(Stop global warming) Environmental advantages of Suspended Particle Device Glass Technology
No commentsBy Carla Jack
The idea of the “home of the future” usually contrasts with the idea of environmental responsibility. The perception of technology being detrimental to ecologicial stability is slowly being replaced with the advent of smart technologies such as Suspended Particle Device or SPD glass.
What is SPD Glass?
In the area of light control, there are three main technologies: polymer liquid crystal devices (PDLC), suspended particle devices (SPD) and Electro chromic devices (EC). All three may be used to produce smart glass, which is described as a glass that can change its light transmission when a voltage is applied. In a nutshell these technologies control the opacity of glass via a control method (sensors, remotes, wall switches etc) to regulate the amount of light allowed to pass through it. SPD is generally the technology of choice for use in external or solar control windows because of its reliability, price, performance, and manufacturing advantages and aesthetics.
Energy and Lighting Costs
In terms of home and office environment SPD glass facades, windows and skylights can be used to more efficiently reduce the need for air conditioning during the summer months and heating during winter.
The ability to instantly switch the glass to maximize daylight when it’s really needed and to provide controllable solar shading during peak light conditions is valuable and unique. SPD Glass has even advanced to the stage where light sensors can automatically adjust the opacity of the glass according to programmed settings. This low energy electric current saves overall temperature control and lighting costs and also reduced carbon emissions related to building maintenance.
Hygiene and Health
These SPD glass panels provide a hygienic alternative to curtains and blinds as they do not trap bacteria, grime and dust. Easily cleaned surfaces mean both a savings on cleaning agents and a cleaner environment for homeowners and building owners. Taking advantage of healthy natural lighting without the glare is the smart way to reduce eye strain and protect the skin from UV damage.
Maintenance savings
Professionally manufactures Suspended Particle Device technologies such as SPD glass utilise a highly durable, solid-state technology with no moving parts to wear out or break. Sun damage such a fading carpets, artwork and furniture is also greatly reduced making your interiors last longer. If you combine this interior longevity with the longevity of the physical glass itself you have a winning combination for your pocket and for the environment.
Smart Glass International has mastered suspended particle Devices with its SPD Glass Solar Control range. http://www.smartglassinternational.com
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(Conservation solutions) Green Mobiles Will They Catch On?
No commentsBy Karl Sinclaire-Anderson
Will green mobile phones truly catch on? Will greener manufacturing processes develop so that every mobile phone is made from recycled materials or plastic bags? Or is it just a well oiled fad in the history of mobile phone design.
I believe we are at the cusp of a new order, whereby the cost of looking for new resources from fields far away, could become so expensive that the digging for virgin raw materials for just a mobile phone could be outlawed; when the materials are so already readily available above ground. With the all round cost of cradle to grave production rising and what with the Earth beginning to look like a garden with a family of gophers let loose in it, the use of recycled materials looks a good economic and sustainable resource choice to me.
But just how feasible, would it be to produce a billion plus greener handsets from recycled plastics. Well in the UK alone we create 3 million tonnes of plastic waste a year, of which 56% is from waste packaging. Part of that amount comes the 17.5 billion plastic bags that are given away by supermarkets in the UK and as a nation we are increasing our plastic use by 4% a year! So the numbers are there.
Car manufacturers have to do it? They are legislated to look for new ways to reduce their environmental impact. So how long will it be before the manufacturers of music systems, TV’s, computers, fridges, washing machines all follow suit and start to advertise that their units are made from recycled materials? Could one imagine a future, where your guest presents their mobile phone to their friends at dinner parties proclaiming it doesn’t have recycled plastic parts - could this be a trophy phone?
At present, it’s possible that people see recycled plastic as second best, lower quality, not up to the mark, but the future of greener mobiles is the way forward. With better designs, improved network offerings, more information about sustainability is paving the way for resource survival.
