Beth Lock described her office as a scene from "Willy Wonka," with purple paint speckling the walls and light bulbs rotating on a clunky contraption.
Though Lock doesn't own a choco-late factory, her custom color-light-ing business, Special FX Lighting, Inc., has offered eye candy to clients across the country for 27 years.
Clients have included major theme parks, Broadway productions, the Panama Bridge, Dollywood, the Jefferson Memorial and the newly named MetLife Stadium in New Jersey where both the New York Giants and New York Jets profes-sional football teams play.
For the stadium to shine green lights for the Jets one day and blue for the Giants the next, Lock developed a quick-change lens system for the 257 lighting fixtures on the structure.
"Apparently, they can change out all 257 fixtures in four hours," she said.
Lock said she would not have cho-sen this profession, but a quirky skill her partner possessed and several years of failed attempts finally led her to a successful niche business that continues to offer innovative lighting in a changing industry.
"I love to talk about my business," Lock said as she showed the expansion of her Hurricane office space, where all the inventing, manufacturing and shipping of her products takes place.
"It's an amazing company that's sitting right here in Hurricane," said the Dixie Business Alliance's Small Business Development Center Director Len Erickson. The alliance is a nonprofit dedicated to serving businesses like Lock's.
Niche businesses that persevere and reinvent themselves with the changing times are important to the local economy, Erickson said, and part of what Gov. Gary Herbert wanted to illustrate with Entrepreneur Day in Utah this week.
But it hasn't been a brightly lit path the whole way for Lock and her employees.
In January 2010, Lock owed balloon payments on loans for which she didn't have the money because the struggling economy hit her business hard, and the bank wouldn't refinance.
"For a few years, it was all rock 'n' roll," she said of the once-booming company. "You watch it go away, like a rollercoaster. I was 57 years old. I had to hold onto my business. No one would hire me."
This included letting go seven of her 12 employees, removing health insurance benefits and increasing rates, but the painstaking steps worked, and Lock's business survived.
It was also a close call for Carlos and Teresa Mendez last year, when the business Carlos worked for was about to shut down, putting more than a dozen employees out of work.
2011年9月30日星期五
2011年9月29日星期四
The Way it Was: Columnist recalls how he started after 1,200 installments
I went home, wrote three columns and brought them to his office. I was told to leave them there and that he would call me. I was certain I'd never hear from him again. After all, I had no training as a writer beyond what I learned in high school.
To my great surprise, he called early the next morning with a simple message that changed my life. He said, "I'll take all you can write!"
Within the first six months, there was enough interest in my writing and enough people telling me I should "write a book" that I did just that.
The book took longer and cost more than having a baby.
I write almost everything from memory. Once in a while I'll do some research or ask for ideas or details but what I write is like the memories we all have of our first grade teacher being an "old lady" when she probably was not yet 30 years of age.
I did a whole series of interviews with local residents and got them to tell me all about themselves, their families and their own memories of the way it was way back when. In recent times, some of those people died and I was pleased to see copies of what I had written on display at their wakes.
There have been some fun times, too. Like the time my young editor corrected what he thought was a typo and changed the word Petty to pretty. He didn't know that a Petty Girl was an air brushed drawing of a wholesome and very attractive pin up girl, made famous by an artist named George Petty.
Subject material for my columns ranges from names, dates and places, to jokes both old and new, to opinions about what many people call "progress" and personal stories of my life and the people I have known and loved.
Most of the time, I write about "The Way It Was" as I remember it.
I like to recall the past and how different things were when compared to the way they are now.
Sometimes younger readers wonder if things really were the way I remember them. As one of my readers said, "Old timers know what I'm talking about."
It must be very difficult for those who are not old enough to even begin to understand the past. There is a tendency to believe that everything always was the way it is now. I think it is important to know how interconnected everything was. How one new invention led to another and another until the old ways became just fading memories in the minds of old people like me.
