Scientists all over the world are paying great attention to improving solar energy conversion systems. In an effort to increase their efficiency and reduce, as much as possible, the cost of producing solar cells, the scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology decided to take the path of reducing the thickness of solar cells.

The new type of panels can surpass any such solutions, and in terms of electricity production per kilogram of material used, it will be inferior only to uranium. Such panels can be made of sheets of graphene or molybdenum disulfide folded into many layers, the thickness of which is only one molecule (stacks of monomolecular sheets). Scientists argue that this approach will ultimately become the best possible approach to the development of solar energy. Jeffrey Grossman, Assistant Professor, Department of Energy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology ...

Among home masters and craftsmen, the need periodically arises to determine the performance of a thyristor or triac, which are widely used in household appliances to change the speed of electric motor rotors, in power regulators of lighting devices, and in other devices.

Before describing the verification methods, we recall the thyristor device, which is not for nothing called a controlled diode. This means that both semiconductor elements have almost the same device and work in exactly the same way, except that the thyristor has a limitation - control through an additional electrode by passing an electric current through it.

The thyristor and the diode pass current in one direction, which in many designs of Soviet diodes is indicated by the direction of the angle of the triangle on the mnemonic symbol located directly on the case ...

Most often in settlements where private houses predominate, overhead power lines are used. However, cable underground lines can also be used.

Part of such a line from the nearest support to the entrance to the house is usually called a branch. It can be laid through the air or underground. Legislatively determined that the branch is owned by the owner of the power line. Maintenance, operation and reconstruction of the branches are his responsibility. Independent work without the consent of the owner of the power transmission line is prohibited.

To create a new branch and connect it to the input of the building, you must have a project that must be agreed with the representatives of the line owner before starting work. The document should reflect a list of all technical solutions and materials ...

Convenience of lighting control is one of the basic rules that guide the installation of electrical wiring. If the room is relatively small in area, then to control the various lighting devices mounted in this room, one light switch is enough.

In the event that the room is large enough or extended, then for the convenience of controlling the fixtures installed in it, it is more expedient to provide for the possibility of their inclusion from two or more places. To realize this possibility, passage and cross switches or bistable relays are used. Below we briefly describe both methods of controlling lighting devices, and give their main advantages and disadvantages.Through and cross switches have the principle of work similar to traditional switches of lighting. Switching lighting circuits ...

The graphic editor "Splan" is distributed free of charge, it is known among radio amateurs, electricians and electrical personnel. It is convenient in operation, has an intuitive interface and a large library of templates of electronic components, which can be replenished with your own developments.

To explain the principles of drawing in the sPlan 7.0 program, we use a common electric lighter circuit, which from a voltage of 2.4 volts from two batteries generates a high-voltage spark discharge pulse to ignite the gas.

This design consists of: an oscillator operating from transistors, a transformer that increases their oscillations to about 150 volts, a high-voltage transformer, which triggers the thyristor circuit. Schematic diagram of an electric lighter ...

A team of researchers from the University of Michigan, led by Richard Lunt, has developed a unique solar concentrator that can convert only part of the solar spectrum into ultraviolet, which is not perceptible to the human eye. The material is transparent to visible light, which means that such transparent solar panels can be easily inserted instead of window glass, while the window will look completely familiar, like ordinary glass in it, but electricity will be generated along the way. The development was called "transparent luminescent solar concentrator."

Colored luminescent solar concentrators are already widely known, in which part of the spectrum of the radiation incident on the concentrator is absorbed in the colored upper layer, then reradiated with a longer wavelength. Then through the second, transparent layer ...

A compact fluorescent lamp (housekeeper) is popular because of the significantly lower power consumption compared to traditional incandescent lamps. But, often there is such an unpleasant situation as the flashing of the housekeepers, which occurs when the switch of a given lamp is turned off. That is, the fluorescent lamp operates in normal mode, but continues to flash when turned off, which, firstly, causes inconvenience, and secondly, it causes concern regarding the safety of the lamp in this mode.

Below we consider the main causes of the flashing of compact fluorescent lamps and the corresponding methods for solving this problem. One of the most common problems of flickering housekeepers is the presence of this backlight in the light switch. In this case, the flashing occurs because the circuit supplying the LED ...

Inside modern multi-story buildings and private houses, electrical wiring can work according to different connection schemes to the ground loop. Any owner of a dwelling should know its features in his building, since each scheme in different ways ensures the safety of using household electrical appliances.

All residential buildings are connected to power transformer substations by overhead or cable power lines. Almost all of them have four wires, which can be indicated by the indices "A", "B", "C" and "0" or "L1", "L2", "L3" and "PEN". These wires are planted on the terminals of the main switchboard of the building and routed along it.

Moreover, the PEN conductor can be connected with splitting into two components of the circuit PE and N or directly without any separation. In the first case, the house uses a new system ...

The law of conservation of energy is truly unshakable, and the centuries-old experience of science and technology has taught scientists to rely on it as a basis. A huge number of technical devices, which could be listed endlessly, has been created by mankind at the moment, relying on the fundamental laws of nature and the whole universe. Only a few, out of a great many such devices, can be mentioned as an example.

Bow and arrow, wheel, oar, sail, lever, compass, gunpowder, microscope and telescope, steam engine, telegraph, dynamite, electric generator and electric motor, incandescent lamp, transformer, battery, atomic bomb, transistor, laser, artificial satellites and spacecraft.

Everywhere, the law of conservation of energy is strictly observed: pulling a bow string, a person does the work, while the bow arc stores potential energy, which is then converted ...

Wireless infrared (IR) motion sensors that do not require wiring are one of the most popular devices for providing automated control of the security of a room or any other territory. This can be the territory of a dwelling, a personal plot, a car parking, an industrial facility or an office building. Such a sensor is a miniature device, the function of which is to detect a moving object in its area of ​​operation and turn on the alarm.

Wireless communication between the sensor and the alarm unit is via a secure radio channel, and the transmission frequency is usually 433 MHz, but it may also differ, for example, there are sensors that transmit an alarm at a frequency of 868 MHz. The distance between the alarm unit and the wireless sensor should not exceed 100-200 meters, subject to direct visibility. Obstacles significantly reduce distance ...

In the kit of the home master, you need to have a soldering iron, sometimes even several different capacities and designs. The industry produces many different models, they are not difficult to purchase. The photo shows a working sample of the release of the 80s.

However, many craftsmen are interested in home-made designs. One of them at 80 watts is shown in the photo. This soldering iron managed to solder 2.5 square copper wires in the street in cold weather and to change transistors and other components of electronic circuits on printed circuit boards in the laboratory.

The “Moment” soldering iron is powered by ~ 220 volts electric network, representing an ordinary transformer, in which the secondary winding is shorted by a copper jumper. When turned on for a few seconds, a short circuit current flows through it ...

In early November 2014, California-based energy company Southern California Edison announced its decision to enter into a 20-year contract with AES Energy Storage, a manufacturer of battery-powered electric energy storage systems. AES already manages the world's largest commercial battery network, each with 200 megawatt-hour capacity.

The company claims that the total capacity of currently developed batteries around the world is approximately 1 GWh. In connection with this, the parent company AES Corporation received $ 16 billion in revenue last year. However, the now planned project will have to surpass all previous facilities ever built by the company.

A huge 400 megawatt-hour battery will be built south of Los Angeles, in Long Beach, at the Alamitos Power Center. It will have to provide peak loads ...