Mobile Phones suffered the same derisory comments when they entered the marketplace when they first appeared when people were so used to land-phones, now Mobiles out-number their landlocked counterpart. Given time we can change to what’s best for us and the planet. Once the benefits outweigh the issues at hand, the change will be easy.
A green mobile phone is just the start, its part of the way in reducing your personal carbon footprint. Yes they are small steps towards a carbon free lifestyle, as recycling plastic makes major economic sense when you learn that it uses less energy and fewer resources. Its all about the concept of change, when the first mobiles came out in 1983 (DynaTAC 8000x) it weighed 1.8 lbs. The latest eco phone by Sony Ericcson weighs 120 grams? So yes, like it or not greener phones by design, construction and the new moral attitude are the way forward and are certainly here to stay.
Karl Sinclaire-Anderson loves new technologies, anything that helps us perform better about our day in the world. An MBA, he has been working in the green arena for 11 years. He is currently MD of Greenermobiles
www.greenermobiles.com
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(Global warming) BP cap captures ‘10,000 barrels’ a day in US Gulf
No commentsBy tearsjoong
A containment cap on a ruptured well in the Gulf of Mexico is now funnelling off 10,000 barrels of oil a day, BP’s chief executive Tony Hayward says.
The amount has risen since Saturday, and implies more than half the estimated 12,000 to 19,000 barrels leaking each day is now being captured.
The spill has been described as the biggest environmental disaster in US history.
Mr Hayward told the BBC that BP would restore the Gulf to its original state.
Speaking on the Andrew Marr Show, Mr Hayward said: “As we speak, the containment cap is producing around 10,000 barrels of oil a day to the surface.”
Asked what amount of the estimate that represented, the BP chief executive said it was expected to be “the majority, probably the vast majority” of the oil gushing out.
“We have a further containment system to implement in the course of this coming week which will be in place by next weekend so when those two are in place, we would very much hope to be containing the vast majority of the oil.”
His company, he said, was going to stop the leak and take care of the consequences.
“We’re going to clean up the oil, we’re going to remediate any environmental damage and we are going to return the Gulf coast to the position it was in prior to this event. That’s an absolute commitment, we will be there long after the media has gone, making good on our promises.”
But the man in charge of the federal efforts to cope with the spill said no-one should be pleased “as long as there’s oil in the water”.
Coast Guard Adm Thad Allen told CNN the spill was “an insidious enemy that’s attacking our shores”.
‘Nightmare’
The Deepwater Horizon rig sank on 20 April after an explosion, killing 11 workers.
Both BP and the US government have been criticised for the response so far.
President Barack Obama has pledged to stand with the residents of Louisiana until they are “made whole”.
Mr Obama has said he will ensure that BP is financially accountable for the damaged caused.
The containment cap is designed to funnel most of the leaking oil to a boat on the surface. It will be followed by a further containment system that involves using the pipes of a failed, previous operation to divert more oil to another vessel; and by a separate method - due to be in place by the end of this month - which is expected to be able to operate in hurricane conditions.
BP is also digging two relief wells which it hopes will provide a permanent solution to the leak - but they are not due to be completed until August.
The estimates for the total amount of oil that has leaked since the spill began vary widely from 20 million to 45 million gallons.
Four states have so far been affected by the spill - Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.
The oil risks affecting some of the famous white beaches of Florida, whose economy is heavily dependent on tourism.
One-third of the Gulf’s federal waters remain closed to fishing, and the spill has killed and injured birds and marine animals.
“These waters are my backyard, my life,” boat captain Dave Marino from Myrtle Grove, Louisiana, told AP news agency. “It’s a nightmare. It looks like it’s going to be wave after wave of it and nobody can stop it.”
The oil has steadily spread east, and there are fears it could devastate the shoreline with the hurricane season coming up.
BP, whose share price has dropped by a third since the accident, has been coming under fire for spending a reported $50m on TV advertising to improve its image while the crisis was still going on.
BP says it has spent more than $1bn so far on clean-up and containment efforts since the Deepwater Horizon rig accident.
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