This Window Can Help Power A Skyscraper

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This window can help power a skyscraper: Imagine if windows could be designed to collect the electricity used to power a home or a skyscraper. The technology that could make that a reality might be closer than you think. In fact, it could be ready by next year, said John Conklin, the president and CEO of SolarWindow Technologies Inc.

This is something that would revolutionize clean energy for large commercial buildings, which are the company's primary target market, Conklin told National Observer. “I truly believe it’s one of the most disruptive and perhaps one of the single greatest breakthroughs in clean energy ever,” he said.

Maintaining the window's transparency a challenge:

Designing the technology has meant working out solutions. The biggest has been ensuring the windows remain transparent while still generating enough electricity. The windows require a special coating that turns ordinary glass into a conductor that transforms energy into electricity that feeds directly into the building's power system.

During Maryland-based SolarWindow’s early years in 2009 and 2010, a number of individuals told the firm’s team that it would be impossible for them to create a transparent photo-voltaic technology. “We defied that,” Conklin said.

The U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) has been working with SolarWindow on the technology and the two partners are now focused on ensuring that the coatings can work on larger areas of glass. “Challenges are always there. Nothing is easy in this area,” said Maikel van Hest, a senior scientist in the Thin Film and Processing Group within the National Center for Photovoltaics at NREL.

Right now, SolarWindow estimates that its technology can generate 50 times more energy than rooftop solar panels would in a 50-storey building. Using all four sides of the building, in a 50-story glass skyscraper, this would consist of six acres of glass - enough to provide far more than the one megawatt of power that would come from a rooftop solar array, Conklin said. This is much more space than what's available on a skyscraper’s roof. “The name of the game is real estate,” he said.

Overall, the refurbished windows could offset the equivalent of the emissions from vehicles traveling nearly 3.5 million kilometres by reducing energy demands in a 50-storey building, Conklin estimated. But he also noted that skyscrapers use huge amounts of energy and that the new solar windows would only cover somewhere between 30 to 50 per cent of total power consumption. “This is a tremendous opportunity for the environment, a tremendous opportunity for renewable energy and especially for tall towers and skyscrapers to finally get some renewable energy.”

Home owners might one day find the same technology in their houses. The more glass a home has, the more power it would be able to generate. But for now, SolarWindow plans to pursue the more lucrative commercial market first, where Conklin believes there are significant business opportunities. He said the commercial market is huge, estimated to be a $100-billion global market for flat glass and fabricated windows. Out of that, SolarWindow is targeting some five million commercial buildings in the U.S.

Here's how the SolarWindow works:

SolarWindow’s organic photovoltaic technology uses ordinary window glass and then applies different layers of coatings made of carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen and oxygen are applied. Transparent conductors form two layers. Between the two is a third layer, which absorbs light. When it comes in contact with the chemical coating, the solar energy is transformed into electrons. The movement of the electrons produces the electricity on the surface of the glass. The conductors on each side transport the electricity to ultra-thin wires inside the window frame. Those in turn feed the energy into the building’s electrical systems.

Conklin, an industrial consultant who has studied chemical engineering, helped develop similar surfacing coating techniques used in the fabrication of the United States Stealth Battleship prototype while at Excel Precision Inc. He is also the founder and vice president of National Solar Systems, LLC, a New York-based renewable and alternative energy design and installation firm.

SolarWindow is not alone in trying to develop solar-powered windows. Some companies, for example, have small strips over the glass that absorb the light. But these strips wind up creating a pattern that’s almost like having window blinds, according to van Hest.

But while no company has yet managed to commercialize a truly see-through window, SolarWindow says their windows will be like any other windows and will come in architecturally desirable tints and shades. “That’s the nice thing about SolarWindow’s photovoltaic, the way they’re doing it. It’s not obstructing your view from the outside world,” said van Hest from NREL, the U.S. government lab.

But he added that with every step comes a new hurdle, such as choice of materials or how those materials are applied. “Yeah there’s definitely some hurdles, but we have pathways on taking those hurdles and taking it to the next step, which would be commercialization.”

Paula McGarrigle, managing director of SOLAS Energy Consulting Inc. in Calgary, said SolarWindow’s concept is great. “I love the idea of using the horizontal spaces on windows to generate electricity.” According to McGarrigle, the economics of the technology will depend on a number of variables such as the energy load of the building, how much surface area is available on a building and the power prices of a jurisdiction.

Conklin said the cost of SolarWindow’s technology would be “low,” and calls it a “very small add-on price point to an existing window,” which would be paid back in less than one year for a skyscraper.

Solar power from all four sides of a building:

In order to get their technology to market, SolarWindow needs to raise additional capital. To date, the company has relied on private placements from investors. The firm also wants to form partnerships with glass and window fabrication companies as well as chemical companies.

Conklin, who describes himself as risk-averse, said it’s not his intention to start the company up in a $45-$50-million production facility when glass manufacturers already exist. “We’ve already demonstrated our process can be seamlessly integrated into a glass manufacturer or window fabricator and coated right at their facility.”

Partnerships with the right chemical firms are important because the technology employs various chemicals applied to glass to generate the electricity. Such partnerships will enable SolarWindow to hold down its operating expenses and capital costs while achieving an affordable price for the windows.

The technology is able to generate power on all four sides of a building, not just on the south-facing side in the Northern hemisphere. Conklin said the coatings can create electricity under shaded, diffused and low-light conditions.

That ability to use the same glass on all four sides of a building will make the technology attractive to architects, developers and designers who are looking to generate renewable energy but still maintain the aesthetic beauty of a building, Conklin added.

Electricity Generating Windows

Electricity generating windows: An interview with John A. Conklin

Electricity generating windows: An interview with John A. Conklin - SolarWindow is a new see-­through electricity generating coating technology designed for glass windows for tall towers, skyscrapers and detached homes in the US.  The company claims the product has the potential to offset 30 to 50 percent of the energy demand when installed on a 50-­story building - with a calculated one­-year financial payback.

SolarWindow has been developed to performance standards in order to give real estate developers, engineers, architects, building designers, and future customers plenty of financial incentive and it has been rigorously tested for durability, degradation, and performance. REM talked to SolarWindow President and CEO John Conklin to find out more.

Tell me about the company

SolarWindow Technology is developing the first of its kind electricity generating coating which is transparent for windows and flexible plastic and the product is targeted for over 5 million commercial buildings and 80 million detached homes, just in the United States alone. Certainly our mission is pretty simple and that is to create solar window products which produce clean energy, is economically feasible, has a very short ROI and benefits the environment.

