Green Building Technology Updates
We're in an era of unprecedented innovation in the world of sustainable technology. Here's some of the coolest green tech news we've found this month.
Global fossil fuel companies are keenly aware that digging up fuel from the ground and seafloor is not going to be a viable or cost-efficient energy source in the very near future. Therefore, companies like Shell, BP, and Total have been investing heavily in green technologies. Total has now partnered with Google Cloud to help estimate solar panel needs for buildings. The new Solar Mapper will use AI algorithms that are improved over what was previously available, including using satellite images and expanded reach to improve solar adoption. Right now, the technology can map about 90% of France, and they have goals to expand beyond shores soon.
Tesla has competition in Europe for its famous solar roof. SunRoof, a Swedish-Polish company, has raised a €2million seed round for their beautiful solar roofs (seen in the image above). They are building solar roofs and facades, which means homes would not need solar panels to generate their own electricity. Despite the looming COVID-19 pandemic, the company saw the global shift as an opportunity to move forward, and they found that investors were ready to jump on board–their seed round was oversubscribed (ie: they got offered more money than they asked for!). They are looking to expand throughout Europe and be a strong counterpart to Tesla in the EU.
Ubiquitous Energy, based in Silicon Valley, California, has announced a new strategic advisor and board member to help them in their go-to-market track. Ubiquitous Energy makes really beautiful solar glass (also known as transparent photovoltaics) for both commercial and residential buildings. This technology ensures that the windows in your home or building actually generate energy all day long. They make both windows and solar cells, and the company also offers coatings that can be applied to existing windows to generate energy.
SunDensity has secured $2.5million in funding to support their work with thin coatings as well, although these coatings are applied to existing panels, making them more efficient over their lifetime. The power output can be increased by about 20% over the lifetime, which decreases project costs. As quoted in PV Magazine, “[the] photonic smart coating (PSC) converts blue light that can’t be absorbed by solar panels into red light that can be readily converted into electricity." SunDensity Founder Nish Sonwalkar explains that this technology increases both the output of the panels and the lifespan.