When I am asked a specific question about the past, it is difficult to give a simple answer. The computer I use to type these columns did not appear all at once. It evolved over time. Electricity was discovered, electric light bulbs were invented, and radio tubes that looked like light bulbs made radio and television possible. Then came the transistor, the TV picture tube and the computer. All interconnected.
I often wish I could talk to every one of my readers. To find out what they remember about the past. Do my columns remind them of something in their lives? Maybe the first time they talked on a telephone, or the first time they drove a car?
I wonder if some day, maybe a hundred years from now, someone will read my columns and wonder if that's the way it really was a long time ago.
To my great surprise, he called early the next morning with a simple message that changed my life. He said, "I'll take all you can write!"
Within the first six months, there was enough interest in my writing and enough people telling me I should "write a book" that I did just that.
The book took longer and cost more than having a baby.
I write almost everything from memory. Once in a while I'll do some research or ask for ideas or details but what I write is like the memories we all have of our first grade teacher being an "old lady" when she probably was not yet 30 years of age.
I did a whole series of interviews with local residents and got them to tell me all about themselves, their families and their own memories of the way it was way back when. In recent times, some of those people died and I was pleased to see copies of what I had written on display at their wakes.
There have been some fun times, too. Like the time my young editor corrected what he thought was a typo and changed the word Petty to pretty. He didn't know that a Petty Girl was an air brushed drawing of a wholesome and very attractive pin up girl, made famous by an artist named George Petty.
Subject material for my columns ranges from names, dates and places, to jokes both old and new, to opinions about what many people call "progress" and personal stories of my life and the people I have known and loved.
Most of the time, I write about "The Way It Was" as I remember it.
I like to recall the past and how different things were when compared to the way they are now.
Sometimes younger readers wonder if things really were the way I remember them. As one of my readers said, "Old timers know what I'm talking about."
It must be very difficult for those who are not old enough to even begin to understand the past. There is a tendency to believe that everything always was the way it is now. I think it is important to know how interconnected everything was. How one new invention led to another and another until the old ways became just fading memories in the minds of old people like me.
When I am asked a specific question about the past, it is difficult to give a simple answer. The computer I use to type these columns did not appear all at once. It evolved over time. Electricity was discovered, electric light bulbs were invented, and radio tubes that looked like light bulbs made radio and television possible. Then came the transistor, the TV picture tube and the computer. All interconnected.
I often wish I could talk to every one of my readers. To find out what they remember about the past. Do my columns remind them of something in their lives? Maybe the first time they talked on a telephone, or the first time they drove a car?
I wonder if some day, maybe a hundred years from now, someone will read my columns and wonder if that's the way it really was a long time ago.
2011年9月28日星期三
In cycling, the fast lane brings danger
Weylandt was the 10th professional cyclist to die in a crash during a road race since Fabio Casartelli, an Olympic gold medalist, was killed at the Tour de France in 1995. Most of the other deaths, with the exception of Andrei Kivilev's during the Paris-Nice season opener in 2003, came in less-prominent races and attracted relatively little attention.
The growing danger in professional cycling is not limited to fatalities.
The sport does not keep accident statistics, but riders and cycling officials agree that the number and severity of race accidents have escalated significantly in recent years.
"There are a lot more dangers than 20 years ago," said Pat McQuaid, the president of the cycling union, which is more commonly known by the initials of its name in French, UCI. "But you can't compare a death in a cycling accident and an NFL player going into a tackle and not coming up. In the Weylandt case, it was an accident out of the blue."
"When I started racing, they told me that crashes are part of the contract," said Marco Pinotti, a prominent Italian rider who broke his pelvis in another crash in this year's Giro and was hospitalized for several weeks. "This is a dangerous sport, and it will always be a dangerous sport. But I think in the last few years, it looks like crashes have increased and become more severe because the speed is higher, the technology of the bikes has changed, and the level and size of the peloton is higher, much higher."