How were these windows developed and how do they work?

SolarWindow is a transparent coating that is primarily organic. Basically we combine carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen and create our device that generates electricity. We constantly refine our layers based on colour and light transmission or transparency so that we can extract the power that we need from the window to satisfy a building energy demand.

How do these windows perform with regard to electricity generation when compared to PV systems?

There are some distinct differences in that SolarWindow is a technology that is based on transparency, a technology that has been developed for a window and not a coating that has been developed for a tablet or electronic reader and then we apply it to a glass window. The inception of its early-stage prototype has been developed for windows, specifically tall towers and skyscrapers. The importance there is the transparency, the other thing to keep in mind being that we are going vertical with that valuable glass real estate. When we look at conventional PV and putting that on the roof of a tall tower or skyscraper, there is very little surface area for those modules to generate meaningful power. When we look at the vast surface area of all four sides of a tall tower or skyscraper, that presents valuable real estate to us by which SolarWindow can take a passive, energy saving window and turn it into an active energy generating window that helps produce a meaningful offset of the building energy demand.

From what I read of your product, the windows can perform when installed on all sides of a building. How does that work?

That is one of the beauties of the technology. Conventional PV, whether crystalline PV or thin-film PV, really requires, in the Northern Hemisphere, a southern orientation. That is really important for that type of PV because the orientation allows the maximum sunlight to hit those panels to generate electricity. As you change that angle, it moves further east or west, it loses the ability to generate electricity and then you really have to rely on early morning sun or very late day sun and that is a very limited time of the day. SolarWindow has been developed to work not only when exposed to natural sunlight but it can also generate electricity when exposed to artificial light and that is not limited to only incandescent fluorescent lamps, LEDs, halogen lamps, it can generate electricity under any of those, but to go one step further, we don’t need a complete southern exposure for the technology to work. Our technology works under very low light conditions, diffused light, shaded light. More importantly, when we look at a building, there is always that northern face that doesn’t see direct sunlight. However, because we can generate energy from reflected light as well, it allows us to coat the entire building, all four sides, with the SolarWindow and be able to produce meaningful power under all of those artificial and sunlight conditions. The diversity of light conditions is a feature, allowing us to generate under all of those low and diffused light conditions including reflected light.  

Why are these windows coloured rather than truly transparent?

They are coloured but they are also transparent, and keep in mind that our target is those tall towers and skyscrapers, the glass in those windows is generally tinted and it serves a number of purposes. First, it helps with heat and reflecting that light to control heat. It is also required by architects for the very aesthetically appealing features of the building and some of those windows are either very dark or have a mirror finish to them. So when we were developing SolarWindow, the objective was to develop the product that provides colour options that are available to architects, building developers, building owners and engineers that need those design bases for those tall towers and skyscrapers.

The sheets of glass in the pictures on your website seem rather small to me, is it possible to produce any larger sheets?

Those are only development steps, the product itself and the coating methods we are using are for large area sheet-to-sheet coating, which means that we are looking at coating 18 feet by 18 feet panes of glass and we are also looking at the high speed roll to roll coating so we are looking at coating 10,000 feet in ten minutes, so our coating methods are being developed for those very large area or high speed volume manufacturing.

What stage is this at? Is there demand for these windows yet and when will they be commercially available?

We have been talking with many of the glass industry manufacturers around the world. These companies span the glass industry, from the companies that make the sheets of glass right through to the fabricators that actually build the windows and there is tremendous interest in SolarWindow, primarily because of the growing glass market and the rising energy demand. We believe, moving forward through our commercialisation timing and when we are actually going to bring this to a product for sale, that there will be continued and heightened interest, moving forward.

We are looking at year end 2017. That’s predicated on a couple of very important development objectives. We are certainly in the process of raising capital, and that’s critical. Next is formulating strategic relationships in the glass, energy and chemical industries. That will give us instant outreach to the building segment and the ability to put our product in our better, faster ways. Third is, with those strategic partnerships, to build those SolarWindows that are ready for commercial production.

What plans have you got for future growth/expansion?

Looking at SolarWindows from two perspectives, the first and most important is the development of the SolarWindow product. The second objective is the electricity-generating coating in itself. So as we build out the SolarWindow product, we are on a parallel path to developing other products that utilise our transparent electricity-generating coating. As the company continues to develop these products, we will licence our technology, the licence being in the form of a licenced product, licencing the technology and know-how, licencing to a territory or a geographic region and then finally licencing the technology for a field of use. The development of the company will keep in mind each of those licencing models and thus keep the company moving forward through to the next ten years.

Anything else you would like to mention?

The most important thing to keep in mind is that right now, the tall towers and skyscrapers do not have a way of offsetting energy. It’s going to be critical for those structures, moving forward, to look at their carbon footprint, to determine how they can offset their increasing energy demand and go beyond energy management and energy conservation devices. They will be looking toward generating renewable energy and by doing so, not taking up valuable urban or rural land to do so, and being able to utilise the vast surfaces on those buildings to generate the energy required to offset the energy demand. I believe that we are, right now, approaching a very critical time in renewable energy in that SolarWindow may be one of the biggest single breakthroughs in clean energy, ever.

New Energy Technologies - Electricity With Every Window

New energy technologies want to make electricity with every window

New Energy Technologies want to make electricity with every window: American company, new energy technologies is developing electricity generating transparent windows and products for america’s 85 million detached homes and commercial buildings. Their mission has been to create solar windows which produce impressive amounts of clean electricity, that benefit the environment and the building landscape. The team developed a coating capable of generating electricity on glass and flexible plastics that is processed uniformly in different color tints. these polymer organic photovoltaic arrays are clear and only capture UV rays which can be scaled up and have unparalleled manufacturablilty. 

Researchers view through electricity generating ‘solarwindow’

Unlike traditional building applied photovoltaic systems, restricted to use in direct sunlight on very limited skyscraper rooftop space, their ‘solarwindow’ is designed to operate in sunlight, shaded conditions and artificial light on the many thousands of square feet of glass surfaces common to today’s high rise towers. the technology is the subject of forty two patent filings, and researchers are on the track to advance the project towards full scale production. 

