Solar-Powered Air Conditioner is a Great Idea, in Theory9/25/07 5:15pm The oddly-named "Psychro-ray" is a solar-powered air conditioner for your car. It's just a concept, and something tells me that there's no way solar power alone could power something as power-hungry as an air conditioner with a " carbon filtration system and electrostatic dust collector," but hey, I like the way you guys are thinking. Once reality catches up with these designers the world is gonna be a great place, let me tell you. Honda tests electric-car charging in the Marshall IslandsEnlarge PhotoHonda is testing new electric-car charging stations in a somewhat unusual and very remote location. It's far from the carmaker's home market of Japan, or its major markets, like the United States and Europe. In fact, it's far from pretty much everywhere on earth. DON'T MISS: Honda's California HQ Installs 120 Electric-Car Charging Stations (But Sells No Plug-In Cars) The location in question is the Republic of the Marshall Islands, a nation comprised of 1,156 individual islands near the equator in the Pacific Ocean.

These remote islands were the site of bloody fighting during World War II, nuclear testing during the Cold War, and are now particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Beginning this week, Honda will jointly conduct testing with the government of the Marshall Islands of a solar-powered AC charging station called the Honda Power Charger. Honda tests electric-car charging in the Marshall IslandsEnlarge Photo With support from the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Honda and the Marshall Islands government will conduct a pilot testing program using the charging stations, and a small fleet of Fit EV electric cars.which is the best hvac unit Initial results will determine whether more widespread installation of charging infrastructure throughout the Marshall Islands would be worthwhile.air conditioning units for small rooms

ALSO SEE: What Country Powered Itself Entirely On Renewable Energy For 75 Days? Honda notes that the Marshall Islands must import the majority of its energy supplies. Increased used of renewable energy is meant to help the country achieve a greater degree of self sufficiency, and to reduce the energy costs associated with transportation. 2012 Honda Fit EVEnlarge Photo Situated as it is among many small islands in the Pacific, the Marshall Islands is also more likely to be devastated by rising sea levels resulting from climate change.home heating air conditioning units So the country has an even greater incentive to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions. MORE: World's First Entirely Renewable-Energy Place: Wind-Swept Scottish Island (Feb 2014) For its part, Honda is laying the groundwork for a return to the plug-in car market after a brief hiatus. The carmaker recently withdrew both the Fit EV and the Accord Plug-In Hybrid from the U.S., and neither car sold in great numbers to begin with.

Honda plans to launch a new battery-electric car and a new plug-in hybrid in 2018, but has not provided any specific information on either model. Follow GreenCarReports on Facebook and TwitterIt doesn’t take long for a new electric car driver to start thinking about solar panels. The idea of running a car on sunshine, and thereby severing ties between driving and burning fossil fuels, is an exciting proposition—but where does a new EV driver begin the process of going solar? Earlier this week, SolarCity, a leading solar provider, announced a partnership with ClipperCreek, an EV charger company, to help make the process easier. has covered the benefits of EV+PV in the past—but the purchase decision for the plug-in car (and installing charging) and the buying process for the solar panels have been two separate things. SolarCity and ClipperCreek now streamline the process by installing the EV 240-volt Level 2 charger (starting at $1,500) when the solar panels go up—even if the customer has not yet bought an electric car.

Think of it as a total home-vehicle green energy solution in one package. Businesses can also take advantage of the offer. SolarCity says that electric car drivers will save up to 77 percent on vehicle fuel costs by charging up with solar power. The company calculates that a fairly heavy driver of a gas-powered car (getting around 20 mpg) currently pays about $230 per month. That cost goes down to $107 for charging up via the grid, and is sliced in half again, to about $54, when leasing a solar system from SolarCity. SolarCity is taking a lead with this bundled solution—as it did with installing the world’s first solar-powered electric car charging corridor, between Los Angeles and San Francisco, in 2009. (The EV chargers, located at Rabobank branches along highway 101, now support the J1772 connectors common to new EVs, such as the Nissan LEAF.) We should expect more tie-ups between solar companies, charger providers, and car companies. Last week, General Motors said it plans to put solar-powered charging stations on company buildings, including 24 of its North American dealerships—where customers can also purchase a Chevy Volt.

The provider is Sunlogics, a company in which GM has invested $7.5 million. How long will it be before all the dots are connected, and a consumer can purchase an electric vehicle, and all the means to produce renewable energy to charge it, via one-stop-shopping? If you already have PV and an EV, please offer your guidance on how others can learn from your experience.What is the potential of a solar panel on a Model S? What is the potential of a solar panel on a Model S?Build Your Own Solar Power Generator A solar cell converts light directly into electricity using the “Photovoltaic Effect”. There is no fuel, steam or thermodynamics involved. When light hits a solar cell, it instantly produces electricity. Solar cells today do not store electricity. In other words, when the light is taken away from the cell, it stops producing electricity. It is very common to store the electricity from a solar cell in a battery. You can store electricity generated from a solar panel in a battery such as a typical car battery or you could use a Deep Cycle battery for more storage capacity.

Typical car batteries are not recommended for use in solar power systems. They have a very small range of operating voltage and if discharged too deeply, the battery will be irrepairably damaged. Deep cycle batteries have a wider operating voltage range and are more suitable for use in solar power systems. If you are using a large solar panel to charge your battery, it would be wise to purchase a charge controller to regulate the current flow. Once the battery is charged you can connect an inverter to the terminals. Connect the negative terminal first. An inverter will convert the battery's DC current to usable AC current which you can use to power AC appliances. AC and DC voltage waveforms. Alternating Current (AC) is the type of electricity found in the outlet in your home. DC Direct Current is what you would find in the outlet of your car. DC electricity is also the type of electricity stored in batteries. Generators at big power plants use rotating alternators to produce AC electricity while the dynamo found in your bicycle (still a rotating machine) produces DC.