If you spent the recent onset of winters in Delhi, you would know the terror of air pollution that the city is fighting against. This is not something conditional to the winters of 2017 as Delhi has been at loggerheads with air pollution for a couple of years now. There was the infamous odd-even move and despite that the particulate levels in the air remain higher than what should be ideal. This pollution has been attributed primarily to the large industries, crops being burnt and increasing vehicles on the road. Needless to say that we need to find a solution. One such solution could be solar bicycles going mainstream.

To fight the problem and threat of air pollution, scientists are looking to build solar assisted bicycles which would help fight not just the pollution but also lighten the traffic on the road. According to a report in The Economic Times, Mr SA Puviyarasu from the Dr N G P Institute of Technology, Anna University has confirmed efforts are being made to develop an eco-friendly solar bicycle to help combat the problem of air pollution. The solar assisted bicycle according to him, has the potential to reduce up to 60% of all the vehicle pollution in India. It may look like an ambitious number, especially considering that bicycles have never been a popular mode of transport in India at least in the metro cities.

The solar bicycle has solar panels that are mounted on the cycle carrier. These panels generate the electricity based on the specification of the panels used and the energy is further stored in a Lead Acid battery. The battery then drives a brushless DC motor mounted on the front wheel allowing the rider to change the speed of the bicycle. You may be wondering that this makes the cycle a fancy e-cycle more than a cycle but the rider can choose to use the motor or not or simply go ahead and pedal his way to the destination. The motor and pedal can both be used simultaneously as well.

Mr Puviyarasu has been quoted as saying the bike can be modified and customized depending upon the need of the user. It is estimated that these bikes will be on the road, sometime next year around 2018. When released, the bike is slated to cost anywhere in between Rs 12,000 to Rs 15,000.

image source: LauraW-B

If you have been actively following the MYSUN blog, you would have come across Part 1 of our blog series on common myths around solar energy, specifically rooftop solar. The aim of doing these series of posts is to try and reason out and explain some of the common notions that people have in context of solar energy or solar system, or perhaps solar in general are incorrect. This is not to establish, that everything you know about or read about solar is inaccurate or incomplete but simply that everything that you hear may not be the most accurate version.

We captured five common myths and explained them in the first part of this article, and this new piece shall try and cater to five more such common misconceptions. For a more accurate take, you can always head over to our Solar Essentials page that has all the information you need before deciding to go solar. As Alan Watts puts it aptly, ‘A myth is an image in terms of which we try to make sense of the world’. So before you go about building your solar world based on perceptions, let’s address them logically one by one.

Myth 1) Solar panels will damage my roof:

We all love our houses and properties, in fact a lot of effort and financial resources have gone into building it. It would be foolishness to install something on top of it, which could lead to its damage or a collapse. Fortunately, installing a solar panel on the rooftop is not equivalent to landing a heavy chopper on your rooftop. There are various well-proven globally accepted norms for installing solar panels on rooftops without any damage to the roofs. Using mounting rails or even screwing(small puncture) methods have been used quite predominantly.But you should be careful while selecting your solar installer. Read more about different types of roofs and how solar panels can be safely mounted on them here. Most buildings built over the last 20-25 years can be assumed to be safe for installing solar panels. Moreover, if you need some unrelated repair work on the roofs in future, you can get the panels removed, do your repair work and re-install the solar panels. Panels are removable and hence can be easily removed if the roof is to be repaired. On the contrary, solar panels actually protect the roof which they cover from the forces of nature. Add to the fact there are no moving parts and no emission of harmful gasses, solar panels are perfectly safe for your roof.

Myth 2) Solar panels need a tracking system to follow the sun:

It is true that higher the exposure to the sun, higher would be yield from a solar system. However, a solar PV system can work perfectly efficiently without involving a tracking system. Observations show that a tracking system may increase the solar system efficiency by 15~20 % as compared to a fixed or seasonal tilt systems. However, this increment may not justify the additional expense for everyone. It is like adding spoilers to your car. No doubt that it will enhance the efficiency and get you better performance, but it is up to you to justify the additional cost for the benefit. Also, the tracking system needs higher maintenance and replacement cost due to the involvement of an increased number of moving parts.