They are being developed in architecturally-neutral colors

They can tint in custom colors

The clear film only captures UV light

Testing the film using artificial light

Can be applied on traditional skyscraper windows

The president is pushing a clean energy loan guarantee program, which helped electric car success story Tesla, but also failed solar company, Solyndra. President Obama just announced a series of initiatives to encourage solar and other green technologies, as he tries to spur development of cleaner power sources.

The push will involve more than $1 billion in government funds to back new clean energy and energy efficiency projects along with funding research and development of new energy technologies. While the individual actions are small, Obama’s overarching plan and public pitch shows his growing attention to both clean energy, as well as initiatives to fight climate change. In his final term in office, Obama is now focused on a legacy committed to climate change, and recently finalized a highly controversial plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the power industry.

Obama formally unveiled the plan Monday afternoon in Las Vegas at a clean energy-focused conference sponsored by U.S. Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV). The White House released details about the address earlier in the day.

The Energy Department will oversee many of the new initiatives including another $1 billion for its loan program that has previously been both lauded and vilified. The agency previously gave loans to electric car company Tesla and the large solar farm Ivanpah, but also to failed solar panel maker Solyndra, which created a political firestorm with Republicans who criticized the administration for wasting taxpayer money on a flimsy business.

The loan program has made $30 billion in total commitments over the years to get new nuclear, solar and wind projects built, or new green technologies from big companies like Nissan or smaller companies like Tesla. Many of the very large solar panel projects built in the deserts of California and Nevada made use of these loans.

At the same time, the Energy Department clarified that the loan program can now be used to fund “distributed energy” projects, which are decentralized technologies like roof top solar panels, batteries in buildings or connected to the power grid, or adding computing intelligence to the grid. Much of the clean energy projects that have historically used the loans have been large “centralized” energy projects, which involve a utility buying and distributing the energy to its customers.

Future Window Cleaners Will Have Fully Charged Phones

Future window cleaners will have fully charged phones soon by the look of it.

OK glass -  you'll soon be able to charge your phone from your window (Windows Update: transparent solar panels are almost here): A MIT startup has come up with a novel way of tweaking solar cells to remain transparent while still gathering usable energy from the Sun.

A transparent solar cell is difficult to build - solar cells traditionally capture energy by absorbing sunlight and converting it into electricity. A transparent cell, by definition, must allow sunlight through instead so it can reach your eye - that's why previous attempts at making see-through solar panels have only partially been transparent.

Ubiquitous Energy has been wrestling for years with that problem, but now has come up with a promising breakthrough. Instead of trying to make a transparent cell, they've built instead what they call a "transparent luminescent solar concentrator".

Here's how it works. The cell is made of plastic, and embedded in that plastic are chemicals that absorb non-visible wavelengths of light (infrared and ultraviolet). As they absorb them, they glow in another non-visible infrared wavelength, and that glow is guided to the edge of the plastic. There, thin strips of conventional photovoltaic cells absorb it and convert it to electricity.

Right now efficiency is low - only about one percent. But the researchers believe that an efficiency of ten percent is possible by the time the technology makes it to production. That's still half the effectiveness of a traditional solar cell, but if every window in a house or office block was converted then it could add up to a reasonable figure.

"It opens a lot of area to deploy solar energy in a non-intrusive way," Lunt said in an interview with Michigan State's Today blog. "It can be used on tall buildings with lots of windows or any kind of mobile device that demands high aesthetic quality like a phone or e-reader. Ultimately we want to make solar harvesting surfaces that you do not even know are there."

Near-infrared (NIR) harvesting transparent luminescent solar concentrators (TLSC) with non-tinted transparency are demonstrated by exploiting the excitonic nature of organic luminescent salts that provide perfectly tuned NIR-selective absorption and even deeper NIR emission. NIR TLSCs provide an entirely new route to more aesthetically pleasing light harvesting systems that can be widely deployed in energy scavenging windows and displays.

Robotic Solar Cleaning Advances & Electrolux Flying Cleaner

The system has been tested in Thailand and saves labor and water.

Sharp's robotic cleaner will make solar panels sparkle: It might not be immediately obvious, but with every solar panel installed comes a simple but essential piece of maintenance: regular cleaning. Just like the windows on your house, the glass on the top of solar panels gets coated with dust and dirt that cuts down the amount of light that passes through. More so than windows, solar panels are particularly vulnerable because they often lie at a shallow angle in an exposed location.

A thin layer of dust and grime can reduce efficiency by around 15 percent -- that's a lot of potential power to waste just because the glass isn't kept clean. So Japan's Sharp, a leading manufacturer of solar panels and generation systems, has come up with a robotic answer to this problem. The company has developed an automatic cleaner that will latch on to the top of a bank of solar panels and clean them one by one.

The device, which is on show at this week's Ceatec expo in Tokyo, can clean about 1,800 panels per hour. It requires a two-person team to operate and will cover around 5,220 panels before its battery runs dead, the company said. In contrast, current manual cleaning requires a 10-person team that can get through about 7,380 panels per day, so the automatic cleaner is much more efficient.

Sharp has already conducted trials of the cleaner at Thailand's Changwat Lop Buri. The plant is one of the largest solar generation facilities in the world, covering an area of 2 kilometers by 1 kilometer, and contains 640,000 solar panels to produce up to 73 megawatts of electricity. By hand, cleaning all those panels was a three-week job that required 62 workers. Using the solar cleaner, the job was accomplished in the same amount of time using about 20 workers, Sharp said.

In addition to requiring fewer workers, it also consumes just one-tenth the amount of water of the manual cleaning process -- about 0.3 liters per panel. Sharp is working toward commercializing the cleaner, which will first work on the company's own panels. Adapting it to clean solar panels made by different companies shouldn't be difficult, and Sharp will consider that after initial commercialization, said Akimasa Umemoto, a department general manager at Sharp's Solar Systems Group.

Sharp is already working on a next-generation system that doesn't require water. While the current prototype is suitable for use in Southeast Asian countries and places such as the U.S., the waterless version will be aimed at the Middle East, where access to large amounts of water can be problematic.

Mab is an automated cleaning system consisting of hundreds of flying mini-robots that can clean all types of surfaces. It has been designed by Adrian Perez Zapata.

Design lab finalists reveal gadgets of the future: From breathing walls to holograms and intelligent kitchen appliances, Electrolux Design Lab's eight finalists reveal how we might be cooking, cleaning and improving our home environment in the future. The eleventh annual Electrolux Design Lab competition fast forwards us to the future where technological boundaries do not exist. Here we reveal the eight finalists selected from over 1,700 entries from across the globe. Take a closer look at these stunning futuristic concept designs.

