TECHNOLOGY doesn’t always mean gadgets requiring the bowing of heads: the third European Union-Philippines Meeting on Energy revealed it’s also above the noggin.
Two high-tech products on display at the exposition during the meeting in a Pasay City mall last month provide such examples, using power from the sun: window cladding-cum-solar panel and solar-powered air vents.
The former was produced by integrating photovoltaic (PV) cells with glass windows. Documents from a company calling itself Morning Sun Inc. said its product achieves several things: provide a façade, retrieve energy from the sun and offer an aesthetically pleasing exterior.
According to documents provided by the company, the cost of solar panels installed on rooftops are separate from the cost of the building. But in the case of Morning Sun’s product, the costs are included in the building’s construction.
The technology is about 10 years old and originated in Japan, the company’s documents said.
On the other hand, another device replaces those ugly rotating exhaust fans mounted on roofs of buildings that suck away heat from and suck in air to a structure’s interior.
Documents from Solar Star Energy Inc. revealed it has come up with a product that has a similar function but is hardly noticeable when viewed from the streets.
The company claims its roof-mounted attic fan reduces condensation or moisture and, at the same time, transforms any roof vent into an eco-friendly solar-powered vent.
A similar product from Philippine Geogreen Inc. (PGI) is also mounted on the roof but replaces the skylight, usually a rectangular hole punched through the roof and covered with opaque materials to let in light.
Called the Solar Tube, PGI’s product is not only nice to look at but is more efficient as it has reflective materials built into it and sucks out the heat and ultraviolet (UV) lights with the installation of UV inhibitors inside the tube.
It does not consume electricity and, therefore, prolongs the life of light-emitting diode products in the building. These solar tubes come in different sizes, starting with the 10-inch diameter, 14, 21 and the largest at 29 inches for factories and gymnasiums. The small diameter tubes are for residential buildings, according to PGI documents.