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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Coca Cola Saves Energy With Umisol Window Film
Umisol Infrared Blocking Filter was recently installed at the Coca-Cola headquarters in Brussels. The project is expected to create a net profit of 14 €/m²/year. Energy efficiency is central to the European strategy with the 2020 – 2030 – 2050 EU Directives for smart and sustainable growth and the progression to a resource-efficient economy. By 2050 the EU aims to significantly reduce emissions by 80-95% compared to 1990. The greatest potential for energy savings exists in buildings. The Commission’s plan regarding…
Rain Tunnel Technology Provides Drinking Water from Air
New technology from Bangalore promises clean drinking water by drawing moisture from the air. Rain Tunnel Technology, invented by Dr Rajah Vijay Kumar, Chief Scientific Officer at the De Scalene Research Organization, will soon be available for both commercial and household use. Getting water from the atmosphere is not new. It has been around for more than 500 years but has never been really successful. All the techniques used up until now were based on condensing the air to extract the…
Bamboo Decking Is Durable And Sustainable
Bamboo decking from Cali Bamboo is sustainable and durable. It is stronger and lighter than regular composite with a surface that looks like real wood.
SunBeamer Skylight System Provides Natural Light Indoors, Promotes Vitamin D Production
SunCentral has announced the release of a new skylight system that claims to promote vitamin D production by providing natural sunlight in interior spaces that would not normally see sunlight. “Our goal was to develop an indoor lighting system that provides much of the sun’s health benefits, including boosting the body’s ability to produce Vitamin D, while reducing the intensity of wavelengths of ultraviolet (UV) light that are more harmful than beneficial,” said the system’s co-inventor, Lorne Whitehead, Ph.D., professor…
Solar Powered LED Lights Can Brighten The World
Philips is introducing a line of solar powered LED lights designed in Africa. The LifeLights last up to 40 hours and have a USB port for cell phone charging
LittleBits Smart Home Kit
The LittleBits Smart Home starter kit contains all the components you need to control hour lights, heat, air conditioning and garage door electronically.
Introducing the Floor Plan Light Switch
Have you ever been faced with a gaggle of light switches placed side by side in a large home or building and wondered just what each one was for? Sometimes a newer home or office space can have 4, 5 or more switches without labels on a single plate! Even if it’s your own home that you have lived in a while, it’s easy to forget which one turns on the outside lights, the chandelier in the dining room or…
Light Bandit Brings Daylight to any Room in the House
For those of us who are deep in the dark of winter, this is a great time to think about bringing sunlight into our homes. The Light Bandit allows sunlight to be directed fiber-optically to any room in the house – even one with no windows! Like the luminous ceiling we covered back in 2010, the Light Bandit is a box that is placed or mounted in a window or skylight. Fiber optic cable is run from the box to…
Timbatree Offers Sustainable Christmas Tree Option
This post is part of Important Media’s “More About the Love, Less About the Stuff” holidays series. This year, we’re talking all about redefining holiday traditions to focus on sustainability and compassion over cutting down trees and fighting for more stuff. Since it’s well past Halloween and officially the “holiday season,” here is a sustainable option for those looking for something different from a live Christmas tree this year. It’s a story that seems very familiar. Timbatrees are lovingly…
Low-Cost Building Skin Cools While Using No Energy
Imagine a building that self-regulates its temperature without electronics. A building that adapts, allowing outside air in as needed and eliminating the need for air conditioning, but that uses no energy in doing so. A University of California-Berkley research team has developed a new type of “building skin” that can do just that, and they are offering their skin as a low-cost option specifically for developing countries. The team developed SABER, a membrane that wraps around a building instead of walls,…
Environmental Testing For Construction Tools
If your brand new circular saw falls off the tailgate of your pickup onto the pavement, will it still work when you go to use it next time? Or if you live by the ocean, will the salt air corrode your nailing gun? Manufacturers of heavy duty construction tools subject them to rigorous testing before they get sent to market to make sure they can take the abuse that life in the real world has in store for them. That…