Hydrogen Fuel Cells in your Computer?

Yes, you read the title correctly... in the near future, will hydrogen fuel cells supply power to our computers and cell phones? According to Apple, most definitely. Recently, the US Patent and Trademark office released a patent, filed by Apple in 2010, to manufacture portable fuel cell recharging stations and an embedded fuel cell inside mobile electronics. The fuel cells would be capable of both providing power and receiving power from a battery. The patent claims the fuel cell technology could power a mobile device for weeks. Weeks! Whether or not this new technology is in the works for Apple, or if it is just an attempt to corner a future market remains to be seen, but the prospects of using your computer for weeks without recharging is very exciting. 

Photo Credit: http://www.gizmag.com/apple-fuel-cell-system-patent-application/20958/pictures#2

We here at Venture are keeping our fingers crossed for super-efficient computer batteries. Not only will this be much more convenient, but fuel cell technology will cut-down the amount of nasty chemicals and rare earth-metals needed to manufacture computers and cell phones. Let's hope that Apple has good things coming our way!

Harding and Shelton Offices Featured on AIA Oklahoma's Website!

Have you been on AIA Oklahoma's website recently?

photo credit: www.aiaok.org

If so, you may have seen a photo of the Harding & Shelton Offices featured on the main page. Located in Oklahoma City, Venture Architecture's design just won a Citation Award for the Interior Design of the Harding & Shelton Offices.

Check it out here! (You may have to click refresh a few times before getting to a Venture image)

You can also check out all of the winners here.

More Good News from the Solar Industry!

More good news is coming from the solar industry! Even with the ongoing scrutiny and criticism of solar power,  technology continues to improve, financing is more accessible, and "the price of solar energy-generated electricity, calculated by a legitimate levelized cost of energy (LCOE) method, is now competitive in many regions with the price of electricity generated by conventional sources." What does that mean? Solar, in many regions, is just as cheap, or in some locations cheaper, than the electricity you get from the grid! A main reason for this big drop in pricing is due in large part to overly-conservative LCOE calculations that neglected the long life-span of PV panels, and the low to almost non-existent maintenance costs. Compared to the costs of maintaining a power plant, these low costs seem even more obvious. Finally, this study does NOT include any of the cost benefits associated with cleaner energy when compared to coal or natural gas. If those values were included, solar pricing could drop below grid parity. You can find the full article here, and the full study with data here.

 photo credit: http://www.nrel.gov/learning/re_photovoltaics.html

Another story from the solar industry could prove just as beneficial to the ongoing quest for renewable energy sources. Xiaoyang Zhu, a chemist at The University of Texas at Austin, may have discovered a way to improve the efficiency of solar panels by 50% to 100%! You can read the full article here at Joe Romm's blog Climate Progress. Basically, "the maximum theoretical efficiency of the silicon solar cell in use today is approximately 31 percent, because much of the sun’s energy hitting the cell is too high to be turned into usable electricity. That energy, in the form of “hot electrons,” is instead lost as heat. Capturing hot electrons could potentially increase the efficiency of solar-to-electric power conversion to as high as 66 percent." The article explains the process in more detail which is a little to technical for me to try and explain.

photo credit: http://www.nrel.gov/learning/re_photovoltaics.html

For the architectural world, this could me more buildings covered in PV installations. It will be important for architects to design new buildings with the proper solar orientation, in order to for the clients to take advantage of solar power, while providing a proper installation surface and making the building aesthetically pleasing. If panel efficiency improved by 100%, smaller arrays could be possible, but would still need a properly oriented surface. The most exciting prospect is for buildings to be ZNE or Zero Net Energy. If panel efficiency doubled, proper solar orientation utilized and mechanical systems are made smaller by use of natural ventilation and passive solar heating, buildings could actually put energy back into the grid. A huge and very exciting prospect for everyone in the building industry! We here at Venture Architecture cannot wait to get our hands on such a project!

Follow the GreenTech industry here: http://www.greentechmedia.com/

Follow Joe Romm's blog Climate Progress at www.thinkprogress.org/romm/issue
   
* Author's note: Romm's blog can be very political at times. Please note that we here at Venture Architecture may not share the same political views as the blog. Nevertheless, Romm's blog provides a lot of great information on renewable energy and the overall climate.

-Will Campbell

Design Miami features an installation by David Adjaye

Last week's Design Miami event in Miami Beach featured an installation by David Adjaye, architect of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Denver. Adjaye was honored with the fair's Designer of the Year award. Design Miami is a part of a global art forum associated with Art Basel in Switzerland that celebrates design culture and commerce. Each year it attracts collectors, designers, curators and critics interested in viewing the best in cutting edge design from around the world. 

Photo by Fred A. Bernstein

Adjaye's installation titled "Genesis" was commissioned for the fair and placed at the entrance to the venue. The triangular pavilion is design as "architectural furniture," with hundreds of vertical hanging timbers creating a structural and sculptural volume.