Some Information on Steel Fabrications

There are several reasons why you should be using the stainless steel for any construction. Well, they are tough, light and they don't. Another very important advantage of the stainless steel is that it can be fabricated easily with the help of standard techniques for fabrication. In fact, in some of the cases, the fabrication can be even greater than the typical carbon steels. This is even more true with the general austenitic grades that can be roll formed, bent, folded, and hot and cold forged. However, the only drawback with all these operations with the stainless steel sheet is that they are stronger than the carbon steel. Therefore, to modify their shapes, one must use heavier machines. Also, you must give it some allowance to spring back to some extent. However, if you have understood the drawbacks, you must also understand the advantages of using stainless steel for this purpose. Basically, the stainless steel does have high ductilities. Therefore, they are better equipped to be heavily cold formed into items like deep drawn laundry troughs. So, in spite of having high strengths and high work hardening rate, stainless steel can indeed be a good choice for fabrication. In fact, there are not many other materials that are capable of achieving this amount of deformation without splitting out. Work hardening is a process that is followed by every metal after the cold worked. However, the extent of the hardening varies according to the selected grade. Now, the austenitic stainless steel work harden very quickly. This property of austenitic steel has made them very useful in situations where the perfect combination of corrosion resistance and high strength is needed. Therefore, this alloy is widely used to manufacture springs for corrosive environment. However, one must realize here that work harden is the only process through which the austenitic stainless steel can be actually toughened. This is where the martensitic stainless steel will offer some more options. For, they can be hardened like the low alloy and carbon steels with the simple use of quench and temper thermal treatments.

How to Design a Solar Lighting System

Designing and installing a solar lighting system in your home can be a challenging, yet rewarding endeavor. Solar lighting not only cuts down on electricity costs, but also reduces the amount spent on costly high-tech light bulbs and other lighting costs such as lamps, fixtures and switches. Solar lighting can also enable you to better use natural lighting for your home, which can also give you positive benefits mentally and emotionally.Select locations for skylights. Skylights represent one of the cheapest ways to use solar lighting for your home by allowing natural sunlight to penetrate inside the house. Moving skylights have the added benefits of venting hot air out and allowing cooler air from outside to move into the house. Placing skylights throughout the house can help you to drastically cut down on all of your needs for any additional light during the day. Skylights can also help to illuminate the house during full moons.
Lay out a blueprint for installing solar panels. Solar panels should be facing a southerly direction and angled between 20 degrees and 45 degrees based on your latitude. The degree at which the panels are angled should match the same number as your latitude at your location so that you can collect as much sunlight as possible for your solar system. Panels should be connected to deep-cycle batteries, which will direct current through an AC inverter to convert the DC current into usable electricity for household appliances. You may want to consider hiring an electrician to hook up the solar electricity to your circuit breaker box or connect the deep-cycle battery to a small number of wall outlets directly that will feed off the solar power. Place the outlets where you will most need lighting during the evening hours.Select outdoor lighting options. Depending on how much money you want to spend on your solar lighting designs, you can opt for more expensive and nicer looking solar lamps or simply purchase the traditional walkway solar lamps at your local hardware store for $10 to $20, as of March 2010. Consider whether you want to illuminate certain parts of your property or just a walkway leading to your front door.Turn the plastic tray upside down and cut two small holes near the center of the bottom side. Set the panel on the bottom side of the tray and thread the wires through.

Another lawsuit shines light on solar panel issue in West County

Last June, when a Cole County Circuit Judge ruled in a favor of a couple that had sued the city of Clarkson Valley for refusing to allow them to install solar panels on their home, it seemed as if a new precedent had been set: State standards regulating residential solar systems had trumped a city's right to restrict their installation.As it turns out, that lawsuit settled nothing.In January, a Wildwood couple, Brian Hauge and Susan Hanley, filed suit against the trustees of the homeowners association of their subdivision, the Highlands of Chesterfield, for denying their request to install solar panels on their home.Steve Jeffery, the couple's attorney, acknowledged that neighborhood associations have the right to include in their indentures provisions that impose specific design and construction standards on exterior improvements to a home. At issue, Jeffery said, is that the couple's subdivision indentures did not address solar panels at all.
"In this particular subdivision, there was no specific provision, or even a general provision, dealing with solar panels," said Jeffery.Instead, Jeffery said the trustees rejected the couple's application based on a "very loose, vague standard" of aesthetic considerations. Conversely, state laws that regulate the installation of solar panels do not impose any aesthetic requirements on residential solar panels. According to Jeffery, this puts the trustees' actions in direct conflict with public policy and makes that provision in the indentures unenforceable.State regulations do establish design, safety and operating standards for residential solar systems that have a solar rebate contract with an electric utility."We have a solar rebate contract with Ameren," Hauge said in a press release. "Our system is designed to totally comply with all applicable design, safety and operating requirements."
Jeffery said when you pit those very specific state regulations against the trustees' power to deny or approve a solar installation based on a "vague, arbitrary" provision in the subdivision indentures, the question becomes, "Which one takes precedent?"Notably, this suit was filed against the couple's homeowners association, not the city of Wildwood. Asked whether he thought future issues with residential solar panels would wind up on the desks of city attorneys or neighborhood trustees, Jeffery said, "Probably both. This is a very new and evolving area of the law."

