SOCIAL media and solar power have combined into a formidable force at the CSIRO energy research centre at Mayfield West.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
The centre’s world leading solar research team are celebrating their 100th posting on the CSIRO solar technology blog.
The blog, established in February last year, was the national research organisation’s first attempt to use a blog to tap into the power of social media to reach a wider auidence.
‘‘It’s been a great forum to discuss issues about solar energy and answer a lot of the questions that we get asked on open days,’’ researcher Dr Tania Ritchie from the CSIRO solar thermal technologies division said.
‘‘It’s also a great way to link in with other things happening within CSIRO.’’
In the lead-up to this week’s 100th post, the team have been focusing on some of the lesser known aspects of solar power research
‘‘People are really surprised that solar-thermal technology exists in power station size and not only do we have one in Newcastle but these things are already operating commercially on a large scale in places around the world,’’ Dr Ritchie said.
Interesting facts about solar research at the CSIRO energy centre, Newcastle:
* Fact 59: If you think cleaning windows is tedious work, have a look at how we have to clean glass before we attach an organic solar cell to it. First we wash it in water, then detergent, then give it an acetone rinse, then an isopropanol rinse, and then blast it with plasma to burn off any remaining gunk. It takes about two and a half hours to clean a square a sixth the size of an iPhone screen.
* Fact 66: At the Energy Centre, even our computing can be clean and green. Some of our solar modelling is done using CSIRO’s computer cluster, which is ranked 15th in the world for energy-efficient supercomputers.
* Fact 67: At CSIRO, our pool parties are strictly in the name of science. We recently tested some floating solar cells for a client in an ‘outdoor open-air aqueous containment device’ (i.e. a pool). Deckchairs were not included.
* Fact 46: There’s a thriving local ecosystem in and around our solar fields. Regular visitors include lots of birds – magpies, corellas, herons, hawks, swamp hens and more – as well as less-welcome visitors like hares (that chew exposed cables) and the occasional reptile.
* Fact 34: The turbine is a modified helicopter engine, and is expected to be installed in the next few months.
