Spotlight on New Solar Power and Business Technology

A couple of up-and-coming business ventures in Oregon and California were covered in recent news. 

The Oregon Built Environment and Sustainable Technologies Center (Oregon BEST) awarded a $150,000 grant to Corvallis-based Inspired Light, LLC to help commercialize the company's solar energy system. Inspired Light, which currently employs 12 staff, has developed novel manufacturing processes that utilize simple, inexpensive materials to convert sunlight into energy. Their solar photovoltaic (PV) technology yields an efficiency rate of up to 30 percent, which is twice as high as other conventional PV solar panels. You can get more details about Inspired Light in the full press release.  

In other technology news, the Associated Press reports on Beam, a new telecommuting system created by the California-based company Suitable Technologies. Beam is a mobile video-conferencing machine that allows workers to maintain a physical presence, even as they work thousands of miles away, by serving as an office stand-in for telecommuters. The device includes a video camera, speakers, microphones and wheels that lets users see, hear, speak, and move around the workplace. Although these machines are far from mainstream, their technology is paying off for high-tech and engineering companies, as well as doctors that use them to "visit" remote hospitals. Learn more about this technology in the full article.

These bloggers return on Wednesday; happy holidays to everyone!