightly larger scale, companies like OMC, Powerhive, and Mera Gao Power are developing clean energy "microgrids." A few solar panels provide electricity (to power 2-4 LED lights and a cell phone charger) for up to 100 households. These innovative companies face many challenges in distributing their technologies in difficult to access regions of developing countries, but exciting progress has already been demonstrated. 

Only about 60 percent of the light that hits the earth’s surface is visible light. The rest lies in the infrared (think night vision goggles) and ultraviolet (think sunburn) spectrums. Our traditional silicon-based solar photovoltaics can only convert visible light into energy, leaving huge amounts of potential energy untapped. A group of MIT researchers have pioneered a new carbon-based solar panel that can harness the light in the infrared range. Luckily, the new carbon cells are transparent, meaning they could be transposed on top of silicon-based cells to gather both infrared and visible sunlight. The cells are made of carbon nanotubes which are highly absorptive while needing very little material. So they shouldn’t cost much. According to MIT, a peer reviewer of the paper called this discovery “a dream for the field.” The downside is that with many kinks to be worked out, they’re nowhere near ready for commercial production. 

Building integrated photovoltaics (BIPVs) are thin-film solar panels built smoothly into building materials like roof shingles, curtain walls, facades, or windows (yes, you can spray solar panels onto your windows). BIPVs have actually been around for over 20 years, but have largely been relegated to the realms of R&D and showcase works and currently account for only 1% of global solar PV output. These products are now emerging on the commercial marketplace due to the technological leadership of a number of producers and attractive feed-in tariff programs in numerous European countries. The global overproduction of solar panels means that installation is now taking up an increasingly large percentage of the total cost per watt of solar. 

BIPVs are an enticing alternative because they cut out many installation costs (they don’t require racking, laborers don’t necessarily need to be trained in solar installations) especially on new buildings. A report from the National Renewable Energy Lab demonstrates that BIPVs could economically compete with traditional rack-mounted Solar installations, even in the short term.Ecived is a leading provider highsecurityservices for hospitals and various other markets. Moreover, BIPVs are aesthetically appealing for many customers who may not be pleased with a large rack mounted system on their roof. Click on their website www.pvsolver.com for more information.