Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

Some of the most important innovations happening in energy today are happening far from the national media headlines. But these small changes will go a long way to making power more reliable, competitive, and local, with solar energy playing a central disruptive role that could dominate energy in the next century.

One of those moves happened yesterday, when SunPower bought a $20 million stake in Tendril and agreed to license its Energy Services Management Platform software. Here's what the deal means over the next few years.

SunPower's vision for a connected home. Image source: SunPower.

What this means for residential solar At its core, Tendril is essentially an energy data company. It collects and analyzes data about consumers' energy usage patterns, primarily learned from partnerships with utilities. SunPower can use this data in its installations to optimize a home's renewable energy consumption, provide stored energy when it's needed, adapt to changing policies for solar, and even improve sales by finding its ideal customers.

You can think of SunPower's capabilities with Tendril as a piece of the home of the future. SunPower will provide local energy production with solar panels, and with energy storage and connected devices SunPower can intelligently plan energy production and consumption based on consumers' desires. If a consumer wants to consume as little energy as possible the system can be set for that, just as it could be set to consume as much of your own energy production, or optimize for cost if there are rewards for sending energy to the grid at peak times. All of this will work in the background, similar to a car's eco mode, but it'll work to make energy more dynamic and controllable for consumers.

This will also be important for sales in a diverse number of locations. Different states and countries compensate solar energy producers in different ways, and in the future, demand response, dynamic pricing, and even net metering may look different than they do today. With intelligent energy production, consumption, and energy storage, a world of possibilities are opening up to adapt to the future.

SolarCity's energy storage system. Image source: SolarCity.

SunPower isn't going to control the smart home of the future, but it'll be a big piece of the pie. It will tie into a system like Home Kit for iOS or Control 4, which are the central controls for smart homes. It'll feed data to these systems, and from there washing machine cycles, air conditioning, and more can be controlled based on a consumer's desires.

Other small innovations impacting energy This isn't the only innovation happening in solar, and some of the industry's most important advances have happened far from the headlines. SolarCity 's acquisition of Zep Solar lowered installation time and cost, making solar more accessible to consumers.

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Solar Energy Becoming a Key Component in the Connected Home

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Nicky Hayden may be staying with the Drive M7 Aspar team - but he'll have a new bike, new engineers, new team-mate and, he hopes, a 'new' wrist for 2015.

The American's return to Honda after five years at Ducati was hampered by both the underpowered RCV1000R and then a debilitating wrist injury, which flared up overnight at Jerez (round four) and dogged Hayden for the remainder of the year.

Initial surgery after Mugello failed to resolve the pain and lack of mobility, prompting a second much more major operation that saw Hayden side-lined for four events.

The 2006 world champion returned for the final five rounds, made his debut on the new RC213V-RS in the post-season Valencia test, then returned to American to continue his rehabilitation.

I feel better every day. It wasn't easy to get back on the bike after the type of surgery I went through, Hayden said. It was a serious operation, they had to remove three bones from my wrist. I was able to control the pain and ride again, even though I wasn't back to my normal level, but gradually I recovered strength and feeling.

It is good for me that the season is over because it's a chance to continue the recovery. Since the end of the season I have been having injections of platelet-rich plasma. I have let my hand rest but I have also been doing a lot of work with the physio.

Hayden has plenty of motivation to get his wrist back in shape, with the knowledge that next year's Open class Honda will be powered by this year's title winning RC213V (pneumatic-valve) engine.

The bike must still run the standard electronics, and won't have a seamless shift gearbox, but this year's 20km/h top speed deficit should be a thing of the past.

My first impressions were positive, said Hayden, one of only two riders who got to try the bike at the Valencia test. Without doubt the biggest thing I noticed was the extra power, as well as the usual reliability and performance characteristics of a Honda. We were able to confirm the development that has been done with this bike so far and now we have to work on it more ourselves to understand it more and unlock its potential.

I am sure we will be more competitive in 2015 than we were last season. There is still some development to be done with the electronics but I think we are on the right path. We had a great chassis last season but we were down on power.

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Nicky Hayden: Turning the page

Tucson is getting its own Santacon this year. Sort of.

While some of the Santa-centric conferences that have sprouted up around the country have drawn rowdy revelers dressed in white beards and cheery red suits, Santa Crawl, the event that debuts Friday at Main Gate Square is family-friendly, and benefits a good cause.

Its just to have fun, says Jane McCollum, general manager of the Marshall Foundation and Main Gate Square.

Its a way for Tucsonans to enjoy an evening of shopping and dining amid holiday decorations and the relative peace that comes with winter break at the University of Arizona, she said. The event gets underway at 7 p.m.

And while its highly suggested that everyone arrive wearing white beard and red suit, its not mandatory. One incentive $200 cash prize for best holiday-themed costume.

Regardless of ones apparel, everyone is encouraged to ho-ho-ho like Santa and to be kind.

Main Gate Square is selling wristbands for $5 not to show proof of being 21 and over but to get deals at restaurants and shops around the block, McCollum said.

