The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issues publications once a week, on Thursday.  Today, the USPTO issued 6,142 publications.

    Of the 6,142 publications issued today,

    31 contained the word "photovoltaic".  Click Here;

    26 contained the phrase "solar cell".  Click Here;

    121 contained the term "nano" (as in "nanotechnology").  Click Here; and

    1,153 contained the word "semiconductor".  Click Here.

    My favorite publication for today is from Damoder Reddy of Solexant Corp., who developed a photovoltaic device containing nanoparticle sensitized carbon nanotubes.
See: U.S Publication 20080066802.

    Another notable publication in the field of alternative energy is that of Kimberly Peacock, who developed a heat engine that preferably uses a geothermal source of cold and an ambient source of hot (typically used in the summer months), or vice-versa (typically used in the winter months).  See: U.S. Publication 20080067893.

    Robert E. Goozner - March 20, 2008

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Solar Cooker Project Wins Bronfman Prize

    I've mentioned the Solar Cooker Project on this page (see side bar), and the good work it does in aiding Darfur refugees by supplying them with solar ovens.  This project has now gained the recognition of being awarded the Bronfman Prize.  The prize was awarded to Rachel Andres, for a significant contribution by a person below the age of 50.

    Part of the announcement is reproduced below.

    Rachel Andres, 45, who will receive the award in New York on May 6, led the team that launched the Solar Cooker Project (SCP) of Jewish World Watch to help the women who escaped the genocide and fled to refugee camps, only to find themselves victims of rape and attack when they went in search of firewood in the vast emptiness of the African desert.

    Since the launch of the Project less than two years ago, the risk of violence was dramatically reduced for almost 5,000 families, and their lives were transformed by the introduction of simple solar cooking equipment.

    Seventeen thousand refugees, eighty percent of whom are widows and children, live in the Iridimi Refugee Camp along Chad’s border with Sudan. Because firewood is scarce, women had to walk miles to collect wood for their families’ traditional three-stone cooking fires.

    Andres and an evaluation team including colleagues from Jewish World Watch, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Solar Cookers International, Chad government Ministries of Environment and Refugees, Tchad Solaire and CARE International traveled to the camps in October 2007 to measure the success of the Project’s first phase. They found an astonishing eighty six percent reduction in the number of journeys away from the safety of the camp since the Solar Cooker Project was launched, significantly diminishing the risk of rape and attack on those sent to forage for wood. Subsequently, Andres and her colleagues were invited to Geneva to present to The Women’s Commission for Refugee Women and Children of the International Rescue Committee, and the UNHCR Deputy High Commissioner. The meetings were turning points as the influential stakeholders heard of the successful model and are now considering their participation.

    The Solar Cooker Project has already begun to expand into the neighboring Touloum camp of 22,000 refugees. More than 1,000 solar cookers have been provided and hundreds of women have already been trained.

    You can read the whole thing here.

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Patent Day

    Of the 3,892 patents issued on Tuesday,

    12 contained the word "photovoltaic",  Click Here;

    13 contained the term "solar cell",  Click Here;

    65 contained the term "nano" (as in "nanotechnology"),  Click Here; and

    622 contained the word "semiconductor",  Click Here.

    My favorite patent for today is that of  Pertti H. Naskali et al. of Arrowind Corporation,  who developed a helical wind turbine that can include photovoltaic elements.  
See: USP 7,344,353.  

    Robert E. Goozner - March 18, 2008

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    The German magazine Spiegel  has reviewed the German patent applications of 2007 and published a patent atlas showing that the German "sunbelt" of Baden-Wuerttemberg and Bavaria are way ahead of the rest of Germany  in producing intellectual property, frequently by a factor of 4 to 5-fold.  These two German provinces produce in excess of 100 patents per 100,000 population, and produce over half of the patent applications.  The patent atlas can be found here.

    Spiegel also listed the top fifty firms in the German patent office in 2007.  The top five include Robert Bosch (2,509 applications), Siemens (2,474 application), Daimler (1,216 applications), Denso (757 applications) and Infineon (702 applications).  The complete list can be found here.

