Window Cleaning On Mars

Self-cleaning technology from Mars can keep terrestrial solar panels dust free: Find dusting those tables and dressers a chore or a bore? Dread washing the windows? Imagine keeping dust and grime off objects spread out over an area of 25 to 50 football fields. That's the problem facing companies that deploy large-scale solar power installations, and scientists today presented the development of one solution -- self-dusting solar panels -- based on technology developed for space missions to Mars.

In a report at the 240th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS), they described how a self-cleaning coating on the surface of solar cells could increase the efficiency of producing electricity from sunlight and reduce maintenance costs for large-scale solar installations.

"We think our self-cleaning panels used in areas of high dust and particulate pollutant concentrations will highly benefit the systems' solar energy output," study leader Malay K. Mazumder, Ph.D. said. "Our technology can be used in both small- and large-scale photovoltaic systems. To our knowledge, this is the only technology for automatic dust cleaning that doesn't require water or mechanical movement."

Mazumder, who is with Boston University, said the need for that technology is growing with the popularity of solar energy. Use of solar, or photovoltaic, panels increased by 50 percent from 2003 to 2008, and forecasts suggest a growth rate of at least 25 percent annually into the future. Fostering the growth, he said, is emphasis on alternative energy sources and society-wide concerns about sustainability (using resources today in ways that do not jeopardize the ability of future generations to meet their needs).

Large-scale solar installations already exist in the United States, Spain, Germany, the Middle East, Australia, and India. These installations usually are located in sun-drenched desert areas where dry weather and winds sweep dust into the air and deposit it onto the surface of solar panel. Just like grime on a household window, that dust reduces the amount of light that can enter the business part of the solar panel, decreasing the amount of electricity produced. Clean water tends to be scarce in these areas, making it expensive to clean the solar panels.

"A dust layer of one-seventh of an ounce per square yard decreases solar power conversion by 40 percent," Mazumder explains. "In Arizona, dust is deposited each month at about 4 times that amount. Deposition rates are even higher in the Middle East, Australia, and India."

Working with NASA, Mazumder and colleagues initially developed the self-cleaning solar panel technology for use in lunar and Mars missions. "Mars of course is a dusty and dry environment," Mazumder said, "and solar panels powering rovers and future manned and robotic missions must not succumb to dust deposition. But neither should the solar panels here on Earth."

The self-cleaning technology involves deposition of a transparent, electrically sensitive material deposited on glass or a transparent plastic sheet covering the panels. Sensors monitor dust levels on the surface of the panel and energize the material when dust concentration reaches a critical level. The electric charge sends a dust-repelling wave cascading over the surface of the material, lifting away the dust and transporting it off of the screen's edges.

Mazumder said that within two minutes, the process removes about 90 percent of the dust deposited on a solar panel and requires only a small amount of the electricity generated by the panel for cleaning operations.

The current market size for solar panels is about $24 billion, Mazumder said. "Less than 0.04 percent of global energy production is derived from solar panels, but if only four percent of the world's deserts were dedicated to solar power harvesting, our energy needs could be completely met worldwide. This self-cleaning technology can play an important role."

Window Cleaning Water Fed Pole Brushes

Window cleaning brushes & which water fed pole brush to use has often received lively debate on window cleaning forums the world over. Peter Fogwill of "Window Tools" & the forum of the same name published this paper a couple of year a go & is still well worth a read even in today's market. Reproduced here in it's entirety, courtesy of Peter Fogwill. If you are also interested, Peter has designed & built the first water fed pole "Hot Wash" mobile trolley system, click here to see. And also the very popular "auto-brush."

What window cleaning brush? There has been a lot of talk lately about window cleaning brushes, and what ones are best. Let me start by clarifying one thing, the most popularly used is not necessarily the best. Awhile ago there was a certain brush manufacturer that caught on to the fact that the reach and wash system and water fed poles in general were gaining popularity among window cleaners, and quite rightly got in on the act. They realised their was big business in window cleaning brushes and started promoting their car washing brushes at trade shows etc, and offering good deals to water fed pole suppliers. They even made some changes to the brush to make them more window cleaning friendly, trouble is they forgot about two main factors that overwhelmingly effected the cleaning power of the brush. Firstly the density of the bristles, their brush is far too dense and this restricts the flow of dirty water passing through the bristles, and working its way down and off the glass. Secondly the bristles were splayed at the ends to make them softer for car paintwork, as glass is a hard surface this was not necessary for a window cleaning brush, it had a negative effect and trapped dirt particles, again restricting the easy passage of dirty water through the brush and down to the bottom of the glass. These two factors although not the only disadvantages makes the most widely used window cleaning brush a nightmare to use.

How did the average window cleaner not notice this? They were supplied with the brush from their supplier, they didn't know any better, after all if you pay good money for a window cleaning system you would expect to be supplied with the best equipment to do the job it was designed to do. Trouble is most of the window cleaning suppliers have never cleaned a window in their life, they picked up on a brush that was being heavily promoted, got a good deal and the rest is history. The window cleaner got round the defects on the brush by brushing the window and then lifting the brush off the glass to give it a final rinse, which is both time consuming and a much higher water consumption over the course of the day.