Buy a wristband at Gentle Bens, Auld Dubliner, Pasco Kitchen & Lounge, Fuku Sushi, Posners Art Store, Ooo! Outside of Ordinary and all of the proceeds will go to Bens Bells.

There are a variety of deals. For example, one of the shopping districts newest additions, Bear Track U, is offering complimentary mulled cider and cheesecake bites, along with 20 percent off beer or wine.

The holiday entertainment begins at Geronimo Plaza with a Santa Sing- A-Long led by the George Howard Band, which will perform after the singalong in the courtyard until 10 p.m. Pasco Kitchen is hosting a Santas Hot Toddy Station.

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Santa Crawl is coming to town on Friday

Key players in the renovation of the library prepare for the final walk thru last Thurs. evening. Pictured l to r: Library Board member, Kristine Groh, Librarian, Debbie Sturman, Library Board member, Randi Ross, Architect Kurt Dubbe, Contractor Frankie Spiegelberg, and County Commissioner Greg Stark. Photo/Lacey Brott While driving down the street in Lusk, you may have noticed some extensive work being done at Carnagie Library. Frankie Spiegelberg, and his crew, of Spiegelberg Lumber and Building Co., in Laramie, Wyo., has just wrapped up the restoration of the historic windows at Carnagie Library. Our company has had extensive experience with historical renovations. said Spiegelberg. We renovated the Wyoming Territorial Prison in Laramie and have been all over the state.

County Commissioner Greg Stark said, The library really wanted to keep the original windows, so we started researching. For years, we looked at how to restore the windows without having to replace them completely. We did have to replace the ones downstairs, because they were failing. Originally, Librarian Debbie Sturman and Stark, were working with an architectural company out of Cheyenne, when they were put in touch with architect, Kurt Dubbe, of Dubbe-Moulder Architects from Jackson, Wyo. I thought we had a great opportunity to improve the thermal performance of the building, with the maintaining of the current windows. We did some cost evaluation that proved to us that the restoration of the windows, plus the introduction of new, thermally efficient, removable storm windows would be a very affordable project, at a fraction of the cost of replacing them all together. With Debbies persistence, the historic windows have been saved. Its been a great relationship of the principal players in the project. The county commissioners, the library board, the contractors, and the design team. We are hopeful that that same team can be carried through as we present this evening with the jail project. said Dubbe.

Sturman said, The library was put into contact with the state energy office where they received money for an energy audit. Some other things were also identified, along with the windows, needing to be replace, was a new boiler, a new door for the south side entrance, and some new lighting. A new lamp will hang over the front door and new LED lighting in the newer portion. The rest of the money to do the project, came from the Wyoming Association of Municipalities and Wyoming County Commissioners Association, or WAM-WCCA. WAM-WCCA is a lease program, or interest free loan they received for ten years. It can only be used for public or municipal buildings. The proof will be in the pudding as we head deeper into the winter months and the library starts receiving our energy bills. said Dubbe.

A hearing was also held last Thurs. evening Dec. 4, at 7, at the Niobrara County Courthouse. The public listened in on a proposed plan to rehabilitate, and build an addition to the current Niobrara County Historic Jail. Stark, Dubbe, and Spiegelberg, presented their ideas and layout plan at the meeting. Dubbe showed a quick power point covering all points of the proposal with the jail.

According to the design plans project narrative, provided by Dubbe-Moulder Architects, the proximity to the Niobrara County Courthouse is undervalued by the current physical disconnection. The architects would like to connect the two buildings with an enclosed vestibule, which will allow access to additional county office space. The jail was built in 1914. With a garage addition built in the 1950s or 1960s. An enclosed porch facing the street, was also added. They propose the garage addition be removed, and a new two story structure be built in its place. The new structure will hold the connecting stairwell and elevator as well as offices, additional storage, and vault space. Where the original jail cells are located on the first floor, the architects want to remain, but convert the space into an exhibit and display space, for the public of which the Carnagie Library would look after. They would like to remove the enclosed porch on the second floor, and build a new one depicting the original.

Dubbe also pointed out the business rehabilitating the jail would bring to Lusk. People love to stop along the road and read historic plaques, as well as stop in all the small communities and find out a little bit more about what makes that community tick. He also talked about the positive effects listing one or all three of the buildings, The Carnagie, jail, and courthouse, on the national historic registry. There are absolutely no restrictions or limitations when placing a property on a historic registry. Its strictly honorary. Its a celebration of our history. The benefits of placing the buildings on the historic registry, can be monetary, such as tax credits, grant opportunities at the state and national level, the Wyoming business council, and the cultural trust fund. [Other benefits] a slight relaxation of certain accessibility codes, as long we do not make an existing condition any less safe than it already is. said Dubbe.

Many questions were asked by the public attending the meeting, and answered by both Dubbe and Stark. So far this is just a proposed plan, and nothing has been set in stone, but with the support of the community they hope to set forth a plan of action soon.

Dubbe-Moulder Architects would also like to stress the importance of, that any new additions or alterations will respect the historic materials and features that define the property and be in compliance without the secretary of interiors standards for the treatment of historic properties.

Lacey Brott

Contributing Writer

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Missions to save historic buildings in community

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