solar PV, solar thermal, wind and clean and renewable technologies
Will 2012 finally be the year of energy management? The movement is gaining momentum, especially in the commercial sector, where saving energy by integrating and automating building systems has become a best business practice, potentially saving companies millions of dollars. The home market appears to be much slower to develop. But it is developing....
Lots going on, as usual, in the world of energy management and green technologies. Here's a digest of some hot news, including AT&T, flat and hot thermostats, a tax credit bill for deep energy retrofits, corporate energy management and solar system data tracking over powerline.
Of all the different loan guarantees that came and went during the U.S. Department of Energy’s last minute funding spree, one that seemed the most promising would have helped out with the installation of rooftop systems on privatized military family residences and other privatized buildings on U.S. military bases. Called SolarStrong, it unfortunately was not approved...
New breakthroughs in solar photovoltaic technology could make low-cost solar cells available in an array of consumer electronic equipment. So says Molecular Solar, a company spun from the University of Warwick, after demonstrating a record voltage for organic photovoltaic (OPV) cells. Researchers from the company have, for the first time, created cells with open-circuit voltages...
Blue Line Innovations and Eragy, two of the more interesting companies in home energy monitoring, are partnering to provide easy energy monitoring for do-it-yourselfers, owners of Control4 home control systems, and even utilities rolling out energy-saving and smart grid programs. The partnership combines Blue Line’s low-cost PowerCost Monitor energy sensing hardware with Eragy’s suite...
Thin-film photovoltaic (PV) cells made from amorphous silicon are low-cost, low-profile and suitable for many solar power applications. There’s been a barrier to the widespread use of thin-film PV technology, however: its low power-conversion efficiency compared to crystalline silicon cells. In cases where roof space is limited, for example, it is simply cost-effective for...
We know that motorized shades and other window treatments can be used to let the sun in or block it to warm or cool rooms and save on the energy costs. Now the sun can also be used to power the window treatment motors. Motorized window treatment motor company Somfy Systems has introduced the...
Perhaps nowhere is the build-a-better-mousetrap principle more alluring than in the solar power sector, where Silevo, a company that’s been plotting for four years, has now joined the fun, unveiling its strategy for making “the industry’s best performance-to-cost ratio” solar modules. Silevo believes the world will beat a path to its doorstep because of...
Security, home control and energy management service company Vivint believes that offering affordable solar panel systems—as in no money down—could pave the way to sell more energy management in homes. Vivint is offering solar electric systems—with no upfront fees—in New York, New Jersey, Utah and Hawaii. The company hopes to offer the service nationwide...
Carbon and solar energy are two of the most plentiful resources on Earth, and researchers at Northwestern University say they have found a way to use one to harvest the other. Existing methods for harvesting solar energy from photovoltaic cells involve an indium tin oxide-based conductor technology. This material is mechanically brittle, and dependent...
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