Cheaper Solar Cells

A team of researchers from Durham University in Northern England are currently working on a new revolutionary kind of solar panel material that could possibly start the massive use of solar energy in the world. One of the main drawbacks in the use of solar energy is the price of solar cells. So the team directed by Professor Ken Durose has been researching for 4 years to find a less expensive material for the future solar cells. They are currently developing a new type of light-absorbing material to produce thin layer solar photovoltaic cells.

The thin-layer PV cells would be used to make solar panels that could be fitted to roofs to help power homes with any surplus electricity being fed back to The National Grid.This could lead to cheaper fuel bills and less reliance on burning fossil fuels as a way of helping to generate electricity.

“If solar panels were cheap enough so you could buy a system off the shelf that provided even a fraction of your power needs you would do it, but that product isn’t there at the moment.“The key indicator of cost effectiveness is how many pounds do you have to spend to get a watt of power out?“If you can make solar panels more cheaply then you will have a winning product.”

It looks like this new type of solar cells would be of great interest for vehicles, as they would be cheaper, lighter and able to adapt to any complex surfaces, which is impossible to do with curent cells.

Improving the Shoe, 5 Parts at a Time

Designer Ben Chappell lends his feet to improving the environmental and social impact of shoes. His concept for “Think” mixes mass customization with corporate responsibility, style with recycling. Although there is no explanation of the what the materials could be, Ecolect applaudes the notion of a take-back system by the company for recycling (and not downcycling, we hope). See images for more details. Via Yanko Design

Compensado de Pupunha da Amazonia

“Compensado de Pupunha da Amazonia” (by its name in Portuguese) is a material developed by Claudio Ferreira y Thiago Machado Maia, from ESDI (Escola Superior de Desenho Industrial de Rio de Janeiro, Brasil). In 2005 it received the iF Hannover Material Award.

http://www.esdi.uerj.br/pupunha/

The material is made out of Pupunha fibers (a native Amazonian palm tree). Similar to bamboo, Pupunha grows rapidly, which gives it a sustainable advantage compared to other wood sources. It also has great visual properties and a warm look & feel.

Some Sources of PLA

Polylactid or PLA is a corn-based polymer that is starting to be used in several applications. It is fully biodegradable and some variants are being developed by chemical companies ir order to achieve performance quality. There are several companies producing PLA, below are some sources:

NatureWorks:
http://www.natureworksllc.com/

Plantic:
http://www.plantic.com.au/

EarthFirst:
http://www.earthfirstpla.com

Paper Foam

This is a Holland-based company that produces an interesting material: Paper Foam.

Paper Foam is made out of recycled paper and its mechanical properties are similar to pulp or Styrofoam (often used in packaging applications). It can be rather fragile, but it offers new possibilities in finishes, colors and of course a sustainable component for the design of packaging and products.

http://www.paperfoam.com/

Er Kankyo is another company that produces a similar product (based in Japan). Their website is only in Japanese, but it is worth checking out their products.

http://www.er-kankyo.co.jp/

The Biodegradable Products Institute

The Biodegradable Products Institute, based in New York, evaluates and certifies materials and products that can become compost.

http://www.bpiworld.org/BPI-Public

I recommend checking out the list of materials that have already been approved (divided in categories) as well as reading through their criteria:

http://www.bpiworld.org/BPI-Public/Approved.html

They even have a specific logo that is applied to the approved products, to make sure people know these are biodegradable.

City of Chicago to Buy 300 Hybrid Cars From Toyota for City Fleet

It seems that after seducing a lot of american households, Hybrid cars start to find their way to city car fleets. The city of Chicago has just signed a $8.7 million contract with Toyota to provide up to 300 hybrid vehicles - including 100 prius - to its 5,400 cars fleet.

Under the contract, the city will buy 100 Prius sedans, 100 Camry models and 100 Highlander SUVs from Northside Toyota in the next three years. A spokeswoman for the city’s Fleet Management Department says the city is trying to boost the number of alternative fuel cars by ten percent each year.

via Green Car Congress

West Coast Green September 20-22, San Francisco

One of the largest event on residential green building on the west coast will take place at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium of San Francisco.

The program and speakers promise this conference to be quiet exceptional :

“Central to the success of this conference are the exceptional speakers and presenters who will share their technical knowledge, on-the-ground expertise, and visionary wisdom on a wide range of topics from building science and public policy to technology and global ecology. This year our programming will expand to offer over 150 new presentations and pre-conference workshops and will reach over 14,000 people with incredible ability to affect change”

the program of the conference

the speakers

West coast green website