    In honor of St. Patrick's day, here is a link to the Irish Patent Office.

    Robert E. Goozner - March 17, 2008

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Solar Arab Village

   Earlier I reported on a proposed over-the-top solar town named Masdar on a strip of desert next to the Abu Dhabi airport.  However, the real thing can be found in a Bedouin town called Darijat.  On a budget of only $276,000, 20 homes, the streets and the local mosque (nicknamed the world's first solar mosque) are running on solar energy.

    On the other hand, I don't think too many people from the arab world (or even European Greens) are going to visit Darijat, because the town is located in Israel.

    Darijat has been reported in YNET and has been blogged in the LA Times.

    Robert E. Goozner - March 12, 2008 (It's my birthday!)

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    The German city of Marburg has a very green reputation, but some of its residents feel that the city authorities have gone too far in making solar energy mandatory.

    That's right, whether the owners want to or not, every house (whether new or old) in Marburg will be required to install solar cells.  This isn't going down too well with many houseowners due to the 5,000 Euro ($7,500) cost of installing the solar cells.  At current energy prices, the 5,000 Euro will amortize in 10 to 15 years, but this is of  little comfort to many homeowners in this German city.

    If you can read German, this is reported in Netzeitung.  A report in English can be found in DongA.

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Patent Day

    Of the 3,418 patents issued on Tuesday,

    14 contained the word "photovoltaic",  Click Here;

    18 contained the term "solar cell",  Click Here;

    60 contained the term "nano" (as in "nanotechnology"),  Click Here; and

    553 contained the word "semiconductor",  Click Here.

    My favorite patent for today is that of  Bruce M. Khouri et al. of Solar Integrated Technologies, Inc., who developed an integrated photovoltaic roofing component and panel.  
See: USP 7,342,171.  

        Robert E. Goozner - March 11, 2008

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Solar Energy Pollution in China

    Solar energy is touted as a "green" and "clean" technology.  Of course some of this is hyperbole because all technologies create problems.  Back in the '90s I personally performed research on this topic (see sidebar) of how to make solar energy environmentally friendly, especially since the new generation of thin film solar cells use materials such as cadmium and selenium that represent potential environmental hazards.  

    However, the "old technology" silicon-based solar cells utilize polycrystalline silicon, the manufacture of which can result in pollution.  When these silicon cells are manufactured in countries that have a high environmental commitments (USA, Germany, Japan), then the potential pollution is minimized.

    One the other hand, when the production of solar cells moves offshore to places like China, then a "clean" technology has the potential to turn quite nasty.  

    Yesterday, the Washington Post published an article by Ariana Cha on how solar energy firms leave waste behind in China.  In order to meet the demand for $300 per kilogram for high purity silicon corners are being cut, and waste silicon tetrachloride is being dumped.

    A standard Material Safety Data Sheet for silicon tetrachloride states: 

    Silicon Tetrachloride is irritating and corrosive to all living tissue. Toxic level exposure to dermal tissue causes hydrochloric acid burns and skin lesions resulting in early necrosis and scarring. Chemical pneumonitis and pulmonary edema result from exposure to the lower respiratory tract and deep lung. Residual pulmonary malfunction might also occur. Burns to the eye result in lesions and possible loss of vision.

    Silicon Tetrachloride is not listed in the IARC, NTP, or by OSHA as a carcinogen or potential carcinogen. Persons in ill health where such illness would be aggravated by exposure to silicon tetrachloride should not be allowed to work with or handle this product.  See for example (highly reputable) Linde Gas's. 

.  The potential harm to the reputation of solar energy is quite great.  China is a large player in the production of solar cells (and will only become larger), as is shown in the chart below.

    On the other hand, silicon based solar is turning into a sunset technology.  The next generation will use no silicon, and there will be no silicon tetrachloride pollution.  However, the new generation will use cadmium and selenium, which will provide another new set of potential pollution problems.

