The 2009 Solar Decathlon is over, and although Team Germany took home first prize this year, every one of the 20 competing teams is worthy of honorable mention. Not least of which is Virginia Tech’s LUMENHAUS. The house is made with super-efficient glass walls and doors with an open-floor design to allow maximum light penetration.

But this is no glass house. LUMENHAUS is equipped with a shifting facade, called an “Eclipsis System,” that glides on tracks to cover or reveal the windows depending on time of day and weather conditions. LUMENHAUS finished 13th overall in the Solar Decathlon, but scored high in major categories, including engineering, market viability and third place in architecture.

The essence of LUMENHAUS, which by design is an homage to the Bauhaus architectural movement of the early 20th century, lies in its intelligence. The house automatically monitors in- and outdoor conditions and adjusts the sliding facade accordingly. Home conditions are displayed in the house on various screens, as well as remotely through a Smartphone application, allowing the homeowner constant awareness and control. (more…)

Habitat for Humanity is turning one Oakland brownfield into several green homes as part of its ongoing East Bay Project. With help from Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) and a slew of volunteers, Habitat is building a 54-home development of affordable housing for low-income homeowners. The development site, a former battery salvage yard, was labeled a “blighted property” by the EPA and California’s Department of Toxic Substances.

Yet that did not stop Habitat For Humanity. Roughly 300,000 cubic yards of soil had to be removed and replaced, but you can bet the effort will be worth it for the new residents of Edes Avenue. (more…)

eSolar has officially installed the nation’s first operational solar tower energy facility in the US. Expected to produce 5 megawatts of power for about 4,000 homes, the Lancaster, CA systems will start at 48 megawatts with 16 generating towers. The installation went up in 18 months, a time line, which, according to Pasadena mayor R. Rex Parris, is “literally unheard of.”  Quick up-time never hurt anyone’s sales pitch, that’s for sure.

eSolar also has plans to install up to 500 megawatts of solar thermal generation (via CSP technology) in the next few years.  Those plans outstrip current US solar thermal production, which is currently 450 megawatts, and would represent a major fraction of the 1.5 gigawatts of solar capacity in the US.

The company is run by Bill Gross, a multi-venture entrepreneur that until 2000, was focused in the software industry.  Gross has other energy industry projects, such as RayTracker Inc., an offshoot company that provides tracking systems to the solar field and eSolar installations.  Other idea projects by Gross include fuel efficient cars under the name Aptera Motors, and websites such as GoTo.com.  eSolar is the main company of Gross’ solar endeavor, but the real stuff happens at Idealab, which like the name suggests, is the research and development wing of the whole outfit. (more…)