Earth Abundant Solar

IBM has developed a new solar cell technology that utilizes earth abundant materials to drive down the currently high cost of photovoltaics. They recently published their findings in Advanced Materials and, while they are not looking to go into production of solar cells, would like to partner with solar cell manufacturers to demonstrate the technology.

These new cells utilize Copper (Cu), Tin (Sn), Zinc (Zn), Sulfur (S) and/or Selenium (Se) which are comparatively more abundant than the Copper (Cu), Indium (In), Gallium (Ga), and Selenium (Se) that typical film cells use. These innovations still maintain pretty decent efficiency at 9.6%, a 40% increase over previous attempts to make solar cells of similar materials.

“Other solar cells which perform at similar efficiency levels are comprised of materials that have been either too costly to produce or contain elements that could limit production capacity, or have poor prospects for further improvements in efficiency, making commercialization and wide usage less likely,” said Thomas Theis, director of physical sciences at IBM’s T.J. Watson Research Lab, in a blog post.

With some additional research and innovation, the new solar technology could become an economically viable alternative to current solar methods. This would require a boost in efficiency to 12% but the long-term manufacturing potential is much greater as the materials used are abundant enough to meet our rising need for alternative energy.

Via Treehugger and cnet.

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Looking For Ecological Solutions On A Residential Scale?

Here at Ecolect we often get inquires from home owners about what eco-friendly materials are best to use on residential architecture. In addition, many questions arise of available technologies, return on investment, and design solutions to make a home more efficient. Well, our friends at Planet Green have come up with a great guide for this topic. Their recommendations apply to current home owners, investment property owners, and even small changes for renters.

Have a look for yourself at planetgreen.discovery.com.

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reMade USA: Bags From Previously Loved Fabric And Leather

reMade USA is a design company that upcycles used materials to make one-of-a-kind objects. Their mission is to create beautiful, long-lasting, well-made products that positively impact the environment, their users and their makers. All of the products they make are hand-crafted in Potrero Hill in San Francisco, California. Their first line is a range of bags made from used leather clothing and scrap. They are also committed to the principles of sustainable design outlined by The Designers Accord.

reMade is available in two collections, Ready to Order and One-Offs. Each bag is a limited edition of one and bears its own serial number that reflects its uniqueness. They source our materials in a variety of ways. Thrift stores and scraps from the furniture and automotive upholstery industry are their main sources. For the bag linings, they use vintage scarves. They also accept donations of all kinds of leather. If you choose to supply your own jacket, they do take special orders and will make you a bag based on one of their current designs.

Follow them on Twitter to stay up to date on what they are up to. Visit http://www.remadeusa.com to learn more.

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Sustainable Minds, Process-Oriented LCA Software

Sustainable Minds has developed a process-oriented software for Life Cycle Assessment.  Compared to other similar tools, this one is very suitable for designers and product developers to assess early concepts during the design process.

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Connect Is At It Again… Responsible Events… What?

The new retail store Connect in Chicago is all about business with a conscious, but owner Jonathon Shaun is sure to make the point that  “social responsibility doesn’t have to be boring”.  Proof in point was their event this past weekend which, in addition to good music, cocktails and a huge selection of Eco-friendly clothing and accessories, also included a visit from Sara Snow speaking about Green Living and signing advanced copies of her new book.

Powerleap, flooring that converts human energy into electricity, was in use, donations were accepted for a local charity, there was a sign up with King’s Hill Farm for organic produce pick up and we featured the first permanent installation of our Material Petting Zoo™ .  For all in the Chicago area, feel free to drop by and take a peek!

This “Eco-materials petting zoo” features 20 materials from the Ecolect website that have unique properties with a leading sustainability performance.  We cater the Petting Zoo to the large community of designers, engineers, and business professionals, eager to learn about the latest and greatest in alternative Eco-materials. It is a chance to speak with designers, engineers, developers, and the business owners one-on-one about material needs, options and ideas.  It is exhibited at conferences, seminars, in-office events, trade shows, corporations, studios and educational institutions. Every sample in the Petting Zoo is accompanied by information about production, usage, technical specs and environmental properties.

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GoodGuide

Do you want to know where the products you buy come from, what they are made of, and what impact they have in the environment and society?
GoodGuide is a recently launched resource (still in beta) that provides a large source of information on the health, environmental, and social impacts of the products you buy for home.

GoodGuide also has an impressive network of leading information providers as well as alliances with non-profit organizations focused on education about public health, environmental and social issues.

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Petting Good Materials in Boston

Ecolect held yet another successful Materials Petting Zoo, this time at the cutting edge, Boston-based design firm Continuum. Ecolect team members were on site to provide first hand material expertise and to field questions from the audience. 40 members of Continuum listened to a presentation by Matt Grigsby who outlined the origins and goals of Ecolect and the growing need to design more responsible and environmentally conscious products.

The leading design and branding consultancy is based in Boston has additional offices in Seoul and Milan. Continuum has a strong commitment to the environment and recently launched Colorblind, the ongoing consumer-focused sustainability project. With their strong commitment to environmentally positive design, Continuum was the perfect audience for another Ecolect Petting Zoo.

The atmosphere was fun, lively, and inspirational, with designers, engineers and other eager staff actively engaged, eager to see what material design alternatives are available. With the great talent at Continuum’s design studio, expect to see great environmentally friendly products on the market soon!

For more information about Continuum and their project Colorblind, visit www.dcontinuum.com/colorblind

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How to Lay Some Misconceptions About Mattress Recycling to Rest in 1 1/2 Minutes

With increasing concern over our throw-away culture, many have asked what happens to those old mattresses seen left on the street, and if there is any way to keep them from being landfilled or incinerated with toxic consequences.   According to Greg Conigliaro, founder of Conigliaro Industries, a versatile recycling company in Framingham, Massachusetts, a mattress is one of the most difficult products to recycle due to its complex multi-material structure.  In spite of this, in 2002, the company became the first commercial mattress recycler in the country, and won a $10,000 grant from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection for their solution.  The minute-and-a-half process involves feeding a mattress through a large-scale “shredder”, which breaks it apart and allows it to be magnetically separated into its individual parts, (foam, cotton, wood, and steel) for resale as raw materials.  Conigliaro’s website claims that they annually process over 3000 tons of such material, “enough mattresses to fill 900 tractor trailers.”

(Image courtesy of Conigliaro Industries)

Please visit Conigliaro Industries for more information.

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