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

Vacation rentals require a certain degree of trust, which is why it makes sense for house-swapping services like Creative Caravan to target their offerings at consumers who work in the same industry. Aiming to capitalize instead on the trust shared among Facebook friends, Second Porch is a Facebook app that lets users list and rent vacation homes through the popular social network.

Using Second Porch, Facebook members can list vacation properties for rent or trade and control whether their ad is visible to everyone on the network, or just their friends. Listing a home is free, and those looking for a place can search by map, location, amenities, price or relationship. Not only are they able to see the "face behind the place," as Second Porch puts it, but they can also view detailed descriptions and photos along with comments from past guests. In addition, they can "follow" properties they like and see the recommendations of friends anywhere in the world. Currently there are some 600 listings on the site.

Though using Second Porch is currently free, the company plans to introduce a paid service for USD 99 per year that gives owners additional ways to promote their listings, according to a report in TechCrunch. What other kinds of transactions could be improved through a little directed "friendsourcing"...?

Website: apps.facebook.com/secondporch — www.secondporch.com
Contact: admin@secondporch.com

Spotted by: Ruben Feith

We wrote about Omlet's do-it-yourself chicken-farming kits back in 2005, and since then interest in urban farming has only gotten stronger. A number of updates on the topic have graced our virtual pages since then, and now Omlet has added do-it-yourself beekeeping to its line of offerings.

We've covered urban beekeeping atop a hotel and a department store, but Omlet's Beehaus kit brings the practice back down to earth for individual consumers. The Beehaus comes as a complete hive ready for colonization, with all the parts necessary including honey jars and a comprehensive beekeeping guide. Priced at GBP 465, the Beehaus is available in a choice of colours, and it comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee. An optional starter kit, meanwhile, includes the accessories a first-time beekeeper will need, such as a bee suit, veil, smoker and hive tools. An average, colonized Beehaus will produce 50 jars of honey per year, UK-based Omlet says, with the potential for up to 100kg if things go well.

Will consumers tire of producing their own, hand-cultivated food? Survey says no, particularly during these rough economic times. One to bring to sweet-toothed consumers in your part of the global hive...?

Website: www.omlet.co.uk
Contact: info@omlet.co.uk

Spotted by: Raymond Kollau

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