Solarve (Solar Vehicle), the first solar-cell-equipped public bus in the world, recently announced by Sanyo in Japan. The bus was revealed to memorialize the 100th anniversary of Ryobi, a Japanese transportation and logistics company.

The Solarve is basically a city bus with solar cells on top that generate power for its interior LED lightings.

Sanyo says the bus solar panels generate total power of 798 watts (420 watts through crystalline silicon cells, and 378 watts through amorphous silicon cells). Power will be supplied by storage batteries inside the bus about nine hours for a long winter, or extended periods of time without sunlight.

The Solarve expected to be first used as a beginning September 1 (in Okayama City in southern Japan).

Edan Kurzweil has come up with Solar Path Lighting known as the Night Owl.

Paths and street lighting units are illuminated through a high-output LED clusters that rely on batteries charged by large flexible polymer solar film established on the top of the lamp. Lights will also be hardwired into the electricity network in the city to return the extra solar energy back into the city or to attract a minimum charge for a long winter, or extended periods of time without sunlight. Solar module is covered within the transparent sphere that reduces the accumulation of debris, which in turn reduces maintenance costs.

NOTHING dESIGN GROUP, a Korean design studios and Asiana Airlines, a Korean airlines company, together with Korea International Cooperation Agencies (KOICA) have collaborated to develop and install Solar Powered Street Lights to the world cultural heritage sites designated by UNESCO in the Angkor Wat, Cambodia. The lights installed there to protect and provide security for tourists visiting the area.

NOTHING dESIGN GROUP and Asiana have installed 16 Solar Powered Street Lights around the Angkor Wat, and plans to install 5-10 additional Solar Powered Street Lights every year till 2015. Compared with typical street lights that use incandescent lamps (150 W), Solar Powered Street Lights contribute in eliminating the CO2 emissions to 240 kg, it’s equivalent to planting 86 pine trees.

Rainbow Solar Inc. (RSI) has produced a transparent, photovoltaic glass window producing power 80-250 watts. Although this is not the “first solar window,” it seems that the RSI has taken a big step forward.

Full description after the photo…

The potential of this product is very exciting and hopeful. In the hot-house testing, proven energy saving is greater than 50%, according to a study conducted by NTUST (National Taiwan University of Science and Technology), under the director of Professor CH Young (Ph.D.). So innovative, this study received the attention of the Discovery Channel. A super-tempered glass windows system, the PV is fully integrated multi-tier and heat insulation technology (patent pending), was called as a next-generation BIPV (building integrated photovoltaic) and “Window of the Future.”

The window can now be produced up to 9 ‘x 9′ in size and valued anywhere between 80-250 watts each, depending on the size. It will be available with various options to meet the design, climate, weather and building code requirements. They can include privacy curtains, which changed the whole window into a light panel, thus blocking out the already shaded window.

Description from the company:

“The RSi PV-Glass Window uses the sunlight, and heat from the sun, to generate electricity, reducing heat, and providing a semi-transparent window that provides privacy, while maintaining a comfortable level of visibility to the outside world. At the same time, RSi PV-Glass Windows provide a 100% reduction in Ultraviolet and Infrared radiation, adding that extra level of protection not offered by standard glass windows.”

This Solar Deck Light adds accent lighting to your deck, front steps or along dark pathways using solar power and cord-free. On sunny days, solar cells collect and store free energy of the sun into included rechargeable NiMH batteries. When the sun sets, four super-bright LEDs activate lighting for about 5 hours with full charge.

With a new sleek low-profile Solar LED Pathway Lights you can easily light up lanes, fences, steps, garden, driveway and more. Only need two hours of sunlight every day to fill the built-in solar cells to provide all-night lighting and because they are also photo-sensitive, they will turn on automatically at night and off at dawn. They make a great decorative accent light and perfect solution to safely illuminate the dark path. They come in sets of two. Visit brookstone.com for price information.

The Moon-Leaves designed by Marta Laudani and Marco Romanelli for an Italian design firm, Plust. The Moon-Leaves are maxi stylized leaves in luminescent polyethylene and finished by photoluminescent.

They harness the solar power during the day, and loads of energy to offer a soft glow at night, making an unusual decoration or a sign useful to guide guests to your front door.

Emma Caselton designed Solar Garden Lamp that charges itself during the day and shine in your garden at night. The solar garden lamp, with six illuminating petals, is suspended by use of its cable give the appearance of falls butterfly wings that are illuminated. Made of transparent solar cells and each one embedded with LED, making the solar panels as a decorative element and also the environmentally friendly power source for illuminate your grass, garden or pond side.

If you are looking for some unique accent outdoor lighting for your garden, check out this cool new Blossoming Garden Solar Light. By day, the motorized translucent petals bloom open such as flower to direct sunlight, and collects the sun’s energy into a rechargeable battery. At night, petals shut automatically and the internal LED accents lights began to illuminate. They come in white or pink and features metal stem with a bronze finish.

Parking meter has become a mandatory tool in several countries to control parking on the roadside. In Portland, they have used parking meter that powered by the sun as a source of energy. In addition to use it without electricity, metered parking is also provide more flexibility in making payments that can use a coin, credit cards or smart cards. This tool also can “recharge” your smart card when you want to purchase more parking time. [Via]