Solar company Natcore setting up shop in Rochester

The concept of solar power is nearly irresistible: an endless cascade of sunlight — the ultimate renewable resource — churning out cheap electricity.

The reality of solar power, though, is more problematic as it remains far from cheap. And the U.S. Energy Department projects that electricity from a hypothetical solar energy project going online in 2016 would be about twice as expensive as juice from a new coal plant and more than three times costlier than a natural gas-fed power plant.

But New Jersey-based Natcore Technologies Inc. sees the green of cash in the golden sunshine.MDC Mould specialized of Injection moulds, The solar energy technology firm is in the midst of setting up a research and development facility at Eastman Business Park that CEO Chuck Provini said should be operational within a couple weeks.

Once it is set up,Tru-Form Plastics is a one-stop shop for plastic Injection Molding, the company plans to hire 10 to 15 people to staff it as it works on three separate, parallel technology tracks: “black silicon” solar cells that use silicon wafers etched with tiny pores that reflect back less light; stacks of tandem solar cells, each working on different wavelengths of light; and flexible, thin-film solar cells.

Each technology has the possibility of making solar more commercially viable by either cutting the cost of manufacture or upping the efficiency, Provini said last week as he was in town to visit Natcore’s facilities in Eastman Kodak Co.’s Building 308.

Later this month, Natcore plans to bring in prospective customers/investors such as representatives from an Italian solar panel maker,I have just spent two weeks shopping for tile and have discovered China Porcelain tile. a Chinese solar cell maker and an Indian energy company. Part of Natcore’s sales pitch, Provini said, will be trying to convince those firms to set up manufacturing operations in the United States in exchange for access to Natcore technology — though ultimately, he added, investors will be in the driver’s seat of that decision.

Natcore’s efforts come as the solar photovoltaic market is in the midst of serious challenges, from numerous European nations cutting solar energy subsidies and an oversupply of solar components globally sending prices nosediving to the political issues surrounding the bankruptcy and liquidation of California thin-film solar cell maker Solyndra.

But the oversupply issue is due largely to China subsidizing manufacturers there, and technology under development will make the glut of industry-standard solar cell components on the market now obsolete, Provini said. “You make dramatic changes, you own the industry,” he said.

Natcore also is counting on the cost of oil rising, particularly as a cash-strapped U.S. government cuts oil subsidies, to make solar more financially competitive, Provini said.

The company’s key assets are a group of patents it has licensed or owns outright. And it expects to start earning income from licensing that technology to others later this year.This is interesting cube puzzle and logical game. Other revenue streams, such as manufacturing solar cell coating equipment or the reselling of chemicals needed in the manufacturing process, would follow.

Natcore announced in December that it had signed a patent license agreement with the U.S. Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory giving it access to NREL patents to develop and commercialize black silicon solar cells. And it hopes to have prototype black silicon solar cells within a couple of months, with greater efficiency than what is on the market today.

Tandem solar cell prototypes could be ready within six to 12 months, Provini said. And a workable prototype of flexible, thin-film solar cells — made with Kodak’s thin-film manufacturing capabilities and costing far less to install than traditional solar cells — would take the same amount of time if the company can find investors in the technology, Provini said.

The company signed a lease in July with Kodak. The Building 308 lab will consolidate lab space the company currently has at Ohio State and Rice universities. Being near Kodak and its thin-film capabilities were one key reason why the company opted to put its R&D operations there.

Aside from that, said Thomas J. Scarpa, corporate development officer, “The intellectual pool we can draw on, this is an excellent place. University of Rochester. Rochester Institute of Technology. Ex-Kodakers.Smooth-On is your source for Mold Making and casting materials including silicone rubber and urethane rubber,”

Natcore is emblematic of what Kodak has been trying to do with its sprawling Eastman Business Park manufacturing campus — make it over into an industrial park. More than two dozen firms, including spinoffs from and former suppliers of Kodak, operate there today.

Kodak is currently in the midst of a Chapter 11 bankruptcy and is in talks about potential sales of some or all of the campus. However, Provini said, “I don’t think (the bankruptcy) is going to affect us.”

