There's no doubt solar energy is a compelling alternative to fossil fuels, but implementing it has traditionally meant installing the standard, costly and ungainly solar panel. SRS Energy's dual-purpose roof tiles offer one way to get around that requirement; now another comes in the form of thin, flexible solar sheets that can be integrated with architectural building materials.

Iowa-based PowerFilm makes low-cost foldable and rollable solar panels in which the solar technology is monolithically integrated in a polyimide substrate that's flexible and durable, yet as thin as 0.025mm. With an absorber layer made of amorphous silicon, PowerFilm solar panels use as little as 1 percent of the amount of silicon used in traditional solar panels; they're also cadmium-free. Since 2005 the company has been using its technology to manufacture solar field shelter tarps for military applications, and now it's developed the ability to combine it with standard building materials as well. Standing seam metal roofing, single-ply elastomeric membrane roofing and architectural fabric can all be combined with PowerFilm's flexible paneling for a variety of low-cost, building-integrated solar applications. In such uses, the electricity generated by the solar panels is stored in local batteries and converted to 110 AC for general wall outlet use or—in some cases—used directly for low-voltage lighting systems. The buildings can be either off-grid or grid-connected. PowerFilm recently completed a 10-kilowatt demonstration and evaluation project on metal roofing, and is now in the final stages of developing the technology.

PowerFilm also makes a variety of portable solar chargers—one of which won second place in the Mobile CE Fashion & Lifestyle Products competition at CTIA Wireless 2009—and it manufactures for OEM and custom orders as well. The lightweight and durable nature of its thin paneling, meanwhile, seems eminently suitable for use in the developing world. One to get in on early for the application of your choice...?

Website: www.powerfilmsolar.com
Contact: www.powerfilmsolar.com/contact

Spotted by: Katherine Noyes

Voltage optimization technology has been around for years, providing a way to cut energy costs and carbon emissions by reducing a building's incoming voltage and maintaining it at a stable level. Whereas traditionally the technology's costs have been prohibitive for all but large organizations, recently a British company created a low-cost device that puts it within reach of everyday consumers.

VPhase's namesake device, which was developed in conjunction with Liverpool University, gets fitted by an electrician next to a home's fuse box and operates on socket outlets and lighting circuits. From there, it optimizes the incoming voltage to a constant 220V in the UK, giving homeowners energy savings throughout the house without requiring any changes to their behaviour. The amount of energy saved will vary depending on the incoming voltage and type of appliances in the house, the company says, but typical savings include a 17 percent reduction in the electricity consumption of fridges and freezers, and 15 percent savings on lighting and central heating pumps.

VPhase CEO Lee Juby explains: “Many electrical appliances will work more efficiently and use less electricity at a much lower voltage. If every household in the UK used voltage optimization, a typical home could save carbon emissions of 270kg every year—the equivalent of taking 2.3 million cars off the road."

Currently available only within the UK, VPhase is priced at GBP 299 including VAT and delivery. Its maker is working with Scottish & Southern Energy and Ofgem to determine the product's lifetime CO2 savings. It's also working with British Gas to market the product through British Gas’s existing supply channels. One to partner with and localize for other parts of the world? (Related: Home energy monitoring, delivered by Google — Visualising energy use — Energy meters get tweeting — Smart thermostat is always online.)

Website: www.vphase.com
Contact: info@vphase.com

Of 140 million cell phones sold in the US in 2007, only 10% were recycled, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency. That leaves a mounting pile of e-waste to deal with. Offering a solution is EcoATM, an automated reuse-and-recycle machine that makes it easy and financially rewarding for consumers to offload their abandoned electronics. The process is simple: a customer feeds the machine an old mobile phone and it analyses the device and assigns it a value. If the phone has a resale value, the customer receives store credit, or can donate the amount to charity. If there's no resale value, customers can choose to have the handset recycled.

The first EcoATM was installed in Omaha, Nebraska, and has already proved successful, with 23 phones collected on the first day. It's likely to hold appeal for retailers and manufacturers too, as the system is designed to facilitate compliance with new federal 'takeback' laws. Although it currently only takes mobile phones, EcoATM will soon be able to accept a range of consumer electronics including MP3 players, digital cameras and even computers and printers.

Similar to the reverse vending machines we covered a few years ago—which make for easy recycling of beverage containers—the EcoATM's combination of convenience and a reward will no doubt appeal to consumers who might otherwise neglect to find a destination for unused gadgets. The incentive for EcoATM is clear: an estimated 12 billion dollars is currently sitting in drawers across America in the form of old phones. (Related: Retail approach to recycling — Incentive-based recycling — Startup buys broken iPods and abandoned GameCubes.)

Website: www.ecoatm.com
Contact: erosser@ecoatm.com

Spotted by: CNET via Judy McRae

With intention-based shipping spreading like wildfire, we're not surprised to see that it's now catching on in the UK, too. Shiply, which set up shop in 2008, is a free online marketplace where transport companies bid for listed shipments.

After creating an online account, consumers list what they need to ship and provide details about pickup, delivery and shipment dates. Anything from a pet carriage to a car can be listed. Transport providers then bid for the shipment, potentially turning unused space in their trucks into profit. Shiply's system means that as companies try to outbid one another, users typically save about 75% on their shipping costs. Users can contribute and read feedback left by other customers, and accept the bid with which they feel happiest.

The company states that 25% of European lorries run completely empty. By filling up this space, Shiply makes sure trucks get extra cash for unused space, and saves consumers money. Of course, it’s hugely beneficial in terms of reducing carbon emissions and congestion, too. Which is why Shiply was awarded a EUR 100,000 runner-up prize in this year's Green Challenge. (RidgeBlade, which we featured last week, won the top prize of EUR 500,000.)

As the success of services like this depends on reaching a critical mass of users, it’s interesting to see Shiply helping itself along with a special eBay widget, which can be integrated in eBay listings, letting potential bidders get cheap courier quotes from Shiply on the spot. In addition, 4,000 shipping companies have already listed their services on Shiply. Saving the planet by intelligently linking wants and needs—there’s plenty of mileage left in that.

Web: www.shiply.com
Contact: www.shiply.com/docs/contact.php

Spotted by: Green Challenge

More than 90 million tons of construction and demolition waste are generated each year in England and Wales alone, and at least 13 million of those tons are surplus new materials that could have been reused. Hoping to keep such waste out of landfills, BuilderScrap is a free site for the construction trade that aims to connect builders who have extra materials with those who need them.

Similar in many ways to the salvage operations of Buffalo ReUse, UK-based BuilderScrap was established by builders for builders as a way to use up surplus new and high-quality second-hand material in the supply chain. Users begin by registering and then uploading any extra building materials they'd like to sell or give away. Allowable items include timber, doors, floorboards, stair components, joists, tiles, window frames and office furniture, to name just a few. Other users who are interested in an item then contact the relevant user via the BuilderScrap website, which in turn notifies the listing member, who can respond to work out the details. Once the item has exchanged hands, the original listing member then de-lists it from the site. A video on BuilderScrap explains the site's premise in more detail.

Given the increasing interest in green building practices, it won't be long before such exchanges are set up in building markets around the world, and it's not hard to imagine the likes of Home Depot and other large vendors getting involved--not just for the good karma that would result but also for a front-row position as builders make their supply decisions. Who will be first to bring such an exchange—maybe with ad support?—to *your* neck of the woods...? (Related: Library of green building materials — Free plans for eco homes.)

Website: www.builderscrap.com
Contact: info@builderscrap.com

Spotted by: Ben Davis