Announces Successful LED Lighting Upgrade for the City

One of L.A.'s chic ocean front cities, Manhattan Beach draws tensof thousands of visitors annually to its waterfront attractions.Accommodating the masses of people requires a substantial parking garage, which had been poorly lit for years with fluorescent tubes.Noribachi replaced the fluorescents with the popular LOWBAY vapor proof fixture. The new lights use about half of the energy while emitting a much brighter, cleaner light. Inside the parking structure this translates into an increased feeling of security and heightened color perception, making it easier for drivers to locate their vehicles.
"These lights are really bright! I definitely think it looks a lot better than it did before. I've never been in a parking garage this well lit,"says Ed Guernsey, a resident of Manhattan Beach.
Lining Manhattan Beach Boulevard,the City's main thoroughfare, are historic lantern fixtures that also required an LED upgrade. This application demanded a retrofit of the lantern fixture to maintain the original aesthetics. In order to achieve this Noribachi created a custom LED solution designed to easily sit in the existing housing. Noribachi's experience in diffusion allowed engineers to direct the light straight down inside of the existing lens, creating a glowing effect and shielding the individual diodes from view. Noribachi also used LEDs with a warm white color temperature to match the historic ambiance.
"One of Noribachi's earliest strengths has been our non-intrusiveLED retrofits for historic gas lantern lamps.Washing Machines : A special bath for your clothes.Our technology speaks for itself – less than half of the energy consumption with zero aesthetic change in the light itself. It was a great opportunity for us to help Manhattan Beach save money and really bring its lighting on par with its upscale image," says Esther Santos, VP of Sales at Noribachi."The City was able to complete this LED installation through the use of grant funding from the Department of Energy, and this project fits in nicely with the City's goals to be more energy efficient and reduce its carbon footprint 15% below 2005 levels by 2020," notes Sona Kalapura, Environmental Programs Manager for the City of Manhattan Beach.The new LED lights, which the company said is the first of their kind within fleet-based operations, are available in single (1156) and double (1157) contact bulbs, in addition to 194 clearance light bulbs."The overwhelming success of our serviceable UltraLED School Bus Stop Arm Replacement Bulb encouraged us to further develop our LED lighting line to help fleet owners/operators upgrade outdated incandescent lighting to LED technology at both a reasonable price point and greater efficiency," said Brandon Billingsley, CEO of Heavy Duty Bus Parts.

Why Switching to Online Fax can Reduce your Carbon Footprint

Pressures from environmental groups and the media have highlighted the need for businesses to be more environmentally friendly and some companies have taken profound steps to implement this. For instance some companies have employed 'environmental teams' to improve their business processes and some have set emissions targets as one of their important annual goals.However not all businesses have to go to such lengths, especially smaller businesses, as there are smaller and easier steps that can be made to help reduce a business's carbon footprint. For example turning electrical equipment off that isn't being used and recycling where possible are a couple of smaller things. But something that is more monumental is switching from using a traditional fax service to an internet fax service.There are estimated to be over 23,000,000 business fax machines in the U.S. alone, some of these sit idle in an office. Fax machines require to be left on standby to receive incoming faxes, however when left on standby they continue to clock up huge energy costs for a business.
Unlike traditional fax machines which require an isolated phone line, internet faxes are sent and received online and can be read from computer monitors and other mobile devices. So when moving to Internet fax, businesses can unify their communications into a single point of access, as fax and email can both be sent and received from a single computer. This eliminates the need to have both a fax machine and computer powered up in one instance, which is not only more efficient, but is more cost effective and less damaging for the environment. Internet fax is almost paperless as users only have to print the faxes that they need a hard copy of, whilst the average U.S business fax machine can consume up to 5,000 sheets of paper per year, which equates to 13.8 million trees being cut down each year to print faxes.
With such staggering figures environmental organizations are placing more pressure on businesses to reduce their carbon footprint and updating outdated communication processes such as manual fax machines is a great place to start.A single business fax machine is routinely left on standby for a period of 24 hours, which means it omits an average of 200 kg of CO2 every day, which equates to 73 tonnes of CO2 emitted by each fax machine annually.Through the process of carbon sequestration a healthy tree absorbs around 13.5 kg of CO2 a year, but 13.8 million are being cut down each year to source the paper for fax machines. This shows that fax machines are part of a vicious cycle that is hurting the environment.

