Imagine a future where a building’s energy comes from its windows. Many scientists have worked towards that future in the lab, but now five scientists from Los Alamos National Laboratory have demonstrated solar window technology can indeed be scaled up. Instead of palm-sized models, they created solar windows large enough to power entire buildings.
“Luminescent concentrators (LSCs)” are a key component of the team’s solar windows,” according to a statement from the National Laboratory. LSCs can collect sunlight over large areas, and function as “light-management devices.” They collect sunshine via colloidal quantum dots, which have beneficial properties such as the ability to withstand light hitting them over and over. Colloidal quantum dots have a “high photostability,” which means sunlight won’t break them down.
Fluorophores in the LSCs also help the windows do their job. After light is collected, the chemical compounds re-emit photons. Photovoltaic cells can then collect the photons after they are guided towards the cells via “total internal reflection.”
The team used a “doctor-blade” technique to create the LSC windows. This technique is often used in printing to remove excess ink and leave behind a uniform film. The scientists drew on the printing technique to add a thin, uniform layer of a “dot/polymer composite” on large glass slabs that could be put into buildings. Lead scientist Victor Klimov said the solar windows could “turn presently passive building facades into power generation units.”
As detailed in their research published online by Nature Energy this week, the scientists hope the use of LSCs could reduce solar power costs. Their solar windows likely wouldn’t need as many “expensive photovoltaic materials” as other solar modules. They also noted solar windows would be incredibly beneficial for urban spaces, where there may not be as much room for solar panels.
If there’s one constant among the vast majority of solar panel designs, it’s flatness; while solar panels can be equipped to tilt to follow the sun’s path through the course of the day, there are still significant efficiency limitations to this basic design. V3Solar’s rather elegant photovoltaic Spin Cell cones aim to address that, and their current prototype was recently third-party verified as capable of generating “over 20 times more electricity than a static flat panel with the same area of photovoltaic cells.”
The V3 Spin Cell was developed through collaboration with industrial design team Nectar Design. The company believes that the Spin Cell could be a game-changer in its market. On their website V3 explains that if one places a 20x solar concentration on a flat, static solar panel then “the temperature quickly reaches 260 degrees F, the solder melts within ten seconds, and the PV fails. With the same concentration on the Spin Cell, the temperature never exceeds 95 degrees F.”
The one meter-diameter cones feature a layer of hundreds of triangular photovoltaic cells positioned at an angle of 56 degrees, encased in a “static hermetically-sealed outer lens concentrator.” The photovoltaic cone spins with the assistance of a “small amount” of its own solar-generated power which feeds a Maglev system, intended to reduce the noise generated by the cones as well as any required maintenance.
While an “array” of V3’s Spin Cell’s can occupy a very small space, relative to conventional flat panels, V3 has also conceived of a “Power Pole,” to support even greater even solar power generation in a small space, the designers explain “This is a pole that holds 10 Spin Cells, or 10KWp, in a footprint of 10 SF. The spin cells are placed with mathematical precision to make sure no Spin Cell shades another. This not only creates significantly great power density, but also removes the concern of floods and mitigates the environmental impact.”
Additionally, V3 hopes that with the dramatically reduced physical footprint of the solar cones, theymight be able to “dramatically reduce the [total cost of ownership of solar farms] making more projects economically viable.” See one of the Spin Cones in action here.
Poland just unveiled an amazing new bike path that glows bright blue at night! The path near Lidzbark Warminski is illuminated by phosphor, a synthetic material that lights up after it’s charged by sunlight. Studio Roosegaarde’s Starry Night bike lane inspired TPA Instytut Badań Technicznych Sp. z o.o to create the glowing bike path.
TPA Sp. z o.o. president Igor Ruttmar told Gazeta Wyborcza that the material in the bike path can emit light for around 10 hours. Each day the path collects the energy that enables it to glow at night. Board of Regional Roads in Olsztyn director Waldemar Królikowski said the luminous bike path is meant to improve the safety of people biking at night.
According to Next Nature Network, the luminophores, or “particles” in the bike lane material can emit a variety of colors, and the designers picked blue to best fit in with the surrounding landscape. They also researched the sustainability of the materials they utilized, and how to make the materials as cost effective as possible since the bike lane does cost more than traditional lanes.
