Retrofits Are Key to an Energy Efficient Building Stock Forbes, April 13, 2016. Image credit: ryanEvil Efficiency through Retrofits In the world of retrofits, installing energy efficient heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems; LED lighting; and building controls can help building managers lower the levels of energy consumption of building systems. For example, the 85-year-old … Read more
How smart cities (will) work Extreme Tech, April 19, 2016. Image credit: davidpheat Energy and Utilities We have a connected electric grid that allows utilities to redirect power based on demand. What we don’t have – broadly deployed at least– is the intelligence to better monitor and control energy usage in homes, offices, factories, and warehouses, … Read more
Partners Reach Efficiency Milestone With n-PERT Solar Cells Electronics Weekly, April 14, 2016. Image credit: juliacasado1 Belgium-based nanoelectronics research center Imec and Crystal Solar, a California-based company focused on direct wafer-growing technologies, say they have achieved a 22.5% cell efficiency with n-type PERT (passivated emitter, rear totally diffused) silicon solar cells manufactured on six-inch mono-crystalline epitaxially … Read more
Superspin research project aims to drive more energy efficient computing Tech Crunch, April 15, 2016. Image credit: StockSnap Scientists at Cambridge University are working on combining two fields of solid state physics research, spintronics and superconductors, in order to develop what they hope could become the foundation for the next generation of datacenter technology — perhaps within the next decade. Data … Read more
Pathways to Progress USGBC. Image credit: maxmann Today, according to Campbell, people rarely look beyond three years in terms of investment and the energy profile of their building. “Are people making decisions based upon the 50-year life cycle of the asset? Probably not.” He believes all resources need to be equally valued—the idea being that transitioning … Read more
Jesse Remillard, ERS, for Zondits. April 13, 2016. Image credit: Ilios Dynamics Zondits recently had the opportunity to speak with Stephen Lafaille, the product manager for Ilios Dynamics. The company manufactures a line of natural gas engine-driven heat pump water heaters and is a subsidiary of Tecogen Inc., a leader in the CHP market for over … Read more
The hydrogen city: clean, green & another nail in the fossil fuel coffin The Fifth Estate, April 12, 2016. Image credit: brainbuffet Hydrogen produces only water and heat when burnt and, if made using renewable fuels, is zero carbon. Leeds in the UK is investigating the potential to convert its natural gas to hydrogen in a … Read more
Envizi uses IoT to learn building energy efficiency IoT Hub, April 4, 2016. Image credit: gr8effect Australian energy management software maker Envizi is turning to IoT to get more granular insight of a building’s energy use. The company, which services about 130 enterprise clients, started in 2004 as a technology platform provider for reading smart meters … Read more
IoT now helping make smart wine? Read Write, April 4, 2016. Image credit: JESHOOTS The Internet of Things (IoT) is transforming the agricultural industry through facilitating high precision crop control, useful data collection and automated farming, with an emphasis on water management, waste reduction and cost effectiveness. Today farms can leverage IoT to remotely monitor soil … Read more
Enforcing Energy Efficiency by Starting From Oneself IEN, April 4, 2016. Image credit: bmbyars Beginning service in 1999, the headquarters of Delta Electronics, Inc. in Taiwan is a 9-storey office building with three underground floors. It was the first office building in Neihu Science Park using the solar PV system (5 KW). Renovating the office building … Read more