Gadgets and innovations in the solar panel industry

We’ve written and shared so many articles on solar panels it’s hard to tell where to start.We wanted to update the list of cool solar panel innovations in a visual way (seen below). If you’re interested in learning more about solar panels please scroll to the bottom of our page and use the search feature above “Recent Posts”. Here is a short list of our most recent solar posts:

Google Buys Solar-Powered Drone Manufacturer “Titan Aerospace” to Boost Internet Access in Third World Countries 

280MW Solar Plant in Arizona Can Produce Power 6 Hours After the Sun Goes Down

Could Mexico Be at the Start of a Solar Boom?

…and that’s just a sneak peak at some of our articles. Here are the new solar panel innovations!

 

    

 

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#WW Website Wednesday http://bit.ly/1xFVqXD http://bit.ly/1r4IVkt http://www.world.org/weo/environment

For Website Wednesday we have…

Green Building News: http://bit.ly/1xFVqXD

Green Building 101: http://bit.ly/1r4IVkt

and

100 Top Environmental Sites: http://www.world.org/weo/environment 

 

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#Smart Table Has a Full Cycle #Design

This short (under 4 minute) film illustrates a full cycle, mixed use table that lets people cultivate, garden, cook, eat, wash dishes and repeat.

If you don’t have the time to watch the whole cycle unfold, then here’s the CliffsNotes, Wiki, or actually StudioGorm version of it:

 

Source: http://www.studiogorm.com/flow2.html

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Website Wednesdays #WW

Website Wednesdays ( #WW )

A Collection of Awesome Resources and Web Design Appreciation

@ThePowerofBrain Videos and other ways to learn about science, constrtuction, design, technology, transportation and more… 
@SustainBrands Green business resources and other sustainable brand research to help the planet. 
http://www.rvapc.com/ inspiring architecture and web design. 

 

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@harleydavidson Coveted #LiveWire Electric #Motorcycle Story

Harley-Davidson announced a new, super-fast, sleek electric motorcycle that is soon to go into production.

( Electric Engine on LiveWire )

Handmade demonstration models of Harley-Davidson’s first electric motorcycle, LiveWire, were shown in New York at an invitation-only event. Harley’s research facility is in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin and it’s designed to go from 0 to 60 in less than four seconds.

( LiveWire on the road )

From a business perspective, it has been said that there is almost zero market for a full-sized electric bike, so one common thought is that Harley has the marketing power to create demand for full-sized electric bikes. Not only is Harley going to generate some demand, they will also work to lower costs, build charging stations, and to improve technology that will in-turn, help all of the players in the market. In 2012 Harley sold 260,000 bikes, and Zero Motorcycles, the top seller of full-sized, high-powered electric bikes sold only 2,400 electric bikes in 2013.

The President of Haley, Matt Levatich said that technology in regards to the electric bikes is expected to improve and that Harley is more interested in the long-term potential than immediate demand. With the increase in sustainability and environmental trends over the years, Levatich explains that these trends are part of the lifestyle and the requirements of riders. Harley’s decision really puts electric motorcycles on the map since no one can tell how big this industry will be or how significant it will be but Harley has the resources to make it humongous.

 

( Hand-built LiveWire )

( Source: http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20140707/LIFE02/407070303/-1/SITEMAP )

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#quoteoftheday

I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.

-Confucius

New @WholeFoods is super #efficient !

A new Whole Foods opened in Brooklyn, NY and it’s called “Third and 3^rd, Brooklyn” which has an awesome green parking lot. The parking lot roof has a lot of solar arrays, the streetlights are solar powered and wind-powered, and there are electric car charging stations as well

In addition to having one of the most efficient parking lots made so far, this Whole Foods offers:

Bike Repair and Parking: Bikes are beloved by Brooklynites and Whole Foods Market, so we want to support people’s ability to maintain and ride them. This form of alternative transportation contributes to a reduced carbon footprint and a healthier lifestyle.

Knife Sharpening: Knife sharpening services from Scott Jennings of X-Calibur Knife & Scissor Sharpening and Christopher Harth ofNYCutlery and products including knives and specially-made Third & 3^rd cutting boards.

Vinyl Records and Wrecords by Monkey: A vinyl venue featuring music as well as reclaimed vinyl jewelry and accessories fromWrecords by Monkey, a Brooklyn-based design and lifestyle brand

THE ROOF: Serving a variety of local and seasonal menu items from snacks to salads to entrees, including vegan and vegetarian offerings, as well as 16 beers on tap, The Roof, offers indoor and outdoor seating overlooking the Gowanus Canal, surrounding neighborhoods, and the Manhattan skyline. Hours 11 a.m. – 11 p.m.