Pinotti, who became a professional 12 years ago, is now recovered and made his comeback this month in Quebec and in Montreal, the only North American races that are part of the UCI World Tour, which also includes the Tour de France and the Giro.
Craig Lewis, Pinotti's teammate and another Giro crash victim, has been less fortunate. Speaking from his home in South Carolina, Lewis said that he had regained only 75 percent to 80 percent of his usual form and that he probably faces additional surgery on a leg he broke in the crash. He did, however, finish the USA Pro Cycling Challenge last month in Colorado.
Pinotti and Lewis were brought down by a common problem. In a bid to slow auto traffic, towns, cities and villages throughout Europe have narrowed roads near their entrances, added speed bumps and introduced islands and traffic circles. In the Giro, Pinotti and Lewis came around a corner on a descent and struck a small metal pole on an island in the middle of the road.
But Mauro Vegni, then the race director for the Giro organizer, RCS Sport, issued a statement saying, "Where Weylandt lost control of the bike and fell, there were no obstacles, there were no vehicles stationary or moving, and the road surface had no defects or irregularities." Vegni added that riders' statements to the police indicated that as Weylandt looked backward on a downhill, his pedal hit a wall beside the road, apparently causing his spill.
The growing danger in professional cycling is not limited to fatalities.
The sport does not keep accident statistics, but riders and cycling officials agree that the number and severity of race accidents have escalated significantly in recent years.
"There are a lot more dangers than 20 years ago," said Pat McQuaid, the president of the cycling union, which is more commonly known by the initials of its name in French, UCI. "But you can't compare a death in a cycling accident and an NFL player going into a tackle and not coming up. In the Weylandt case, it was an accident out of the blue."
"When I started racing, they told me that crashes are part of the contract," said Marco Pinotti, a prominent Italian rider who broke his pelvis in another crash in this year's Giro and was hospitalized for several weeks. "This is a dangerous sport, and it will always be a dangerous sport. But I think in the last few years, it looks like crashes have increased and become more severe because the speed is higher, the technology of the bikes has changed, and the level and size of the peloton is higher, much higher."
Pinotti, who became a professional 12 years ago, is now recovered and made his comeback this month in Quebec and in Montreal, the only North American races that are part of the UCI World Tour, which also includes the Tour de France and the Giro.
Craig Lewis, Pinotti's teammate and another Giro crash victim, has been less fortunate. Speaking from his home in South Carolina, Lewis said that he had regained only 75 percent to 80 percent of his usual form and that he probably faces additional surgery on a leg he broke in the crash. He did, however, finish the USA Pro Cycling Challenge last month in Colorado.
Pinotti and Lewis were brought down by a common problem. In a bid to slow auto traffic, towns, cities and villages throughout Europe have narrowed roads near their entrances, added speed bumps and introduced islands and traffic circles. In the Giro, Pinotti and Lewis came around a corner on a descent and struck a small metal pole on an island in the middle of the road.
But Mauro Vegni, then the race director for the Giro organizer, RCS Sport, issued a statement saying, "Where Weylandt lost control of the bike and fell, there were no obstacles, there were no vehicles stationary or moving, and the road surface had no defects or irregularities." Vegni added that riders' statements to the police indicated that as Weylandt looked backward on a downhill, his pedal hit a wall beside the road, apparently causing his spill.
2011年9月27日星期二
Ever Ordered Honey By Bicycling Delivery Bee?
When walking by Kristy Allen's booth at Kingfield Farmers Market you can't help but notice a bicycle painted like a bee. Beside it is a small, and equally striking, chuckwagon-shaped bike trailer that sports a stinger.
The trailer goes by the name "the honey buggy" and is used to transport honey around the city to various events.
"This whole thing was kind of a happy accident," Allen said speaking of how her delivery business, The Beez Kneez, got started.
After dressing like a bee for Halloween and needing to repaint her bike for winter, Allen came upon the idea of painting her bike like a bee.
