Nanomesh, and Accelerating Breakthroughs in Solar Technology

I've written on this site many times that solar is not for everyone.  Many climates, roof architectures, and other factors often make solar uneconomical.  (Let's ignore government and power company subsidies, because there are subsidies for almost all forms of power).

Flexible solar panels, micro inverters, improved manufacturing technique, and scale have helped little by little, but there are still relatively few cases where a homeowner can be 100% guaranteed that solar will save them money.  There is still this pesky maximum theoretical efficiency limit in today's cells - 37% of the suns energy is the maximum that could ever be retained.

In the last few weeks new data was published by Princeton that shows they can significantly improve upon this 37% limit.  New "nanomesh" technology limits the amount of energy that is reflected away from panels.  And there is some promise that this can be manufactured at reasonable rates.

Read more about this solar breakthrough here on extremetech.com.

Thermostats by Nest

Update December 2012: Nest now has their 2nd generation Nest Learning Thermostat available on Amazon.com.  Read on for more on the Nest thermostat.

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The Nest Thermostat

At homepowersaver, I like to keep an eye out for new technology that might help us save on our energy bills. It is easy to get swept in to the big breakthrough technologies, like the Bloom Box, the latest electric car, etc. But in more practical terms, I am more interested in products entering the market, or about to enter the market (i.e. I'm eagerly awaiting the Vu1 ESL lightbulbs soon to be available at lowes.com and later in stores, and trying to figure out what happened to Clarian).

Along those lines, I read with interest a recent article about a Silicon Valley startup called Nest. Led by a former Apple executive that provided much of the brains behind the iPod design, it might be surprising that their next generation energy saver is a simple thermostat!

Mercurial Rise in Thermostat Tech?

Read any home energy blog or book and you'll quickly see that programmable thermostats can be big money savers. Why run your AC or heater at full throttle when no one is home? Or when everyone is under the warm covers at night?

The problem is that most households, even with best intentions, often revert to the "hold" setting to override their programs...if they ever even got around to programming the thermostat in the first place. Recent studies have shown this fact.

To a Silicon Valley entrepreneur, this fact presents an opportunity. Nest has taken on thermostats, applying design principles taken from Apple and artificial intelligence (AI) to remove the prospect of programming. After a few days of care and use, the thermostat will learn when you are home and when you are not; when you turn the temperature down and when you turn it up. And at the same time, it no longer looks like a thermostat - it is more of a work of art.

Nest decided that simply learning your habits over time was not enough. It can also tie in to your network using wifi, allowing for remote control - turn up the heat when you are on your commute home so the house is nice and toasty by the time you arrive; or simply track your usage over time.

Prospects for Nest

Personally, I do not plan to purchase the $249 Nest thermostat, which will be sold at Best Buy and other stores. And I'd suspect most of the readers of this site would be better served with a cheaper traditional programmable thermostat, which can be found for $70 or less. Why would I assume my readers may not be interested? If you are reading this site you probably have more than a passing interest in saving energy, and thus will be more likely to actually program your thermostat. However, I do see a market driven by the trendy among us, home automation aficionados, those not wanting to deal with 'one more device to program', and interior designers.

Nest has hinted that they will take on other energy products as they begin to grow. --

Vu1 Poised to Make a Lighting Splash December 1

For those missing my earlier Vu1 post, Vu1 offers an innovative lighting technology that looks well positioned to compete with LED and CFL technologies. Their technology, called ESL, hits a sweet spot in terms of light quality, efficiency, price, and expected life. ESL shine especially bright when it comes to light quality, with color temperature and dimability equal to incandescents.

Vu1 had promised to send me a first generation R30 test bulb for me to evaluate on my site. Unfortunately, it never happened. And in following the company, there have been a number of disappointments in terms of meeting delivery dates.

However, it looks like they are poised to turn things around, having announced a major agreement with Lowes to sell the R30 bulb in their stores for $14.98 each. That price easily beats LEDs, and offers a competitive option to CFLs.