There are another couple of disadvantages with the brush I am talking about. The weight of the brush, and the shape of the bristles. Again the clever window cleaner has compensated for the weight by using a much smaller brush, the size of the brush brings the weight down considerably, only problem with that is again more time wasted covering the glass with the smaller brush, and again more water wasted as you are on the glass longer. Next there is the shape of the bristles, they are straight. If they were slightly crinkled it would serve as a more aggressive cleaner, as there is a more abrasive contact on any dirt sticking to the glass. Slightly elongated bristles servers the same purpose allowing the bristles to splay more and would allow the non splayed tips of the bristles to come in contact with the dirt. This would also allow for faster cleaning, which in turn reduces water usage.

The funny thing about all this is I have had customers of mine changing from the brush I supply which has none of the disadvantages of the above brush, to one of the disadvantaged brushes. Why? Simply because they have been told by other window cleaners that the brush they use is not a window cleaning brush, and that they have to change over to the disadvantage brush that they use. Its not all bad though, these helpful chaps sometimes show them some new exciting ways to get a spot free finish on the glass, they show them how to take the brush off the glass and give it a final rinse, and how to waste time and water into the bargain.

Also as a bonus, one of the members of Peters forum also added this video on his guide to reduce spotting using various water fed pole techniques.

Window Cleaners On FaceBook

Another year passes, well for me at least. Thanks to all those that posted on my facebook account to wish me the best - those that didn't - apparently birthdays are in the top left corner under events! Never have window cleaners had a greater chance to spread the word of their services & get the word out to their customers than now. I'm still wondering if those in my local circle really should know every day or week whether they should be bombarded with the fact that I am a window cleaner everyday, like some other services. I've never been one to sound my own trumpet, yet I get bombarded on a daily basis by 'facebook friends' telling me what they offer via private messages. Sooner or later the delete key becomes 'hide this service' & without even knowing it they've done more harm than good.

With the news today of facebook setting up a new application called 'places,' everyone could know where you are at any time. Is that a good thing? Big brother has really arrived, now more than ever, where every detail of your working life could be detailed & tracked by clients, colleagues, competitors & also unscrupulous systems & all this information is given freely. Google streetview are currently under study in Spain, for perhaps picking up more information of their surroundings than they should have. We are becoming a generation where soon accounting for your actions or where you've been will soon be a documented event. Even so, I'll leave it up to you to decide if this is a good thing or not. Personally I like to err on the side of caution & perhaps kill my authenticity. Privacy has become a debate in itself.

On the other hand, facebook has become a great interactive way of keeping in touch with not only friends but personal interests. I've never had so many window cleaning colleagues in my life & it's great to text-chat online. At any one time I can know if my friends are rained off or are sweltering in the heat or some even resort to snapping a photo of the most exotic insects in their work day. Some even post problem photos of the most awkward windows to clean & get answers on the go. Now that's technology!

If you wish to get updates from this blog in your own facebook account - you can follow it here. Or if you wish to interact on a personal level click my picture below. I'll leave you with this guide so that just once, you may have a look at your own facebook account & not suffer identity theft. It's entitled "7 things to stop doing now on Facebook."



Using a weak password:
Avoid simple names or words you can find in a dictionary, even with numbers tacked on the end. Instead, mix upper- and lower-case letters, numbers, and symbols. A password should have at least eight characters. One good technique is to insert numbers or symbols in the middle of a word, such as this variant on the word "houses": hO27usEs!

Leaving your full birth date in your profile:
It's an ideal target for identity thieves, who could use it to obtain more information about you and potentially gain access to your bank or credit card account. If you've already entered a birth date, go to your profile page and click on the Info tab, then on Edit Information. Under the Basic Information section, choose to show only the month and day or no birthday at all.

Overlooking useful privacy controls:
For almost everything in your Facebook profile, you can limit access to only your friends, friends of friends, or yourself. Restrict access to photos, birth date, religious views, and family information, among other things. You can give only certain people or groups access to items such as photos, or block particular people from seeing them. Consider leaving out contact info, such as phone number and address, since you probably don't want anyone to have access to that information anyway.

Posting your child's name in a caption:
Don't use a child's name in photo tags or captions. If someone else does, delete it by clicking on Remove Tag. If your child isn't on Facebook and someone includes his or her name in a caption, ask that person to remove the name.

Mentioning that you'll be away from home:
That's like putting a "no one's home" sign on your door. Wait until you get home to tell everyone how awesome your vacation was and be vague about the date of any trip.

Letting search engines find you:
To help prevent strangers from accessing your page, go to the Search section of Facebook's privacy controls and select Only Friends for Facebook search results. Be sure the box for public search results isn't checked.

Permitting youngsters to use Facebook unsupervised:
Facebook limits its members to ages 13 and over, but children younger than that do use it. If you have a young child or teenager on Facebook, the best way to provide oversight is to become one of their online friends. Use your e-mail address as the contact for their account so that you receive their notifications and monitor their activities. "What they think is nothing can actually be pretty serious," says Charles Pavelites, a supervisory special agent at the Internet Crime Complaint Center. For example, a child who posts the comment "Mom will be home soon, I need to do the dishes" every day at the same time is revealing too much about the parents' regular comings and goings.