Mab: Mab is an automated cleaning system consisting of hundreds of flying mini-robots that can clean all types of surfaces. Mab flying robots will scan and clean the house using paying extra attention to dirty areas. The mini-robots clean surfaces by trapping the dirt particles to ensure maximum cleaning. Mab has been designed by Adrian Perez Zapata studying at Universidad San Buenaventura Medellín and Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana, Colombia.

Greenbotics’ method uses far less water — up to 90% less — or half a cup of water per panel.

How Robots Can Keep Solar Panels Clean And More Energy Flowing Into The Grid: SunPower  said Monday it’s bought a California startup that engineers robots for cleaning solar panels to minimize electricity production losses. SunPower paid an undisclosed amount of cash for Greenbotics after using the startup’s equipment for the past year at a 25-megawatt solar farm it’s built and operating for K Road Power in California’s Central Valley. Greenbotics’ technology speeds up the cleaning process and uses less water, said Tom Werner, CEO of SunPower. Manually hosing down the panels or sending pressurized water from a sprayer mounted on a truck has been among the conventional approaches.

Greenbotics’ method uses far less water — up to 90% less — or half a cup of water per panel than the manual cleaning process, SunPower said. Each cleaning crew makes up three people and six robots and can brush-clean 6 megawatts of solar panels in an 8-hour shift. Cleaning mostly takes place at night. “There really wasn’t an eloquent way (of cleaning solar panels),” Werner said. “The robotics is a huge improvement on this.”

Finding more water and labor efficient ways to keep the solar panels perform well makes a big difference in how much electricity and revenues a solar field can generate. The differences become greater in regions that are short on water, such as the desert, where abundant sunlight makes it an ideal location for solar energy production but its lack of ample water drives up the cost of running the solar power plant.

In places such as the Middle East, fine and sticky dust can reduce the solar panels’ energy production by as much as 15% and often requires monthly cleaning, Werner said. For a project like SunPower’s just completed, 250-megawatt California Valley Solar Ranch for NRG Energy, on the other hand, panel cleaning will take place twice to four times per year, Werner said. Besides making solar panels, SunPower also develops and builds solar power plants around the world.

Solar power plant developers and operators typically guarantee a certain amount of electricity production annually for their projects. Maintaining the health of the solar panels, inverters and other equipment is a long-term commitment. Large-scale solar projects sell the electricity to utilities, usually via 20- to 25-year contracts.

Robots are playing an increasingly important role in the solar business. There are trackers that rotate the panels to follow the sun’s movement throughout the day. This method costs more money than panels that stay put, but the additional amount of energy produced could make it worth the investment. QBotix, a Silicon Valley startup, for example, has designed a robot that moves along a track to visit each solar panel and rotate it at regular intervals.

Other companies are engineering robots to install solar panels in the field more efficiently or, in Greenbotics’ case, to take care of the solar equipment after installations.

But given that the use of robots is pretty new in the solar business, whether it will really provide significant savings and generate more profits remain to be seen. We are only starting to see large solar power projects coming online in the United States to help utilities meet their renewable energy mandates.

While Greenbotics’ technology has been used to create panel cleaning equipment, it will have uses beyond that. SunPower’s long-term plan is to use it for developing robots for speeding up the panel installation process of its projects, Werner said. The company doesn’t plan to sell the robots as a stand-alone product.

Playing loud pop music boosts output of solar panels by 40%: Playing loud pop and rock music improves the performance of solar cells, according to new research from scientists at Queen Mary University of London and Imperial College London. The high frequencies and pitch found in pop and rock music cause vibrations that enhanced energy generation in solar cells containing a cluster of 'nanorods', leading to a 40 per cent increase in efficiency of the solar cells. The study has implications for improving energy generation from sunlight, particularly for the development of new, lower cost, printed solar cells.

The researchers grew billions of tiny rods (nanorods) made from zinc oxide, then covered them with an active polymer to form a device that converts sunlight into electricity. Using the special properties of the zinc oxide material, the team was able to show that sound levels as low as 75 decibels (equivalent to a typical roadside noise or a printer in an office) could significantly improve the solar cell performance. "After investigating systems for converting vibrations into electricity this is a really exciting development that shows a similar set of physical properties can also enhance the performance of a photovoltaic," said Dr Steve Dunn, Reader in Nanoscale Materials from Queen Mary's School of Engineering and Materials Science.

Scientists had previously shown that applying pressure or strain to zinc oxide materials could result in voltage outputs, known as the piezoelectric effect. However, the effect of these piezoelectric voltages on solar cell efficiency had not received significant attention before. "We thought the soundwaves, which produce random fluctuations, would cancel each other out and so didn't expect to see any significant overall effect on the power output," said James Durrant, Professor of Photochemistry at Imperial College London, who co-led the study.

"The key for us was that not only that the random fluctuations from the sound didn't cancel each other out, but also that some frequencies of sound seemed really to amplify the solar cell output - so that the increase in power was a remarkably big effect considering how little sound energy we put in." "We tried playing music instead of dull flat sounds, as this helped us explore the effect of different pitches. The biggest difference we found was when we played pop music rather than classical, which we now realise is because our acoustic solar cells respond best to the higher pitched sounds present in pop music," he concluded.

The discovery could be used to power devices that are exposed to acoustic vibrations, such as air conditioning units or within cars and other vehicles. Dr Dunn added: "The work highlights the benefits of collaboration to develop new and interesting systems and scientific understanding."

The Sky's The Limit For Window Cleaning Systems

There’s no doubt that the professional window cleaning sector will continue to make progress, taking advantage of new technology and innovations in engineering and materials to produce even more adaptable window cleaning systems.

The sky's the limit for window cleaning systems: They say that necessity is the mother of invention, and the window cleaning sector is certainly proving this to be true, using innovative materials, technology and designs to answer client needs.  Jochen Wagener, head of marketing for Unger Europe, reveals how window cleaning systems are adapting and developing to keep pace with key market trends.

The only way is up – if the continuing architectural trend for high-rise buildings is anything to go by. The majority of our most iconic buildings seem to prove the theory that size matters, in terms of height, that is. Whether we are talking about the Shard in London, the Commerzbank Tower in Frankfurt, or the Torre de Cristal in Madrid, the fashion for high-rise, high-tech designs – featuring lots of glass and metal – doesn’t look like slowing down any time soon.

