An airport may not seem like the most obvious platform to deploy sweeping smart energy upgrades. Globally, airports represent only a fraction of the building infrastructure worldwide – accounting for around 1 percent of commercial square footage globally, according to Pike Research’s Global Building Stock Database report.
Tag:
cleantech
It’s easy to become discouraged about cleantech when headlines focus on one company after another that fails to make it work. Frequently the issue is not technology, but rather management, the supply chain, or the business model. Cleantech companies often have the added burden of creating value where there was none before. Being visionary is riskier than
Malaysia is a country located in Southeast Asia and shares land borders with Brunei, Thailand, and Indonesia, as well as maritime borders with the Philippines, Vietnam, and Singapore. It is located in the tropics region and is considered a “megadiverse country” because of the large number of endemic fauna and flora. Because of its heavy biodiversity along with a
ZenRobotics, a company developing what it calls the first robotic recycling system, has scored its first sale. The client is Containers Maes, a Belgian company specialized in sustainable recycling. The facility near Tessenderlo in Belgium will be the first international installation of the ZenRobotics Recycler when the system is delivered in the last quarter of
The Supreme Court (SCOTUS) and its role in the everyday lives of the America people has been on full display as the justices declined to hear the appeals case challenging the authority of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). (Oh, and there was something about healthcare.)
A famous, oft-repeated quote tells us to not just “see things as they are” but to “dream things that never were.” In fact, there’s probably a commencement speaker delivering some variation on that chestnut at this very moment.
If ever there was an industry that took this advice to heart, it would be cleantech.
When Burt Hamner, founder and CEO of Hydrovolts, decided that he would focus his technology development efforts on micro hydropower turbines that could run in irrigation canals and water aqueducts, he ran into several challenges. Most notably: there was no precedent—nobody had successfully done this before.
Meanwhile, when Marcus Hays, founder and CEO of Pi Mobility, decided to start an electric bike company, he was going up against an industry dominated by cheap bikes and a throwaway mentality. When he resolved to develop – and manufacture – a durable, well-engineered bike that could last dozens of years—rather than being tossed on the junk heap after a few years—he was creating a market that didn’t even exist yet.
In both cases, these companies were able to lean heavily on design technology to dream up an entirely new class of product.
Hydrovolts utilized digital modeling to create a turbine engineered for easy “drop-in” installation into constructed waterways — eliminating the need for dams or other permanent constructions. The turbine is held in place by mooring lines, while an output cable plugs directly into the power load onshore. The result? A turbine capable of generating clean, reliable power from a previously overlooked resource that happens to be located in millions of locations around the world.
For their part, Pi Mobility used design software to create a bike that is built around a solitary arch of recycled aluminum as its frame rather than a multitude of brittle plastic parts. In addition to lasting considerably longer than plastic, the aluminum tube safely houses the batteries and electronic components, allowing for easy upgrades as more efficient battery technologies become available. All of this future-proofing adds residual value to the PiCycle – a complete 180 from the “planned obsolescence” model followed by most other bike companies.
By using design technology to “dream things that never were”, these two cleantech companies are not just building better products—they’re building a better, more sustainable world.
The lesson for cleantech companies is clear: keep dreaming.
Deutsche Bank, which translates to German Bank, is an international banking and financial services company. Headquarters are located in Frankfurt, Germany and the bank has a very large presence throughout Europe, North America, South America, Asia Pacific, as well as a number of emerging markets, in a number of major financial centers, including New York, Paris,
No one will deny that New York City is one of the primary tech entrepreneurship hubs of the United States. Home to the largest population in the nation, it is not only a melting pot of different ethnicities, religions, and races, but also one of the main financial, cultural, and entertainment capitals in the United States (possibly even the world as well). Because
Economics, politics, grid constraints, and a fair amount of luck have set in motion an awkward relationship between the natural gas and cleantech industries that could be characterized as “frenemies with benefits.” My colleagues Kerry-Ann Adamson and Mackinnon Lawrence have already shared their views on this complex dynamic, and their outlooks
The steady waves of consolidation within the smart energy sector produced a major deal last week with Eaton’s planned $11.8 billion acquisition of Cooper Industries, one of the largest to date. If anyone thinks energy management or the broader clean technology market is fading, think again.
One of the main challenges of the Cleantech industry is resources, but we’re not talking about water or energy resources, but rather human resources. In order to develop breakthrough technologies that will make a real impact on our world, we need to raise a generation of engineers and researchers in the relevant fields – physics, chemistry, biotechnology
What a week!
At the start of the year we forecasted that one of the big trends in 2012 would be the return of the private equity markets to the fuel cell and hydrogen industry. In fact, this trend has been far larger and is now having an impact on the entire cleantech sector.
Another year, another wringing of the hands over tax credits and incentives for clean technology.
Lobbyists and vendors in the U.S. are once again singing the blues, calling for continued and expanding government investments in clean technology. At the same time, political challengers continue their Solyndra hootenanny,
While Rhode Island, known as the Plantation State or the Ocean State, is one of the smallest states in the United States, it still looks to pack a punch when it comes to renewable energy and energy efficiency. It is listed as having some of the best potential for water power and offshore wind farms because of its proximity to the ocean. As well, it is known for having a very