US agency reaches ‘holy grail’ of battery storage sought by Elon Musk and Gates The Guardian, March 3, 2016. Image credit: A US government agency says it has attained the “holy grail” of energy – the next-generation system of battery storage, that has has been hotly pursued by the likes of Bill Gates and Elon … Read more
Valerie Eacret, ERS, for Zondits March 9, 2016 Scientists at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) are developing a paint-on coating that can easily be applied to windows to improve their performance. It will reflect the infrared solar energy back to the sky while allowing visible light to pass through, making it especially appropriate for … Read more
The top tech to cut energy costs and emissions? You may be surprised Green Biz, March 4, 2015. Image credit: ErikaWittlieb Based on revenues gains last year in the various advanced energy segments — including solar, wind, gas turbines, biofuels, energy storage and building efficiency technologies — the last grabbed the biggest share of revenues, at … Read more
Rapid and energy-efficient production of lightweight components Phys.org, March 2, 2016. Image credit: Brett Jordan [CC BY 2.0 ()] When consolidating carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP), individual layers of fibers and plastic connect to each other under pressure and high temperatures to form a homogeneous plate. Fraunhofer researchers have developed a method which is fast … Read more
World’s Largest LED Retrofit Will Cut Chase Bank’s Lighting Bill In Half GE Reports, February 18, 2016. Image credit: M.O. Stevens Banking is about to get brighter. In a deal amounting to the largest single installation of LED lights in history, some 5,000 Chase branches will replace indoor light bulbs and fluorescent tubes and outdoor … Read more
Those Bubbles in Your Soda May Someday Help Save the Planet Bloomberg Business, February 21, 2016. Image credit: Spiff Climeworks AG is not the first company to figure out how to suck carbon dioxide out of the air. It may become the first to make money from it at an industrial scale. The Swiss company plans … Read more
LED inventor bets on lasers to replace LEDs Lux Review, February 24, 2016. Image credit: WOODPUNCHER Nobel-prize winning Nakamura – who invented both the green and blue LED, the latter of which led to the so-called LED revolution – has co-founded SoraaLaser, which will debut to huge media and scientific interest at next week’s Strategies in Light … Read more
Revenue from Commercial Energy-Efficient HVAC Systems to Total $340 Billion from 2015-2024 ACHR News, February 15, 2016. Image credit: As concerns about the environmental impact of energy generation and uncertainty over future energy prices continue to build, commercial building owners are looking for ways to reduce energy spend, notes Navigant Research. This drive for efficiency … Read more
So what, exactly, is a fiber optic lighting system? nelight. Image credit: Boston Children’s Hospital In most cases, a fiber optic system combines three elements: 1. An illuminator. An illuminator is basically a metal box containing a special lamp with the ability to concentrate light into the end of a fiber optic harness. An illuminator … Read more
Intelligent Buildings: Energy Savings from Smart Controls RMI Outlet, February 24, 2016. Image credit: MichaelGaida 1. INTELLIGENT BUILDINGS ARE A FAST-GROWING MARKET Commercial buildings consume a lot of energy. In fact, according to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Building Technology Office, the cost of energy to operate the 5.6 million commercial buildings in the United States … Read more