This inspired Allen to start delivering the honey she harvests from her uncle's ranch in Squaw Lake, Minnesota dressed in bee costume.
"It's pretty neat to make people smile just by biking," Allen said.
Allen lives in Northeast Minneapolis but delivers throughout the city.
While the idea for the business may sound funny, Allen is serious about her honey.
While Allen had helped her uncle with his bees, and has worked with bees in Arkansas and Ecuador, the 2011 season is Allen's first year keeping her own hives. The overly-dry weather later in the summer made for a challenging year but Allen managed to harvest honey in the end of July.
This weekend at Kingfield Market Allen was selling two varieties of raw, unprocessed honey. Buckwheat honey is reddish brown in color and has a strong earthy taste, while clover and basswood honey is light gold in color and is milder in taste. The nectar of the flowers is what influences the flavor.
As Allen will tell you, the taste difference between commercial honey and local, unprocessed honey is significant. Raw honey is creamier and has a more complex, rich flavor than processed honey.
Market-goers can taste the difference for themselves at Kingfield Market on Sundays, but for those of you who never quite get up in time to make it to the Farmers Market, there's always the possibility of getting your honey delivered by a bee on a bicycle.
The trailer goes by the name "the honey buggy" and is used to transport honey around the city to various events.
"This whole thing was kind of a happy accident," Allen said speaking of how her delivery business, The Beez Kneez, got started.
After dressing like a bee for Halloween and needing to repaint her bike for winter, Allen came upon the idea of painting her bike like a bee.
This inspired Allen to start delivering the honey she harvests from her uncle's ranch in Squaw Lake, Minnesota dressed in bee costume.
"It's pretty neat to make people smile just by biking," Allen said.
Allen lives in Northeast Minneapolis but delivers throughout the city.
While the idea for the business may sound funny, Allen is serious about her honey.
While Allen had helped her uncle with his bees, and has worked with bees in Arkansas and Ecuador, the 2011 season is Allen's first year keeping her own hives. The overly-dry weather later in the summer made for a challenging year but Allen managed to harvest honey in the end of July.
This weekend at Kingfield Market Allen was selling two varieties of raw, unprocessed honey. Buckwheat honey is reddish brown in color and has a strong earthy taste, while clover and basswood honey is light gold in color and is milder in taste. The nectar of the flowers is what influences the flavor.
As Allen will tell you, the taste difference between commercial honey and local, unprocessed honey is significant. Raw honey is creamier and has a more complex, rich flavor than processed honey.
Market-goers can taste the difference for themselves at Kingfield Market on Sundays, but for those of you who never quite get up in time to make it to the Farmers Market, there's always the possibility of getting your honey delivered by a bee on a bicycle.
2011年9月25日星期日
Nitehawk Cinema and Apartments by Caliper Studio
Though primarily known as Wiliamsburg's only first-run movie house, this project is in actuality an expansive 23,000 square foot mixed-use building with three floors of residential apartments above the cinemas, bar, cafe commercial kitchen housed in the retrofitted brick warehouse below. All of the apartments have access to outdoor space in the form of private roof decks at the penthouse level and shared courtyard access for the floors below. Caliper Studio designed all phases of the project from the earliest design studies through the construction process.
In addition to designing the theater and apartments, Caliper Studio fabricated several major building components, including the steel and glass residential lobby floor, the linear awning element and the signature zinc and cast-glass LED facade.
The building features a custom zinc panel facade on the three upper stories with 2,000 cast glass disks backlit by low voltage LED lights and arrayed in an irregular pattern that sweeps down to the entrance of the cinema. The new naturally weathered zinc facade above complements the yellow brick of the existing portion of the building at street level. The facade design and fabrication process was extensively documented on Caliper Studio's Flicker site.
The existing building footprint occupies the entire lot between Metropolitan Avenue and North First Street which provided the opportunity to give the three story addition an "L" shape creating apartments of different shapes and a roof terrace directly above the main cinema.
