SunPower Corporation, along with Japanese electronics giant Toshiba, are extending their mutually beneficial solar panel deal until 2018. With the expanded partnership, SunPower will give more than 100 megawatts (MW) of its highest efficiency residential solar panels to Toshiba to sell in the Japanese market, a news release stated. … [continued]
The Chevy Volt is outselling over 50% of cars on the market. The Volt is one of Fox News’ favorite things to pick on (despite it essentially winning European Car of the Year), but that isn’t stopping people from buying it up, according to a recent study. While the … [continued]
The city of Rome, Italy is poised to welcome electric cars to its streets, according to Toshiba. The electronics giant announced this week that its Italian subsidiary Ansaldo Transmissione & Distribuzione S.p.A (Ansaldo T&D) won a contract to supply a smart grid distribution system to ACEA Distribuzione S.p.A (Gruppo ACEA), one of Italy’s leading public utilities. The system will include solar power arrays and storage batteries, as well as a control unit and smart meters.
Toshiba Home Appliance of the Toshiba Group has introduced the world’s first voice controlled air conditioner – the Daiseikai VOiCE NDR Series. There are 13 models with a variety of functions and colors. As with most Japanese A/C units, it is meant to be mounted on the wall and controlled via remote control. Having lost my remote control countless times, the voice activation feature seems pretty handy. From Toshiba’s point of view, they developed the voice command system to introduce simplicity and an intuitive user interface to a multifunctional and potentially confusing home appliance.
With so many different companies producing solar cells and solar arrays, it’s a pretty competitive field. Toshiba’s 22.6% conversion efficiency ranks near the top – in the lab. Toshiba has stated its results in the field, so to speak, are at 19.3% conversion efficiency, putting its Residential Solar Module 240W right at the top.
Weekly roundup of other great stories we didn’t cover.
[social_buttons] The Cleantech Group has just released its latest quarterly report of new clean energy patents, the Clean Energy Patent Growth Index (CEPGI). It shows that the number of clean energy patents issued in the first quarter of 2010 hit a record high. 379 US patents were granted. Solar energy, … [continued]
Many of us are accustomed to watching TV on high-quality plasma and LCD screens, but we pay a severe price in energy inefficiency. Toshiba has come up with a solution to our energy woes: flexible OLED paper that doubles as a TV screen.
Steve Jobs’ absence hasn’t prevented exciting things from happening at this week’s MacWorld Expo in San Francisco. This morning, Apple unveiled the new 17 inch MacBook Pro, complete with a new energy efficient lithium-polymer battery.
This past week, Toshiba exhibited a snazzy power-assisted bicycle manufactured by Cannondale Sports Group that uses a quick-charging lithium ion battery. The SCiB battery uses lithium titanate for enhanced safety and is made up of ten battery cells connected in series.
