Harnessing and converting the idle power of sunlight is alluring for so many reasons. Besides the often expensive upfront equipment and installation costs, solar power systems can generate clean electricity for years requiring little maintenance or operational attendance. As the efficiency of solar cells continues to improve and production costs fall, unused rooftops [...]
There’s no denying that the “green energy” movement is here to stay. And while renewable energy generation from wind sources continues to increase, large scale solar power plant deployment remains hindered by the high cost of photovoltaic solar panels, despite the vast quantities of solar energy that bombard the planet each day. Sure, there’s government sponsored tax credits that encourage [...]
Posted in Alternative Energy, Energy Conservation, Technology 
Tags: Green energy, IBM, solar cells, solar panels 
2 Comments »Advertisers love to use the term “space-age” when describing their products, as if the materials by which they are made have been absconded from the laboratories of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab. But if ever there was a material that could truly be described as “space-age”, it is aerogel.Aerogel is one of those materials about which [...]
Posted in Energy Conservation, Technology Tags: Aerogel, Insulation, JPL, NASA, Stardust No Comments »There’s just something cool about small form factor computers. Maybe it’s their testament to the progressive advancement and miniaturization of technology. Or maybe it’s their extremely low power requirements. And one can’t deny their inherent practicality. Despite any specific reason, I just couldn’t resist the fit-PC booth at the 2010 CES, in which CompuLab [...]