A PhD student in Australia has found a cheap way to make solar cells with household parts.  If this process works as well as thought-of, we might have solar cells popping up everywhere with DIYers who make their own solar cells.

An Australian PhD student has found a cheap way to make solar cells with nail polish, a pizza oven and an ink jet printer. 23-year-old Nicole Kuepper’s invention, named iJET, doesn’t require the pricey clean rooms and high-temperature ovens of traditional solar panel manufacturing plants, thus dramatically lowering the cost of solar and paving the road for introducing the technology to third-world countries.

via gizmodo

In todays’ world, a company should make things that are useful with a usable design.  In the case with this Solar Powered Necktie, we feel it’s been very poorly designed so no one would buy one.

Regardless, we do like the idea that you can charge your iPhone while walking down the street looking like an idiot.

Who knows, maybe no one will notice it though.

Now a group of researchers at Iowa State University have created a necktie using newly developed solar fabrics. The neat thing, is that the tiny solar panels are arranged in a grid that looks kind of like what you might see on a tie anyway. There’s even a pocket sewn into the back where you can stash the device you’re charging.

via dvice, gadgets7

RoofRay is a site that let’s you calculate your home’s solar power potential using the power of GoogleMaps.

It’s very interesting as the site will caculate the solar power potential based on the roof area and the slope of the roof.

It’s probably pretty accurate as most data is using direct satellite images off GoogleMaps.

The greatest part about this site is that you can find out how much energy you will be able to make with new solar power cells.  Then you calculate how much it is to install new solar panels on your roof to see how long it will take you to payoff the panels itself.

The RoofRay site allows you to specify location, size and slope of your roof via Google Maps. It then uses this info to estimate how much energy can be generated from your available exposure.

via make

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If you are thinking about making your own Parabolic Mirror, (whether you are making a parabolic solar cooker or simply just ‘caz) here’s great set of videos you can refer to for some tips.

You can make a parabolic mirror from an old satellite TV dish, or a bathroom vanity mirror but that’s not fun. Making your own mirror allows you to get the exact curvature you need for whatever you might be burning, cooking or heating. It’s a fair amount of work, but the resulting energy the mirror produces is amazing.

via make

Related:

Parabolic Solar Cooker

Incline Solar Cookers

Pizza Box Solar Cooker

Need to work outdoors because you need some air?  Don’t worry as the Sun Table will let you do that while your laptop is charged by the large solar panels embedded in the table.

The outdoor solar table lets you power up your laptop, via the Suns rays. The table is rather long, and would hold plenty of items, aside from your PC use. It is also water-resistant. The table is a neat idea, and would be great for those who spend a good deal of time on the internet.

via keetsa, laptoppimp

Finally, a solar-powered case is available for the Apple iPhone 3G.  This case does a real good job with leather outfits too.

With the Apple iPhone 3G Solar Charging Case you can charge your Apple iPhone 3G when on the move. Also your Apple iPhone 3G will be protected from getting scrathed or damaged. The Case includes a mini USB to USB cable so that you can charge other USB devices from the case. The case comes with a large high capacity 1500mAh battery, allowing you to charge from a solar source and store the power for later use.

via ohgizmo - ecogeek

I wonder why golf cart manufacturers never thought of a sustainable solar powered golf cart like this in the first place.  The great thing about these solar carts is that they will re-charge themselves most likely during the round of golf so you never really have to re-charge them via a wall-plug.

The Solar Powered Golf Cart.
This is the electric golf cart that has an array of 72 photovoltaic cells built into the roof that collect solar energy, providing up to 33% more range between recharges than non-solar electric golf carts. The carts 160-watt array produces up to three amps per hour for its 48-volt rechargeable battery system, providing a range of up to 49 milesapproximately 10 rounds of golfbefore requiring a full recharge (overnight via its 6′ long AC adapter; 15 hours via its solar array). The array also extends the life of the battery system by 60% more than other electric golf carts. Its 5 1/2-hp electric motor and 19-spline rear axle provides a maximum speed of 24 MPH and is powerful enough to enable the cart to climb a 28° incline when fully l oaded with two passengers and golf bags, supporting up to 755 lbs.

via hammacher

People say that all that cranking on a crank flashlight is healthy and does much good for your forearms yet this Solar Powered Flashlight proves that you don’t need any human energy to re-charge itself.  Might make a great gift for your zombie-like friend.

BOGO Light charges - and recharges - in the sun. Its 6 powerful LED lights shine brightly: providing reliable and renewable light with only 8 hours of charging in the sun. Designed and manufactured of hard ABS plastic it is highly water-and-shock resistant and will withstand 20 years of use and recharging. The BOGO light is not only durable, it’s also economical and environmentally friendly. Wherever you are, you are ready to go: BOGO.

via sun

Okay, here’s a cool set of solar powered fairy LED lights you can use anywhere including your exisiting outdoor umbrella bench.

The idea of hanging twinkly lights around the garden is a great one. Unfortunately regular fairy lights are liable to short-circuit the second you unfurl the mains lead extension. Not so our hassle-free Solar Powered Fairy Lights.

The clue’s in the name because these magical lights are powered by one of the hottest stars in the universe. No, not Jessica Alba (although that would be good). We’re talking about the sun. So as well as being eco-friendly, you won’t have to run cables out the back door or risk electrocuting your guests come nightfall.

via keetsa