The interior decor is composed of repurposed and vintage items, with each theater and bar space given their own aesthetic focus. The cafe includes old barbershop cabinets in place of traditional liquor shelves, taxidermy on the wall, and custom tables and banquets constructed from reclaimed materials. A studio prop Marquee, reminiscent of old movie houses from a forgotten era, frames the lobby bar.
The two larger theaters have car bucket seats originally designed in the 1950's by Ford Motor Company. The small screening room has seats rescued from a Masonic Temple and customized with wheels for mobility, useful for when the room transforms into the lounge after-hours. Each of the theaters has custom designed two-person underlit tables, created specifically to simultaneously compliment movie watching and dining without distraction.
In addition to designing the theater and apartments, Caliper Studio fabricated several major building components, including the steel and glass residential lobby floor, the linear awning element and the signature zinc and cast-glass LED facade.
The building features a custom zinc panel facade on the three upper stories with 2,000 cast glass disks backlit by low voltage LED lights and arrayed in an irregular pattern that sweeps down to the entrance of the cinema. The new naturally weathered zinc facade above complements the yellow brick of the existing portion of the building at street level. The facade design and fabrication process was extensively documented on Caliper Studio's Flicker site.
The existing building footprint occupies the entire lot between Metropolitan Avenue and North First Street which provided the opportunity to give the three story addition an "L" shape creating apartments of different shapes and a roof terrace directly above the main cinema.
The interior decor is composed of repurposed and vintage items, with each theater and bar space given their own aesthetic focus. The cafe includes old barbershop cabinets in place of traditional liquor shelves, taxidermy on the wall, and custom tables and banquets constructed from reclaimed materials. A studio prop Marquee, reminiscent of old movie houses from a forgotten era, frames the lobby bar.
The two larger theaters have car bucket seats originally designed in the 1950's by Ford Motor Company. The small screening room has seats rescued from a Masonic Temple and customized with wheels for mobility, useful for when the room transforms into the lounge after-hours. Each of the theaters has custom designed two-person underlit tables, created specifically to simultaneously compliment movie watching and dining without distraction.
2011年9月23日星期五
Ann Arbor-based LED display maker plans to double staff as revenue rises
It's an unusually late surge in momentum for a company that was founded in 2003 — but it's reflective of increased sales in the light-emitting diode (LED) market.
The company is also close to finalizing an investment of several hundred thousand dollars from the Michigan Pre-Seed Capital Fund, which is managed by economic development group Ann Arbor SPARK on behalf of the Michigan Economic Development Corp. and the state's 15 SmartZones.
Estrakon CEO Matt Shumate said the investment would help the company purchase new equipment and expand its sales and marketing efforts. He said the company is projecting $3 million revenue in 2011 and $9 million in 2012. That's up from $830,000 in 2010. The company also plans to hire about 13 new employees next year, up from 11 currently.
Many manufacturers are producing LED bulbs, but few are making animated and static lighting displays for the commercial market, he said. LED-powered displays last longer and use less electricity than florescent lighting.
Estrakon already had a strong position in LED displays for the beverage industry — with clients such as beer-maker MillerCoors — but the company is now securing new clients in other sectors, including automotive, wireless and home improvement.
"We have definitely sprouted outside the beverage world," Shumate said.
The diversification of its client base is powering the company's production expansion. Estrakon expects to produce between 14,000 and 18,000 units in 2011, up from 5,000 to 8,000 in 2010, Shumate estimated. The company's LED-edge products include lighting for point-of-sale devices, shelf lighting and architectural applications.
"Just about anything is switching over from fluorescent to LED lighting if it can," Shumate said.
The company's entire operation is currently based at a 10,000-square-foot facility on Varsity Drive — where Estrakon has room to grow.
"We are proud to say that our products are all made in Michigan," Shumate said. "We are doing all of the engineering and electronics design, all of the layout and prototyping and production and assembly all from our Ann Arbor facility."