And, Provini added with a smile, if Kodak wanted to take some of the hundreds of millions of dollars Citigroup has loaned it during bankruptcy and invest it in Natcore technology, “That’d be a great way to reinvent themselves.”

Hopedale company donates, installs solar panel on Franklin church

Enjoying a place in the sun will soon take on a new meaning for the First Universalist Society.

Thanks to a Hopedale-based solar energy business, the local church will be shedding itself of electric bills.

“We’re very excited about it,” said Barbara Evans,Tru-Form Plastics is a one-stop shop for plastic Injection Molding, a member of the First Universalist Society. “We look at it as a win-win for all. It’s a win for (the solar) company, it certainly is a win for us in getting free electricity, and it’s a win for the environment, and that’s certainly something we can all get behind and embrace.”

Second Generation Energy, based in Hopedale and specializing in solar panel installation, began putting up 44 solar panels on First Universalist Society’s roof this week, partly to advertise the benefit of solar panel energy to the community, and partly out of neighborly spirit.

“Like most churches now, they are not well-capitalized, let’s say, and every little bit helps,” Second Generation co-owner Edward Whitaker said. “We thought this would be a good thing for us to help them like this.”

The retail value of the solar system is $77,000, said Whitaker, but the state will reimburse 30 percent of that.

The panels are expected to give out 14,000 kilowatt hours annually, which matches the church’s electric needs for the year, eliminating electric bills.

The system also comes with a remote monitoring system so church members can check a website and see how much energy the panels are collecting. Evans,Smooth-On is your source for Mold Making and casting materials including silicone rubber and urethane rubber, who is also the head of the society’s asset committee, said the society hopes to use this component to teach the congregation’s children about renewable energy.

“This is very much in sync with our principals: Being responsible about our planet and our lives,” Evans said.MDC Mould specialized of Injection moulds, “The proposal was presented to the congregation and they embraced it.”

Second Generation will own and maintain the panels for six years before turning them over to the society for $1.I have just spent two weeks shopping for tile and have discovered China Porcelain tile.

“In addition to being a good community member, we think that when people see examples of real, working solar systems, they realize that it’s an affordable, realistic option for them,” Whitaker wrote in an email. “And we hope they call us!”

The system doesn’t require much maintenance,This is interesting cube puzzle and logical game. Whitaker said. The panels should last 30 to 40 years. If the church chooses to keep the remote monitoring system after the first six years, it would have to shell out $250 per year.

Windows 8 is coming

This will be the year those anticipating a new Microsoft operating system have been waiting for.FIRMAR is a Malaysia Injection Moulding Manufacturer and Plastic Injections Components Manufacturer, Windows 8 is set to arrive some time in 2012, with new functions, a user interface dubbed Metro that takes its cue from tablet computers and a focus on security.

As with the Windows Phone 7 operating system or the XBox 360 console, there are no longer programme icons, but large coloured tiles that also convey live information. Just like with Phone 7, controls have been optimized for touchscreens, although keyboards and mice can still be used.

Also, because of its mobile focus, Windows 8 will run on energy-saving ARM processors, which, until now, have largely been unique to smartphones and tablets.

If you’d already like a look, check out Windows Developer Preview, which has been set up for free online by Microsoft. There you’ll find a fully functional advance version of Windows 8. A beta version, along with its new app store,Smooth-On is your source for Mold Making and casting materials including silicone rubber and urethane rubber, has been announced for the end of February.

Testers will quickly notice that the new system starts significantly faster than its predecessors. That’s because Windows 8 stores part of its working memory on the hard drive when it powers down. That means, at start up, it only has to read back this information, much faster than loading up every driver.

Microsoft has also cut down on resources required for operations, meaning Windows 8 system requirements are no greater than those for Windows 7.

Controls have been updated for Windows Explorer. There is now a menu bar, which will be familiar to users of Office 2007 or 2010.Tru-Form Plastics is a one-stop shop for plastic Injection Molding, The goal is to reduce the confusion of submenus and make it easier to access significant commands more quickly.