    Robert E. Goozner - March 10, 2008

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    My law firm, Young & Thompson, moved into nice new offices at the northern edge of Old Town Alexandria, Virginia last week.  Somehow I was given a prestigious (but  not corner) office with a view of the Potomac river.

    Although you can barely see it, the Alexandria boathouse is at the end of Madison street, and one can see the rowing team practice in the late afternoon.

    Robert E. Goozner - March 7, 2008

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Solar Stock Soars

    Although the stock market is in the doldrums, some solar stocks continue to soar.  Yesterday Candian Solar (NASDAQ  CSIQ), a Chinese solar cell manufacturer, soared 17% to $23 become the leading gainer for the day on NASDAQ.

    The run-up in stock price is due to posted earnings of 20 cents per share, as is reported by Carl Gutierrez in Forbes.

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    Publication Day  

Green Houses Become Selling Point

    Despite the housing slump, adding green features to new houses has become a selling point.  These features include increased insulation, energy-efficient electronic appliances, and solar panels.  Some developers in California are even offering solar panels as standard features, as opposed to being optional.

    Jum Carlton reported this development in the Wall Street Journal.

 Robert E. Goozner - March 5, 2008

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    Of the 3,895 patents issued on Tuesday,

    17 contained the word "photovoltaic",  Click Here;

    16 contained the term "solar cell",  Click Here;

    59 contained the term "nano" (as in "nanotechnology"),  Click Here; and

    630 contained the word "semiconductor",  Click Here.

    My favorite patent for today is that of  Linda T. Romano et al. of Nanosys, Inc., who developed nanowires suitable for applications in photovoltaic cells.  
See: USP 7,339,184.  

    Robert E. Goozner - March 4, 2008

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Bicycle Tax Credit

      Another interesting provision in the Energy Bill (HR 5351) is a tax credit for people using bicycles to commute to work.  The bicycle tax credit would be $20 per month for every qualified bicycle commuting month for a maximum of $120 per year.

    Although this is nice, I think that our august legislators are not looking at the whole picture.  A bicycle consumes no fuel and emits no greenhouse gases.  Additionally, the exercise will cause a health benefit to the bicycle commuter, thus lowering the burden on our health care system.

    On the other hand, this is too much for some people.  For example, Republican Doc Hastings of West Virginia is dead against it, as reported in the Washcycle.  Perhaps Doc Hastings should be more worried about all the people in West Virginia who do enormous commutes (50-70 miles each way) in their SUVs in order to work their jobs in the DC area.

    Regarding the subsidies to the coal companies (which are more than $20 per month) in Doc's home state of West Virginia, they speak for themselves.

    Robert E. Goozner - March 3, 2008

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$4,000 + Tax Credit For Plug-in Hybrids

    I was perusing the Energy Bill (HR 5351) posted on the Congressional Record and found a $4,000 + tax credit for plug in hybrid vehicles.  It reads as follows:

    (a) Allowance of Credit.--There shall be allowed as a credit against the tax imposed by this chapter for the taxable year an amount equal to the sum of the credit amounts determined under subsection (b) with respect to each qualified plug-in hybrid vehicle placed in service by the taxpayer during the taxable year.

     (b) Per Vehicle Dollar Limitation.—
          (1) In general.--The amount determined under this subsection with respect to any qualified plug-in hybrid vehicle is the sum of the amounts determined under paragraphs  (2) and (3) with respect to such vehicle.
          (2) Base amount.--The amount determined under this paragraph is $4,000.
          (3) Battery capacity.--In the case of vehicle which draws propulsion energy from a battery with not less than 5 kilowatt hours of capacity, the amount determined under this      paragraph is $200, plus $200 for each kilowatt hour of  capacity in excess of 5 kilowatt hours. The amount determined under this paragraph shall not exceed $2,000.

    If this provision passes, I will be trading my old '03 Prius for a new plug in vehicle, which the automobile companies may start selling soon, if properly motivated.

    For more on plug-in vehicles see The California Cars Initiative.

    Robert E. Goozner - February 29, 2008

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