Solar Panels // Current TV

Solar is dead in Spain.

Well, not really, but there are solar panels in the cemetery. Solar panels sit on... more

covelogibbs
added this
4 years ago
|
0 comments

Forget the recession, California goes for the green

photo: California Governor’s Office California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger... more

pshira
added this
4 years ago
|
0 comments

WiFi goes green: solar-powered outdoor nodes coming soon

Mesh WiFi firm Meraki released an addition to its hardware family of routers today with a wall-plug adapter ($179). The Meraki Wall Plug, which features a hole to screw the unit to an outlet, complements the existing Indoor ($149) and Outdoor ($199) nodes. Meraki's hardware includes access to (and requires use of) a hosted back-end management console.

The Wall Plug is part of Meraki's push for apartment buildings and complexes (multiple dwelling units or MDUs, in real-estate parlance). The company said it will offer a $5,000 bundle aimed at MDUs that will cover 100 to 150 apartments or other units.

The company also said that their long-awaited Meraki Solar would ship December 4. A worldwide run on solar power equipment when oil prices spiked increased the price of the panel required for the unit. The price of the Solar model runs from $749 for a bring-your-own-panel model up to $1,499 for areas with shorter days or less light.

Company cofounder Sanjit Biswas said that Meraki also decided to change the battery type after receiving feedback from beta users, which is part of what led to the 1-year delay. In winter or monsoon season, the beta product "would run out of juice in a couple of days with no sun." Customers said that they needed guaranteed 24-hour performance, and Meraki switched from sealed lead-acid to lithium iron-phosphate for greater capacity. Biswas said this dropped the weight, too, which reduces shipping costs for the many remote areas that the Solar unit has been tested in and will likely be used.

Biswas said that Solar was used in a lot of places the firm didn't expect–anywhere that power wasn't available, such as parks, but also where even though an electrical outlet would be installed, there were ancillary costs.

Some customers would say, Biswas noted, "A union electrician is going to cost me a couple of thousand dollars." He said that many Meraki customers were "choosing to do Wi-Fi because it was a relatively low-impact amenity to offer," so the higher initial price of Solar was easily canceled out by lower installation and recurring costs.

Biswas said that Meraki continues to extend its market into areas it didn't predict, such as small enterprises: firms of 50 to 200 employees that cover large areas, such as doctors' offices or shopping malls, and that outsource their information technology services. "That's a surprise for us: it's not just about public access, sometimes it's just about plain Wi-Fi access, even internally," Biswas said.

The centralized management console is a plus for this segment because Meraki customers can manage accounts and operations themselves after a system is set up, or use an integrator for remote help. Biswas noted that the console and hardware now support enterprise features, including WPA2 Enterprise (802.1X plus WPA2), quality of service (for VoIP and streaming), and multiple SSIDs (for running several virtual networks with different access privileges). The system has scaled to manage thousands of devices on a single network, as well.

Meraki highlighted a customer installation in Chile, which they only found out about after the network lit up on their map showing active installations. In Lebu, a fishing village 300 km from Santiago, residents had no real Internet access, although there was both a satellite feed and an E1 (similar to a T1) leased line. A local integrator lit up the town for about $20,000 in less than a week, and the network now has over 1,000 regular users. Biswas said, "They're using all the same sites that you and I would use."

The city isn't charging for service, because it found "the collection costs would be too high," Biswas said. He noted, "We've seen this model replicated elsewhere in Latin America," where a feed is spread throughout a town, taking residents from no Internet access to low-end broadband. (Meraki allows bandwidth shaping for shared access.)Mesh WiFi firm Meraki released an addition to its hardware family of routers today... more

YesWeDid
added this
4 years ago
|
1 comment

We want green jobs now

The sooner we become self sufficient as a nation the sooner we can 'buy' our... more

resolute
added this
4 years ago
|
3 comments

Holy Shit Jan they're getting rid of solar tax breaks!!!

By JIM ABRAMS, Associated Press Writer Sun Aug 31, 9:28 AM ET WASHINGTON - Congress... more

clayjj05 [removed]
added this
4 years ago
|
5 comments

Want solar panels? Head to Sam's Club

Getting a solar system installed on your house is decidedly complicated. There is no... more

lemonsun12
added this
4 years ago
|
2 comments

Dyes Can Turn Windows Into Solar Panels

Coating an ordinary sheet of glass with dye could be the key to cheaper, more... more

brad149
added this
4 years ago
|
1 comment

U.S. Lifts Moratorium on New Solar Projects

Public pressure wins! Now it's time to build some solar plants.

MrBigShot21
added this
4 years ago
|
8 comments

Solar panel'd Prius in 2009

Toyota plans to install solar panels on its next-generation Prius hybrid cars,... more

RonenA
added this
4 years ago
|
3 comments

Solar powered golf carts

"Smart Energy Stuff offers a variety of solar-powered golf carts, from $6,000 to... more

shroomfairy
added this
4 years ago
|
11 comments

Solar not "clean coal"

My view on clean coal not being safe and to reiterate that if we truly want to bring... more

JanforGore
added this
4 years ago
|
28 comments

Capture power with your curtains - CNN.com

LONDON, England (CNN) -- Imagine every time you closed your curtains, you were... more

KristinL
added this
4 years ago
|
2 comments

Solar Energy Breakthrough in Israel

In the Negev desert there is only one natural resource, the sun. Professor David Famen... more

KeithdaSneith
added this
5 years ago
|
1 comment

Get your own solar powered "Transformers" Energon Cube

Plug and play, sorta portable solar energy station, for your house, work, farm, etc.... more

mwald
added this
5 years ago
|
0 comments

The convergence of the smart grid With photovoltaics

Navigant Consulting has announced plans to launch a major multi-client study on the... more

JanforGore
added this
5 years ago
|
4 comments

C.A.T.

Centre for Alternative Technology Machynlleth Wales

AstralJester
added this
5 years ago
|
0 comments

Green Collar Work - Not your traditional blue or white collar job

It seems as though everywhere you look you see green. From fuels, to fashion to food... more

DeconstructionFilms
added this
5 years ago
|
8 comments

New Solar Panels: Cheaper Than iTunes Downloads Per Watt

Good news polar bears, a Silicon Valley start-up called Nanosolar have announced... more

richjm
added this
5 years ago
|
7 comments

Off the Grid

An electrician in Taos, New Mexico explains how a solar energy system can replace... more

afox
added this
7 years ago
|
2 comments

Powersharing The Economical Way

The EU is considering spending £5m on lining the Mediterranean desert shores... more

ovkorrse
added this
5 years ago
|
4 comments

select your country

Community Spotlight

TAGS

tagged w/ Solar Panels

top videos

find current on tv

find current online

recent comments

© 2013 Current TV, LLC All Rights Reserved

the basics

follow us online

tools

stay in touch

© 2013 Current TV, LLC
All Rights Reserved