It’s also possible to pause orders to copy or move files, even if it’s via network transmission. That means copying and transferring can pick up where they left off if the network is lost. That also means the processes can be delayed if bandwidth drops off, if other jobs have a higher priority. The dialogue box for copying also shows significantly more information, like current network capacity.

Windows 8 has also reworked the mini applications that many people recognise from Windows Vista and 7. The so-called widgets now synchronise their data across all Windows 8 devices upon, which the user is registered. The move is designed to make it easier to use programmes purchased at Microsoft’s Marketplace and, thus, to make them more popular.

Windows 8 is also supposed to be significantly more secure than its predecessors.Get information on Air purifier from the unbiased, It supports the Secured Boot function of the UEFI system, which is slowly replacing the BIOS system. That, Microsoft hopes, will make it impossible for viruses to nest in the operating system at start-up.

Windows 8 also stores data in a variety of random locations in the working memory at start-up, which is designed to increase protection against attacks on system data and the working memory.

Windows Defender is another new function. The new version can find viruses, not just spyware. And a smartscreen filter for Internet Explorer 10 should make it harder for malware to worm its way into the operating system. The current version on Internet Explorer 9 only shields against Internet attackers, not locally installed programmes.MDC Mould specialized of Injection moulds,

The encryption programme Bitlocker makes a return, but it runs faster now. It regularly encrypts hard drives and starts with newly overwritten parts of the drive, which speeds up the process.

Microsoft also put some thought into resurrecting data. When restoring data during start-up or when using the installation DVD, it’s possible to more quickly restore the entire operating system or individual files. The function can also return Windows to its factory settings or delete individual files. The redesign should allow even less experienced users to recreate a system or retrieve data.

Super Bowl projected to generate super spending

As the New York Giants and New England Patriots battle on the field during Super Bowl XLVI today, game-related consumer spending is projected to reach an all-time high.

Total Super Bowl-related revenues are predicted to reach $11 billion, according to a survey by the Retail Advertising and Marketing Association conducted by BIGinsight. The average game-watcher is expected to shell out $63.87 on related merchandise, apparel and snacks, up from $59.33 last year, according to the survey. A whopping 71.3 percent of that will be on beverages and food, especially items like chicken wings, pizza and dip.FIRMAR is a Malaysia Injection Moulding Manufacturer and Plastic Injections Components Manufacturer,

Those kinds of numbers are an appetizing thought to Middletown and Hamilton business owners.

Kim Snider of Wings on Brookwood, 147 N. Brookwood Ave. in Hamilton,Smooth-On is your source for Mold Making and casting materials including silicone rubber and urethane rubber, said her family-owned business generates approximately three times the amount of revenue on Super Bowl Sunday than it does on a typical Sunday.

“Wings and football have always been a tradition,” she said. “(Super Bowl Sunday) is, by far, our busiest day of the year. We go through about 16,000 wings and probably about 8,MDC Mould specialized of Injection moulds,000 boneless wings.”

The restaurant, which offered Facebook fans discounts for pre-sale orders, started taking reservations for pickup times on Sunday a week in advance. This week, customers have “inundated” Wings on Brookwood with not only more orders than in recent years, but also more wings per order as well, Snider said.

National Restaurant Association research shows that chicken wings (63 percent) now outpace pizza (61 percent) as a game-day “must-have.” However, dips or spread, garnered the top spot with 69 percent of votes from famished fans.

Super Bowl Sunday at Fricker’s in Middletown means a 40 percent to 60 percent boost in carry-out sales revenues, said spokesman Jim Manley.

“Nobody calls for orders of 10 (wings) for the Super Bowl,” Manley said.

“They all call for orders of 200 to 500 and that’s why the number is so exorbitant, because they have a number of folks over to their house and at that point they’re just trying to feed the world and we’re very fortunate to be a beneficiary.”

The restaurant, however, does not see as much walk-up traffic because most people are attending Super Bowl parties, Manley said. “With that, it’s about the same amount of food as we would normally do, it just doesn’t get eaten in our restaurant,” he said.