While the Starry Night bike path provided inspiration, the technology utilized in the Polish bike lane is quite different from the Van Gogh-themed lane. Studio Roosegaarde’s bike lane drew on LEDs powered by a solar array and “light-collecting paint.” TPA Sp. z o.o.’s bike lane doesn’t require any power sources. The bike lane is still being tested, as it is not known how long the lane will last before it begins to wear out.
One of the biggest criticisms against wind turbines is that they aren’t usually nice to look at, but that may be about to change thanks to the French company NewWind. Their new device, Tree Vent, is an array of vertical wind turbines that look a lot like a tree.
Though the tree looks like a piece of modern art that would fit in at any urban area, it also provides a very important function. Each tree has a current power output of 3.1 kilowatts, which might not be able to power much on its own. However, using several of the trees together as landscape features in a park or along a roadside would make more of an impact to the homes and buildings nearby.
The trees are 11 meters (36 ft) tall, and 8 meters (26 ft) in diameter at its widest point, which makes it about the same height as many urban trees. The white frame of the tree is made out of steel, and it can hold 72 turbines that sit vertically. This orientation cancels out noise, allowing the turbine to spin silently. Wind turbines are typically very tall in order to reach the altitude where the wind is stronger, but these vertical turbines are able to spin with wind blowing as low as 7 km/h (4.4 mph), making this twice as sensitive as traditional turbines. However, they are durable enough to withstand Category 3 winds, which can reach 178 – 208 km/h (111-129 mph).
Each turbine “sheet,” called an Aeroleaf, is constructed out of lightweight plastic. The plastic has been treated with a resin which protects it from weather conditions such as humidity and salt (for areas close to the sea). The turbines are wired in parallel so that if one stops working for whatever reason, the others will not be affected.
Image credit: NewWind
Anxious to check one of these out? NewWind will be testing a tree in Paris’s Place de la Concorde between March 12 and May 12 of this year, allowing the public to see how the turbine functions in a normal setting. About 40 more units are due to be installed around the country in September.
For those wanting a Tree Vent for themselves, you are going to have to wait a bit longer. They aren’t due to go into mass production until the summer of 2016 and will initially only be available in France and other proximal European countries. There is no word on when or if they plan to extend the product into the United States. The approximate price of each tree will be about €29,500 (US$35,000), though that price will hopefully decrease as production becomes less expensive and the technology is further developed.
The DEA considers hemp to be a dangerous substance and it’s still classified as a schedule I drug, alongside heroin and ecstasy, even though the plant contains almost no THC and has no psychoactive effects. Many believe this classification is the result of the oil industry’s grip on the legislative process in America, because hemp is one of the most viable alternatives to plastics, fuel and other building materials, in fact, it used to be an important domestically produced crop, and it even contains extraordinary health benefits.
“Hemp is the only plant that can feed you, house you, clothe you and heal you.” [Source]
The Tiny House Movement is Growing
As a response to unbridled consumerism and desire for infinite growth inherent in our economy, some are finding that satisfaction in life is not dependent on having and maintaining the ‘American Dream.’ Tiny houses are becoming widely popular, especially so for those not interested in participating in the debt economy which is driven by banks who’ve used the mortgage industry as a means of looting the nation.
“The tiny house movement is one of the latest innovations in personal freedom from an overly consumeristic and a debt-driven society.” ~Isaac Davis
Unity – Tiny Hemp Housing
In Bellingham, Washington, a local grandmother, Pamela Bosch, is making news for combining the philosophy of tiny home living with the growing innovation in building materials and practices made out of hemp. In what she considers a pioneering experiment in sustainable living, Pamela’s organizationHighland Hemp House is using hemp imported from Europe to make model energy and resource efficient homes.
The planet we live on is a rapidly changing environment that demands that human beings become more conscious of our living arrangements. Smaller spaces that require less energy are part of the emerging response to inefficient buildings, as are eco-villages with shared resources. Net Zero houses that produce the energy they will consume and permaculture designs that are mindful of the synergies of systems that support life in place.
So, as the Hemp House was envisioned, the role of the single family home in the setting of a small urban environment was contemplated. Can this ever ubiquitous bastion of American life transition to a future that supports a more integrated humanity? How should our contemporary castles of middle-America hold the spaces or be the places where we learn to thrive in balance with our living environment? How can our living spaces support our adaptation to a less consumptive way of living that is also of higher quality? [Source]
Pam was recently featured on Seattle’s K5 News showing off the tiny home she is building by herself, proving that anyone can do it, so long as they have the desire to be a part of our sustainable future.
