David Gulyas

SolCool Solar Air Conditioners

Inhabitat has the latest on the SolCool Millennia 4.0 Solar Air Conditioner. This is an encouraging sign that the HVAC industry is waking up to the possibilities of using the power of the sun at one of the times it is needed most: in hot houses on hot summer days.  Love this technology, but it would also be nice if builders would design houses that don't need to be cooled...

Hybrid Lighting Brings Sunlight In Even without Windows

Hybrid lighting, currently available only for large-scale commercial buildings, is an exciting new technology that could greatly lower buildings' carbon emissions.  Marilyn Brown, of the Georgia Institute of Technology, worked with scientists at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory to develop it.

Marilyn Brown: "So you have roof mounted collectors that concentrate the sunlight into optical fibers. And these fibers carry the sunlight into the building, into light fixtures. These light fixtures also contain electric lamps. For instance, they may be combined with fluorescent tubes. So that, whether there is sunshine or not, the lighting in that room will be very bright and appealing." 

Sunlight Direct plans to start beta testing a residential model in 2008.