Alternative Power Generation Reference Materials

Description: Would you like to increase the number of days your reefer trailers work without issues? Today's post dives into three key benefits solar panels provide to trailer refrigeration units (often referred ...

Description: Fuel costs have been climbing the past several years, with peaks reaching $7 per gallon in some areas of the US. For many commuters, this added fuel expense is economically unsustainable. Many are ...

Description: Developing a robust IoT solution can be daunting. You must determine the components you need, ensure they work together efficiently, and rigorously test your device to ensure you don't have field ...

Description: Whether powering an outdoor asset tracker or an indoor BLE beacon, understanding power consumption and generation is critical to an energy harvesting solution. Making a power budget will help you ...

Description: The transportation industry is all about efficiency. Drivers must deliver products on time, at temperature, and intact. Service fleet maintenance managers must ensure their trucks operate on a budget ...

Description: PowerFilm was founded in 1988, focusing on custom design engineering and manufacturing amorphous silicon (a-Si) thin-film solar panels. Several years ago, it became evident that many of our customers ...

Description: IoT wearables generate lots of buzz in the tech community, often accompanied by insane projections of exponential growth. Why haven't these projections been realized? Power is a significant hurdle. To ...

Description: Whether powering an outdoor asset tracker or an indoor BLE beacon, understanding the balance between power consumption and power generation is critical to an energy harvesting solution. A properly ...

Description: Integrating solar panels into a printed circuit board can make life a lot easier for product designers. What if the product design you are working on requires a PCB to be flexible? Luckily flexible ...

Description: Batteries are required for nearly every electronic device, it seems. They allow for simple operation and quick deployment. What happens when those batteries die? In this post we discuss the ...

Description: PV cells have the potential to supplement power to a wide range of IoT and battery-powered electronics. These devices are often compact and connecting a PV cell directly to the embedded PCB circuitry ...

Description: PowerFilm flexible PV cells and reference designs make implementing energy harvesting into your products more accessible. Our latest cells offer smaller form factors, ideal for the compact electronics ...

Description: Harvesting indoor light energy is a viable power solution for many wireless sensors, trackers, and low-power devices used in a growing number of Internet of Things (IoT) applications. Indoor ...

Description: Indoor solar is somewhat of an oxymoron. How can a solar panel work without sunlight? Solar panels, or Photovoltaics (PV), work via the photoelectric effect, which converts light into electricity. ...

Description: New and strict regulations in metallurgical plants worldwide are restricting particulate and acid gas emissions to extremely low levels. Because of that, sulphuric acid plants are being installed to ...

Description: An Integral Step in Biomass Gasification ...

Description: Sulfuric acid is a major industrial chemical used to produce end products, such as fibers, chemical compounds, paints, detergents, and dyes. The most abundant amount of sulfuric acid production is ...

Description: A preferred Technology for Emission Control ...

Description: Since the wet electrostatic precipitator (WESP) achieved emission control of gas streams by removing up to 99.9% of the submicron particulate matter, it was evident the WESP system would be a perfect ...

Description: Inspiration can strike at a moment's notice. One minute you're at a cafe sipping coffee and reading a magazine when all of a sudden, the lightbulb turns on, and your next great product idea is born. ...

Description: Energy Harvesting Power Management ICs (EH PMIC) are critical components of energy-autonomous electronics. They connect PV, energy storage, and the load ensuring power flows efficiently between all ...

Description: In the age of portable electronics, companies need unique ways to power products that enhance value, lead to a great customer experience and make business sense. Often grid power is unavailable, and ...

Description: There are many considerations when calculating your power budget. ...

Description: Often you might think about inexpensive batteries versus their elite counterpart, but many times we neglect the importance of a charge controller in the solar collection process. ...

Description: Solar panels provide meaningful power at home, on the road and anywhere you need it. A complete solar solution includes the panel, a storage device which is usually a battery, and a charge controller ...

Description: In the solar industry, one size does not fit all. PowerFilm's unique technology and custom solar capabilities enable us to develop power solutions that match the requirements of an application ...

Description: How can you determine voltage and current of a solar module? This is a pretty common question so let's dive right in. The voltage of a solar module is based on the number of cells in a module. ...

Description: In 2025 there are projected to be over 70 billion connected electronic devices worldwide. Every electronic device needs power to operate which usually comes in the form of a battery. Batteries are ...

Description: Solar panels love the sun. They perform best when they're in it and angled appropriately, but what happens when these ideal conditions aren't achievable? What happens to a solar panel when it's ...