Tall buildings, whether new or established, need regular, thorough and effective cleaning to ensure they present a professional face to customers and colleagues. For the highest heights, ‘robotic’ automatic window cleaning systems, operated by remote control and using chemical-free pure water, are gaining ground. However, if a more ‘James Bond’ approach is preferred, abseiling using traditional squeegees is also still widely used. Operatives can also regularly be seen cleaning high level windows from cradles, using small poles, brushes and again pure water.

Professional window cleaners continue to embrace new methods and equipment – with water-fed poles emerging as another popular choice. These poles allow operatives to clean high buildings and windows safely from the ground, alleviating the need to work at height.

For many years, window cleaners have had the choice of two types of pole system: telescopic or modular. However, telescopic poles can tend to flex as they are extended, with a subsequent loss of control. They also have some weight issues; for example, a six-section telescopic pole will always have six sections as they cannot be removed – so even if you only need to use four sections to clean to the height required, you are still carrying the weight of six.

Modular systems, although better at extending without weakening rigidity, simply become too heavy as they are extended, and the extensions also add width to the poles making them less easy to handle. They can also take a long time to construct or build up, which is a disadvantage in terms of making the best use of operatives’ time.

This presented the sector with a challenge: how do you create a water-fed pole system that will clean up to 65 feet/20 metres in height, but be both lightweight and easy to control? Along with engineering and design techniques, combining the best features of both telescopic and modular poles, using the right materials is crucial – and more and more options are emerging to provide specific solutions.

Carbon fibre, fibreglass and aluminium are all materials that have brought choice and flexibility to the window cleaning sector, helping to create equipment that offers alternatives to suit the situation or building type. Carbon fibre in particular offers an amazing balance between strength, weight and rigidity. In comparison to steel it is stronger, more rigid, and yet it weighs considerably less.

These ‘next generation’ carbon fibre poles provide a better balance between weight and rigidity. Because the poles are lighter they make the job of a cleaning operative that much easier and more comfortable, putting less of a strain on their bodies and enabling them to clean swiftly and efficiently. The fact that they are lighter also means that the operative is less likely to get tired as quickly, so they can clean a larger surface area than if using a conventional system.

However, just because the poles are lightweight it doesn’t mean that they deliver less in terms of rigidity. Even when extensions are added to increase the length and reach of the system, the poles do not bend or become unwieldy. On the contrary rigidity, and therefore control, is maintained, allowing every corner and crevice to be cleaned thoroughly.

As companies and organisations have become more environmentally aware, an increase in the use of solar panels has also brought challenges for the window cleaning sector. Installing solar panels represents a big investment in both time and money, so businesses need to ensure that they are kept in top condition to reap the expected rewards.

The Renewable Energy Association (REA) says that solar power is the fastest growing energy technology in the world. The two main systems currently in use are:

• Photovoltaic (PV) panels – these convert sunlight into electricity and are available in a variety of formats including cladding, roof tiles, and custom glazing.

• Solar hot water systems – these absorb energy from the sun and transfer it, using heat exchangers, to heat water. A variety of collectors are available, which are commonly mounted on roofs in the same way as PV panels.

No matter where a building is sited, solar panels are exposed to the weather and environmental influences 24/7, 365 days a year. Dust, dirt and other deposits not only look unsightly, they affect the performance of the panels. Traffic fumes and soot can build up quickly, especially on systems that are located near roads, railway stations or on industrial parks where there is a constant stream of trucks, vans and cars.

The orientation of the panels is another factor to consider. Because you are looking to achieve maximum exposure to sunlight, panels should ideally be oriented to the south. When oriented in other directions, a build-up of plants or moss on the surface can result. The angle at which the panels are placed can also have an impact.

It’s widely agreed that if the panels lay very flat, then there will be more deposits to deal with. A steeper angle will help, to a certain extent, but dirt may still have a tendency to collect in lower corners. And although rain removes some of the existing dirt, it also deposits new dirt on the surface.

Soiling that is left on the panels stops sunlight from getting through, meaning that less energy is produced, in some cases resulting in a decrease in efficiency of 30 per cent. This is obviously not acceptable, so regular cleaning should be put in place to ensure you protect your investment.

Water-fed poles have already established themselves as a popular choice with professional window cleaners, because they allow them to clean high buildings and windows safely from the ground, alleviating the need to work at height. These pole systems now also lend themselves perfectly to cleaning solar panels, dispensing with the need for ladders or cranes but still cleaning safely and efficiently to help boost solar output.

Cleaning with chemicals also runs the risk of leaving a film on the panels that can prevent the sun’s rays from getting through, so the most effective way to clean is to use pure water. To get to this state the water is processed to remove the minerals and impurities that would otherwise dry and lead to spots and streaks.

Cleaning techniques used on the outside of buildings are now helping to influence how interiors are maintained, and window cleaning equipment is adapting to fulfil a growing need for safe and effective ways to do an ‘inside job’.

Many different businesses and organisations require indoor cleaning systems. From shopping centres, with their central, glass-clad atriums; to museums and galleries that need safe ways to clean around precious exhibits; to manufacturing facilities incorporating roof skylights – indoor cleaning is becoming increasingly important.

Demand is growing for easy-to-use, flexible systems. Companies are looking for more efficient ways to keep their premises clean – and that means efficiencies in both time and money. Methods of cleaning high interior windows that dispense with the need for ladders, but still operate in a safe way, are becoming more popular.

Telescopic pole systems are smaller and lighter, so they are more easily moved around buildings and between floors than bulky ladders, plus they get the job done quickly, without compromising quality. Systems that use pure water don’t need chemicals, saving both money and helping companies with their ‘green’ agendas; plus re-usable, washable pads mean less waste and more sustainability.

Indoor window cleaning systems means that customers are now able to clean places that were previously out of reach, such as ceilings, escalators, conservatory roofs and elevators. Ordinarily, this would require specialist cleaning and logistics to arrange – increasing financial outlay because of the high cost of hiring equipment such as scissor lifts, and causing disruption to the working day because areas have to be closed off while cleaning takes place – but the latest systems provide a solution to these problems.

Thanks to continuous product development and feedback from clients on their changing needs, great cleaning results are now the norm, and not difficult to achieve when compared to the more traditional glass cleaners and paper towels, used in years gone by.

There’s no doubt that the professional window cleaning sector will continue to make progress, taking advantage of new technology and innovations in engineering and materials to produce even more adaptable window cleaning systems. Whether you need to clean inside, outside, or up on the roof, the 21st century window cleaning sector is rising to the challenges ahead, and providing imaginative solutions that deliver the required results.