Window Cleaning News

It's My Job: Sparkle and shine - Walk past a clean set of windows in the Fargo-Moorhead area, and there’s a good chance Tim Olson and his squeegee have been on the scene. Olson, founder and owner of Mr. Sparkle Window Cleaning, has been scouring windows around town since he launched the company in 1998. A Fargo native with a background in business management, Olson has kept his operation in the family: His wife, Lori, runs the office, and his sister Nancy does part-time seasonal work. His business keeps a low profile and doesn’t advertise much but has carved out a niche through word-of-mouth referrals. “Almost all our calls, when they call in, say, ‘You do my neighbor’s house, or you do this person’s house,’ ” he said. “To me, it shows that we’re doing a good job.” We caught up with Olson to talk about the right way to clean a window, working through winter, and the inspiration behind his company name.



How’d you get into window washing?
I had done it when I was in college, and it was a good fit. I wanted to own a business someday. It’s a great business. I like working outside. I like moving, being around, seeing people. I don’t like being stuck in an office.

Is there a secret to washing a window correctly?
The thing that would surprise most people is how long it takes to get the technique right. I have people come up to me and say “Would you show me real quick?” so they can go home and do it, but when I train people, it takes them a good month at 40 hours a week for them to even start to get it down. There’s all sorts of little tricks.

Is there a busy time of year for you?
Spring and fall – spring is obviously the busiest, but it gets busy before winter, too. With graduations, the end of May, we’re just swamped. People already have scheduled next year for their graduations, my regular customers that know we get that busy.

You work in all seasons, don’t you?
Yes. It’s a good thing I’m from here because I’m used to the winters. We’re pretty hardy, I guess. We use alcohol to keep the water from freezing, so it’s more about keeping yourself warm, keeping your fingers warm, and just knowing what you can tolerate.

What can you tolerate?
I’ve done it to 40-below wind chill, but that’s tough. You’re out maybe about five minutes, and then you’re warming up. You can’t do it much longer.

Have you ever had any close calls on the ladder?
Just once, and it was this year. The ladder started to slide out from me, but I had my partner with me, and he was able to grab it. Jumped your heart for a little bit for a little while. I was actually inside a house, and they had a nice tile floor. I thought I had the ladder secure enough, but it just started sliding very slowly, and I just sat there and held on for dear life until he got over to the ladder and just kept watching it go down the wall. I suppose I was probably 15 feet up.

The name “Mr. Sparkle” is a famous reference to “The Simpsons” (it was the name of a mysterious Japanese cleaning product on the show). Is that how that came about?
Yes, it is. I’m a big “Simpsons” fan, and when we created our list of names, Mr. Sparkle was one of the names on there, and my wife said, “You’re not using that name.” As we kept eliminating names, it kept rising up to the top, and finally it was the last name.

War veteran, 83, facing eviction from the council house he's lived in for 74 years to make way for a 'family in need' - An 83-year-old war veteran who has lived in the same council house for 74 years is being evicted after the death of his sister left him living alone. Edward Meakins fears moving out of his life-long home will kill him but Barnet Council wants to use the three-bedroom property for one of the rising number of families needing large council homes. He moved into the house in Cricklewood, north-west London, with his parents and four siblings in 1936 but is now the only resident after his sister Margaret died in May. Mr Meakins, who also worked as a window cleaner for 25 years, said: 'I don't want a flat. I don't like the idea of it at all. It's very important for me that I stay here. 'I have been very worried about it. I wouldn't last long in a flat, it would kill me. 'I have got my garden and all my life here, so why do they want to take it all away from me?' Support has been flooding in for Mr Meakins, including a Facebook petition urging Barnet Homes to reverse its decision. So far, more than 3,000 people have joined the group, titled 'Save 83yr old Edward Meakins from being forced out of his home of 74 years'.

Your Mr. Rogers' windows come with many features designed to make cleaning easier. However, when you don't have to clean your windows very often, it's easy to forget. Renewal by Andersen windows from Mr. Rogers let you clean the entire window from the inside. The top and bottom windows tilt inside so you can reach the inside and outside glass. Your Windows Are Worry-Free—Not Dirt Free! So Here's How to Clean Them!

Family pay tribute to tragic dad: Relatives last night spoke for the first time about the death of a man as he played with his son in a paddling pool. Window cleaner Neal Jefferies, 30, was spending a Sunday afternoon playing in the back garden with three-year-old son Liam, when he suddenly collapsed and died. His sister Katie has now pledged to complete a charity challenge he was planning. Mr Jefferies’ partner Roberta Sim, 30, who was upstairs with nine-month-old Scott at their home in Ferguson Place, Abingdon, came down to find him lying face down in the pool.

Ex-miners claim injuries were under-compensated: A group of former miners who suffered industrial injuries are claiming they received inadequate compensation from a government scheme. The men have "vibration white finger" - a condition that causes pain or numbness - and are pursuing payments to cover tasks such as gardening and DIY. The government has said the scheme was administered fairly. BBC legal affairs analyst Clive Coleman said it had since emerged that some ex-miners were under-compensated for the "services" they could no longer provide for their families, such as gardening, car-washing, window-cleaning and DIY.

Stylish, affordable and now available fully furnished, Debut by Redrow apartments are proving popular in Selby, North Yorkshire. Debut apartments make ideal starter homes and to help those stepping on to the property ladder, the award winning house builder is offering a ‘first home pack’. “Looking after your money and keeping track of bills in your first home can be tricky, but at Debut @ Selby budgeting couldn’t be easier as gas, electricity and water charges, even the window cleaning, are included in a single monthly service charge,” Patsy explained.