Description: Temperature, both hot and cold, are vital parts of determining how well a solar panel will operate and has to be accounted for when designing a solution. ...

Description: Over the years many different types of photovoltaics (PV) have been created, each possesses unique qualities, but one thing remains true, all applications aren't necessarily satisfied by the same ...

Description: How do you determine the power output required from a solar panel to recharge a battery based on current load? This is a great question and important when thinking about what solar panel to select ...

Description: PowerFilm has been providing custom solar solutions in the IoT, military, and commercial spaces for over 30 years. But what does that mean? Due to the many parameters and complexity of our process, ...

Description: Beacons don't waste power maintaining a connection, are one of the lowest power wireless protocols available and ideal candidates for indoor solar. ...

Description: Solar isn't just for rooftops with direct sunlight anymore, many electronics can be powered using solar in shady and even indoor conditions. ...

Description: In some cases, devices may require more power than a reasonably sized solar panel can produce. If the device doesn't need to run continuously, a solar solution is usually still possible. ...

Description: The Internet of Things (IoT) industry isn't slowing down any time soon. It's picking up pace. More devices than ever before are simplifying our everyday life, tracking cargo, assisting in logistics, ...

Description: An effective solar energy harvesting solution requires more than just a solar panel. We have partnered with e-peas, an energy harvesting PMIC solution provider, and thin prismatic supercapacitor ...

Description: Can I use my solar panel indoors? We get that question a lot at PowerFilm. The answer isn't as cut and dry as you might think. To our eyes, indoor environments seem pretty bright. That's only ...

Description: What does it mean to truly own something? To control the ins and outs of a process until you are almost one with it? To ensure things fit, perform and make sense? ...

Description: When people think of a power supply they typically think of a device that will put out a constant voltage and supply current to a device as necessary. A solar panel, on the other hand, will vary its ...

Description: While it is important to take care of things, do you ever feel like putting something to the ultimate test? I do. "Let's see what kind of damage this thing can take and still function," I say to ...

Description: "Energy Harvesting." This buzz word sounds straightforward, but what does it actually mean? Where does this energy come from, and how do you "harvest" it? Is it useful for real-life solutions? How ...

Description: You might have wondered, how do shorter days affect solar? Well, as I'm sure you can imagine, they don't produce as much energy. Many environmental factors affect the amount of light your panels ...

Description: What exactly does solar cell efficiency mean? If you've spent any time in the solar industry you understand that one of the first questions out of a person's mouth when it comes to solar technology ...

Description: To many, solar isn't just confusing; it's downright scary. There are so many factors to think through, so many variables to consider. It would be enough to make anyone frightful. Luckily, that's ...

Description: It looks bright, why doesn't my solar panel produce more power? This is a fantastic question and one that we get a lot. The root of this issue is actually our eyes. ...

Description: Lamination affects every single thing you tested and is an incredibly important piece of the solar-build puzzle -- one that is often neglected or not understood entirely. It is a balancing act in ...

Description: As the IoT industry rapidly expands into commercial, consumer, and industrial spaces, new and innovative ways to power the increasing number of connected devices are needed to ensure sustainability, ...

Description: In the consumer world, convenience is king. Consumers want devices and systems that are easy to use and dependable. The best consumer IoT solutions are those that people can set up and forget about. ...

Description: Like commercial businesses, companies in the industrial space are also driven by cost saving. Although they can benefit from building automation and asset management systems just like commercial ...

Description: In today's hyper-competitive landscape, businesses are looking for any way possible to get more out of less. Modern technology gives businesses the tools they need to make smart, data-driven ...

Description: It seems that everywhere you go these days people are talking about IoT. Whether it's smart light bulbs that respond to your voice or sensors that transmit data, these devices are everywhere. While ...

Description: At PowerFilm we take great pride in our products and quality is of the utmost importance. To ensure quality at a reasonable price, periodic tests are performed throughout the manufacturing process. ...

Description: Today we are going to address solar's most famous myths, why they are so attractive and the truth behind them. ...

Description: When do I need a charge controller to charge a battery with a solar panel? This is a very common question and one that is absolutely crucial. In most cases you will need some type of a charge ...

Description: Batteries are everywhere. They're in a seemingly endless number of devices we use from cell phones, remotes, Bluetooth speakers, GoPro cameras and everything in between. While batteries are nothing ...

Description: The world of IoT is rapidly developing and changing. Since the industry itself is still in its infancy, there are many options for radios and varying standards for different IoT segments. When ...