Window Cleaning News

3 days to go before Ungers event in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

The police car was pursuing a car after the driver was seen without a seatbelt. He has now ruined two peoples lives, one a window cleaner.

Police car that crashed and injured members of public was travelling at over 70mph in 30mph zone - A policeman who crashed into two cars after driving through red lights while in pursuit of a driver not wearing a seatbelt was travelling at speeds of up to 73mph in a 30mph zone, a court heard. Pc Daniel Aimson, 31, who was based at Swinton Police Station and had received advanced driving training for his role as a traffic officer, appeared at Preston Crown Court for a trial after pleading not guilty to dangerous driving. The crash left the driver and passenger of a Ford Ka with injuries including a broken collar bone, damaged disc and a punctured bowel, the court heard.
On November 27, 2011, Pc Aimson noticed a driver was not wearing a seatbelt as he started his patrol driving along Spinning Jenny Way in Leigh and followed him in the direction of its junction with Lord Street South and Chapel Street. He pursued him through the lights, which had turned red, hitting the Ford Ka, which span and collided with a Citroen C3. Pc Aimson's patrol car then collided with another Ford Ka coming in the opposite direction, prosecution counsel Joe Boyd told the jury. The patrol car's internal data recorder showed his emergency lights were on but the siren was off, that Pc Aimson reached speeds of 73mph in a 30mph zone and that he started to brake too late to prevent the crash, Mr Boyd said.

He added: "It may well be that he forgot about the junction. In any event his driving was fraught with danger. His rationalisation that other drivers could see him was wishful thinking. "Mr Aimson – not deliberately, he is not a boy racer racing his mates – was trying to stop the red car, but that does not prevent him from obeying the law of the land. This was a very dangerous manoeuvre which caused significant injuries."
In interview, Pc Aimson said he believed the drivers at the junction had seen him coming. But Christine Ragab, who was driving the first Ford Ka that was hit, told the court: "When the lights went to green I pulled out and looked to the right and saw some lights blinding me. And that was it." She said she remembered waking up and Pc Aimson holding her hand. She and her passenger, Stephen Higson, had to be cut from the vehicle. Mr Higson, who is now unable to work as a window cleaner, was admitted to hospital with a ruptured bowel and broken collar bone, while Mrs Ragab suffered cuts, bruises, muscle damage to her leg and a damage to a disc in her back.
John Monaghan, who was walking along Spinning Jenny Way at the time of the accident, said he saw the red car speed past and then looked around to see the police car, before hearing the crash behind him. In a statement read out by defence counsel Mark Aldred, Mr Monaghan said he didn't think the police car stood a chance of catching the red car. The case continues.

Superman is seen outside of C.S. Mott Children's Hospital on Monday, June, 3, 2013

The Hulk, Superman, Spiderman, Captain American and Iron Man scale down the side of C.S. Mott Children's Hospital.

Sick kids at C.S. Mott get a superhero surprise - Patients at C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital got a unique surprise Monday when superheroes appeared outside their windows. A team of five window washers donned Iron Man, Captain America, Spiderman, The Hulk and Superman costumes as they scrubbed the windows of the 12-story building in Ann Arbor. “We did it as a special treat to kids and their families,” said Mary Masson, senior public relations representative for the University of Michigan Health Systems. “They waved at the kids and posed for photos.” The hospital’s windows get cleaned four times a year. This is the first time the washers dressed up as superheroes.

Masson said the children were thrilled. The hospital has about 200 patients. “They waited with anticipation at the windows once they saw the ropes coming down,” she said. Masson said the window washing company asked the hospital to identify it publicly only as a University of Michigan contractor. “They wanted the focus to be on the kids, not the company,” she said.

Ecover relaunches the range of professional cleaning products with three new products, new and improved formulas and a fresh, new design of the packaging. The range has recently been awarded with the Cradle to Cradle Silver CertificationCM. The new range of cleaning products takes corporate social responsibility in the professional cleaning industry to a higher level. "With this range of powerful cleaners that are safe for people and the planet Ecover is ready for the future", says International B2B Manager Johan Tops.
Cradle to Cradle Silver CertifiedCM products
The result of the relaunch and renewal is a series of 6 Cradle Cradle Silver CertifiedCM products:

• Multi Spray: an ecological glass and window cleaner spray.
• Multi Daily: an ecological interior and floor cleaner for daily use.
• Multi Forte: a new ecological flooring and interior cleaner for regular use.
• San Daily: an ecological sanitary cleaner for everyday use with a mild acid formula for active lime removal.
• Swan Toilet Daily: an ecological toilet cleaner for daily use.
• Citop Zero: a concentrated detergent without perfume.

Cradle to Cradle Gold CertifiedCM packaging - The packaging of the Ecover professional rangehas been Cradle to Cradle Gold CertifiedCM. The Ecover packaging is made entirely from 'Plantastic'. This Polyethylene (PE) is a green plastic made from sugar cane instead of petroleum. It is 100% renewable, reusable and recyclable. The relaunch of the brand will be done gradually. The first products of the new generationwill be available from September 2013. The entire range will be renewed at the end of the year. About Ecover; Ecover was founded in Belgium in 1979 by a team motivated eco-pioneers, the first phosphate-free detergent developed. As soon as the brand took its way into food stores and supermarkets across Europe. In 2013, Ecover has 35 different products, which are sold in 40 countries worldwide.

Global majority faces water shortages 'within two generations' - Experts call on governments to start conserving water in face of climate change, pollution and over-use. The majority of the 9 billion people on Earth will live with severe pressure on fresh water within the space of two generations as climate change, pollution and over-use of resources take their toll, 500 scientists have warned. The world's water systems would soon reach a tipping point that "could trigger irreversible change with potentially catastrophic consequences", more than 500 water experts warned on Friday as they called on governments to start conserving the vital resource. They said it was wrong to see fresh water as an endlessly renewable resource because, in many cases, people are pumping out water from underground sources at such a rate that it will not be restored within several lifetimes.

But the scientists warned that the developed world would also suffer. For instance, there are now 210 million citizens of the US living within 10 miles of an "impaired" water source, and that number is likely to rise as the effects of global warming take hold. In Europe, some water sources are running dry because of over-extraction for irrigation, much of which is carried on in an unsustainable fashion. Pollutants are also causing severe problems in the rich world – the scientists highlighted the role of endocrine disruptors, which can cause fish to change gender, and the long-term effects of which on human populations are as yet barely known. "There is no citizen of the world who can be complacent about this," said Janos Bogardy, director of the UN University's Institute for Environment and Human Security.