Sky dancers wow downtown Dallas spectators: All the sky is a stage, or at least the sky surrounding Thanksgiving Tower is. Aerial dance company Project Bandaloop dangled, leapt and climbed through the downtown Dallas sky on Tuesday in a promotion for an energy company. The group has performed on skyscrapers around the world. Below, safely on the ground, a crowd of hundreds gathered, their necks strained. Look up in the sky! Is it a window washer? A bungee jumper? Is it Superman? Maybe Spiderman? No, none of the above.

Cleaning "Essentials" You Can Stop Using for Good: GLASS CLEANER - Once upon a time, I thought that specialty cleaner - you know, that ubiquitous blue stuff - was a must-have for your cleaning caddy. Years ago, I learned that many cleaning experts don't opt for a window or glass cleaner to make their windows and glass shine. It turns out that a simple few squirts of dishsoap in a bucket of warm water makes the best solution for cleaning windows and glass. (Others swear by white vinegar.) And, since you've ditched your paper towels, use newspaper to buff glass to a shiny finish -- it won't leave lint or streaks behind.

Leaking Fish Pond Leads To $300K Pot Bust: FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. - A water leak from a business led to the discovery of a pot-growing operation and 151 pot plants, said investigators in Forsyth County. Authorities said they found the marijuana at Georgia Window Works on Union Hill Road. Derrick Eads, 50, is facing felony charges, including manufacturing marijuana and possession with intent to distribute, after authorities said they found $300,000 worth of marijuana in his business.
Channel 2 Action News reporter Carol Sbarge went to his business in south Forsyth County on Wednesday, but no one answered the door. The owner of a neighboring business said he had noticed a strong odor, but never suspected someone was allegedly growing marijuana inside Georgia Window Works. “The business next door to this window washing company had noticed water leaking under the wall,” said Capt. Frank Huggins of the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office. Investigators said the leak was actually coming from a gold fish pond inside the business. “You never know what might trigger something that would lead to the arrest of the perpetrator. It’s the way karma works,” said Huggins.
When a maintenance worker walked into the business to track down the source of the leak, investigators said the worker saw the pot plants growing in various stages. He immediately called the Sheriff’s Office, police said. A nearby business owner said Eads moved into the office complex earlier this year, but kept to himself. Eads has been released on a $33,330 bond. Previous blog on this here.

Moscow restricts vodka sales to break the drinking habit: Ivan the Terrible boosted its production, Mikhail Gorbachev restricted its sale, and Boris Yeltsin wandered the streets of Washington in his underpants trying to hail a cab to look for pizza after drinking too much of it. Now authorities in Moscow have taken the latest steps in Russians' eternal and deadly dance with vodka. They have announced a ban on the sale of spirits between 10pm and 10am, from September 1. The average Russian drinks 1½ litres of pure alcohol every month, a habit that kills 500,000 people a year. An estimated 51 per cent of vodka is produced on the black market. Factories run illegal night shifts, and huge supplies of moonshine are distilled in villages, where it acts as a second currency. In the 1980s Mr Gorbachev decreed that vodka could be sold only from 2pm to 7pm. Mortality rates dropped as a result but there was a spurt in use of dangerous ''surrogate'' alcohols such as aftershave, shoe polish and window cleaner.

Congress wants to pick your pocket - again. Democrats want to extend the Bush tax cuts for middle-class wage earners only and raise taxes on anyone earning more than $250,000. Of course, since this applies only to "the rich," it won't affect you, right? That opinion couldn't be more wrong. When upper income earner's tax rates climb by 3% or more, the marriage penalty is reinstated, child tax credits are lost, capital gains taxes increase from 15% to 20% (a 33% increase!), and dividend income taxation soars by 160%. It's not just "rich" people who pay and pay. Dollars will disappear from everyone's pockets. To make up for vastly higher taxes, "rich" folks will: Hire less domestic help: In areas such as landscaping, window washing and housekeeping, Joe Public loses big-time.

Street Talk: How do you cope with mosquitoes? Matt Roberson, window washer, Hanover Park: "Lots of bug spray. When we do residential areas, there's swamp and grassy areas where there's water. And dips in their back yards which hold water and are like nesting areas."

Known as Marco's "Window Lady," Sherri Medieros does windows, doors, mirrors, boat windows, condo lobbies, and more. Her See-Thru Window Cleaning has been on Marco since 1987.

FISH WINDOW CLEANING: Announced that Mark Phillips, owner of Fish Window Cleaning in Denver, has received the western region's Rising Star Excellence Award at the company's convention in St. Louis.