He added: "What's really been getting us traction is all of our customers are pulling back from the amount of product they buy from overseas. Every week I'm asked if we are still producing our product in the United States and domestically and, of course, I say yes."
Shumate said producing LED displays in Ann Arbor is possible because outsourcing production overseas involves additional shipping costs, reduced quality and longer lead time. He said that for non-animated LED displays, clients often want a quick turnaround. Estrakon can deliver products in four weeks, while Chinese competitors take at least 12, he said.
The company is also close to finalizing an investment of several hundred thousand dollars from the Michigan Pre-Seed Capital Fund, which is managed by economic development group Ann Arbor SPARK on behalf of the Michigan Economic Development Corp. and the state's 15 SmartZones.
Estrakon CEO Matt Shumate said the investment would help the company purchase new equipment and expand its sales and marketing efforts. He said the company is projecting $3 million revenue in 2011 and $9 million in 2012. That's up from $830,000 in 2010. The company also plans to hire about 13 new employees next year, up from 11 currently.
Many manufacturers are producing LED bulbs, but few are making animated and static lighting displays for the commercial market, he said. LED-powered displays last longer and use less electricity than florescent lighting.
Estrakon already had a strong position in LED displays for the beverage industry — with clients such as beer-maker MillerCoors — but the company is now securing new clients in other sectors, including automotive, wireless and home improvement.
"We have definitely sprouted outside the beverage world," Shumate said.
The diversification of its client base is powering the company's production expansion. Estrakon expects to produce between 14,000 and 18,000 units in 2011, up from 5,000 to 8,000 in 2010, Shumate estimated. The company's LED-edge products include lighting for point-of-sale devices, shelf lighting and architectural applications.
"Just about anything is switching over from fluorescent to LED lighting if it can," Shumate said.
The company's entire operation is currently based at a 10,000-square-foot facility on Varsity Drive — where Estrakon has room to grow.
"We are proud to say that our products are all made in Michigan," Shumate said. "We are doing all of the engineering and electronics design, all of the layout and prototyping and production and assembly all from our Ann Arbor facility."
He added: "What's really been getting us traction is all of our customers are pulling back from the amount of product they buy from overseas. Every week I'm asked if we are still producing our product in the United States and domestically and, of course, I say yes."
Shumate said producing LED displays in Ann Arbor is possible because outsourcing production overseas involves additional shipping costs, reduced quality and longer lead time. He said that for non-animated LED displays, clients often want a quick turnaround. Estrakon can deliver products in four weeks, while Chinese competitors take at least 12, he said.
2011年9月22日星期四
ZERO-DOWN, LEASED SOLAR IS HOT. WHAT’S UP NEXT? LEASED ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEMS.
It’s not the technology it’s the “financial bite” that’s keeping energy storage systems out of solar powered buildings and building powered part time by intermittent renewable energy sources.
When will leased energy storage be offered? It’s hard to say but the pieces of this next phase of leasing home-brewed power are beginning to take shape:
Overall, zero money down leased solar systems are a bright spot in a dull economy. Advertising for solar power is all over the place: Internet, radio, television and in print. There’s a steady flow of new entrants into the business. Solar Universe, a traditional installer of solar systems, just got into to solar leasing business two months ago and already 40 percent of its clientele are opting for it. With so many home and business solar systems being installed it won’t be long before customers will be saying, “I want my solar power at night.” They’ll be asking for energy storage systems.
The cost of solar energy is dropping. The cost of zero-down leased solar should follow. The less the monthly payment for leased solar energy systems the more likely new customers of solar energy systems will agree to an additional fee for energy storage.
