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When you hear people say that green business is one of the huge, enormous opportunities of the immediate future, it’s quite likely they’re not exaggerating at all. Just as it’s not rash to think that the new ways of producing energy might be manifested through networking and exchange. Let’s imagine localized small or medium productions which, when connected among themselves in networks, based on the internet model, multiply and make it possible for anyone to stock up on cheap energy with extremely low environmental impact.
Among the most recent inventions is a special gel that, when applied to an interior pane of insulating glass, makes it possible for the glass to generate 100 watts per hour per square meter of surface area. Compared to the traditional photovoltaic system, it seems to offer a considerable economic advantage because the initial investment required is more than 60% lower. The company that has created the gel just recently began production and is getting ready to start distributing it. Is it a revolutionary idea?
Officially named in 1974 at the University of Tokyo, nanotechnology has undergone developments and applications that were inconceivable thirty years ago. Its areas of application are extremely varied and range from medical diagnostic systems to cosmetics, from home furnishing and clothing fabrics to electronics, chemistry and solar energy. It’s hard to find a manufacturing sector that wouldn’t stand to gain enormous benefits from the application of the technologies of the infinitely small. In fact, in 2006 the total value of the nanotechnology market was 60 billion dollars, and growth is expected to explode over the coming years, sustained by a flood of investment dollars that have risen from 7.4 billion in 2002 to more than 30 billion today. Applying nanotechnology to glass leads to improvement in known performance values (for example, surface treatments that achieve excellent results in terms of water repellence and scratch and impact resistance by eliminating microporosity), as well as energy savings and production. In fact, there are now extremely powerful coatings that can transform the thinnest sheets of glass into photovoltaic panels.
Nanotechnology leads down some extremely inviting pathways. The voyage has already begun.
Fenzi’s participation in GlassBuild America came together on a positive note. There were some concerns this year in Las Vegas, due, of course, to the very tough economic situation plaguing the US today, but in the end, everyone, visitors and exhibitors alike, agreed they were satisfied. Like Fenzi, which hosted a huge influx of visitors at its stand. The greatest interest was piqued by Thiover, the hottest selling line of polysulfide sealants in the world, manufactured in Toronto for the entire North American market; and for Duralux, the mirror coating that has already reached its 3rd generation, with a new ecocompatible formulation.
A new portal has been created to help Fenzi clients purchase and use Aquaglass paints. At www.fenzi-aquaglass.com Aquaglass purchasers can access the recipe database containing all the formulas for RAL colors, starting from 13 base colors. This service can be accessed by creating a user name and password.
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