Glass News For The Discerning Window Cleaner

The miracle spray-on glass that stops the bugs: Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool is coating the toys in its wards with a revolutionary form of "liquid glass" that has proven in trials to reduce the number of disease-causing bacteria living on the surface of objects. Severely ill children being treated at Alder Hey are often not allowed to play with the hospital's pool of toys because of fears that infections will be passed between patients, some of whom may have suppressed immune systems resulting from their life-saving treatment. The liquid glass, which is safe and completely inert, forms an invisible, flexible coating on the surface of an object and repels dirt and grime. More importantly, it is believed to prevent the build-up of hospital-acquired infections such as the superbug Staphylococcus aureus, which is resistant to many antibiotics.
Alder Hey is testing the experimental coating on the toys in its children's wards because these shared objects come into intimate body contact and could easily become a source of a hospital-acquired infection spread between the children. "We have an awful lot of toys and many of them are difficult to clean. We even have to remove some of them because they are so difficult to keep clean, yet they are so important for the children," said Pauline Bradshaw, operational director of infection, prevention and control at Alder Hey."We view toys in the same frame as any other medical device that has to be cleaned and decontaminated. Once the toy is coated with the liquid glass you cannot see any difference whatsoever. I think it's got great potential not just for toys but for other hospital settings," Ms Bradshaw said.
Tests of the liquid glass in another nearby hospital, Southport and Formby District General, have shown that coating surfaces such as floors, bedside tables, washbasins, toilet handles and lift buttons, can reduce bacterial growth by between 25 and 50 per cent. The three-month trial at Southport compared surfaces coated with the liquid-glass, made by a German company called Nanopool, against untreated surfaces. Hospital staff followed their usual cleaning routines and were not told which surfaces had been coated. Scientists took swabs of different hospital areas every week for the 12-week period and the final results demonstrated a clear, statistical difference in bacterial load between the treated and untreated surfaces, according to the official evaluation of the trial. "These initial results suggest that the Nanopool coating would be effective in reducing levels of contamination on a range of surfaces in hospitals and could potentially improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the cleaning regime," the report says.
"The evaluation also confirmed that the Nanopool coating can be applied in a busy hospital setting with relative ease and with minimal disruption," it says. The liquid glass, a form of silicon dioxide in solution, was originally developed as an anti-graffiti coating for the outside of buildings but scientists soon realised that it had the potential to act as an anti-bacterial barrier. Nanopool said that it has conducted tests at a meat-processing plant in Germany and found that cleaning treated surfaces with hot water was just as effective at killing bacteria as cleaning untreated surfaces with a bleach solution.
Neil McClelland, Nanopool's UK project manager, said that the liquid glass coating is just a few millions of a millimetre thick and the electrostatic forces on the nanoscale film repel water and dirt. They also prevent bacteria from replicating in the way they would normally do on an untreated surface, he said. "The tests show that we can reduce bacterial loading by between 25 and 50 per cent at a stroke and I suspect it may be higher with a bespoke cleaning method we are developing. As soon as the data on the trial was released we got a request from the same hospital in Southport to coat 150 toilets," Mr McClelland said. Brent Dunleavey, the managing director of Radal Technology, which is subcontracted by Nanopool, is working with Alder Hey and other NHS hospitals interested in using liquid glass to coat surfaces at risk of spreading superbugs. The trial on the Alder Hey toys will involve a new cleaning method that does away with the usual caustic, bleaching agents and instead uses a "skin-safe, food-safe biocide", said Mr Dunleavey. Conventional cleaning products used in hospitals often leave a residue that could interfere with the anti-bacterial properties of the liquid glass, he said. Previous blog on nanopool here.

Volvo sues Pilkington over 'price-fixing': The claim by Volvo could run into millions of pounds and will pit the car maker's new Chinese owner, Geely, against Nippon Sheet Glass (NSG), the Japanese company that bought Pilkington for £2.2bn in 2006. In December 2008, the European Commission found Pilkington and three rivals – Asahi, Saint-Gobain and Soliver – had breached competition law by conspiring to fix prices and allocate markets for car glass products between 1998 and 2003.

Glass Pool Walls See Increasing Popularity in Australia: Glass and glazing trends vary from country to country. In Europe, for example, double-glazed facades are quite common, while in Australia, glass railings and balustrades can be seen on many homes, condos and hotel projects. In addition to balcony and patio railings, glass walls surrounding pools are also growing in popularity in Australia. “[Large-scale], frameless, glass pool walls are at the top end of the affordability scale,” said Vince Bianchini with Cooling Brothers, an Australian glass company located in High Wycombe, Western Australia. “There is an increasing trend for glass pool windows, which our company engineers, supplies and installs on a regular basis.”

Glass or metal? That could become an increasingly important question for developers of concentrating solar power projects. A growing number of companies, from 3M to Abengoa Solar, are working on mirrors made of metals and polymer that aim to be lightweight and cheaper than the glass variety. 3M is doing a pilot-stage launch of its Solar Mirror Film, and it’s planning for a full commercial launch by the end of the year, said Daniel Chen, business development manager of 3M’s renewable energy division. “Saving time and material costs are the big advantages,” Chen said during a recent poster session at 3M’s headquarters in Minnesota. Metallic films “also are easier to transport – you can pack them densely and use aluminum locally” for project construction.
Like GE and other titans in their industries, 3M is keen on winning a fat slice of the growing renewable energy market. The use of metal film, which is then laminated onto an aluminum backing, isn’t a new concept, and 3M launched a similar product in the 1980s. It lasted for 4-5 years before the entire market disappeared, Chen said. The company restarted the research in this area about two years ago, when the solar industry began to revive in earnest. Proponents say metal mirrors are suitable for all types of solar thermal power plant designs, including parabolic trough, power tower and stirling dish. But replacing glass, a durable and highly reflective material with a long history of surviving the outdoors, won’t be so easy. Investors and utilities tend to prefer well-proven technologies over novel ones. The largest solar thermal power complex in the world, the 354-megawatt solar field in the Mojave Desert, was built between 1984 and 1991 with glass mirrors.