YUJI RAMEN: Chef Yuji Haraguchi will serve his praised Japanese mazemen dishes with a twist; including Bacon & Egg, Salmon & Cheese, Miso Roasted Vegetables and Spicy Tuna. The takeout venue will be open for lunch and dinner, seven days a week.

JUICE Etc.: a made-to-order juice bar, offering fresh-pressed fruit and veggie juices and smoothies.

Shopping at Whole Foods is a pleasure, if you can make it out to Brooklyn to see this one let us know what it’s like! You can tag this store with #thirdand3rd and don’t forget, we are @wastetracking on Twitter!

(Source: http://inhabitat.com/nyc/gowanus-whole-foods-opens-with-super-green-parking-lot-powered-by-urban-green-energy/

And

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/brooklyn )

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@BloombergNews Tiny Houses Big With U.S. Owners Seeking Economic Freedom

Bloomberg showed glimpses inside the tiny houses that are becoming big with U.S. owners. In this article: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-07-09/tiny-houses-big-with-u-s-owners-seeking-economic-freedom.html Nina Glinski wrote about how good owners of tiny houses in the U.S. feel about making the decision to downsize their homes in favor of achieving economic freedom.

The article starts with Doug Immel who recently completed his custom-built dream home that has just 164 square feet of living space and saves him a lot of money which he invests for his retirement.

Aldo Lavaggi, a New York folk musician who lives in Hudson Valley built a 105 square foot home on a friend’s farmland in the Berkshires. His humble abode runs on energy from two solar panels and a car battery. Lavaggi “has money to splurge on artisanal break and gourmet cheeses from the local market” and pointed out that “there’s a fallacy of limited options” where people feel that they must have a full-time job, stellar credit or a lot of money to own a house.

This article looks at a lot of different angles regarding owning a house like the “biggest barrier”, zoning restrictions, and the freedom explained above. We hope that you enjoy, and please tell us what you think on Twitter @wastetracking or in the comments here!

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Huge innovation in low #energy #homes today is #FLEXLABS ‘s ribbon-cutting ceremony!

Bet you’ve never seen anything like this before…

 

The new FLEXLAB at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory is open for business! It is the world’s first energy use lab that will help builders and manufactures test entire building systems down to the component level on a significant scale. The FLEXLAB’s ribbon cutting ceremony was on July 10, 2014.

Photo by Eric Soladay

According to the FLEXLAB, there is a problem that buildings are designed to be energy efficient, but once they are being used they end up using a lot more energy than was planned. A new study even pointed out that energy efficient buildings sometimes use more than twice the energy than was expected based on their design. This lab offers solutions for people who bring products to test out and want to use all of the lab’s equipment to do so, to people who want to bring their product to test out with their own machinery and equipment.

Current projects involve measuring energy usage for the Genentech building, PG&E and more!

The lab has 4 stations (shown in the video above) to accommodate a variety of testing scenarios including:

1. “Test-drive technologies”

2. “Individual circuits and meters”

3. “Lighting and plug-load elements”

4. “On-site training”

5. “Compression testing”

and more.

Here’s an except from the lab’s website about what they offer:

FLEXLAB is the first test bed in the world that can evaluate the energy efficiency of major building systems, as an integrated system, under real-world conditions. Stakeholders can evaluate energy-efficient building technologies individually or as integrated systems in advance of building projects or retrofits, in order to:

• Optimize integrated systems to maximize energy savings
• Ensure occupant comfort and user-friendliness
• Verify cost-benefit numbers
• Train building operators
• Build confidence in new technologies

( Source: http://flexlab.lbl.gov/ )

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IBM #research just invented a new experimental polymer!

IBM researchers just created a new polymer that is flexible, self-healing, strong and recyclable! Dr. Jeannette Garcia was in IBM’s lab experimenting with high-performance materials when she created an unexpected polymer. To read more about this discovery in a scientific journal, please click here.

Today’s materials commonly experience stress fracture cracks which sometimes make them difficult to recycle, however the self-healing and strong nature of this new experimental polymer might increase the amount of recyclable materials.

IBM recently posted a video that shows the polymer and explains some exciting potential applications:

 

(Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/05/15/ibm-self-healing-polymer/)

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