Imagine if the windows on your hotel became electricity generators for your property. Not just the windows on the south-facing side but every side. A company called SolarWindow Technologies has developed a product called SolarWindow that it says could have a payback of one year and reduce your electricity costs by 50 percent. Capable of generating current and voltage while maintaining the transparent nature of ordinary glass, the company’s recently featured nine-square-foot SolarWindow was created using the company’s patented LiquidElectricity coatings. A new video demonstrates the Solar Window. It is very cool technology.
The product is still not available for purchase but according to the company, the coatings transform otherwise ordinary glass into high-value glass which generates power from sunlight, indoor lighting, and even in the shade.
The window featured in the video “provides a glimpse at the future of electrification,” says Jay Bhogal, Chief Executive Officer of SolarWindow.
Buildings Can Become ‘Vertical Power Generators’
“As an owner of commercial properties, I envision a day when buildings everywhere become vertical power generators simply by installing electricity-generating SolarWindows,” says Harmel Rayat, Chairman of SolarWindow.
The SolarWindow is engineered to outperform rooftop solar by 50-fold. Let us say you have an urban, or even suburban hotel on a relatively small footprint and an investment in solar just does not make sense. With the newly available square feet of power generating surface, suddenly it does make sense.
The type of technology being engineered by SolarWindow could dramatically change how hotels are designed. Here’s hoping we hear a lot more about SolarWindow and similar technologies in years to come.
Moonlight Beach Inn Update
I really enjoyed my chat this past week with Shangwen Chiu Kennedy. She is owner of the Moonlight Beach Inn in Encinitas, Calif. Last year the property was the first lodging establishment in the world to earn Well Certification. Be sure to catch my updated article on this boutique inn in Encinitas, Calif. Kennedy is utilizing a whole-room UV light system for sanitization. I will be writing about this technology very soon on Green Lodging News.
Who is Your Sustainability Champion?
Green Lodging News is always looking to profile sustainability champions in our Personnel Profile section. If you would like to nominate someone for this section of Green Lodging News, contact me at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at greenlodgingnews@gmail.com.
Looking for Guest Columnists
Every two weeks Green Lodging News posts a new guest column on its website. (Click here for examples.) The guest column also appears in the weekly e-newsletter. Green Lodging News is currently in need of industry experts to contribute occasional guest columns. Experts may include consultants, architects, designers, suppliers and those who own or operate green lodging establishments. Columns may be articles that take a stance on a particular subject or be strictly educational in nature. Columnists benefit by having their photo included along with a one paragraph description of their company. Interested in writing a column? Contact Glenn Hasek, publisher and editor, at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at greenlodgingnews@gmail.com.
Get in the Green Suppliers Spotlight!
Green Lodging News, lodging’s leading environmental news source, publishes Green Suppliers Spotlight, an e-blast to 19,750 subscribers that features the lodging industry’s leading green products and services. The e-blast features multiple vendors—unlike the current Green Supplier Spotlight that allows one supplier to “own” the Green Lodging News subscriber list for one e-blast. (Click here for a Green Suppliers Spotlight sample.)
Green Suppliers Spotlight is published weekly on Thursdays to general managers, owners, management companies, directors of sustainability, directors of engineering, facilities managers and many others who are either in purchasing positions or who influence purchasing decisions. Suppliers of green products and services throughout North America and beyond are invited to participate in the e-blast. (Minimum two suppliers per e-blast.) Green Suppliers Spotlight was created to give vendors an opportunity to reach a high number of industry purchasers at a very low cost—as low as $200 per e-mail. (Click here for rate sheet.)
Those advertising in Green Suppliers Spotlight can include up to 100 words, one image, contact information and multiple links to their website in their ad. At the end of each month, a report will be sent to each supplier with information on delivered e-mails, opens and click-throughs.
Planning Advertising for 2020?
Green Lodging News is accepting reservations for advertising spots for 2020. Many excellent spots are available on our new website and in the weekly e-mail newsletter. Many Green Supplier Spotlight dates are also available. Interested in receiving a 2020 media kit? Be sure to contact me as soon as possible at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at greenlodgingnews@gmail.com. A media kit can also be accessed by clicking here. Thank you to all those companies that consistently support Green Lodging News.
Newsletter & Green Supplier Spotlight Circulation
The circulation of our weekly e-newsletter and Green Supplier Spotlight currently stands at 19,750. Thank you to our new subscribers for signing up. Be sure to encourage your colleagues to do the same. There are “subscribe” links on the Green Lodging News home page. You may also e-mail greenlodgingnews@gmail.com to be added to our list.
Green Lodging News & Social Media
Green Lodging News now has 1,798 Twitter followers. Thank you to all of those who follow our tweets. In addition to following us on Twitter, be sure to bookmark the Green Lodging News Blog in your browser. More importantly, participate with your comments. Green Lodging News is also on Facebook. Be sure to “Like” us there. Green Lodging News now has 982 Facebook likes.
As always, I can be reached at greenlodgingnews@gmail.com.