Glass-bottomed hot air balloon takes its maiden flight: These stomach-churning images capture the moment the world's first glass-bottomed hot air balloon took its maiden flight today. The traditional wicker four-man basket has a completely transparent floor which provides passengers with heart-stopping views of the scenery below. The balloon took to the skies over Bath, Somerset, to mark the start of the 2010 Bristol International Balloon Fiesta. The basket was the brainchild of Christian Brown - a pilot with 18 years experience flying balloons - who admitted the flight was a 'terrifying experience'. He said: 'We've done tethered trials before, which usually end with passengers shrieking and screaming in fear, but this is the first time we've actually taken to the skies unaided. 'Ordinarily, you would look over the edge of the basket to peer at the ground below but there is something very disconcerting about seeing it right beneath your feet. The traditional wicker-sided basket carries up to two passengers and two pilots who stand on two-inch thick glass. Christian, 44, travelled the world in a balloon with tycoon Richard Branson and currently holds the tethered altitude world record after flying at 10,000ft on a mountain in Chile. Click pictures to enlarge.

The CEO of Molded Fiber Glass Companies, a distinguished international composites manufacturer, has earned additional recognition while serving as honorary president of the recent JEC Composites tradeshow in Paris. Richard Morrison opened the global show and served as a host for the awards ceremony. He also presented an overview of the fast-growing U.S. wind energy market, which Molded Fiber Glass (MFG) supports by manufacturing blades for wind turbines. During the global show, MFG was cited as one of the most “innovative advanced composite enterprises in the United States.” “As in other sectors, composite processors are currently under pressure, squeezed between raw material suppliers, who are hiking up their rates, and customers, who are holding out for better prices,” said Frédérique Mutel, president and CEO of the JEC Group, which promotes the use of composites worldwide.

Pilkington owner Nippon Sheet Glass expects profits: Pilkington owner Nippon Sheet Glass (NSG) is now expecting to go back into the black this year as the global recovery is increasing demand for its products. The company had forecast that it would make a loss of £29m in the year to March, 2011, as its key markets in construction and the automotive sector remain depressed. But improvements in both those markets mean it is now predicting a net income for the year of £7m. Its annual sales forecast remains constant at £4.4bn, thanks to the effects of the strong yen. In another sign that its markets are strengthening, last month Pilkington announced it was to restart one of its St Helens float lines in a move that will create up to 130 jobs. The decision was attributed to strong demand in South America.

47-inch touchscreen machine launched: No one has embraced the technological revolution quite like the Japanese. And when we say embraced, we mean produced a number of impressive, hi-tech gizmos and gadgets that could definitely be classified as exorbitant. And this latest bit of futuristic kit, without doubt, falls into that category. Because Japanese firm JR East has developed a vending machine that does away with the old fashioned method of simply looking through the glass and choosing the actual product you want, and instead gives the user a digital representation of what's on offer via a 47-inch touchscreen display. The display is also fully customised for the user, based on their age and gender, (it scans them using an embedded camera) and can also use its WiMAX capabilities to store buyers' purchase history.

Soladigm to Build $130 Million Factory, Create 300 Jobs in Mississippi: Soladigm, a developer of high-tech materials for energy efficient glass windows, announced that it will invest $130 million to build a factory in Olive Branch, where it expects to create about 300 jobs that will pay between $18 to $25 an hour. To attract the company here, the State of Mississippi is providing a $40 million loan and another $4 million of incentives for project improvements. Founded in 2007, Soladigm is currently operating a pilot production line at its headquarters in Milpitas, Calif. The company is backed by around $40 million of venture capital investment from Khoshla Ventures and Sigma Partners. In June, the U.S. Department of Energy also provided Soladigm with a $3.5 million stimulus grant.
Soladigm’s products include recent advancements in glass, optical coatings, and semiconductor technologies. Its glass can change from clear to tinted on demand, controlling the amount of light and heat that enters a building, resulting in energy savings. “The combination of Mississippi’s dedication to manufacturing, the proximity of our new plant to Memphis, the nation’s logistics and distribution hub, and Governor Barbour’s tremendous support were key factors in us determining to locate our first high volume manufacturing facility in Olive Branch,” said Rao Mulpuri, CEO of Soladigm.

Spanish glass-maker for solar plants to build $50 million US headquarters in Phoenix suburb: SURPRISE, Arizona. - A Spanish manufacturer of glass for commercial solar plants announced Wednesday that it will build a $50 million U.S. headquarters in the Phoenix suburb of Surprise.
Rioglass Solar said the 130,000-square-foot facility will employ more than 100 workers. An additional 130,000 square feet of manufacturing space is on the drawing board. The company makes curved glass sheets used in solar plant parabolic concentrators. It is a subsidiary of Rioglass Solar Holdings.

Construction of the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts this week entered an important phase with the installation of the first of nearly 1,400 exterior glass panels. The glass will form the dramatic transparent canopy enclosing the southern face of the arts center and what will be its four-story-tall grand lobby. Each glass panel, fabricated in China, is affixed to a complex, intricately engineered network of masts and cables.



