Tag: Materials
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Thin-Film Solar Cell Approaches Efficiency Record
A Copper Zinc Tin Selenide (CZTSe) solar cell technology has achieved an efficiency of 9.7% and an open-circuit voltage of 0.41 volts, a bit less than the 0.5 volts that most silicon-based solar cells achieve. (Solar cells are generally connected in series, which multiplies their voltage by the number of cells in the series connection.)…
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ABC Green Home Wins Best Zero Net Energy Home Design at PCBC 2013 Golden Nugget Awards
Early in June, the Pacific Coast Building Conference presented its 50th Annual Golden Nugget Awards to architects and developers at its annual convention dubbed The Art, Science + Business of Housing. The awards are given to firms that show “excellence and innovation in addressing complex design/build issues.” KTGY Group, Inc., Architecture + Planning was named…
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A Journey Throught the Natural Building Techniques: Cob
Hopefully, through my last articles, I’ve created a curiosity in many of you about the creative world of Natural Building. But before you decide to march off into your backyard, stick a shovel into the ground, and start building your very own cob cottage, it’s a good idea to have an understanding of what cob…
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Guest Post: PVC’s Resilience and Its Foreseeable Future
In the 1960s Dustin Hoffman movie, “The Graduate,” a man hoisting a drink at a cocktail party declares to a business associate: “The future’s in plastic.” As time marched on, it turned out these words were absolutely correct, whether or not you happen to like the material, and the chemical formulations that make the material…
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Why Custom Home Builders Favour Rammed Earth Construction
If there is one method of building a green home that has gained popularity among custom homebuilders, it is rammed earth construction. This construction method is not necessarily new, having been used by various civilisations in the past. Today, many designers and builders favour its use because of its natural beauty, versatility and numerous other…