Myth 3) Installing a solar panel/ system on my rooftop will make my house look ugly:

If you have spent plenty of hours with an architect getting the roof of your mansion, just perfect, it is justified that you are worried about looks. We agree that the thought of beauty being skin deep is not true for houses. However, with today’s technology and the right solar system design and choice of material and workmanship, the solar panels can be installed in a manner so as to ensure that they look great on your roof. Add to that the additional pride that you have of going ‘green’ which can definitely make your neighbors go ‘green’ with envy. Moreover, if you want to keep the look of the building pristine, you may want to consider thin film laminate based solar panels. These will make the panels look as though they are a part of the rooftop only rather than something constructed as an afterthought. Yes, these thin film laminates are more expensive than the usual choice of panels, but they would eventually add value to the property and not to forget, installing them would mean that they pay back the investment within their lifetime alone. There is obviously the option of a shingles like setup that Tesla has come up, more on which can be found here. So, if you are too conscious about the looks, there is a solution for that too, albeit a little expensive one.

Myth 4) When nobody has power at their house, I will have power:

As much as we would love for that fact that you have electricity 24x7 at your place, this myth is well, a myth. With a solar system installed, the only difference between the power that you and your neighbor, who does not have solar installed, is the source of generation. However, if there is a fault in the transmission line or the entire grid is down, and you are using a grid-tied solar system, you too will be forced to have a candle light dinner, with no power. If there is a maintenance work for example being held on the grid, you will not be left untouched by the same and sadly will have to fall back on the generator system to provide you with power till the grid is restored. However, if you are not connected to the grid or using a battery-backed solar system and the power is being supplied and consumed just by your house, you will have the power when the grid fails.

Myth 5) Chinese Solar Panels are bad and if you have them, they will fail:

This is a myth that extends from a reputation that has been built. We have heard the same story repeated in the world of electronics, especially phones, where Chinese phones are labeled as cheap devices, with a short lifespan. However, just like in electronics, even in solar, there are Chinese brands that are doing very well. For example, Growatt, a Chinese inverter manufacturing company has the highest market share in Australia when it comes to solar. Similarly, there are names like Trina and Yingli, which are very well trusted, globally. Just like any industry, there are good players and there are bad players, and that is why choosing a right supplier for the system is important, so that he will pay your faith back and not install a sub-standard system. We have spoken a bit more about the myth of Chinese solar products in our post here.

It is imperative to say here that you need to be diligent while selecting your solar system installer. Once that is done, please be rest assured that your investment in solar will be amongst your best investments ever. We at MYSUN are there to not only help you find the right solar installer but also be there on your side during the system design, construction and for the 25 years long life of your solar system.

With that, we round up our second post on the myths that surround solar. We hope, we are able to bring more and more clarity to you from the world of solar as the series is progressing. Do share your feedbacks, thoughts and comments with us, by mentioning them in the section below or catching us up on our social media profiles.

For a long time movies have been made inspired from incidents of real life. But what happens, when reel life actually inspires you to go ahead and define how the future would actually look? This seems to be the background of the work that Jayan Thomas of the University of Central Florida has been doing, inspired by the movie Back to the Future. The movie has been credited with inspiring a lot of work in the past with well-known brands such as Nike and Lexus turning to it for some inspiration.

Mr Jayan has developed filaments that are capable of trapping and storing solar energy while they are being sewn into various textile fabrics. Theoretically, this means, that these filaments can help you charge your personal electronic devices such as smartphones and tablets when you need to. The details of the working of the filaments have been published in a journal called, ‘Nature Communications’. The filaments are basically thin, flexible, copper ribbons that have solar cells on one side and energy storing layers on the other side. The filaments are then converted into square using tabletop loom and laced throughout the clothing. The filaments by the virtue of their presence will be able to provide energy when needed without needing to be recharged.