Alta Develops Solar Charger for Soldiers, Cuts About 25 lb From Pack Weight

"We have come to rely on mobile machines and devices that always need a source of power whether it be the grid, batteries, or fuel," said Chris Norris, president and CEO of Alta Devices. "But in the next decade, we will come to expect mobile power that is transparently available at all times."The enterprising solar startup Alta, with some help from the Army Research Laboratory (ARL), just launched a reference design that allows soldiers to drastically slash their pack weight.  Whether it's night vision goggles or a laptop computer, soldiers on average carry around 35-lb of batteries, or roughly a third of their 100-lb pack weight.
The new charger design cuts the battery load by 70 percent, slashing around 25-lb from the pack.Alta is also working the ARL and other U.S. Military partners to add the company's proprietary flexible, thin-film solar panels to unmanned aerial vehicles, allowing them to stay aloft for months, or even years.Comments Mr. Norris, "There are nearly limitless opportunities for always-available mobile power.  We are initially targeting applications where the need is well understood and the opportunity is substantial. Over time, we see huge markets being enabled by this kind of mobile power."Alta's homepage states that the company is aggressively targeting the consumer and automotive markets with civilian devices.  The company's claims its panels carry "world-record cell (28.8%) and module (24.1%) efficiencies".  Founded by two top California-area professors in 2008, the company is already turning heads in the defense sphere, but hopes to translate that into commercial success in the civilian market in years to come.
Pain medication This is not a gadget, but it's a must-have for traveling. Headaches tend to strike at the least convenient time possible, and purchasing a Tylenol or Advil from the store in a hotel lobby is often quite expensive. You should have a travel container or your pain medication of choice available.Coffee This is also not technical, but vitally important for coffee drinkers. In case there isn't a Starbucks available, and the mediocre coffee from the miniature pot on the bathroom counter in the hotel isn't cutting it, you should carry around a stash of Starbucks Via packets. I have an assortment in my laptop bag, including coffee, iced coffee, and the Very Berry Hibiscus Refresher drink.Business cards The concept is a little "yesterday", but people do still exchange business cards. Sure, it seems simpler and more efficient to just add contact info to your smartphone or tablet since you're going to have to do that anyway with the information from the business card, but you've got the cards so you may as well use them.

The Best Way To Select The Right Lamp Shades

The lamp shade is the fixture that covers the bulb in the table lamp. The purpose of the lamp shade is to diffuse the light which is emitted from the light bulb. Apart from this, the lamp shade also serves as a room dcor. The lamp shade is available in a wide variety of styles and patterns.When shopping around, make sure the size of the lamp shade fits with the lamp. Most people assume that the lamp shade is measured by the vertical distance. Despite that, the proper way to find out the size of the lamp shade is by measuring the slanted distance. In addition, the lamp shade fit properly on the lamp.The lamp shade should be neither too large nor too small. If the lamp shade is too large, it will obscure the light that is emitted from the lamp. Small lamp shade gives the impression that it is not fitted for the lamp. The height of the lamp shade should be at least 1/3 of the base. It should also have the same height as the socket base.
There are a wide range of styles which you can choose from. The style of the lamp shade should match with the lamp. You can easily find a matching design by taking into account the pattern, and color of the lamp.Forget Fracking: 2012 Was A Powerful Year For Renewables.There are about twenty five types of lamp shades including candelabra, shantung and drum. Each type of lamp shade will produce a different light diffusion effect. Despite that, all the lamp shade can be used as long as it match with the lamp.The lamp shade can be made from made from different materials such as silk, genuine leather and linen. The material will have influence on the price and durability of the lamp shade.
You will pay for the value of the lamp shade material. Lamp shades with cheaper material tend to be less durable and easier to be damaged. Many owners regret purchasing cheap lamp shade when they find out that it is damaged within a short time. Therefore, price should not be the primary factor which you take into account when shopping for lamp shade.Finding the right lamp shade is an easy task. The most important thing is that it fits with the lamp. In order for the lamp shade to fit the lamp, it must have the right size. By measuring the size of the lamp and taking note of the lamp's design, you will be able to buy a lamp shade that fits your need. Lamp shades are available for sale at the local brick and mortar home decor store. If you cannot find what you are searching for, you can visit the online store since they offer a larger selection.

Rooftop solar systems get even more enticing

The Desert Sun salutes Palm Springs Motors.Not that enormous flag it flies, although we're proud to see any business celebrate this great nation. We're impressed with its new 650-kilowatt solar system it has installed. With 2,743 panels atop carports at the Ford dealership in Cathedral City, it is one of the largest solar installations in Riverside County, not counting the utility-size solar farms in the eastern desert.The system is expected to generate 1.1 megawatt-hours of power, enough to power 750 to 1,000 homes. It will provide 80 percent of the power needed to run the dealership's equipment and light its 100 service bays.While we applaud this big step toward reducing our reliance on fossil fuels and helping California move toward its goal of generating a third of its electricity from renewable resources by 2020, it's not really an altruistic decision. It's a smart business move.The cost of solar panels has dropped 30 percent since 1998. The Palm Springs Motors solar system will pay for itself in six years. Solar systems are expected to last at least 20 years.
In the past, some homeowners have balked at making the investment in solar systems because of concerns that the payments might last longer than the effective life of the panels. That's no longer the case. And no-money-down leases are now available.The more solar power generated in the Coachella Valley, the less we'll need the new Sentinel peaker plant being constructed north of Palm Springs.There's also some urgency in investing in solar power because the 30 percent federal tax credit is scheduled to expire in 2016.Southern California Edison provides another incentive: In November, the California Public Utilities Commission approved rate increases for Edison of 5 percent this year, 6.3 percent next year and another 5.9 percent in 2014.Investing in solar power also is an important way to help our valley meet the state's goal of reducing carbon emissions to 1990 levels by 2020. The Coachella Valley has some of the dirtiest air in the country because smog blows in from the Los Angeles basin.The Desert Sun encourages homeowners, business, cities and other public agencies to follow the example of Palm Springs Motors. It makes economic sense and can help us all breathe easier.This is another serious policy, and politically vexed, issue. On one hand is the possibility of low-cost solar power (on the basis of cheaper imported modules with access to low cost debt) leading to higher deployment and thereby increased jobs in project construction and long-term operation and maintenance cost.