“We need to be building this way,” Bosch said. “We should have as many buildings as we can that are built out of a renewable resource that sequesters carbon, that is healthy and if it were legal would be very affordable. It’s an agricultural waste product we’re using.”
Hemp can be used for soil remediation, biofuels, plastic composites, organic body care and health foods, but until it’s regulated, farmers in Washington would need permission from the DEA. [Source]
Final Thoughts
Environmentally friendly, healthy, affordable, yet illegal, hemp offers great promise, yet the U.S. Federal government is prohibiting innovation by continuing the ridiculously un-warranted and unfair ban on hemp. Legalize hemp, now.
Prohibition against hemp is finally cracking, however, and some states are allowing farmers to cultivate the precious crop, and as technology and innovation move forward together, many ingenious people are finding excellent new uses for this cash crop, including the making of building materials.
“Alternative economies, open source governance, local food production, non-polluting energy generation, holistic health maintenance, to name a few of the many movements, are adaptive responses to the challenges of bringing human nature into alignment with Nature in balance.” [Source]
Editor’s note: As I wrote last night in my Daily Notes titled “My Predictions”, speaking of this feeling I have had of urgency that something is “supposed” to happen, around 18 years ago and most certainly today. This piece speaks of how so much of what I speak of WAS supposed to happen almost two decades ago – which is the time I first began having these visions and intuitive messages and felt I was in this waiting period from 1997 to 2001 – when this wave of disappointment came over me. Validation for my experience is always helpful. Much love to you all. Use discernment. Let go. Be Open. And Believe.
Sheldan Nidle Update – September 20, 2016
4 Ben, 16 Zip, 13 Caban
Dratzo! Since we first arrived en masse at the end of your 20th century, we have learned in detail how your world works. We have allied ourselves with your Ascended Masters and their numerous Earth allies. In addition, we have had extensive planning sessions with our Agarthan cousins. All our meetings, along with our lengthy scientific study flights and accompanying record-keeping, have prepared us for what is currently taking place on your planet’s surface. Surface humanity is now at a crossroads. Those who seek the Light have achieved much and are finally ready to begin announcing the terms of their incredible triumph. A new global financial system, worldwide freedom and new governance symbolize this victory. Two decades ago, the dark’s minions decided to forego the surrender that their former masters, the Anunnaki offered them. This refusal led you into two decades of unnecessary wars, government-contrived terrorism and a general series of continued corruption and misguided violence. This prolonged era of misdeeds is coming to an end. The much-sought time of peace, freedom and prosperity is about ready to begin.
As this new time starts, we wish to tell you a few more things about ourselves. Our primary intention is a full disclosure. This can permit us to be more open about how we relate to you. We dearly intend at that time to open a broad communication with you. Many still believe that thought of this world being visited constantly by ETs is nonsense. We intend to dispel this concept shortly. When we were told decades ago by Heaven to put this special first contact mission together, we were somewhat skeptical Our Science and Engineering fleets had unanimously labeled your civilization as not yet ready for contact. Our sudden intervention to save your Sun, combined with a number of decrees from the Federation’s Spiritual Council, was a forerunner for what later happened. Hence, we enthusiastically endorsed this huge commitment to your planet and its people. We sent a rather large fleet and started to interact with all dedicated to the Light, such as its many active proponents. It has taken us nearly two decades to achieve countless initial objectives.
The result of these years of getting to know each other is that the Earth-born elements now fully accept us as a part of this very diverse team. Our liaisons regularly plan and advise with other parts of this group. We understand their plans and have contributed to what currently is the final schedule for this immensely complex operation. We are thoroughly dedicated to this project and know when we can, in the near future, land and interact with you personally. Thus, our mentors can make their daily preparations knowing when all of this is to actually happen. This surface world of yours is going to be surprised when what we have discussed unfolds. The new banking system, the prosperity and the freedom that comes with new governance require avid participation from you. The world that you have grown up with is suddenly going to “explode” right in front of you. This immediately needs you to accept a number of game-changing events. It becomes incumbent on you to listen, carefully review them and act.
