"Aye there, don't be forgetting 'bout Transparent Aluminum."
Posted on 02/03/2007 10:06:34 AM PST by AntiGuv
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I understand there is water-permeable roadbed that lets rainwater percolate into the aquifer (water conservation). Also, LED space lighting is coming soon (HUGE energy savings).
...bunch of lazy cops mailing tickets all day from the donut shop. I'm not a fan of this one, the potential for authoritarian abuse would be almost irresistible.
There is a company in Michigan that is making flexible solar panels that are bonded to roofs using a pressure sensitive adhesive. They are really good and easy to install. This company has grown tremendously in the last few years.
Thin Film PV is less efficient than more traditional forms of solar but it has its use in smart buildings and for mobile type of applications. Keep an eye on Innovalight as well.
Data Cloud- Apple has had thisw for years. It is called the iDisk.
Data cloud is another form of something called ubiquitous computing which is something championed by Motorola. If will require Wi-Max to be a reality though.
Wow!
"Nanosolar is currently building a plant that will print 430 megawatts' worth of solar cells annually—more than triple the current solar output of the entire country."
This sounds familiar ... is Nanosolar somehow connected to CitizenRe, the company that is taking security deposits for "rented" custom residential solar installations, in states with net metering? I'll have to admit, their plan sounds appealing, and will provide a stable source of power while reducing your electric bill, with no upfront cost other than the aforementioned security deposit, $500.00. The only thing that could be vaguely off-putting for me is that their marketing plan sounds rather like multi-level marketing. Their plan revolves around remote monitoring of every installation, handling the selling of daytime solar (at peak rates), which oftentimes completely offsets off-peak rate grid power consumed at night, effectively using the electric utility as storage.
Anybody knowledgeable enough to comment? Web address for CitizenRe is http://www.citizenre.com
Not so Nanosolar. The non-silicon thin-film substrate (Copper-Indium-Gallium-Diselenide (CIGS)) yields cell performance as good as current crystalline silicon cells.
The solar technology sounds very promising. I have a family member who is part of a team working to make solar shingles and siding for homes although he acknowledges it will be years before such technology is cheap enough to be feasible.
Potential yields are hard to calculate but if the costs were in comparison to fifty year shingles/high quality vinyl siding it would be a very viable industry.
Technological growth continues to explode at an incomprehensible rate!
The data cloud thing would be especially useful, personally. As is the PRAM, and the solar panels are a good idea. The BAN seems a little weird, though. And aren't there going to be a lot of people getting passports because of recent laws requiring one to get back from Canada, Mexico, and other countries in the Americas?
“…this one might not get much interest”
I think you’re wrong. I think there are a lot of techie types here – not that I’m a true techie. Thanks for the post.
My wows:
1. Bendable Concrete –I can see this as major in making buildings in those areas safer, much like the technology allowing buildings to “float” still while the ground below shakes. I’m curious if this has any practical application high stress structures like bridges, elevated road surfaces, damns– could this help alleviate stress fractures?
2. PRAM (Phase-Change Random Access Memory) – It seems like only yesterday I was wowed by my 8086 , floppy disks, fax machines with thermal paper and mobiles phones the size of a shoe box. But what sort of power is required to heat and cool the chemical and how sensitive is it to external temperature changes?
3. Printed Solar Panels –this could make solar energy a lot more affordable and feasible – a very good thing. Other than residential – does this mean anything for heavy industrial energy users?
Not impressed by:
4. Passport Hacking – tell a hacker that your technology is hack proof and it will be hacked in less than a week.
5. Vehicle Infrastructure Integration – until people stop driving like complete idiots and roads are upgraded or built before the demand reaches max capacity, I’m afraid being stuck in traffic is just a way of life in urban areas.
6. Body Area Network – just strikes me as creepy.
The obligatory FR joke:
7. Plasma Arc Gasification – sounds like what my ex-husband did after eating a bowl of chili.
Ok, what's their stock symbol?
NanoSolar is privately held and not seeking new capital, according to their website. Innovalight describes itself as an "early stage company," and are actively seeking VC.
Heating garbage for energy is brilliant.
I wish I could run my car on that...
"Body Area Network"
Who would want their body incorporated into a network operating under Windows? What would happen when you crashed?
Do you know the name of the company. TIA
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