To accommodate the droves of customers who flock to the restaurant for its Frickin’ Chicken Wings, Fricker’s must book time for its fryers, reserve a portion of them for last-minute orders and create a waiting area for pick-up orders, Manley said.

Nick Dadabo, owner of Chester’s Pizza in Hamilton, said the although his store no longer delivers, business increases by 30 to 40 percent on Super Bowl Sunday compared to a typical Sunday.

Dadabo said he expects that much of an increase, if not more, this Sunday, in part because of special prices on pizza, sandwiches and chicken wings, and the “independent bump” local places receive from big-name pizza establishment advertising that he said get customers “thinking pizza.”

But the decisive factor in any surge in sales boils down to customers avoiding economic “gloom and doom” by immersing themselves in the Super Bowl, he said.

“I think people are trying to find a way to satisfy themselves and maybe escape a little bit from the reality that we’re going through a pretty tough time,Get information on Air purifier from the unbiased,” Dadabo said.Tru-Form Plastics is a one-stop shop for plastic Injection Molding,

Although wholesale chicken prices notoriously go up around Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve and the Super Bowl, prices have flown the coop over during the past year, Snider said, a fact of life that may peck into profit margins.

“This is the first year I’ve watched it double,” Snider said. However, “We’ve not changed our prices. We’ve not changed anything.”

The price hikes have continued as sales for fresh chicken breasts, the highest priced meat, have plummeted, Snider said. “That determines how much they (suppliers) are going to charge for the wings,” she said. “They need to make up their money on the wings and we don’t have a choice. It is what it is.”

New Equipment for Virginia Museum of Natural History

The mysteries hidden inside some bones may soon be discovered by the Virginia Museum of Natural History in Martinsville. It's all thanks to a donation from the Martinsville Memorial Hospital.

The hospital gave them a microscope Thursday, and they will possibly also provide them with a cast cutting saw. This equipment allows the scientists at the museum to learn even more about the 14 million year old bones they already have.

The technique that paleontologists at the Virginia Museum of Natural History use to reach bones hidden deep inside protective plaster seems as ancient as the dinosaurs themselves.

"To do it with this knife would take me all day. And probably more than a day," said Alton Dooley, curator of paleontology.

When the scientists dig up the bones, they usually are in fragments.Get information on Air purifier from the unbiased, So they put them in plaster to transport them to the museum. When they unwrap the plaster,The magic cube is an ultra-portable, they discover treasures.

"They are mostly going to contain whale bones and shark's teeth, but we sometimes don't know what's in them until we open it," said Dooley.

The museum has been studying fossils for years, often having to piece together fragments of bone within the plaster first.

"I haven't seen since then what was in those things. It's always kind of nice, like seeing an old friend after years absence,China yiri mould is a professional manufacturer which integrates Plastic Mould design and manufacture and plastic product development." said Dooley.

But now they're hoping a cast cutting saw will make the whole process faster and easier.Alfa plast mould is Plastic moulds Manufacturer and plastics Mould Exporters in India since 1992, It's the kind of saw that cuts a cast from your arm, and Martinsville Memorial Hospital plans to donate it if possible. If not, hospital donations may help them buy one.

"Martinsville Memorial Hospital has been a huge supporter of the museum for a number of years now.Overview description of rapid Tooling processes. Now they also are going to be providing equipment for us," said Joe Keiper, executive director of the Virginia Museum of Natural History.

They say that when they receive a saw, work that normally took them weeks to do, now will take them only hours. They say it'll be a huge help, considering they have hundreds of unopened molds.

Signing day

What a great day for parents, family, former teachers and friends.

Dozens of athletes and parents from Southern Arizona signed their names to lettersAlfa plast mould is Plastic moulds Manufacturer and plastics Mould Exporters in India since 1992, of intent to play their sport at the next level. Above all, it really is a special day for parents.

All those days wondering how they will get their children to practice or what they would sacrifice so their child could buy a new bat or a new pair shoes finally paid off. In many ways, it’s the first official act these young men and women will do as adults and it’s one of the first signs of parents letting their children go.