Forget Fracking: 2012 Was A Powerful Year For Renewables

Natural gas may have reshaped the domestic energy market in 2012, lowering energy prices and marginalizing the coal industry, but America's shale boom hasn't undermined renewables.In fact, while analysts were paying attention to fracking this year, a record number of solar panels were being slapped on roofs — enough to produce 3.2 gigawatts of electricity.That sounds like a lot, but solar is still providing just .05 percent of the country's total energy. Still, the solar industry keeps expanding. Roan Resh, who heads the Solar Energy Industries Association, said that's because solar panels are becoming cheaper to make and to install."Just to give you perspective," Resh said, "in Washington, D.C., where I live, when I installed solar on my house six years ago, the average install cost was about $14 a watt. Today it's about $4 a watt."
So if you're installing solar panels, business is good. But there's a flip side to that equation. Prices are low because of a global manufacturing glut. Solar manufacturers have the capacity to produce way more panels than consumers are asking for right now, and many panel producers are struggling.The bulk of solar growth is happening at businesses; companies are installing panels on roofs so that they don't have to buy as much energy from the grid. State and federal policies are making that an easy decision for companies. Businesses who install panels can qualify for grants and tax breaks, and laws in 38 states require a certain amount of electricity to be generated by solar, wind and other renewable sources.Wind was up this year, too.Solar Light Post Caps Make a Big Difference.The federal Energy Information Administration says the industry could add 1.2 gigawatts of capacity this year. Wind only provides a small portion of domestic power, about 3 percent.
Wind is on a strong streak with consumers as well, says Rob Gramlich, a vice president at the American Wind Energy Association. "Where we were serving the equivalent of 6 million homes at the end of 2008, we're serving 13 million today," he says.In three of the last five years, wind has been the fastest-growing energy sector. That was the case in 2012, but this year's totals leave a bit of a false impression. There's been a flurry of activity in December, and in fact more than half of new wind farms will likely come online this month."The single-most reason for that is the tax support system which we all rely upon is expiring at year-end," explains Jim Spencer, the president and CEO of New York-based EverPower, which runs wind farms in Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio and California. "We really accelerated projects that might otherwise have been built next year."

Mehlville schools powering up with solar panels

Students looking for news or cartoons on the new flat-screen television at Beasley Elementary School will be disappointed.Instead, the screen shows a variety of bar and line graphs, numbers and illustrations demonstrating the number of kilowatt hours being produced by 104 solar panels on the roof.The information brings a new meaning of the words "sunny day" to students in five schools in the Mehlville School District.Besides Beasley, the other schools include Oakville High School, the Witzel Alternative Academy, Bernard Middle School and Hagemann Elementary School.Each facility has 104 solar panels that each day can provide 25 kilowatts, depending on the weather. That's about 2 to 5 percent of each building's needs. A kilowatt-hour of convention energy costs 7.8 cents, compared to 5.2 cents for solar power.St. Louis company StraightUp Solar installed the panels during the past six weeks. The company has a 20-year lease with the district to provide and maintain the equipment. The terms call for a $186 monthly payment  for each building, eventually rising to $333 monthly near the end of the lease.
Both parties estimate the district will save about $130,000 during 20 years at the five schools combined.Companies Extend European Collaboration to U.S. Solar Market.That's a small amount, compared to the district's estimate that each building's annual energy costs average about $100,000.It still presents some savings, Superintendent Eric Knost said. The lease is set for 20 years, no matter how much conventional energy costs might rise."This is not just a science experiment," Knost said. "Years ago, we started to talk about solar power as a way to save some of the taxpayers' money. That came first. Then, we saw a chance to use it as a curricular opportunity. The students can look at the monitor, see how much energy is produced and learn about it in science classes."Any amount of solar power also helps the environment, said Eric Swillinger, vice president with StraightUp Solar.
"One kilowatt-hour of sunlight is the equivalent of burning one pound of coal," Swllinger said. "Two homes can be powered by 112 kilowatt-hours. Any amount of reducing fossil fuels is worth it."Solar power already is a subject for science classes. At Oakville High, students are using solar panels to power model cars, Knost said.Just looking at the monitor and its information is a learning experience for the students, Beasley Principal Andrea Deane said."It will say that this amount of energy can power four cars or is like planting 17 trees to help the environment," Deane said. "We want to use it for our science classes. Right now, we’re still figuring out the lesson plans."The five schools were chosen because their roofs are flat and are in good condition. No repairs are planned. If work needs to be done, StraightUp Solar will remove the panels, then reinstall them when the work is finished.