“Dirt can reduce the energy output of solar modules by up to 20%." That is why Karcher has launched the iSolar, a new accessory for pressure washers designed for the thorough cleaning of solar panels,” explained Ulrich Engenhardt. “We launched this two weeks ago and we have already sold out of the first batch!” Not surprising perhaps, when you consider that Germany alone has 2.1 million solar panel installations.
Featuring rotary brushes with non-scratch nylon bristles and a lightweight telescopic lance that can extend up to 40 metres (typo), this accessory can clean up to 1,500 square metres of panel, quickly, efficiently and cost-effectively. There is a one-brush version for smaller surfaces and a two brush version for larger installations.
iSolar can be used with any Karcher professional pressure washer with a flow rate of at least 700 litres per hour. Water from the pressure washer in low-pressure mode makes the two brushes rotate in opposite directions, so they can be guided in straight runs without any effort. The lance is made of high-quality material (carbon or carbon composite) which makes it very light in weight and stable. The water flow can be switched on and off by means of a ball tap on the lance. All connections are made of brass and stainless steel to prevent corrosion.

Also part of the system and up for an award is the RM 99 low-alkali detergent designed specifically for solar modules. It cleans panels thoroughly and dries them after rinsing without leaving streaks so that fresh dirt takes longer to settle. Its gentle formula also ensures that it does not corrode the aluminium which is frequently used for the frames of solar panels. “In areas where there is lots of agriculture the panels become slimey so a chemical cleaner is needed,” it was explained. The slightly alkaline detergent (the pH value of the concentrate is 9) is biodegradable and can therefore quite safely be discharged into the drainage system. It is very economical: one litre of concentrate is enough to clean about 500 square metres, which saves money and benefits the environment.

The Winner's Brain - In The Winner’s Brian, Harvard-trained brain experts Dr Jeff Brown and Dr Mark Fenske explore the surprising science behind motivation, focus, and extraordinary achievement. Throughout the book, dozens of Winners from all walks of life tell their stories. Many are well known, others are artistes and inventors, business people, an FBI agent, a fighter pilot, even a high-altitude window washer. These interviews reveal how anyone can change their thinking to improve their life. It is fascinating, accessible, and compulsively readable.

Chris O’Dowd on being a Hollywood outsider - Chris O’Dowd features in issue 207 of Total Film magazine as part of our Future 100, a celebration of the most exciting stars, trends and movies heading your way. Inside the issue, you’ll get the lowdown on the most exciting happenings in movies, with O’Dowd more than earning his spot after jumping from much-loved TV actor to a regular member of Judd Apatow’s gang. On his Hollywood status, he told us: “I still feel a bit like an outsider.” “I think that if there’s a house that Judd Apatow built, I’m the window-cleaner looking in, masturbating. But I’m glad I’m being employed in some capacity!”

Bill Rogers the champion IPSC shooter, former FBI agent and founder of the Bill Roger’s Shooting School, is an innovator who has designed everything from buttstocks to holsters. You can also add cleaning systems to the list. The development of this system has been a work in progress for over five years. An inveterate tinkerer, he continues to improve the technology. The Rogers Bore Squeege-E kit comes in a clear plastic case about the size of those toiletries bags they used to give away on airplanes. It’s packed with a full complement of brushes and squeegees that will fit most every caliber and an instruction manual with tiny print. Instead of the usual series of cotton patches used to clean out the resulting gunk, he employs a polymer squeegee that is run through the bore just once. His rationale in employing squeegees? He told me he once observed while cleaning a dirty window that a great deal of the residue was spread around instead of ending up on the paper towel. A squeegee was much more efficient. He figured it would work on a gun barrel too.

Increasing value - Today's catch phrase is "value-added," but the principle is well-aged and battle-tested. It's the philosophy that made American businesses great; the mindset of delivering more than was promised or faster than was expected. Creative value-adds are much more meaningful than generous ones. Why is my partner buying my product or service? What can I do to make the experience more pleasant? Give some consideration to what's driving the other guy, and spend just a little bit of time figuring out a way to make things easier or better for him. Jim Wagner is co-founder and chief operating officer of Connected Contractors and managing partner of the Estate Window Cleaning Co. The purpose of "Getting Connected," which will appear occasionally, is to help businesses and customers work together more effectively.

Good customer care can be defined as delivering a quality product or service in a timely manner under the conditions agreed to by the parties involved. Great customer service is doing exactly that, but in a spirit of cooperation or partnership. Most businesses operate with a client/vendor mentality, without ever realizing just how close they are to converting customers to partners. Assuming that there's some structured sales process that would include advertising, marketing and some sort of warranty or contract, the amount of effort required to add a new client or a partner is about the same. But the difference is night and day. Partners become long-term, year-over-year opportunities. They withstand competitive pressure. They build your brand awareness within their circle of influence. They're your company's insight to your marketplace. Listening to your partners keeps you relevant. Working in partnership helps you grow. The ultimate goal is for your clients to be living, breathing representatives of your brand. That is the highest form of a client partnership.

‘Sexist’ Swiffer Ad Generates Uproar For Putting This Feminist Icon ‘Back In The Kitchen’-  Critics of a new Swiffer ad accuse the household product line of attempting to put feminist icon Rosie the Riveter “back in the kitchen” by reappropriating her can-do individualistic image as one of enforcing old “sexist” stereotypes about cleaning being a woman’s job. The new image for Swiffer’s Bissel Steam Boost features a redone version of the classic Westinghouse 1943 “We Can Do It!” poster, which later became a powerful icon of female empowerment and the feminist movement.

In this 21st century version, instead of Rosie showing her muscle presumably in a machine factory, she is holding up the Swiffer product: The ad first generated controversy when one Twitter user snapped a photo of what appeared in her Sunday newspaper inserts, with her own caption added: “We can do it! Because cleaning kitchens is a woman’s work. #swiffer #sexist”. BoingBoing editor Jason Weisberger reacted with a harsh assessment: “[C]lear tribute to an important historical image done in such a way as to piss on its legacy.”