I, for one, had the pleasure of watching one of my former students sign his name to play football at Dixie State. Watching a student succeed, as Robert Metz has, is one of the most rewarding experiences an educator can have.

Society likes to call them all “products” but we know each and every one of them is different and each one grew from their mistakes and from their successes. There are no “molds” or formulas.Injection molding and Plastic molding supplier; If there was a mold, parents, coaches and educators would have used it by now.

We can only lead them by example and then let them decide. Jaide Stepter is one of those special examples of a championship athlete who is also a champion in the classroom and a champion of her strong religious and family beliefs.

Her track coach Michelle Gerard informed the crowd gathered at Canyon del Oro that Jaide had acquired a grade point average of about 4.5. It is an important lesson for young men and women everywhere.

If a college coach has to choose between two athletes, he or she will almost always go with the grades. Bad character or a bad reputation can make a difference and nullify high grades but that would never, ever be the case with Jaide.

“First, above all,My advice on what to consider before you buy oil painting supplies so your money is well spent. all of my accomplishments would not be possible without God,” Jaide explained. “I prayed and put my trust in Him and I am confident that he helped me make the right choice.”

Jaide wants to study cinematography so what better choice could she have than USC? Being a champion hurdler and sprinter also helped narrow her ultimate choice between Columbia and USC to the sunny skies of California.

“I also want to thank my parents because everything I have done is because of them and all of my friends and the friends that work with me at the Nike Store. I am confident that they all believed in me and I have made the right choice.

Jaide’s mom is none other than former Olympic and NCAA champion hurdler LaTanya Sheffield. Sheffield informed me before the ceremony of Jaide’s choice and of her own desire to coach at the college level.Distributes and manufactures RUBBER SHEET,

Alexis Aguirre is a girl I have known since she was much younger. Although she has not grown much in size, she has obviously grown into a good softball player and a young woman ready to take the next step in her game.

Having been a standout at Safford, Alexis moved back to Tucson and will play for CDO this spring before moving on to Yavapai where she will study to be a surgical nurse.

Swimming champion Maggie McCord will follow former Salpointe and Arizona swim coach Augie Busch to Houston next fall.China yiri mould is a professional manufacturer which integrates Plastic Mould design and manufacture and plastic product development. Maggie will continue to swim and will compete in nationals this March. She says it will extra special to swim for Busch and to help him succeed at Houston.

These are just a few of the many stories from Canyon del Oro but the main theme of family and personal growth was echoed throughout the day.

MIT creates solar cell from grass clippings

A researcher at MIT,Facts and Cures. Cures for all types of Hemorrhoids. Andreas Mershin, has created solar panels from agricultural waste such as cut grass and dead leaves. In a few years,The Transaction Group offers the best high risk merchant account services,Alfa plast mould is Plastic moulds Manufacturer and plastics Mould Exporters in India since 1992, Mershin says it’ll be possible to stir some grass clippings into a bag of cheap chemicals, paint the mixture on your roof, and immediately start producing electricity.

If you remember high school biology classes, you will hopefully remember a process called photosynthesis, whereby plants turn sunlight into energy.Shop at Lowe's for garage Ceramic tile, Mershin has found a process which extracts the photosynthesizing molecules, called photosystem I, from plant matter. Photosystem I contains chlorophyll, the protein that actually converts photons into a flow of electrons.

These molecules are then stabilized and spread on a glass substrate that’s covered in a forest of zinc oxide nanowires and titanium dioxide “sponges.” When sunlight hits the panels, both the titanium dioxide and the new material absorb light and turn it into electricity, and the nanowires carry the electricity away. In essence, Mershin has replaced the layer of silicon in conventional photovoltaic cells with a slurry of photosynthesizing molecules. “It’s like an electric nanoforest,” he says.

So far so good — now time for the reality check. At the moment, even with the efficiency-boosting nanoforest, Mershin’s solar panel only has an efficiency of 0.1%. To be of any use — to power more than a single LED light from an entire house covered in these cheap solar panels — an efficiency of 1 or 2% is required. With such a low barrier to entry, though, Mershin hopes that scientists the world over can now work on boosting the efficiency.