Companies Extend European Collaboration to U.S. Solar Market

Krannich Solar and Renusol America have extended their relationship in the U.S. solar market with the introduction of the Renusol VS Line and the Renusol CS60 mounting solutions into the Krannich Solar line of solar products and components carried in the United States. The companies share a heritage of excellence in German engineering and a history of collaboration on solar projects across Europe through their German-based parent companies.The Renusol VS is a flexible and light on-roof system for easy installation of photovoltaic systems for pitched roofs. Pre-assembled clamps, fastener-free splice connectors, and slide-free L-feet minimize installation time.  Stainless steel hardware and aluminum rails provide strength and long life along with high strength-to-weight ratio rail design that keeps cost low, while allowing longer spans. This system offers a "one-size-fits-all" mounting solution, easy inventory maintenance and simple installation.
The popular, American-made Renusol CS60 is a ballasted mounting system for flat roof applications available in 10° and 15° tilts. Made of durable high molecular weight polyethylene (HMWPE), this compact system transports easily, sets up quickly, and requires no roof penetration with the addition of ballast. Specifically enhanced and wind tunnel tested for the U.S. market, the Renusol CS60 more evenly spreads point load weight across the roof surface. With only one Renusol CS60 needed for every PV module, roof design layouts and job inventory can now be 'sized per panel', simplifying the project engineering and reducing installation costs. The system design is based on Renusol's highly successful European console design that has several hundred MW installed.
"Everything about the Renusol mounting system solutions—from design to installation—was developed with the installer in mind," says Juan Romera-Wade, CEO of the United States branch of Krannich Solar's. "They are easy to put together, saving the installer time, and Renusol is well-known in the industry for the full package of expertise in system planning and for the support service they provide.""Renusol mounting solutions are now in place in solar projects in 28 states across the U.S.," states Renusol CEO and President, Bart Leusink. "Becoming a Krannich Solar manufacturer partner means that even more installers can take advantage of simpler, more cost-effective mounting solutions for their solar projects."The company's new photovoltaic test services feature a calibration certificate that indicates the measured total area of your device, its spectral response and I-V curve, and the electrical performance parameters with stated uncertainties.  Measurements are made according to the American Society for Testing Materials or ASTM standard E948-09.

Solar Panels Now Cheaper Than Ever

For homeowners and businesses who want to achieve all of the benefits of solar energy but are worried about the costs related to purchasing and installing photovoltaic equipment, good news has arrived: solar panels are more cost effective now than ever.According to statistics compiled by the IHS Solar Polysilicon Price Index, the global price of silicon - a key component in PV panels that converts sunlight into a direct electrical current - in October fell to one of the lowest rates so far this year. In addition, Businessweek reported the average price of solar panels has decreased 75 percent since 2007.During October, the price for 9N silicon, one of the most pure silicon used in PV materials, decreased 9 percent. The price of 6N to 8N silicon, the lowest grade product that can actually be used in a PV power system, dropped 7 percent, Solar Novus Today reported.
According to IHS, silicon prices should stabilize or go up slightly during December this year and through January 2013. However, an oversupply of PV materials in a global marketplace means that the cost of obtaining solar-grade silicon is still likely to remain relatively low for the foreseeable future."Suppliers are trimming production, inventories in the channel are continuing to be depleted and most industry players are expecting a rebound in demand in 2013," said Glenn Gu of IHS, according to Solar Novus Today. "Because of this, spot market pricing for solar polysilicon will uptick slightly at the start of next year. Even so, spot prices will remain significantly lower than those on the contract market, causing solar polysilicon suppliers to continue to cut contract prices as they strive to catch up with the spot market."A decline in silicon prices means that it is more cost effective than ever to make solar panels, and those cost savings are passed on to the consumer: homeowners and businesses who elect to buy a solar electricity system.
Have Natural Daylight and Save Energy: Miralite has been designed, manufactured and patented in the United Kingdom to afford active natural daylight into buildings to allow artificial lighting to be turned off for up to 10.5 hours a day!Unlike passive skylights Miralite uses solar-tracking technology to follow the sun and with the clever use of pre-determined angled mirrors drive natural light into a building. The result is a bright, healthy, glare free light, just as nature intended.Miralite energy saving skylights are a solar powered green lighting solution for commercial buildings, schools, factories, public facilities, retail stores, etc; etc. In addition to significant energy and cost savings there are many more benefits from the installation of Miralite Solar tracking sky lighting.

Analysis: Georgia quietly approves solar power shift

Something remarkable happened last week during a brief meeting of a little-known state agency while most Georgians were focused on upcoming holiday shopping, turkey and college-football rivalries later in the week.Passage of a one-sentence resolution may have started in motion a series of events that could dramatically reshape the state's electricity-generation as well as much of its political landscape. And it was initiated by two of the least-likely politicians.What happened is the Georgia Public Service Commission voted 3-2 to endorse efforts by a start-up company to overturn a law, the Territorial Act, that has divided the state for four decades into geographic monopolies for 94 utilities run by cities, rural cooperatives and the giant Georgia Power Co.The upstart, Georgia Solar Utilities Inc., seeks its own monopoly as a generator of solar power with permission to sell to retail customers. Since it can't produce electricity when the sun isn't shining, it would always be dependent on other utilities for supplemental power as well as for transmission, billing and customer support.
The commission vote doesn't guarantee General Assembly agreement, but it does provide a push.Seasoned observers might bet against the legislature breaking up the monopolies. After all, they were granted for practical reasons that still have some basis.White light for laptop computers or interior lighting in cars.When companies began damning up rivers to harness hydroelectric energy early in the last century, governments stepped in to regulate. When competitors strung power lines down opposite sides of city streets and chopping down rivals' poles in the dead of night, governments became the referees.As the politicians began to sort out the winners and losers, they were persuaded by arguments that economies of scale dictated that larger companies would be more efficient than smaller ones when it came to damning rivers and building power plants, hence monopolies.
The commissioner who sponsored the resolution, Lauren "Bubba" McDonald, had been in the legislature in 1973 and voted in favor of the Territorial Act."I was there in 1973 when the act -- legislation was passed," he said. "Solar wasn't even in the dictionary, I don't think, at that time, much less photovoltaic.... It was something that wasn't anticipated at that time."He argued for removing obstacles to consumers who want access to more power generated from renewable sources.McDonald wasn't the only veteran policymaker whose vote demonstrated a change of position. Commissioner Doug Everett, a great-grandfather and conservative legislator in the 1990s, also supported McDonald's resolution."You know, everybody in here realizes I've always fought solar because I did not think the technology was there for cost effectiveness. But it's changed, technology has changed," he said.