There are many energy storage technologies available that are suitable for solar electric energy storage Traditional lead acid batteries and zinc-bromide flow cells come to mind. But the technology to watch is lithium-ion batteries. At first glance lithium-ion technology is an overkill for energy storage for homes. Lithium-ion seems best suited for transportation, like cars and trucks, where light weight and small footprint are a necessity. Weight isn’t an issue in homes provided the potential battery weight is adequately supported. Floor space isn’t that much of an issue either. Still consumers have gotten used to nice neat compact high tech products. They might want their energy storage system to be neatly packaged as well: lithium-ion could provide that.
Lithium-ion has the ability to be recharged relatively quickly with enough voltage. Whatever energy storage system technology used it has to be able to recharged fully while the sun is in the sky. There might be bright sun for only a few hours a day. Solar systems and lithium-ion batteries could be engineered together to grab the brightest sunlight of the day and keep it for after dark.
It appears as though there may be some manufacturing overcapacity in the lithium-ion biz. If electrically driven cars don’t take off and battery makers who have geared up to meet that demand have excess capacity to produce they’ll be looking for new and additional opportunities for their products: Stationary energy storage systems would be it. Companies building batteries for electric and hybrid cars could easily adapt their products for homes, businesses and small industry.
A new technology might develop as well: Cogenerating batteries that provide heat and power. Some batteries, depending on the load, get quite toasty while charging and discharging. Thermal management – keeping the battery at the right temperature – can be particularly important with lithium-ion batteries. If this heat is in excess it could be used to heat water or heat a home or any building. Cogeneration has helped lower the cost and increase the efficiency of other energy technologies. It could add an new dimension to energy storage and lower its overall cost as well saving on heat as well as electricity.
When will leased energy storage be offered? It’s hard to say but the pieces of this next phase of leasing home-brewed power are beginning to take shape:
Overall, zero money down leased solar systems are a bright spot in a dull economy. Advertising for solar power is all over the place: Internet, radio, television and in print. There’s a steady flow of new entrants into the business. Solar Universe, a traditional installer of solar systems, just got into to solar leasing business two months ago and already 40 percent of its clientele are opting for it. With so many home and business solar systems being installed it won’t be long before customers will be saying, “I want my solar power at night.” They’ll be asking for energy storage systems.
The cost of solar energy is dropping. The cost of zero-down leased solar should follow. The less the monthly payment for leased solar energy systems the more likely new customers of solar energy systems will agree to an additional fee for energy storage.
There are many energy storage technologies available that are suitable for solar electric energy storage Traditional lead acid batteries and zinc-bromide flow cells come to mind. But the technology to watch is lithium-ion batteries. At first glance lithium-ion technology is an overkill for energy storage for homes. Lithium-ion seems best suited for transportation, like cars and trucks, where light weight and small footprint are a necessity. Weight isn’t an issue in homes provided the potential battery weight is adequately supported. Floor space isn’t that much of an issue either. Still consumers have gotten used to nice neat compact high tech products. They might want their energy storage system to be neatly packaged as well: lithium-ion could provide that.
Lithium-ion has the ability to be recharged relatively quickly with enough voltage. Whatever energy storage system technology used it has to be able to recharged fully while the sun is in the sky. There might be bright sun for only a few hours a day. Solar systems and lithium-ion batteries could be engineered together to grab the brightest sunlight of the day and keep it for after dark.
It appears as though there may be some manufacturing overcapacity in the lithium-ion biz. If electrically driven cars don’t take off and battery makers who have geared up to meet that demand have excess capacity to produce they’ll be looking for new and additional opportunities for their products: Stationary energy storage systems would be it. Companies building batteries for electric and hybrid cars could easily adapt their products for homes, businesses and small industry.
A new technology might develop as well: Cogenerating batteries that provide heat and power. Some batteries, depending on the load, get quite toasty while charging and discharging. Thermal management – keeping the battery at the right temperature – can be particularly important with lithium-ion batteries. If this heat is in excess it could be used to heat water or heat a home or any building. Cogeneration has helped lower the cost and increase the efficiency of other energy technologies. It could add an new dimension to energy storage and lower its overall cost as well saving on heat as well as electricity.
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