Meet The Men Who Put Solar Shingles On The Roof
Originally published on CleanTechnica Solar shingles are now gaining increasing traction in the renewable energy landscape. They are architecturally distinctive, more so than traditional rooftop photovoltaic panels. Solar shingles provide an integrated building product providing both roofing security and solar electricity in one package. As PV Magazine’s Charles W. Thurston has stated, “The nascent field of U.S. solar shingle manufacturers is beginning to expand from its small base in building-integrated PV (BIPV), leveraging their systemic reductions in installation costs, their improved…
SolarWindow Window Coating – Versatile Solar Power Generation
SolarWindow™ window coating generates electricity from light, both from the sun, and artificial light, as well. It is extremely versatile, able to be printed onto glass, plastic, or even paper, making it easy to install this wonder material in many places. This coating sets itself apart from others we have featured, as it can be applied on a wider range of surfaces, and the power production can actually be tuned to the specific needs of the building. John A. Conklin,…
Stress-Free Solar Panel Mounts for Tile Rooftops Shine at InterSolar
Launching the premier solar event in North America, Intersolar is spreading solar energy all over San Francisco this week from July 12 through 14. This is our continent’s most-attended solar event, with over 500 solar and energy innovations on exhibition. With so many great booths to explore, let’s just dive in and take a look at some cool new solar panel mounts that caught my eye. Quick Mount PV, a local manufacturer of solar panel mounts in Walnut Creek, is…
Pig Manure Bioadhesive Produces Alternative To Asphalt Paving
A newly discovered pig manure bioadhesive has been developed by civil engineer Ellie Fini and a team at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. Turns out the oils in swine manure are similar to petroleum, but are too low-grade for gasoline and perfect for asphalt. First, just to be clear, the asphalt created with this pig manure bioadhesive does not create an offensive odor. The odor-causing parts of the manure are removed during processing. “It is different from petroleum refinery,…
NEXT Solar Window Coating Generates Free Electricity From Sunlight
NEXT Energy Technologies has developed a scalable solar window coating that allows commercial glass products to produce clean energy from the sun. The product pays for itself in a year and provides clean energy for up to 30 years. “It is certainly not an overstatement to describe this technology as a game-changer with far-reaching implications for architecture and buildings of the future,” said Daniel Emmett, CEO and co-founder of NEXT Energy Tech. “We foresee a time in the near future…
illuma-Drive Focuses On Smarter Lighting Systems
The future of lighting systems has evolved, thanks to companies like iLLUMA-Drive. As the Ontario, Canada-based iLLUMA-Drive states on its website, the future is the platform on which it is operating. “Not your ordinary lighting system, our forward-thinking [system] focuses on sustainability with smart technology. The iLLUMA-Drive Intelligent Lighting System interfaces with a wide range of control software and hardware. Our enabling technology offers a comprehensive range of control options conducive to today’s busy family, ultimately providing full control.” Take…
Nano Membrane Toilet Turns Waste Into Clean Power
In the news of the weird in green technology, this product has to be out there! Cranfield University in the UK has developed a toilet, called the nano membrane toilet, that produces clean energy and clean water as by-products of human waste. Here is how Gizmodo describes the “waste processing:” The toilet’s magic happens when you close the lid. The bottom of the bowl uses a rotation mechanism to sweep the waste into a sedimentation chamber,