28 'gorgeous' windows given new life: As a teenager growing up in Germany, Paul Winter was given two career options: organ builder or stained-glass expert? "I really wanted to be a civil engineer building airplanes, but that wasn't possible in Germany in 1946," he said. "So I chose stained glass, because I thought there would be fewer costs than organs." More than 60 years later, Winter is still working at his colourful craft, using his talents to brighten up an Edmonton religious institution.
Winter, 80, is considered a master in stained glass, a job that requires the technical skills of a tradesperson and the vision of an artist. He trained for several years in Germany before moving to Edmonton in the late 1950s. Despite the fact his field has relatively few clients, he has maintained a busy career travelling all over the world designing, fixing and installing stained glass for virtually every Christian denomination.
"Sometimes you do one window, and sometimes the whole church," said Winter, who seemed destined for such a profession considering he was born in a church near Cologne and his father worked in one. "I don't think there is anybody else in Alberta right now who can do this kind of work."
The job is highly specialized and can also be dangerous. Winter remembers one project when a piece of falling glass sliced through his shoe and pinned his foot to the floor. "I couldn't move. I had to yell for help." His son, Andre, said there has been a fair amount of blood on the current seminary job. "These windows are one-inch thick. They're very heavy and very sharp, so there were a lot of cuts," Andre said. "I think Dad and I averaged about two to four Band-Aids per window."

1962 glass invention poised to become multi-billion dollar seller: In the 1960s, an ultra-strong glass was invented but it contained no purpose. Nearly a half a century later, Corning Inc. is expected to sell a multi-billion dollar product by installing the glass to face of touch-screen tablets and plasma televisions. Corning Incorporated is expected to rake in billions of dollars over the next little while a 1962 invention of an ultra-strong glass – Gorilla - is poised to be the face of touch-screen computers and plasma televisions

Adding Direct Mail & Flyers To Your Window Cleaning Business

Chris Lambrinides from All County Window Cleaning and Window Cleaning Resource discusses direct mail tricks, tips and techniques in this video. This is the second seminar from the Midwest window cleaning convention & although it's American market based there is a lot of info' concerning the mailing concept & how the European market could be managed. For instance, the best day to send out flyers/leaflets? Income brackets? Time of year sent out? The demographics? The weather the day it arrived? The actual video is 42 minutes long, so kick back, get a drink & absorb.

Although the printing side of the mailers & flyers are only enjoyed in the USA & Canada, Europeans can buy the template that has been tried & tested in the US market. Go here to see the choice. Don't forget that these templates can be sent to Vistaprint or similar to print them straight off once you've edited them with your logo & business information.

Q&A With The Electric Window Cleaner (Jeff Brimble)

Jeff Brimble (pictured) is often the name people look for on all the window cleaning forums when they need to know about water fed pole (WFP) problems or brush techniques. His moniker,"save your life and go waterfed" usually follows his answers as Jeff dishes out advise, from window cleaning companies to WFP manufacturers. Jeff usually has an answer up his sleeve to almost every problem associated with waterfed pole work. From his nightlight cleaning lamp to the first ever backpack & of course the lightest ever WFP's, window cleaners lives have been changed by Jeffs approach & his inventiveness. I personally, bought my very first DIY modular carbon fiber fishing pole from Jeff (that's it in my profile photo!) & it's still one of the lightest poles on the market, except for the ones Jeff wields on a daily basis. Todays question & answer session will give you more insight into Jeffs world!

You’re known as “Electric” on the forums – how did that name come about?
I have an odd name that's difficult to spell and people can never remember if it's Geoff or Jeff! The electric backpack brought about the name & I wanted a trick that people could remember, hence the "Electric Window Cleaner" web site.

How long have you been window cleaning?
I started early - 1967 as have most young men, I think we all try it. I had a partner in Blackpool called Alan Forest - now the oldest window cleaner in the UK. I learn't my trade off him - a real gent', he was the AAA boxing champion of Lancashire so I had to behave !

Based in Ruthin, Wales, how come you don’t have a Welsh accent?
Listen "boyo," it depends who I am talking to. My wife says I am like a sponge with any dialect, so much so, that she find it embarrassing when I turn it on. Maybe its also to do with having "English" lessons when I was younger. Didn't work though!

When did you first pick up a water fed pole? Did you make it, or was it a bought one?
I converted an Unger Aluminum pole after reading about the Tucker USA poles in the AWC mag and joining Gary Mauers email forum many years ago. Twelve years ago - After two years of developing it my wife thought I was mad and that people would never accept it, but they did and she now knows I will come home safe at night.



So when anyone wants to know about water fed poles – they come to you Jeff. Are you happy with that?
Yes, I remember going to my first Master Window Cleaners exhibition in Windsor, UK, the same year as OTT started (now Ionics). I had by then my own 12v backpack. The next years were spent encouraging everyone "To save their life and go waterfed." At the Blackpool MWC exhibition I took many laughs and jokes in my stride with the backpack on! Thanks to the space given By Craig Mawlem from Ionics.

You were the first person to incorporate carbon-fiber poles in to window cleaning, how did the idea come about, explain more?
Hmm, I had a mate that used to go pole fishing, I had never heard of it, but when he let me hold his pole & how light it was - I was sold! I immediately bought an old "Leeda Blue diamond" off him for the staggering price of £200. He taught me a lot & I set about converting it. I was so excited when it was delivered - 8ft sections and really heavy at 60ft! After the fishing pole conversion I managed to sell it for half the price.

Is fishing a hobby for you?
Well I once caught a sea bass off the prom in Blackpool but was hopeless at fly fishing so gave it up.

