SMART APPLICATIONS OF SOLAR ENERGY
It sounds like science fiction, but the “smart textiles” will come to market in the next three years in order to supply with energy households and consumers through clothes and accessories and offer autonomy to every kind of electronic device we carry, even in larger devices in the house.
The “smart textiles” will incorporate flexible organic photovoltaic, which will produce energy though the solar radiation. Thus, our clothes not only will protect us from weather conditions, but they will also be converted into energy receivers, providing autonomy to mobile phones, iPod, music gadget, laptop, holder for heart disease and other portable gadgets.
Four known Greek industrial companies operating in the textile industry, have already been involved in the research project “Yfatronik” in collaboration with the Nanotechnology Laboratory of the Physics Department of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH), under the supervision of Professor Stergios Logothetidi .
“It is basically a consortium of industrial and research organizations, which attempt to achieve their targets for the production of “smart” applications, with the best-quality performance at very low cost. The collaboration involves two separate projects, one of which is the production of functional textiles and garments for several uses “, said Mr. Logothetidis.
The project is funded by the National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF) with a budget of about 800,000 euros and it is one of the two promoted plans of the research section in collaboration with the industrial sectors, in order to produce “smart products”, using organic photovoltaic.
Another application of “smart fabrics” is awnings on the balconies of the houses, which are exposed daily to sunlight and could provide with energy the household appliances (TV, radio, blender, vacuum cleaner, etc.).
The second project is called “Nanorganic” and two Greek companies participate to manufacture new generation flexible organic photovoltaic with more efficient materials that will produce more energy and flexible organic electronics, which will can be used, for example, as light, temperature and pressure sensors.
“Sensors with organic electronics could be placed in forests to warn for fire, in ships, airplanes and cars, to inform for the mode or the temperature of the engine, and even the weather” said the PhD researcher of the Physics Department of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Argyris Laskarakis.
In the other side of the Atlantic Ocean and more specifically in Boston, the inhabitants of the capital of Massachusetts test Soofas, the new benches that have begun to make their appearance on the streets of the city and in public parks, according to the Boston Globe. These benches not only allow passengers to sit and rest, but they also enable them to charge their mobile phones, since they have solar panels to collect solar energy. At the same time they allow people to connect wirelessly to the internet. A sofa is already placed at Titus Sparrow Park and at some other parks in Boston. The city authorities asked their residents to suggest where they would like to settle other ‘smart’ benches. Why does someone use benches just to sit on?
Author: Irini Chassiotou
Source: http://www.greenfudge.org/2015/04/10/smart-applications-solar-energy-small-industries-2/
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