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The conversion of sunlight into electricity has been dominated by photovoltaic and solar thermal power generation. Photovoltaic cells are deployed widely, mostly as flat panels, whereas solar thermal electricity generation relying on optical concentrators and mechanical heat engines is only seen in large-scale power plants. Here we demonstrate a promising flat-panel solar thermal to electric power conversion technology based on the Seebeck effect and high thermal concentration, thus enabling wider applications. The developed solar thermoelectric generators (STEGs) achieved a peak efficiency of 4.6% under AM1.5G (1 kW m−2) conditions. The efficiency is 7–8 times higher than the previously reported best value for a flat-panel STEG, and is enabled by the use of high-performance nanostructured thermoelectric materials and spectrally-selective solar absorbers in an innovative design that exploits high thermal concentration in an evacuated environment.

The BG-BL01 is a combination device, both solar battery charger and emergency LED Light. The solar power come courtesy of a HIT Solar panel, the same type of current generation panels that are found on homes. The BG-BL01 also comes equipped with a USB port, two AA Battery Charger slots and three LED lights.

The 620325 Stirling Engine by Thames and Kosmos uses renewable energy from the sun to drive a generator, which charges a rechargeable battery to power an electric car.

Power a Car with Solar Generated Electricity       Discover the Stirling engine, a simple, clean and efficient energy technology that is quickly becoming a viable source of electricity as the availability of fossil fuels declines. The Stirling engine in this kit uses renewable energy from the sun to drive a generator, which charges a rechargeable battery to power an electric car. Named after its inventor, Robert Stirling, the original Stirling engine dates back almost 200 years. Today, high-tech Stirling engines are being used in arrays of giant mirrored solar collectors and common applications like compact generators. NASA is even working on using Stirling engines to power a human outpost on the moon!Like a steam engine, a Stirling engine is a heat engine that converts heat energy into mechanical work, usually to drive a generator that then converts the mechanical energy into electricity. But instead of water and steam, the Stirling engine uses a permanently enclosed volume of gas, such as air or helium, to perform the mechanical work. Stirling engines are highly efficient, can operate very quietly, and can use many different sources of heat: combustion of fuels, nuclear fission, geothermal, or solar heat, as this model uses. The Stirling engine in this kit is located in acharging station with a mirrored parabolic dish. The dish focuses the sun’s rays onto the cylindrical glass bulb of the Stirling engine to heat it up. The air inside the bulb heats up and pushes a piston, which turns an electric generator. The generator produces electricity that charges a rechargeable battery in the car. The car runs on an electric motor powered by the battery.The kit includes the charging station with a beta type Stirling engine, the electric car, and a full-color, 64-page manual.

The U49325 Sun Runner Stirling Engine is a solar-powered Stirling Engine which offers a dramatic demonstration of energy conversion.   This motor and its parabolic mirror can be attached to any conventional camera tripod. When properly aimed at the sun, the polished aluminum parabolic mirror focuses incoming solar energy on the heat cap of the engine, which is converted to rotary motion. Unit comes complete with motor, parabolic mirror, and wrenches. Standard camera tripod is not supplied. This engine is completely assembled and ready to run. Each unit is test run at the factory prior to shipping. Motor runs at 2,000 RPM and up. This engine can also run as a horizontal engine with an alcohol burner. Demonstrate this exciting method of harnessing the sun’s clean and renewable energy to your students.  Weight: 6.00 lbs Dimensions: Engine: 8.25 x 3 inches (L x W) Flywheel: 3.25 inchesParabolic Mirror: 18 inch diameterPlease note that this item is designed to demonstrate the operating principles of a Stirling engine for educational use and is not designed for power production.  It can potentially be coupled with a generator for producing very small amounts of electricity but is incapable of powering anything beyond a small light bulb or LED.

Second From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search This article is about the unit of time. For other uses, see Second (disambiguation). A light flashing approximately once per second The second (SI unit symbol: s) is the International System of Units (SI) base unit of time[1] and also a unit of time in other systems (abbreviated s or sec[2]). Between 1000 (when al-Biruni used seconds) and 1960 the second was defined as 1/86,400 of a mean solar day (that definition still applies in some astronomical and legal contexts).[3][4] Between 1960 and 1967, it was defined in terms of the period of the Earth's orbit around the Sun,[5] but it is now defined more precisely in atomic terms. Seconds may be measured using mechanical, electric or atomic clocks.