Here is the most important quote from the Business Week report on the press release: "Vu1’s bulb, which can be dimmed, will sell at $14.98, according to a company statement. While that exceeds the $12-to- $13 cost of a comparable dimmable compact fluorescent bulb, it lasts longer, is mercury-free and produces every wavelength of light, the CEO said. Lowe’s will sell the bulb online from Dec. 1 and in its stores from February, according to the statement."

Further, Vu1 has received UL certification for an A19 lightbulb. The R30 bulb is a flood light bulb, which is more an more common in new homes. My house, recently remodeled, had 36 R30 fixtures, for example. The A19 is the traditional lamp bulb. Between the two, they should offer a compelling product line.

Back to my house - all but two of the 36 R30 fixtures are attached to a dimmer switch. Given CFLs limitations for dimming (even the 'dimmable' ones aren't great), this limits me to incandescent, halogen, LED, or Vu1's ESL. LEDs are still too expensive, and light quality isn't where it needs to be at the more affordable end of the spectrum. Halogen and incandescent are not great for as expensive as energy is in California. That places ESL at the top of my list.

Readers - when Vu1 bulbs show up at your local Lowes, give them a try, and report back here what you think!

An OLED revolution? Organic LEDs

Early Flexible OLED Technology

Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLEDs) have been around for years, if not decades, when you consider research in universities and labs.  But only now are OLEDs reaching mainstream, and starting to turn up on consumer products (TVs, monitors, watches), advertising, and more.

So what is OLED, will it compete in the lighting industry, and what is its potential for the average household?

Clarian Power 'Plug-n-Play' Solar Update

Clarian Smart Box Solar (http://www.clarianpower.com)

A few months back I posted about a new solar niche emerging, being partly driven by Clarian Power.  The niche - plug and play solar.

They offer stand-alone solar panels, rated at 200 watts, that can be connected to the power grid via a standard electrical outlet.  Micro-inverters and a simple mounting system make this possible.

Clarian's price point at that time was $600 - $800.  A check back on their website today reveals an increase to $700-$900, with another part of the site indicating "less than $1000).  This increased price point will make payback even harder to achieve, though we still don't know the full specifications of their panels.  But assuming typical efficiency specs, I was really thinking a $600 price point would be needed to be viable.

And on a side note, Clarian seems to have re-branded this product as the "SmartBox' (previously SunFish). 

I'll continue to keep an eye on Clarian to see when their product is released to the general public.

What is More Energy Efficient – LED, CFL, ESL, Incandescent, or Halogen?

In my quest to make my home as cost-effectively efficient as possible, I’ve spent a lot of time researching and trying different lighting solutions.

My first step was to use lights less often, my next step was to question how much light I really needed (i.e. do I really need a 100 watt bulbs, or is a 60 watt bulb enough?), and the last step was to replace bulbs with more efficient ones, which is a continual process.

You're probably thinking that LED is the clear-cut winner in the efficiency war.  Well, you may be surprised to find out this may not be the case today!

Why You Need To Learn About ESL Light Bulbs

Vu1 ESL Light Bulb

Just when we're all getting used to CFLs, LEDs, hybrid halogen/CFL bulbs, and all of the other new lighting technologies, along comes ESL, full of potential to revolutionize lighting....again.

With all of the fanfare over the emergence and potential of LED bulbs, you might be asking how lighting can get better.  LEDs run cool, are more efficient than CFL in many applications, and support new form factors and instant on like the good old incandescent.  What's left for lighting and how can a new technology find it's niche?

Well, CFLs and LEDs have their shortcomings, and ESL promises to address many of the shortcomings while offering all of the benefits.

News Roundup - Another Benefit of Smart Meters

Much has been discussed regarding the current and potential benefits of Smart Meters.  They can provide real-time or near-real-time electrical consumption details and provide that information back to the utility.  This can enable smarter billing plans, usage alerts, and allow for more efficient handling of the electrical grid.

Leveraging this technology, a company called OPOWER is working with utilities to create "smart bills" that show how your usage compares to neighbors.  They can use email and texting to alert customers when certain thresholds are reached, allowing a 'heads up' when a consumer is on-track for a high bill.

OPOWER claims that consumers who have smart meters and are part of this system on average reduce their power consumption 2% to 3%.  Across millions of homes, that is substantial.  Here in Arizona's deserts, 2-3% could translate to $40 to $80 of savings.