Create your holiday home with lights

When it comes to decorating with lights for the holidays, there are unlimited ways to add twinkle to the inside as well as the outside of your home. Some people favor an elegant, restrained sprinkling of lights around a door, while others go for a more exuberant display of illumination on virtually every surface.The American Lighting Association (ALA) offers some holiday lighting tips and ideas:Make your home's entrance a priority. The front door is more than just the entryway into your home; it's also a welcoming first impression for family and friends. Start by adding a few, easy-to-install landscape uplights to highlight trees and shrubs, or path lighting to illuminate a sidewalk or driveway."Tree lighting uses the heights of trees to spread the light out in a soft and subtle way to bathe the area in light," says Richard Lentz, owner of Dallas-based Lentz Landscape Lighting and its interiors division Lentz Services. Do-it-yourself tip: Go for low-voltage landscape lights, which are easy to install and consume less energy.
Add drama with color-changing lights. Newer LED lights can add custom color scenes that complement a specific holiday decorating mood. You can produce the exact ambiance you like at any moment during your party or gathering this season. Colors can be changed at the push of a button without changing the fixture, making these products useful year round.Use lighting to create a focal point. Lights can draw attention to virtually anything – a centerpiece, buffet, unusual decoration – which helps guests know where to focus their eyes.Add portable spotlights as highlights. These small, inexpensive fixtures typically work with a tabletop dimmer and can create pretty silhouettes, particularly under a Christmas tree, shining up through the branches.
Illuminate corners. When decorating with lights for the holidays, make your space feel larger by placing spotlights in room corners to illuminate dark spaces.Swap out lighting accents. Replacing a neutral lampshade with one that is red or gold will soften the light and create a pretty atmosphere when decorating with lights for the holidays. Replace a chandelier's crystal teardrops with gold, silver or red glass balls, or add a few shade charms, available at many craft stores, to add some sparkle and fun."One of the great things about this time of year, when there are a lot of festive gatherings, is that it's all right to break away from a few traditions and try some new things with lighting and decorating," says Bruce Hathaway, national sales manager for the Vermont-based lighting manufacturer Hubbardton Forge.

The Solar Pocket Factory: An Invention Adventure

Their project, "The Solar Pocket Factory: An Invention Adventure", is the first crowd-funded technological advance on Kickstarter. While other Kickstarter projects typically produce works such as books or programs, theirs promises to give backers the opportunity to be part of the solar power democratic revolution. Anyone with at least dollar to contribute can be a backer of their mission to produce high-quality microsolar panels that last much longer and cost much less than the microsolar panels available today.
Shawn's lab is in Hong Kong, while Alex's lab is here in Metro Manila. They want their microsolar technology to work here because if they can make it robust and affordable enough to be feasible in the Philippines, then it can work anywhere. He explained that the local environment is not only physically tough, but also resource-constrained, as well as "cynical towards solar panels after a string of bad experiences with cheap, low-quality panels." These conditions encourage him to work with greater discipline, focus, and resourcefulness. "No one wants us here," he said. "We don't get to think, 'Oh we're doing to save the world.' It's not just that it allows us to focus on lab work– there's nothing else to focus on. Nobody's lining up to give us money, nobody knows or cares what we're up to. Might as well go to the lab and build a factory." Free from these distractions, he is left to do what he loves best: tinkering and innovating.
Alex considers our country to be conducive not just for innovation, but also for the adoption of this type of innovation. The Philippines has demonstrated previous success in being a trendsetting epicenter for new, low-cost, micro technologies and business concepts such as SMS and sachet products. Microsolar, like the sachet concept, is about taking a product– solar technology– and distributing it in the form of its smallest useable unit– a microsolar panel. The sachet concept, however, increases both waste and long-term cost. Microsolar, while operating on a similar idea, works to reduce waste and long-term cost through the use of clean renewable energy, and high-quality, non-toxic, durable materials. He also mentioned mobile banking, pioneered in Kenya, as another example of a technology that "emerged from a heavily constrained, developing country and made the jump to the rest of the world". Microsolar, he hopes, will be just as widespread.While microsolar presents a powerful way to reduce waste, Alex admitted that recycling would be difficult due to the durability of the panels– they have to be encased in sturdy glass to make them last a decade or longer. The materials, however, are non-toxic– no heavy metals– and the product's long-term durability adds to its sustainability.

