Want Some Green Energy With That New Roof?

In 2007, Dow Chemical received $20 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Energy to develop “building integrated” solar arrays for the residential and commercial markets. Which lead Dow to form the Solar Solutions business unit and invest more than $100 million in solar solutions.

This past October the company unveiled its product called Powerhouse Solar Shingles, which can be nailed to a roof like ordinary shingles by roofers without the help of specially trained solar installers or electricians. The solar shingles should cost 30% – 40% less than other solar-embedded building materials and 10% less than the combined costs of conventional roofing materials and rack-mounted solar panels, according to company officials.

The majority of solar technology today is built around silicon-based solar cells, Dow’s technology uses a much more cost-effective and durable PV material called CIGS (Copper Indium Gallium diSelenide). The new thin-film technology is incorporated into the product by over-molding the cells with a proprietary Dow polymer formulation, resulting in a unique product design that has similar reveal, weight, and installation practices as an asphalt shingle. (more…)

Hi Everyone!  Thanks for all of your thoughts and humor!  It is greatly
appreciated.  So here is the latest.

IKE will be coming in between Freeport and Houston.  These two cities are
only 50 miles apart.  So, in essence, Houston is going to get hit hard for
being on the dirty end of it.

The surge in Galveston Bay will push floodwaters into Houston, damaging areas
that include the nation’s biggest refineries and NASA’s Johnson Space Center.
The Ship Channel will also get a huge part of the surge.  So I am sure that
those big ships will be anchored pretty well.  With the surge being predicted (more…)