connected, wireless and smart urban furniture and infrastructure

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Are micro grids the answer to climate change?

Wildfires in California are tragic and incredibly expensive.  Many lives lost.  Property and homes lost.  Livelihoods lost.  Sensitive habitat and wildlife lost. At well over $9 Billion, damages from the 2018 wildfires in Northern California…
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Grid (un)reliability

US utilities have traditionally been known for high reliability, but all that is changing.  Fast. With power lines causing some of the biggest fires in US history, utilities are learning to cope with the risk by simply switching power…
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Can your bench do this? Here’s how solar furniture attracts visitors and makes your company look amazing.

Ah, the good old bench. It’s the background subject of affection in many movies. A couple holding hands on a park bench. An old man sitting on a bench feeding pigeons. Two strangers sitting on a bench engaging in a conversation on a beautiful…
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Hackers Infect Cameras, DVRs to Pull off Massive Internet Breach

With the internet becoming integral to just about everything in our lives, building owners are connecting their buildings and machines - the Internet of Things (IoT).  With this, is a mad rush by vendors, big and small to launch wireless products.…
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Blockchain-based microgrid gives power to consumers

A new project in New York City is letting residents buy and sell renewable energy to each other, bypassing the central authority and the associated costs.  Could this be the future of distributed energy?  If so, what are the impediments? Who…
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Electric Car Drivers, “We’ll Never Go Back To Gasoline”

Fully nine out of 10 electric-car drivers say they won't go back to cars with internal-combustion engines, according to a new Ford survey. More often than not, that specifically means a battery electric car, Stephanie Janczak--Ford's Manager…
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Vote for smart campus sustainability!

If you or your institution care about climate change, lowering energy bills or student safety, we ask you to vote for 3fficient to win a $100k grant, so we can bring you free solar power, improved student safety and education. CLICK HERE…
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My first year with an electric vehicle.

My first year with an electric vehicle has been very interesting. Buying a vehicle is a major purchase.  So, like most married couples, my wife and I discuss and agree upon all major decisions before hand.  In this case, it was my idea,…
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It’s time to cut loose!

Spring is here and along with it come all the amazing colors and festivities.  Enjoying the warm weather and the upcoming Earth Day celebrations reminds us of the fragile shrinking planet we all share.  Nobody is more keenly aware of that…
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It all boils down to the next 15 years

US Congress has gotten really good at kicking the can down the road, especially when it comes to climate change.  Doesn't matter what party is in power.  It's really up to the city leaders to take action - now.  Here's why. A major new…
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How to cut your carbon footprint by 30% overnight.

Over 90% of all American adults today have a cell phone, smart phone or tablet.  100% of all those devices use batteries - that need recharging nearly every single day!  Approximately 30% of all building energy use in the U.S. goes to plug…

Where to charge all those laptops and gadgets?

Every student comes to school with at least a laptop, tablet or smart phone in their backpack these days.  Then they need to recharge them a lot!  For many universities, that amounts to tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars a year in electricity…
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The Fossil Folly

The Truth About America’s Addiction While consumers defend their addiction to driving, automakers defend their addiction to old internal combustion technology and utilities defend their addiction to fossil fuels, we all must find a real…