New Rechargeable LED Light Tower from Larson Electronics Provides High Power

The WAL-18LED-BP portable and rechargeable LED light tower from our website provides the high output of LEDs and the portability of rechargeable battery powered operation in a compact and easily deployed system. Designed for reliability and portability, this LED tower light can provide 14 hours of illumination in any location on a single charge and is ideal for construction, emergency services, utilities workers and any where powerful and easily set up lighting is needed in a hurry.
The LED light tower is a powerful yet fully portable lighting system that allows operators to quickly and easily provide effective illumination wherever it is needed regardless of conditions or the availability of local power sources. Fully collapsible, the entire light, battery and tower assembly can be retracted and closed into a Pelican style carry case that weighs only 48 pounds, making it an ideal lighting solution for flaggers on construction projects or emergency scene responders who need a light that can be easily stowed behind seats in pickup trucks or vehicles, yet easily setup wherever needed.Led Light Bulbs The Future Of Lighting.This portable and rechargeable light tower  is fitted with a telescoping mast that can be extended to 8 feet in height for excellent coverage of larger areas. Two 9 watt LED light heads provide over 1300 lumens of bright white light, and with their efficient operation can run for 14 hours at full power on a single charge of the onboard sealed AGM lead acid battery.
Operators can also choose to run a single LED light head to conserve power and run the unit for up to 29 hours instead. This unit is weatherproof and able to withstand 60 mph winds once fully deployed and includes foldable outriggers for excellent stability. Recharging options include charging from vehicles or wall outlets, and operators can also use an included DC plug to operate this tower as a portable power supply and power other devices from the integral 12 VDC battery. This system can operate in temperatures of -40 F/C to + 185F / 85C, and is FAA, DOT, CAB, IA, and TA approved for air transport. Users can also choose from optional lamp assemblies including more powerful LED light bars, colored LED light bars, and infrared output LEDs for applications where night vision devices and equipment is used. These portable towers are ideal for use in road construction applications, utilities services, military and law enforcement operations, and emergency services.

Seesmart LED lighting strives to increase US manufacturing

Seesmart Technologies (SEST), a leading manufacturer of innovative high quality, energy efficient LED lighting solutions discussed yesterday that they plan to increase their production of LED lighting products in the United States.Frustrated by the additional expense and difficulties with slower shipping, Seesmart feels it is very important to have more control over the manufacturing process. Combined with their desire to create jobs for US citizens, the 15 year old company started building factories in Simi Valley, California, and Crystal Lake, Illinois."When we do the numbers we're actually ahead manufacturing here instead of paying for air freight and dealing with the logistical issues that we're having in China," said Raymond Sjolseth, the company's president and co-founder.
According to an interview with CBS news, Seesmart has pursued grants and incentives from federal agencies that might assist companies like theirs, who manufacture energy-efficient technologies and believe that employing our own workers is a key component in improving our current economy. Even know they have not been able to cut through the red tape, they are still committed to bringing jobs home.The company today makes 20 percent of its products in the United States, a number it aims to push to 75 percent by the end of next year. Successful completion of this goal could result in hundreds of new jobs for US employees.
With the continued success of large orders in numerous sectors of commercial business such as Pasadena College, SL Green Realty Corp., Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Zyloware Eyewear and Cambridge Security Seals increasing production in the US would certainly provide an obvious advantage for local clients.Most manufacturers have learned to operate factories with fewer workers. Many of these jobs consist of keeping high-cost, high-speed machines running smoothly, rather than assembling goods by hand. Many have found that wages are a less critical issue in choosing a adequate factory site.At Seesmart, shifting production from China to the United States is cutting logistics costs by about 30 percent as it no longer needs to fly merchandise across the Pacific. Products can also be made and shipped to customers more quickly, Sjolseth said.With $11 million in revenue last year, Seesmart Technologies is a relatively small company, but it is one of many manufacturers of all sizes to increase production in the US.

LED Outdoor Signs Affordable Led Light Bulbs and LED Technology

Why to Choose LED Outdoor Signs as a Business signs?Is your business getting passed up and being unnoticed by hundreds, if not thousands, of potential customers because you have an old sign that is inadequate in attracting people's attentions? If you're missing out on possible customers, you should invest in an eye catching outdoor LED sign, like our tri color LED signs. An electronic message board is cost effective, averaging less a month than other major forms of advertising methods. Affordable and easy to customize solution for business owners, an effective outdoor LED sign can easily reach consumers that already pass by your establishment on a daily basis.
How do LED Outdoor Signs can Help business owners?For businesses looking to increase foot traffic to their stores, Mega LED Technology, Inc's outdoor LED signs are perfect for this purpose. Mega LED Technology, Inc's outdoor LED business signs are able to attract customers from far distances. LED light bulbs are extremely sturdy and built to withstand extreme cold, heat, and windy weather. Furthermore, the front or rear of our outdoor allow for easy serviceability, which makes it quick and easy for business owners to repair and maintain their investments.
Tricolor LED Outdoor Signs as a Business signs.Our tri color outdoor LED signs can be Remote type or PC type via wire (standard) or wireless, and are front serviceable for quick and easy maintenance for business owners. All of our LED signs are equipped with extremely high quality LED light bulbs, which can last up to 100,000 hours.Global Trial Shows LED Street Lighting Delivers Up To 85% Energy Savings.In addition, these outdoor signs also come with a sunshade grill which blocks direct sunlight for increased visibility. Mega LED Technology's tri color outdoor LED signs are available in 16mm, 20mm, 25mm, and 31.25mm pitches. Our high performance 16mm tri color outdoor LED signs can be viewed from up to 500 ft away, the 20mm from up to 1000 ft away, the 25mm from up to 1500 ft away, and the 31.25mm from up to 2000 ft away.
Our 3 color outdoor displays come in red, green, and yellow. PC type or remote accessible, all of our tri color outdoor signs are built with the highest quality extruded aluminum and backed by a full one-year warranty with an additional 2 year limited warranty. Mega LED Technology outdoor tri color LED signs for business signs are simple to install in just a few steps and built with the brightest LED light bulbs available in the market to enhance visibility throughout all day of your business signs, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Our high performing LED light bulbs deliver a greatly improved rate life span of 100,000 hours. That's the equivalent of delivering superior energy efficiency for 24 hours a day for about 12 years! Our outdoor LED displays with LED light bulbs can be programmed to display images, animations, and even video.