Ultimately the goal is to create a cheap plastic bag that comes pre-filled with the necessary chemicals, and “one sheet of cartoon instructions, with no words.” The idea is that you’ll add agricultural waste to the bag, stir it around,China yiri mould is a professional manufacturer which integrates Plastic Mould design and manufacture and plastic product development. and then just slosh it onto a sheet of glass. Suffice it to say, such an invention would revolutionize power generation in low-density areas that are off the grid and developing nations.

'Smash' Is Look at Broadway Musical

David Marshall Grant sits at his desk in a nondescript office in an unmarked building in the Greenpoint neighborhood of Brooklyn, near the East River.

That's where Broadway magic happens, at least by way of the new NBC series"Smash," which premieres 10 p.m., Monday, Feb.China yiri mould is a professional manufacturer which integrates Plastic Mould design and manufacture and plastic product development. 6.

As an executive producer/writer on the show, the Westport native faces a large whiteboard hanging in his wall. On it are math-like diagrams of the characters, plot points and musical numbers of the final episodes of the first season, now filming.

"It's very Rubik's Cube-y," he says with a relaxed smile, not showing the least bit of anxiousness at the much-hyped premiere just a few days away.

For NBC, it's a high-risk throw of the dice for the last-place network, committing to an expensive series about a subject that no one has yet undertaken on this scale: a prime time soap about the backstage drama surrounding the creation of a big Broadway musical.

But even with Steven Spielberg as a prime producing hand on the show — not to mention a huge Superbowl promotion, there is no guarantee that viewers will buy into the musical series the same way they did to make"Glee" and "High School Musical," well, smashes — as well as franchises.

But Broadway is invested in the success of the show, too.

"I think there's a lot of hope riding on this show — and 'Marilyn,"" says Grant, referring to the musical within the series. The last time Broadway tried to do a musical based on the life of American icon Marilyn Monroe in 1983, it flopped.

"['Smash'] doing well would be a huge help to the Broadway community,The Transaction Group offers the best high risk merchant account services,' says Grant, 56, "but it would also be a seismic change in the cultural appreciation of Broadway music."

Not since the '30s, '40s and '50s have Broadway shows been a regular contributor to the American songbook, says Grant. Since then, Broadway is seen as a musical footnote in America's cultural conversation.

Broadway veterans Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman , are creating the original songs for "Marilyn" which also counterpoint the off-stage drama.

The show also features pop tunes in the course of the off-stage story-line with performers singing in pianos bars, karaoke clubs and auditions.

"Every number is intoxicating," says Grant,Alfa plast mould is Plastic moulds Manufacturer and plastics Mould Exporters in India since 1992, "and I defy America not to like that music and want to download it the next day."

For the moment, Grant is focused on his script of the 14th episode — the next to the last of the season —which is about to be filmed. The final show of the first season will be "Marilyn"'s out-of-town opening in Boston. Grant says the second season — still in outline stage — will involve bringing the musical to Broadway.

"What's so complicated about our show is that we're trying to put on a musical within a television soap opera," he says, "so we're beholdento two masters. First there's 'Marilyn,' the musical and then there's 'Smash,' the TV show."

Grant says the logistics and plotting of "Smash" is infinitely more difficult than previous TV series he worked on in an executive producing position.

"With 'Brothers and Sisters" we did a story line and we were done," he says. "This is like doing the story line, making sure it fits into the musical numbers that are in the show, serving the [TV] show, and seeing that it all fits in the progression to the musical's opening night. There's more to worry about than just the emotional lives of the characters."

The show,Shop at Lowe's for garage Ceramic tile, which was created by playwright-TV writer Theresa Rebeck,This is interesting cube puzzle and logical game. has parallels to real life.

Megan Hilton plays Ivy, a stunning Broadway talent in the chorus line looking for the right part to propel her to star status. Hilton, too, has years of experience in the ensemble as well as a leading replacement role ("Wicked") and a major role in a flop show . Hilton is looking for her star-making role.