Researchers are developing solar "window shades" for the biggest users of peak-period energy: big office buildings. They're targeting a 100% energy-conversion rate, a huge improvement over conventional solar panels.
It isn't surprising that New York's electrical grid malfunctioned during the big blackout of 2003, says one Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute professor. It's not that the grid is antiquated; it's that our demand for energy is insatiable. While proponents of conservation seek ways to get people to use less energy, Anna Dyson, who teaches architecture at Rensselaer, has another idea. She is leading a team of researchers who are trying to prevent future power failures by making energy-sucking office buildings ultra-efficient at peak hours. They plan to combine a series of highly efficient, low-cost technologies into a single sustainable device that would be almost transparent to those using its energy.
Link to Wired News story (via Mark Pesce's yeschaton listserv)
