Green Ump

SOLAR SHINES IN NEW WAYS AS INDUSTRY FALTERS

The U.S. Department of Energy has set a goal of reaching less than $1 a watt—not just for the solar panels, but for complete, installed systems—by 2020 (see “Why Solar Installations Cost More in the U.S. than in Germany”). And it is possible the solar industry will hit that target even sooner than that. If so, that would bring the direct cost of solar power to six cents per kilowatt-hour, which is cheaper than the average cost expected for power from new natural gas power plants. (The total cost of solar power, which includes the cost to utilities to compensate for its intermittency, would be higher, though precisely how much higher will depend on how much solar power is on the grid, and other factors.)

Also, researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory have made flexible solar cells on a new type of glass from Corning called Willow Glass, which is thin and can be rolled up. The type of solar cell they made is the only current challenger to silicon in terms of large-scale production—thin-film cadmium telluride. Right now such solar cells are made in batches (as are silicon solar cells), but the ability to make them on a flexible sheet of glass raises the possibility of continuous roll-to-roll manufacturing (like printing newspapers), which can reduce the cost per watt by increasing production.

Print me up a batch!

FAST OR FREE - YOU CAN NOW HAVE BOTH!

Speaking about no compromise design and innovation that will change an industry, Elon Musk has done it again!  TESLA launched its replaceable (in 90 sec.) car battery along with plans to create service corridors for its electric car owners.

TESLA electric car maker’s CEO Elon Musk said the system offers an alternative to charging EVs and should help convince consumers that EVs are “more convenient than a gasoline car.” Musk demonstrated the new technology on stage, swapping out two Model S battery packs in less time than it took for a car on a video screen to fill up with gas, which took about four minutes.

A battery pack swap will cost between $60 and $80--about the same as filling up a 15-gallon gas tank. Reuters says the stations will each cost about a half a million dollars to build.

The battery swap stations will be located alongside Tesla’s fast-charging stations, Musk said on Thursday. The free fast-charge stations take about 30 minutes to charge a battery. “The only decision you need to make when you come to one of our Tesla stations is do you prefer faster or free,” Musk said.

Tesla will roll out the battery swap technology this year, first between Los Angeles and San Francisco and then in the Washington-to-Boston corridor, Reuters reports.

CHECK OUT THE VIDEO OF THE DEBUT OF THE TESLA BATTERY SWAP

A CATALYST FOR GREENER CLEAN

METHOD, a small and rapidly growing company has led the field in producing environmentally friendly cleaning and personal care products since 2012, initiating innovative approaches that the larger corporations have followed.  One of these innovations was reducing the use of plastic and transportation by creating concentrated detergents. 

Adam Lowry, the co-founder of METHOD, began by noticing that consumers were typically asked to sacrifice something by choosing a green product--either added cost, less effective, less aesthetic, and mostly products that were truly just uninspired.  Lowry and his partner, Eric Ryan, had a different approach combining high design and sustainability thus reinventing the product experience.

Why didn't one of the big hitters think of concentrating their detergents first?  Lowry believes that the larger companies who often have the market lead, are focused only on maintaining it and that is often a disincentive to what Lowry calls disruptive innovation, or one that thinks outside the box and involves more risk that leading companies are geared to take.

Just by developing the technology to create detergents that are 8X more concentrated METHOD saves 90% of the plastic packaging, 90% of the carbon footprint in the packaging, you also save more than 40% of total carbon footprint of the liquid, 90% of the water associated with laundry detergent, and considerably less transportation costs and associated carbon footprint.  Using recycled plastic for his containers, trash from the Pacific Ocean, is another METHOD innovation.  But that isn't the whole story.  The most compelling aspect about this innovation is that the bottles are beautiful, inviting reuse, and much more functional -you can hold it in one hand!

The next step for METHOD is to switch from a consumer based product to a service based product.  What might that look like?  Perhaps it would be a system in a washing machine that separates out soap and water from dirt after a wash.  The soap and water go back into the machine for the next load, and the dirt comes out as compost.  Now that is thinking outside the box - and it only takes one small company to create positive change in an entire industry!

Yale Environment 360 Interview