The application of clothes made with these special filaments is directed towards military primarily. Soldiers who spend a lot of time in the sun for example, can make most out of this technology, allowing them not to carry the heavy battery packs to recharge. A soldier carries as much as 30 pounds of battery on their body and if these filaments do become mainstream it would be a massive relief. Another application of solar powered clothes is helping charge electric vehicles. This is not the first time that someone has worked out a solar application when it comes to clothes. A couple of years ago in 2014, Tommy Hilfiger showed off an entire collection of solar power jackets that would help the customers charge their phones using the jacket. However, unlike the filaments used here, the jacket back in the day was decked with water resistant and flexible solar panels and was a more straight forward solution. Each of these jackets then cost $599 and could charge a device of 1500 mAh four times when it was fully charged.

It is not clear the sort of output and efficiency these filament based clothes will produce or if they can ever be practically used. However, pure from an innovation point of view, this is indeed a peek into the future, at least that is what we hope.

Source: 1, 2

Image Source: UCF

If you have been following MYSUN on our social media channels or generally keeping an eye out on what we have been up to, you would be well aware of the fortnightly series, where we bring to you some cool applications of solar. In our series so far, we have seen a solar-powered tuk-tuk and a solar-powered boat. This time around, we thought of moving away from the world of transportation towards something that has been making a lot  of headlines and turning heads.

In this edition of 'Interesting ways the world is utilising solar' we are set to feature solar rooftop tiles. As you would know rooftop solar is very dear to us here at MYSUN and we are excited by the potential of this latest unveiling by Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla. The idea behind solar rooftop tiles, in theory at least, looks to be just the right solution for those who are worried about the aesthetics of their rooftop when going for a solar panel installation. There is another myth that added weight of a solar system could lead to a collapse of roof altogether, and while the truth could not be far away, having your rooftop made up of tiles that are sufficient to produce power without the need of an over-bearing structure is sure to give a lot of people more peaceful nights when looking to make the decision. As a concept it looks wonderful and something that would gauge a lot of interest, but you wonder, just like other Tesla products, whether it is a solution for the future more, than being a solution for right here, right now.

The product is expected to land in the markets in time for the next summer. If you are design conscious you would be glad to know that the solar rooftop tiles can indeed be manufactured in a range of styles to go along with the overall design aesthetics of the home.

Some of these include: Tuscan, slate, textured, and smooth. There is little information on the pricing of the tiles, but Elon Musk did add in his keynote that the cost of going with solar rooftop tiles would be cheaper than the traditional roof plus solar rooftop solar system installation. He did add via his Twitter feed that, "Solar glass tiles can also incorporate heating elements, like rear defroster on a car, to clear roof of snow and keep generating energy". If you are worried about the robustness of the tiles, in theory at least, they seem to be able to stand load better than the conventional tiles as seen in the video below thanks to the tempered glass covering. According to Musk, they should last you as long as 50 years.

Solar roof glass tile vs. conventional roof tile pic.twitter.com/AnGWJ07jub

— Tesla (@TeslaMotors) October 29, 2016

MYSUN's take on Tesla Shingles-

Even though these shingles or solar tiles look quite attractive aesthetically, and promise to be simpler in terms of installation, they are likely to be less efficient and more expensive than the traditional rooftop solar systems in terms of energy generation and upfront costs respectively. So this may end up being a rich man’s solar system who anyways may not want too much savings on energy bills. Purely from an Indian market perspective, which traditionally is much more price sensitive, it may be a few years before such fancy products become mainstream. Having said, the traditional rooftop solar is all set to go mainstream in the next couple of years due to the huge price arbitrage solar power offers today in comparison to what consumers pay for grid power today.

image source

Every fortnight, we bring to you some interesting applications of solar to give you an idea on how solar is affecting and changing our world every day. We featured the much discussed Solar Powered Tuk-Tuk in our last edition and continuing with the transportation beat, this time, we appreciate a solar powered boat that is ready to go around the world.