Read more about OPOWER on CNN.

News Roundup - Spray On Solar Windows

Spray-On Solar Windows

OK, this may not be "news" anymore, since it was announced 2 months ago, but a company called New Energy Technologies announced a product that they claim allows ordinary windows to be converted to solar generating windows.

The product, which would be sprayed onto the window surface, essentially creates a thin-film coating (claimed to be thinner than existing thin-filmed technologies) that generates electricity.

The press release can be viewed on eSolar News.

The company claims that performance numbers with third-party review will be published shortly. No indication of availability and cost has been provided.

Obviously, this method brings up a lot of questions, ranging from durability to how much light will be allowed through. Another interesting one to watch...

News Roundup - Better CFLs and Stanford Solar Breakthrough

Better CFLs

GE has announced an interesting new bulb planned for 2011.  This new bulb appears to be a traditional CFL, but with a small halogen bulb as well.  Operating as a hybrid, it plans to address the 'instant on' issue that has caused concerns for CFLs since their inception.  After the CFL reaches full brightness, the halogen bulb switches off, and the CFL remains on.

I've discussed the instant on issue before, and even commented recently that a new EcoSmart CFL was the 'best yet', but CFLs still are noticeably dimmer than incandescents for the first 20-60 seconds.  The question is whether LED prices and quality will continue to improve at a faster pace.  If they do, GE's bulb may have a limited window of usefulness.

Stanford Solar Breakthrough

News Roundup - Micro Wind Turbines, Recycling, and Computer Networks

New Player Promises Big Gains in Home Wind Power

Totempower, a new company based if the UK, has a micro wind turbine that promises 20% efficiency gains in an unobtrusive, easier to install, and easy to maintain system. The basis of these gains are a patented design that allows operation at lower wind speeds than comparable products.

Read about their wind power solution on Clean Technica.

Lowes Builds CFL and Battery Recycling Awareness

Lowes has had a CFL recycling program for quite awhile now, and added a on cell phones and rechargeable batteries in the last year. Lowes has done an admirable job in promoting this effort, and recently updated their tracking page.

New IEEE Ethernet Standard Promises Reduced Energy Use

The IEEE recently ratified their new energy efficient Ethernet standard - 802.3az. 802.3az allows for a "low power idle" operation, saving a bit of power during idle times.

Most consumers use Ethernet in their homes, generally connecting a PC to a cable modem and/or router. At this low scale, consumers likely won't see more than a couple of dollars savings per year. However, businesses and enterprises may see substantial power savings.

There is an excellent article in the Kansas City Star covering this - quoting 5 terawatt-hours savings per year in the USA alone.

News Roundup - LED Tech Breakthroughs, MA Rebates, and more

Welcome to a new feature of Home Power Saver - the News Roundup series. Periodically, as events warrant, I'll post recent interesting news stories in the world of energy savings.

Topics today include an advancement in LED technology that may lead to even longer life LED lighting and possibly some cost reductions.  Additionally, an interesting new study was released about home energy monitoring systems, and Massachusetts has a money saving rebate on a product that Home Power Saver highly recommends.

News: Plug-and-Play Portable Solar?

CNN posted a story a few weeks back about a start up company looking to make major changes to how people view solar power.

Today, most consumer-accessible solar consists of two options:

1. Large arrays of panels generally mounted on the roof.
2. Small purpose-built solar panels, such as for landscape lighting, charging electronics, fountain pumps, etc.

Solar arrays are costly and have a steep barrier to entry for consumers.  Despite rebates from electric companies and some state and local governments, many solar arrays end up costing well over $5000 out of pocket.  While many arrays can result in a return on investment (usually after 5 - 10 years), $5000 or more is difficult for most people to come up with.  We'll look further at the economics of solar panels in an upcoming solar series.

Small purpose-built systems may also make economic sense in some cases, but don't expect to see a major impact to your bills.

The start-up company, Clarian Power of Seattle, WA, looks to find a middle ground by reducing that costly 'barrier to enter' the solar market, and allowing consumers to add capacity to their solar systems as modularly, over time, as they see fit.