Global Trial Shows LED Street Lighting Delivers Up To 85% Energy Savings

Results from a global trial of light-emitting diode (LED) street lights confirm that the fixtures can deliver electricity savings of up to 85% over incumbent technologies. The two-and-a-half-year pilot, called LightSavers, tested 533 LED lamps in 15 trials in 12 cities, including New York, London, Hong Kong, Toronto, and Sydney.Findings from the trials are presented in a report co-released by The Climate Group, electronics giant Philips, and HSBC earlier this month on the sidelines of the Rio+20 summit. The Climate Group launched LightSavers in 2009, supported by the HSBC Climate Partnership, with the goal to accelerate the market adoption of outdoor LED lighting and smart-lighting controls.
"We conclude that LEDs are ready to be brought to scale in outdoor applications. The independent and verifi-able results from the LightSavers trials and accompanying public surveys give compelling evidence that many commercially-available, outdoor LED products offer high quality light, durability, and significant electricity savings in the range of 50 to 70%," wrote Climate Group CEO Mark Kenber in the report's foreword.He added: "High capital cost and a dearth of effective financing approaches continue to be barriers to market maturity. But these will diminish as investment flows into companies making quality products; as LED and smart control device prices continue to fall; and as innovations spread in project financing and procurement in cities like Birmingham, Guangzhou and Los Angeles."
In California, to cite another example, support for LED street lights project financing has come from the California Energy Commission (CEC) and the U.S. Department of Energy.Cree and SemiLEDs End Patent Litigation.In January, I reported at this blog that 10 California cities, several of them quite small, had used funding provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) to undertake LED street lighting retrofit projects. Since I published that post, the CEC has announced that about a dozen more California cities have launched LED street lighting retrofit projects courtesy of the same ARRA-funded Energy Efficiency Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) program.So confident are the report partners in the potential of LED lighting they want LEDs to become the global lighting standard. "All new public lighting – both street lighting and in public buildings – should be LED by 2015, with the aim of all public lighting being LED by 2020," said the Climate Group's Kenber in a statement.The authors conclude: "LED outdoor luminaires have reached maturity in terms of their performance. City lighting managers from across the world have independently verified that LEDs can live up to their promise of exceptional perfor-mance, energy efficiency, and public approval, with indicators pointing towards stabilization in light output in many products after an initial period of volatility."

Cree and SemiLEDs End Patent Litigation

Cree, Inc., a leader in LED lighting, announces that Cree and SemiLEDs have agreed to end the parties' patent infringement litigation. As part of the settlement, SemiLEDs agreed to the entry of an injunction effective October 1, 2012 that prohibits the importation and sale of the SemiLEDs accused products in the United States and has made a one-time payment to Cree for past damages. The remaining claims of all parties have been dismissed without prejudice to the right to assert the claims in the future. Other terms of the settlement are confidential."The resolution emphasizes the breadth and importance of Cree's patent portfolio and its determination to ensure that Cree's intellectual property rights are respected," stated Julio Garceran, chief intellectual property counsel, Cree.
Cree is leading the LED lighting revolution and making energy-wasting traditional lighting technologies obsolete through the use of energy-efficient, mercury-free LED lighting. Cree is a market-leading innovator of lighting-class LEDs, LED lighting, and semiconductor products for power and radio-frequency (RF) applications.Cree's product families include LED fixtures and bulbs, blue and green LED chips, high-brightness LEDs, lighting-class power LEDs, power-switching devices and RF devices. Cree products are driving improvements in applications such as general illumination, electronic signs and signals, power supplies and solar inverters.
This press release contains forward-looking statements involving risks and uncertainties, both known and unknown, that may cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated. Actual results may differ materially due to a number of factors, including risks that Cree's intellectual property rights may not provide meaningful protection against infringements due to the uncertainties and costs of litigation, and other factors discussed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 26, 2011 and subsequent filings. LED Light Review, a consumer oriented review website for LED light bulbs, is pleased to announce a review of the Philips 420224 L Prize Winner LED light bulb.LED Light Review carefully evaluated the Philips 420224 L Prize Winner 10-Watt A19 LED light bulb in key areas including packaging integrity, product design, build quality, light pattern, light output, and light quality. The efficiency and manufacturer warranty of the Philips 420024 were also examined.