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, which helps block any…
BIPV News: Solaria Solar Windows Accepted By US GSA Green Proving Ground Program
BIPV News: Solaria Solar Windows Accepted By US GSA Green Proving Ground Program
Try This Greenhouse With Legs For Flood Control
For those having a proclivity for flooding paranoia, this greenhouse with legs might arrest some of those fears. Conceived and developed by BAT Studio, we are told this UK structure has been constructed in an area which experiences frequent flooding. The Greenhouse That Grows Legs incorporates a novel approach to flood protection. “The building is fabricated on a bespoke steel frame with four hydraulic legs, capable of lifting the building 800 mm from the ground on command.” The story of…
Enervee Score Provides Daily Energy Efficiency Reporting For Home Appliances
Many consumers today purchase home appliances based on one primary factor – purchase price. While features and energy efficiency are important, they certainly don’t take top billing when it comes to paying at the cash register. The Enervee Marketplace, a web site that utilities can use to allow consumers to research appliance purchases, attempts to educate consumers so they know the cost of the appliance over its life span, including energy. Enervee and Opower, a software company that works with…
Freeaire Refrigeration Offers Money-Saving Cooling Model
When it is cold outside, Freeaire Refrigeration is busy helping customers save money on electricity use. As spokesman Josh Sarnowitz puts it, “Although many despise the frigid cold that comes with a New England winter there is one company embracing it, putting it to work for their customers in order to save thousands of dollars on electricity costs each year.” Freeaire, located in Canton, Massachusetts, takes the cold air outside to offset the energy-intensive demand of refrigeration evaporator fans used…
Top 10 Green Building Products for 2016
Thanks to BuildingGreen and Construction Dive for this list of soon-to-be-released products that hope to push the green envelope further than it has gone before. Personal Comfort Systems Hyperchair Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, have been developing the Personal Comfort Systems Hyperchair, which aims to improve the comfort levels of people in office settings. The Hyperchair gives people the ability to control their individual temperature setting with a smart phone. It uses a lithium-ion phosphate battery that charges at night…
More Holiday Tech — Wireless Holiday Lights
This is another article for those who simply must have the latest and greatest that technology has to offer. In this case, it is wireless holiday lights, and it will be the next great thing for 2015. Powered by Aura has developed a system that allows lighted ornaments to be powered wirelessly from a central source. The Aura Power Ring can be placed at the base or center of the tree, depending on its size (range is about 5 feet).…
Shedding Light On LED Lights: Leaders In Cost & Performance
In this era of continuing attention to energy efficiency, few, if any, are going to argue the case against the benefits of using LED lights. But replacing burnt-out incandescent bulbs with LEDs is no simple undertaking, especially when it comes to price. LED bulbs, built using light emitting diodes, although certain to last longer than the Edison-style incandescent bulbs and demand less electricity, are not what you would expect to find in the nearest neighborhood bargain basement store. Another incandescent option…
NexPower’s Building Integrated Photovoltaic Film Goes Anywhere
Building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) have been around for a few years now. They have graced concrete, storefront systems, glass, and many other materials. The goal of these products is to integrate the photovoltaic system into building materials that are already used in the structure, reducing the weight of the system, providing more design flexibility, and making them aesthetically pleasing. NexPower’s solar glass, which is a form of BIPV, has recently been installed at the Building Research Establishment in Watford in…
Solar Lamp Design Winner Will Be Distributed Throughout Africa To Dispel Darkness
The winning design for a solar lamp, shown above, will be distributed to off-grid communities in Africa to help people living there dispel the darkness without the use of carbon-emitting kerosene lanterns. About 14,500 lamps, powered by the sun, will be distributed throughout Zimbabwe, Senegal, and Zambia. The Natural Light contest, sponsored by skylight manufacturer VELUX and Little Sun, which is a social business and a global project founded by internationally renowned artist Olafur Eliasson and engineer Frederik Ottesen, asked teams to…
Solar Power Takes The Form Of A Sunflower
smartflower POP+ enables anyone to start their own personal energy revolution. The integrated power storage unit makes this all-in-one solar power system – the only one of its kind in the world – up to 100% independent of the grid day and night. How does smartflower work? With the first rays of the sun, smartflower deploys its circular 18 m2 solar module panels and produces electricity. Both the design and the efficiency are inspired by the sunflower – with two movable…
Solar Powered Windows Generate Electricity
Two new solar powered windows are on their way out of the laboratory and into the marketplace, making buildings more self-sustaining and eco-friendly.