AENA Solar's Blog

 
In the face of steeply rising oil prices and political turmoil in the Middle East, there is new urgency in finding a solution to uncertain energy future. Breakthroughs in new materials and ingenious designs for solar collectors are transforming the technology into a vastly cheaper, more efficient alternative. NOVA presents the latest thinking from solar enthusiasts and skeptics as it investigates cutting-edge research developments. The film introduces viewers to the scientists and businesspeople who are racing to make solar power practical—for lighting, heating, and running power plants.

 Source:  http://markivn.softarchive.net/nova_solar_energy_saved_by_the_sun.435366.html

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 Just wanted to provide some scope on the sizes of Solar Powered Charging Stations. From wrist watches to cities. That's it.

Of those, the big ones usually tie into a utility power grid (grid-tied), and the little teeny "stations" usually just keep your watch going and glowing in the dark. 

In between the extreme sizes are those on which AENA Solar is working. 

One of our partner companies is working on a home size charging station which uses 12 volt (check under the hood of your car for reference) batteries with standard plugs for (AC or DC) use with whichever appliances you think are most important to run during a power outage. These two panel systems can be strung together to provide more power if you want and can afford it, but create a low cost entry into solar power back-up systems if you are just starting out.

AENA Solar's in-house team is working on some cool charging stations that only use the battery already inside your portable electronic device (cell phone.) That means reducing the hazardous trash flow into our communities' waste systems. That means extending the life of your cell phone battery. That means being Green and being able to chat/text/email for that much longer on nice sunny days when you want to be away from office walls and places you normally plug in!

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 Review: Goal Zero's Scout 150

Unpacking the Goal Zero Scout 150 was a swift and easy process. I was very happy that I did not have to cut any wires to get the battery out. It comes with two connectors: a 12V barrel female output (where you usually plug in your car charger) and an AC wall charger. It has a LCD Screen that shows how much charge the battery has. When I initially opened the package, the battery had 100% charge.  However, when I started charging my electronics, it dropped to 60 to 80%. For output it has 3 different types: USB, 12V barrel and AC inverter. I plugged different electronics including 4 laptops (Macbook Pro, and 3 different HPs) as well as a cell phone charger.  It did not generate enough watts to charge the previously listed items. I also plugged in a LG flat screen TV.  The TV was on but I heard strange sounds that were probably due to the fact that the battery does not produce the necessary amount of current, amps or volts it needs. I have to say that it is very heavy with 15 lbs. on the specs.  I don’t know how convenient that is if you want to carry it while traveling.

 The unpacking of the Boulder 15m was the same as the Scout 10 - very simple and scissors free. It came only with the solar panel and its output cable.  Once I plugged the Boulder 15 into the Scout 10, I could see that it was charging no matter if it was in the direct sunlight or not.  It is very light to where it wouldn’t be a problem carrying it around. The cord is very long and therefore gives you the possibility of putting the solar panel in a sunny place and the battery in a shaded place.

As far as how long it takes to completely charge through the solar panel in practice, I am unsure of.  The manual says it takes 4 to 5 to completely charge it using the wall charger. I will test this soon and will post my experiment in the very near future.

By: Irene Nunziata, irene@aenasolar.com

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