Reporting on Sustainably Built Environments from Bricks to Cities
While environmentally friendly business practices are often viewed as an added cost, energy efficient lighting is one area where cost savings and environmental benefits go hand in hand. Take for instance a recent retrofit completed on a tennis court just outside of Chicago; this custom – engineered retrofit has a payback period of just two years.
Updating old and inefficient windows will allow you to recoup up to 90 percent of your initial investment within the first few years. Adding Energy Star-rated windows is thought to save you up to $500 each year in heating or cooling costs and you’ll even receive green energy tax credits for doing so.
So let’s say you have been checking out some resources online on how to make your home greener. You know for yourself that it would be a bit disgraceful for people to think that you are doing and sharing everything you can to them about rising sea levels, global warming, climate change and animal extinction. But [...]
First Solar, Inc. today announced it set a new world record for cadmium-telluride (CdTe) photovoltaic (PV) solar cell conversion efficiency, achieving 18.7 percent cell efficiency in tests confirmed by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). The record-setting cell was constructed at the company’s Perrysburg, Ohio factory and R&D center using processes and materials – including the glass substrate – that are designed for commercial-scale manufacturing.
Traditional biofuel research has focused on improving the oil content of seeds. One reason for this focus is because oil production in seeds occurs naturally. Little research, however, has been done to examine the oil production of leaves and stems, as plants don’t typically store lipids in these tissues.
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