Solar-powered Outdoor Lighting

Combining the best of two eco-friendly energy solutions, these landscape lights by CL Sterling use solar power to illuminate the LED fixture. But they go even one step better- whereas LED lighting typically produces a cold blue-ish/white light, the Solar Garden Candle outdoor glass light fixture uses an amber-toned LED bulb that emits the warm glow of a flame.

The glass shade is handcrafted for CL Sterling & Son in a Portuguese town called Marinha Grande, which has a history of glassmaking that dates back 300 years. The craftspeople pour a slurry of molten glass into individual molds to simulate a wax candle. The light’s energy source, embedded solar cells, is concealed in the solid brass stand, shown in an oil-rubbed bronze finish. The style is very low-tech, but is quite the opposite with a hidden timer that is set according to geographic location. The LED bulbs will last for three to five years.

Because the solar-powered energy source does not require an external electricity supply, there is no wiring involved, which makes installation easy and allows the fixture to be easily moved around an outdoor landscape.

CL Sterling & Son, 860.739.2720, http://www.clsterling.com/

Super Innovative Solar Technology

I am investigating solar with a client of mine for their new home. There has been a recent change in many HOA's rules and approaches to allowing solar in their communities - which is great. Energy has become such a hot issue, that HOA's and the courts have realized that they can't restrict or refuse to allow people to use solar power. Still, many people don't like the unsightly, huge solar panels which you typically think of for gathering and storing the energy. Plus, solar is often very expensive if you intend to make a meaningful effort at reducing your energy consumption.

GREAT NEWS! There is a new company in Silicon Valley who have revolutionized the way solar collectors are manufactured and installed. They are combining two of the hottest trends in technology today - solar with nanotechnology to make a super thin, super economical solar collector. The company is called, very simply, Nanosolar. They have been getting a lot of attention from the media and expect to be very busy this next year producing at full capacity of their new plant.

The new generation of solar collectors is thin and flexible, allowing for innovative applications.