Cheap thrills: window washing - Between teaching an art residency out of town last month and prepping my studio for ArtCamps this month, there's been no time for any measurable lightening up projects. Instead I tackled another repeating chore, one I always put off then realize: "Such a cheap thrill - why can't I do this more often?" I overheard this housekeeping gem once: "If the floors and windows are clean, you can usually fool everyone about the rest." It's true.

Ulverston firm tells of hopes for future - A cleaning company a young couple set up from scratch has grown to employ almost 20 people in five years – and has big ambitions for the future. SP Services had only four members of staff 12 months ago, but has rapidly expanded to employ 19 from its base in Ulverston Business Centre. James and Kelly Hall first established the firm from their Barrow home in Cavendish Street. At that time, the business focused on cleaning cars and windows.

But the starting point for expansion arrived when the firm was invited to help a large cleaning firm when MFI re-opened in Barrow after it was gutted in a fire in 2006. That partnership secured SP cleaning work across the UK and provided a foundation to secure contracts locally. The business now works in commercial cleaning, window cleaning and has recently branched out to offer carpet cleaning. It has contracts as far north as Carlisle and as far south as Lancaster, but its core area is Barrow and Ulverston.

Mr Hall, 27, who served in the infantry with the Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment for six years from the age of 16, said the growth had been down to hard work. Mr Hall, who is originally from York, added: “We’ve just been gradually getting on with it and making sure we do things properly. If we didn’t do things properly, we wouldn’t be here doing it now.

“It’s definitely not easy. People think you’ve got it easy, but far from it. “It can be a bit stressful running a business because where people can tend to shrug things off and not worry about it, we can’t afford to do that. “I still go out and do work because we’re not at the point yet where we can pay somebody to go out and carpet clean.”

But in the longer-term, the couple have their sights set on developing further contracts outside Cumbria. Mr Hall said: “Before we move from this area, we need to establish a lot more work and a lot more profits to be able to grow the business elsewhere. But that’s what we want to do. “There’s a lot more business in cities, but to branch into that at the moment would be too much of a risk. We’ve had phone calls from Sheffield for work but we can’t commit to it at the moment. “But that’s where we see ourselves, branching out into different parts of the country. And there might be a possibility in the future for us to consider franchising.”

Crews Use Helicopter To Lift Window-Washing Equipment Up To BOK Tower (Tulsa, Oklahoma) - You may have noticed a large helicopter hovering over downtown Sunday morning. Crews took to the sky for several hours, all to replace the window washing equipment on top of the 52-story BOK Tower. The Sikorsky S-58t helicopter is capable of lifting loads up to 4,500 lbs. Access to some areas, including parking lots around the BOK Tower, was restricted while they worked. The chopper went back and forth downtown from around 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Stuart Elliott was a window cleaner when he played for Glentoran but it soon became clear that his career would go in a different direction as he raced down the left wing at the Oval, scoring spectacular goals galore. Three years after making his debut for the Glens, in 2000 he moved to Motherwell where he became a Fir Park favourite and then transferred to Hull City, playing almost 200 games netting 65 times. It was at that stage that Elliott became a fixture in the Northern Ireland side earning himself 36 caps including his most treasured against England in that famous 2005 success.

A Lenovo laptop computer worth $1,000 was taken from Skowron Eye Care, 370 N. York, at around 12:30 p.m. May 30. A witness said a man with short black hair, about 6 feet tall, 300 pounds, who was missing his bottom teeth, was soliciting for window washing services in the business. He then requested to make a doctor appointment. The witness said he then walked into the area where the laptop was and quickly left the business. No one saw him walk out with the laptop, but they said his behavior was suspicious.

Jury sent out in trial of Mandy Mary Walters, 45, of Mostyn Avenue, Carmarthen, accused of theft: A Jury will today continue its deliberations in the trial of a single mother accused of stealing from the shop she worked at in Carmarthen. Mandy Mary Walters, 45, of Mostyn Avenue, has denied eleven counts of theft from Signature store, Nott Square, between March and April last year. She admitted that she had taken money from the till, but said this was owed to her for extra shifts. She said she would also use till money to pay other staff, window cleaners and seamstresses, as well as using funds for day-to-day costs.

At Carmarthen Crown Court yesterday, jurors heard from expert witness David Peter Alexander, a chartered accountant who was appearing for the defence case. He told the court that despite claims from store owner, Helen Jones, that there had been a deficit of cash in the till on April 4, there was in fact a surplus of £70.51. He added that on days where Walters wasn't listed as working in the diary, he found a deficit in the accounts.

Last month, Grimsby’s East Marsh was ranked sixth in a national league table of “welfare ghettoes”. According to a report by the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ), 51 per cent of people of working age (16 to 64) in the ward are claiming out-of-work benefits.

Walking further up the street, close to the Post Office, is 42-year-old Barry Newbold, of Comber Place. Asked what he thinks of his neighbourhood being labelled a "benefit ghetto", he says: "I don't think that's a fair reflection." An epilepsy sufferer who lost his last job at a sandwich factory when a seizure resulted in him falling onto the production line, he becomes visibly upset, almost tearful, when describing the reaction that he gets when he tells people he is on benefits. "People just look at you differently, and wonder why you don't go out and get a job, but when you have got epilepsy, a lot of employers don't want to take a risk. "I suppose there are some people who don't want to work, and if you have been on benefits for a long time it might become a habit. "I would love to get a job. It's just finding an employer that will take me on."

Barry, who was working as a window cleaner when he first started having seizures in 2006, says he has also felt the impact of the Government's "clampdown" on benefits. He was receiving Disability Living Allowance until two years ago when he went to see a doctor for a check-up. "He turned round and said that because I could stand up and turn round in a chair they were stopping my disability allowance." Because of that, Barry lost £250 of his monthly income. Now he gets by on his fortnightly Job Seeker's Allowance of £180. He says that if he wasn't staying at his mum's house, making ends meet would be a real struggle.

TV review: "Skint" - Modern life is rubbish: smack-heads and shoplifters, window cleaners and prostitutes, money lenders and car park casinos. The mean streets of Scunthorpe, featured in Channel 4’s Skint, were a modern day Dante’s Inferno. 

The devastating effects of this drug use are everywhere. Young mother Emma used to have a drug problem, and is now resigned to taking the prescribed heroin substitute methadone for the rest of her life. Her boyfriend Pete, meanwhile, the estate window cleaner, is a heavy drinker who is not allowed to look after the couple’s young son, Ty, after an incident where he was drunk in charge of a minor. Even those young men on the estate without drink or drug problems struggle to motivate themselves to do anything at all.