This rapidly changing reality is being set up to allow you to discover how wondrous your environment has become. This is a new world in which you are to be given a great deal of vital information. You need to receive it all and take the time to review it. Governance is to be dedicated to repeating all of this a number of times. It is essential that you understand what is to be expected of you. In addition to all of this, some of you are to be the first to begin, with a huge learning curve about the new prosperity and its relationship to the new and friendlier financial system. These experiences are to help you achieve your dreams and spread an ever-growing global prosperity. Along with these special events is to be governance that truly requires your active participation. Community groups are needed to interact with this governance at local and regional levels. We intend, as well, to provide some guidance and enable you to fully participate in our contact procedures. Your time as a sort of “mushroom” is truly ready to come to a rapid end.
Blessings! We are your Ascended Masters! This time is especially sweet to us! The great works of our associates are finally coming to fruition. Long ago, Heaven told us that a time was to come when the Anunnaki and their minions were no longer to rule this realm. This long-awaited time is emerging. Those who came to us centuries ago and set up spiritual secret orders dedicated to the Light and its good works are on the edge of monumental success. The Light has forced the last of the dark to contemplate their surrender and arrange for it. All of the major minions have informally surrendered and special dates approved. The dark’s last acts are at present being carried out. We can prepare to rejoice shortly. Glory to Heaven for all of these magnificent blessings! The transformations required are almost ready to occur. These glorious deeds are due in great part to your continuing focus and support. Take the time remaining and use it to come together and thank all in Heaven for these truly grand events.
What is now occurring is a long and very eventful strategy that originally began at the conclusion of the Second World War. The American minions and their followers had finally achieved their centuries-old goal. They had become a vital part of the Anunnaki’s post-war plans. America was founded, not as a potential world power, but as an alternative. We Masters wanted to set an example and give the world a blessed alternative to the global minions that ran this realm. We knew that one day, the Anunnaki was to be turned toward the Light, and this globe needed another example for running a large nation. However, America was in reality being torn apart by two vastly different ways of running it. These differences came to a head in the last half-decade. In the present time, the “powers that be” and their evil agenda are being done away with. A new time is arriving for all peoples.
America at present is to lead this realm into a new period where freedom, prosperity and equality are unbounded. Those who have kept this nation, and the world in general, in bondage no longer are to be in any position to resist this new way. The old perceptions long taught you are to go. Your vision and focus on a new state of Being are to triumph! America’s history is to be revealed and openly discussed. Use this amazing history as a point to avoid even the most evil of agendas in this wondrously evolving realm. Stay strong and be willing to listen and learn all about America and its amazing prophecy! We have many other things to tell you as well. The deeds and lies of the dark need to be made known and the energy of these deeds transformed to Light and sheer blessedness. You are in transition to a new consciousness and are to be treated to true, and newly growing, wisdom. Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Today, we carried on with our weekly report. As you can see, many exciting events are ready to take place! Some of these may astound you at first. Remain patient and focus on the good that is to show up! Know, dear Ones, that the countless supply and never-ending prosperity of Heaven are indeed yours! So Be It! Selamat Gajun! Selamat Ja! (Sirian for Be One! and Be in Joy!)
Editor’s note: Imagine. Watch, listen and Imagine. This is happening. These technologies exist now. Today. This moment. Let’s embrace it and think it into existence. Love In Action. An easy, joyful life. Can ya dig it?
Imagine a future where a building’s energy comes from its windows. Many scientists have worked towards that future in the lab, but now five scientists from Los Alamos National Laboratory have demonstrated solar window technology can indeed be scaled up. Instead of palm-sized models, they created solar windows large enough to power entire buildings.
“Luminescent concentrators (LSCs)” are a key component of the team’s solar windows,” according to a statement from the National Laboratory. LSCs can collect sunlight over large areas, and function as “light-management devices.” They collect sunshine via colloidal quantum dots, which have beneficial properties such as the ability to withstand light hitting them over and over. Colloidal quantum dots have a “high photostability,” which means sunlight won’t break them down.
Fluorophores in the LSCs also help the windows do their job. After light is collected, the chemical compounds re-emit photons. Photovoltaic cells can then collect the photons after they are guided towards the cells via “total internal reflection.”
TPA Sp. z o.o. president Igor Ruttmar told 