I remember when the window cleaning forums first laughed about your carbon fiber fishing poles for window cleaning – happy now?
Karl, it was very hard being laughed at, I still have things to achieve, cleaning at 100ft being one of them (which I offered to one of the pole manufacturers just for my costs but was turned down).

When the first carbon fiber commercially made poles entered the market, did it ever occur to you that you started a craze?
Yes I realised a revolution was about to happen.

Do you have a favorite fishing pole you have adapted for window cleaning?
5-10 years ago they made the fishing poles out of stronger material but when the fishermen demanded stronger and lighter 16 metre poles they managed to get the wall thickness even thinner, if the window cleaning industry could only persuade the manufacturers to go back in time we could have reasonably priced poles. My favourite, is the legendary "Leeda Blue Diamond" but as I wanted a pole that everyone could use, I picked (after trying many) the "Map F16" as it was the new kid on the block and available indefinitely, it's predecessor was the stronger " M16."

What’s the highest you’ve ever been with a water fed pole?
A contractor from Sheffield asked me for some help cleaning a large building in Sheffield (pictured), he said it was about 78ft which ended up being 88ft 2" when we measured it on the ground. It taught me a lot including how to make high pole work say 100ft safe and possible. My previous height was 80ft, but hey, you Karl have my previous high pole the 80ft "Garbalino" with twisted strand technology.

What techniques do you utilise at that height as opposed to lower WFP work?
Well still air helps, but if there are any safety issues I get my secret "sky hook " bits and pieces out of the van. You have to be a natural plate spinner/balancer and keep your eye on what the brush is doing, as there is a tendency for the pole to curve back on itself & return to earth under gravity.

What height are you most comfortable with?
45ft is where the competition fears to tread on ladders, so that's the market I aim for.

Which is your favorite commercial WFP?
I gave some input to Alan at Emporium with his Ultralight (now ceased supplying the window cleaner market) and he sent sections for the 88ft job, which as far as I know is a world record.



Which is your favorite water fed pole brush?
Well I have had a swivel brush which works similar to the "whirlwind squeegee", I bought a half pallet load to get me to retirement and havent found anything to beat it, but I do like the Tucker range who I reckon have the best and most copied. Their UK distributor "Aquafactors" have their own cladding brush which is very soft and light.

I saw you bought a Nec-protech at one of the cleaning shows - how's that working for you?
I buy anything new to evaluate, sadly the Nec Protech is not for me as its too cumbersome. Fortunately the beginners neck pains have eased after 6 years of muscle building.

What’s the trickiest part of water fed cleaning ?
Without doubt its what I originally termed the "learning curve" and taking the plunge to try water fed pole work. I developed the first backpack after a good friend fell backwards off a 4ft step ladder and died two weeks before his much awaited retirement.



Spotting – can it ever be reduced ?
Its odd that we now have to apply nano-technology to make windows that used to sheet, sheet again, after being through the double glazing process. There are suppliers out there that still install sheeting glass, "Everest" in the UK being one, they also have installers that don't spread silicon and add finger prints all over the glass installation. Once any petroleum/silicon coating has been applied to the surface of the glass then there is nothing in the known universe that can remove the absorbed chemicals.

You collect your own WFP water from the sky by rain water harvesting – do you think this water is better for cleaning?
Yes one day we will understand why, natural rain is "softer" and different to water made from reverse osmosis (RO). Its good for our green footprint and the customers love the idea.

With rain water harvesting in mind - how often do you have to make production water from an R.O?
One IBC (1 tonne, industrial bulk container) full this dry year.

You use the least water of anyone I know to clean windows – what’s your secret ?
I guess its because I started with a back pack and wanted to stretch the water between fills, I still cannot understand why the suppliers encourage you to use gallons of the stuff, hmm or maybe I can, just add some filtered rainwater if you're in a limestone/borehole area. Most people cannot understand it either Karl, but it's an acquired art. I can use 330ml (1/4pint) per minute, but in dirty/dry weather I use up to 440ml (approx 1/2 pint/min).



When do you think the USA will catch up with British users in the WFP arena?
They already are buying UK equipment and Phillip Alexander (Simpole) is probably going to catch fast, the nature of window cleaning in the USA is totally different to the regular cleans we do in the UK though.

Where would you most like to live & practice window cleaning?
The big mistake I made was not moving to any large town 10 years ago, but I really do enjoy the rural life.

How many DIY/Inventions do you have on the go at the moment ?
Well there is the new brush you and I have been developing, introducing a cheap telescopic tapered modular with 3ft sections another (video featured). Then there is a wind resistant pole, I used to be a chimney sweep so the ideas for that come from that job, I have had a large variety of jobs.

Where do you see window cleaning in ten years from now ?
Nano technology may be there by then, its not working yet. I like your cleaning by sound ideas Karl -oh and a NASA Powered anti gravity jump pack would be a good Christmas present. Or an anti gravity skate board,self raising pole - I have a spoof picture of a pole with 4 helium ballons tied to it! Seriously though, I would hope that even in the next century there will be a demand for our "shiners" services, we are the problem solvers. Because of that, we probaby are the hardest sell next to ice cream to eskimos, but it's a great job. I already have a passive hot water system and have already made a wind resistant pole.

Contact Jeff through his Electric Window Cleaner Website.