Of course, boats have been using wind energy for ages, making sea transit historically, one of the best examples of a green and clean transport, but the ‘Energy Observer Ship’ is unique as it draws complete power from solar energy, turbines and high-pressure hydrogen produced from desalination of seawater. ‘Energy Observer’ is backed by the same set of people who were behind Solar Impulse, a popular solar powered aircraft that has garnered mass interest and following. No wonder, it has been nicknamed ‘Solar Impulse of the Seas’.

The ship is currently in a shipyard at Saint Malo, France and is expected to push off on its voyage around the world sometime in February 2017. Just like the ‘Solar Impulse’ aircraft, more than a 100 stops for the ship have been planned already to showcase the groundbreaking technology behind it. The boat’s batteries which will power the motor will be powered by solar energy and wind energy. In case there is no sun or enough wind energy, the boat will be powered by stored hydrogen, that would have been produced by electrolysis of water carried out by the solar panels and two wind turbines. The ship is awaiting the installation of these panels and turbines currently.

The ‘Energy Observer’ will be the first boat with an autonomous means of producing hydrogen. Add on to it that there will be no carbon emitting fuel on board, unlike 96% of the boats out there. You are, therefore, looking at perhaps the most advanced ship out there, at least in terms of its energy source. The total cost of building the ship is expected to be around $4.72 million mark and it will take a total of about 6 years to take the trip around the world. For those of us in India, this marvel is expected to visit Goa too, en route the huge global map that it plans to cover.

Source: 1, 2

Image credit

Around the world in 80 days, in a tuk tuk, powered by solar? Not really in 80 days! Even though, it would make for a wonderful sequel to the Jules Verne classic, we are not talking about a fictional story here.

An Australian-Indian engineer Naveen Rabelli, has set about on a unique journey where he has planned a trip from Kochi all the way to London in a tuk tuk. Yes, you read that correct. The story would be far more believable if the narrative was written about as much in news as the Solar Impulse aircraft, but it truly is about a man travelling 10,000 odd kilometers in a tuk tuk that is powered by electricity and solar power.

Rabelli has been on the road for seven months now, and hopes to reach Buckingham Palace around mid of September, which would mark the end of this extra-ordinary voyage. The journey was scheduled to be completed earlier, but Rabelli was unfortunately robbed of his passport and cash from the tuk tuk in Sarcelles, north of Paris. Such has been the popularity of the tuk tuk, which cost Rabelli about $1500 upfront and another $11,500 in modifications, that it has been given its own name, Tejas. There is a dedicated Facebook page for the same, that Rabelli maintains  to keep all us up to date about his journey. You can follow the same here.

The tuk tuk has a top speed of 60 kmph, and has been a project that Rabelli has worked on for four years now, pouring all his savings into the same. His mission has been  to showcase to the world a sustainable and a cost effective solution for transportation while ensuring zero-emission. The tuk tuk, before halting in Paris has crossed about ten countries, starting from India. These include: Iran, Turkey, Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia, Austria, Germany and Switzerland. Being an electric vehicle, the tuk tuk has three lithium-ion batteries that are responsible for running the main motor. In case, there is no socket for power supply, like several villages of India, there is an overhead solar panel that is placed on the tuk tuk to recharge the battery and ensure that the tuk tuk is on the road, moving.

Going has not been easy for Rabelli who had met with an accident, back in India, just before he set out on this epic journey, which delayed the flag off by at least 6 months. There have been flat tyres, mechanical failure and roads have not been too kind. There have been nights on the journey where he has had to unscrew the second seat in the cargo and make a bed to sleep at night in the vehicle alone. On good days, there have been people who have been welcoming and have given him warmth and hospitality that he has been only glad to share with the world via his Facebook page.

As they say, where there is a will there is a way, Rabelli has continued defying the odds and we are sure that the setback in France is not going to dampen his spirits. From the entire team of MYSUN, we wish Rabelli the best and cannot wait for him to reach the finishing line.