2nd Green Revolution » Smart Grid

Honeywell Goes After Nest Labs for Patent Infringement

Justin Manger — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 12:20:44 +0000

As we have profiled here, Nest Labs has come up with a clean and classy look for their new energy saving and “auto-learning” thermostat. They will now have to come up with a team of lawyers to defend allegations from Honeywell International that Nest infringes on several (seven to be precise) patents that Honeywell has for thermostat technology. Filed in a district court in Minnesota, the patents are related to simplified methods for operating and programming a thermostat. These include controlling it with information stored in a remote location and user interfaces that facilitate programming and energy saving.

A former Apple executive and developer of the original iPod, Tony Fadell, recently launched Nest Labs with Apple’s penchant for clean, user-friendly interfaces, and a simple but technologically advanced style.

Honeywell is a maker of aerospace products as well as building-control and safety products. With the lawsuit, “they are trying to stop Nest Labs and retailer Best Buy Co., which sells the Nest Labs thermostat, from using Honeywell’s patented technology and to recover damages” according to the Wall Street Journal.

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Largest Windfarm in U.S. Slated for Wyoming

Justin Manger — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:21:43 +0000

Even given the backlash over the very public bankruptcy of solar panel maker Solyndra, the Obama administration remains set on pushing clean energy. It has fast tracked plans for the largest windfarm in the U.S., a 2,000 to 3,000MW facility that will consist of 1,000 wind turbine generators and be built just south of Rawlins, Wyoming. Called the ChokeCherry/Sierra Madre Wind Project, the project should get final Bureau of Land Management (BLM) approval in the next few months. The BLM site has detailed information if you’re interested. The plan is to feed the electricity into the grid. Since it’s only a couple hundred miles from Ft. Collins/Denver/Boulder, perhaps it will boost the percentage of green energy for that metropolis.

The largest windfarm at the moment in the U.S. is the 781MW Roscoe Wind Farm facility in Texas. For comparison sake, there are 29 coal fired power plants in the country with more than 2000MW capacity.

Martifer: Solar Power for Projects Big and Small

Justin Manger — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 08:33:21 +0000

With the world standing on the ledge of an energy revolution, what will be the technology that takes us over the edge? Photovoltaic systems may hold the answer. Though not immune from criticism, solar power bathes half the world in light all the time and is awash in energy. There is really no other source of energy as abundant, safe, and clean out there, so long as we learn how to harness it efficiently.

One of the companies harnessing that energy is Martifer Solar. Based in Portugal, they have a strong presence in Europe. In total, they offer solar energy services in eleven countries. According to their website, “Martifer Solar is a company that specializes in offering all types of photovoltaic solutions adapted to the client’s individual needs. In simpler terms: we transform solar radiation into electricity, and deliver an end-product to our client with all guarantees.” They produce some standard equipment, such as photovoltaic modules and trackers (devices that rotate the panels to follow the sun) so as much energy as possible is captured through the day as the sun “moves across the sky.” However, the most interesting and potentially useful products that they provide are their photovoltaic kits. Like a kid with a science experiment kit (thanks Mom and Dad!) I can see myself assembling one of these kits on a house of my own some day. The packets that Martifer sells “are designed to produce from 1 kW to 5 kW.” It’s like a do it yourself solar technology akin to the “plug and play” style found in consumer electronics. Components include:

• Photovoltaic panel

• Inverter

• Securing structure

• Solar cable

• AC cable

• Male and female connectors

• Protection System (circuit breaker).

With companies like this springing up all over the world and offering innovative yet practical solutions to our energy dilemma, it feels like we are on the right track, even if there are various obstacles along the way. We are even reaching the point where consumers can be empowered to learn about, construct, and contribute to the energy revolution on their own.

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Nest Thermostats Sold-out, Ship Today

Justin Manger — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 21:43:41 +0000

Shipping a few weeks ahead of schedule, Nest thermostats that learn from your interaction and program themselves, will soon be appearing in homes around the country. Even at $249 a pop, the devices are sold out and currently on back order.

It’s a sleek, smart device that people are clamoring for in their bid to save money, green their lives, and replace the out-dated thermostats. In two years, the company claims, the money saved by using the device will more than make up for its high purchase price. For comparison’s sake, Eric argues that “you can do a lot better for ROI (return on investment). If it saves you more money per month, that’s one thing, but otherwise, you’re buying something that is sleek, yet more expensive compared to what’s on the market. My ROI was two WEEKS. However, the interface and programability of my Energy Star rated thermostat is poor.”

Some of it’s nice features are an “auto-away” feature that will automatically put the house into low energy mode if it detects (with an occupancy sensor) there is nobody in the house for a few days. It also learns from your routine. If you turn up the heat in the morning, turn it down when you leave for work, and then turn it up again when you come home, Nest will recognize this pattern and begin doing it for you. It seems like it recognizes the difference in schedules and routines on the weekends and creates a daily schedule for the full week. It is also accessible from the internet and smartphones so you can change the temperature “miles from home” if you’re running late or out of town.

Seemingly small advances like this are accumulating to lead us to a greener future. You say you want a revolution? It’s in progress.

Check out the Nest in detail on their homepage.

Introducing Nest: The Learning Thermostat

Justin Manger — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 21:32:11 +0000

Simplicity. Apple knew it could sell electronics if they got the interface correct and made them easy to use. Now some former Apple employees are taking that mentality to a device most of us don’t give a thought about: the lowly thermostat. The inventors, Matt Rogers and Tony Fadell, did think much about them either until they found out they control 50% of the monthly energy bill. And so Nest was born. From the screen shot below, you can see there are several smart features such as a self-programming ability that learns from the temperature changes you make and adjusts accordingly. If you get up a 5:30 and crank up the heat, Nest will remember and eventually do it for you. It also senses when nobody is home and adjusts the temperature with Auto-Away mode. You can also program and adjust the temperature through your smartphone or on the computer. The video below shows how simple, intuitive, and chic this standard device can be.

The device is also like Apple in another way: it is pricey ($249). For a thermostat. But, the inventors claim, after two years of use, Nest will recoup its original costs and then continue to provide savings through energy bill savings for years to come. Whether or not it will catch on or people will want to fork over $250 is a question that will answer itself in time. Either way, though, inventions like this have me thinking that we are moving the right direction with green and clean technology.

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