Description: When you think of solar panels you might picture large expansive solar fields or an array of solar panels installed on a home near where you live. While "solar farms" and building-integrated solar ...

Description: There are incredibly inexpensive options that are attractive at first blush, but when you dig deeper the quality of these panels and their assembly process leave much to be desired. ...

Description: Through the years we have fielded almost every solar related question you can imagine. One that consistently comes up is the possibility of collecting solar energy through glass. Let's explore if ...

Description: Taking a product "off grid" and having the piece of mind that it will continue to work year after year at the highest level is no simple task. Understanding the power budget of your system is a ...

Description: Solar panels are typically made up of many cells connected in series, which increase the output voltage of the panel. Multiple cells used to be a requirement when circuitry could not run on low ...

Description: Telematics is a growing field in the industry allowing fleet managers and dedicated telematics solution providers to dramatically improve fleet operations, increase efficiency, and reduce costs. What ...

Description: Commercial vehicles and trailers have a surprising number of batteries to power auxiliary systems including APU (Auxiliary Power Units) battery banks, the truck battery itself, and liftgate batteries. ...

Description: In the transportation industry, the name of the game is efficiency. Efficiency for drivers in delivering products on time and intact. Efficiency for fleet managers ensuring their trucks operate on a ...

Description: Discovered by researchers David L. Staebler and Christopher R. Wronski in 1977, the Staebler-Wronski effect occurs naturally in amorphous silicon manifesting itself primarily as a change in ...

Description: Wireless devices constitute a large and growing portion of electronics. The importance of reducing the power consumption of these devices can't be overstated. Meeting the power needs of ...

Description: Microgrid that combine renewable energy with diesel or gas generator sets and energy storage capabilities can deliver clean, cost-effective electricity to remote locations with limited or no access to ...

Description: Geothermal heat is heat that has escaped from the core of the Earth. Not only is the heat clean, but it is renewable, making geothermal heat a great alternative to non-renewable energy sources. To get ...

Description: Photovoltaics (PV) have been successfully powering tens of thousands of critical stand-alone railroad power installations since the early 1970s-across the roughest terrains and in the harshest ...

Description: The Oil & Gas Industries have been major customers of the Off-Grid Solar Electric Industry for many years. At a recent training event-Choosing the Right Charge Controller for Off-Grid Solar Electric ...

Description: The conversion of motion to electricity from reciprocating power sources is typically associated with the integration of multiple systems. For each system, risks of failure increase and losses in ...

Description: Why is an activation procedure or break-in necessary for a membrane electrode assembly (MEA)? ...

Description: Carbon Paper Gas Diffusion Layers (GDL) (e.g. Sigracet, Freudenberg, Toray, etc) tend to be thinner and more brittle than Carbon Cloth Gas Diffusion Layers (e.g. ELATâ ¢, GDL-CT). Â Each type has a ...

Description: The Gas Diffusion Layer (GDL) plays several critical roles in a typical fuel cell application and is often integrated as part of the Membrane Electrode Assembly (MEA). Typical applications that use ...

Description: We occasionally get questions from people wanting to know if they can use a Metal Hydride (MH) to purify the Hydrogen from an HHO generator, so I thought I would post our response here: ...

Description: Nafion membranes come in many different thickness and types. How do you know which to choose when designing an electrolyzer (hydrogen generator)? ...

Description: There are a number of different Hydrogen storage options available. The one which is best for you depends on what is most important for your application: ...

Description: If you are looking in to building an HHO generator yourself, we do recommend taking a look at our Electrolyzer Membrane Electrode Assemblies (EZ MEAs)... ...

Description: After the original manufacturer of ELAT Gas Diffusion Layer (GDL) stopped producing the material, many of the fuel cell industry had to scramble for replacements and were continuing their projects ...

Description: When it comes to larger fuel cell applications such as hospitals, apartment buildings and small communities there are only so many fuel cell companies with products ready for the market. These types ...

Description: So, you have bought a Fuel Cell and are ready to start using it. Or are you? Did you plan on any of the ancillary components you might need? Depending on who you buy the fuel cell from and what model ...

Description: hanks to our handy FC Design Sheet, you can take an IV curve of any MEA, choose an active area, operating point (current density) and desired power output and we will tell you how many MEAs you will ...

Description: There are a lot of design considerations that go into an electrolyzer that will dictate what pressure they can operate at, their efficiency, safety, etc. Today I will let you worry about all the ...

Description: The root of all of this is that Nafion membranes must stay hydrated to function properly. If they are not fully humidified the conductivity decreases and therefore more of the electricity is converted ...