connected, wireless and smart urban furniture and infrastructure

, ,

Are micro grids the answer to climate change?

Wildfires in California are tragic and incredibly expensive.  Many lives lost.  Property and homes lost.  Livelihoods lost.  Sensitive habitat and wildlife lost. At well over $9 Billion, damages from the 2018 wildfires in Northern California…
, , ,

Grid (un)reliability

US utilities have traditionally been known for high reliability, but all that is changing.  Fast. With power lines causing some of the biggest fires in US history, utilities are learning to cope with the risk by simply switching power…
, ,

Great Parks Need Great Public Safety

Urban planners and architects go to great effort and expense to design fun and interesting parks.  But is your urban park safe and secure for visitors?  Pretty easy to find tragic headlines that say no.  But how do you really know for sure? …
, ,

Can your bench do this? Here’s how solar furniture attracts visitors and makes your company look amazing.

Ah, the good old bench. It’s the background subject of affection in many movies. A couple holding hands on a park bench. An old man sitting on a bench feeding pigeons. Two strangers sitting on a bench engaging in a conversation on a beautiful…
,

Hackers Infect Cameras, DVRs to Pull off Massive Internet Breach

With the internet becoming integral to just about everything in our lives, building owners are connecting their buildings and machines - the Internet of Things (IoT).  With this, is a mad rush by vendors, big and small to launch wireless products.…
, ,

Blockchain-based microgrid gives power to consumers

A new project in New York City is letting residents buy and sell renewable energy to each other, bypassing the central authority and the associated costs.  Could this be the future of distributed energy?  If so, what are the impediments? Who…
,

Crown Estate rolls out smart street furniture in shopping parks

The Crown Estate invests in smartphone charging benches at two of its Lifestyle retail parks.  Customers at both the Banbury Gateway Shopping Park and the MK1 Shopping Park in Milton Keynes will be able to charge their phones using smart benches.…
,

Electric Car Drivers, “We’ll Never Go Back To Gasoline”

Fully nine out of 10 electric-car drivers say they won't go back to cars with internal-combustion engines, according to a new Ford survey. More often than not, that specifically means a battery electric car, Stephanie Janczak--Ford's Manager…
, ,

Spur clean-tech for smart cities – vote here.

Coming soon to smart cities - Next generation clean technologies that will help make fossil fuels irrelevant. By 2050, 90% of the population will be in cities, 75% of all energy use and 80% of CO2 emissions will start with the cities.  When…
, ,

Vote for smart campus sustainability!

If you or your institution care about climate change, lowering energy bills or student safety, we ask you to vote for 3fficient to win a $100k grant, so we can bring you free solar power, improved student safety and education. CLICK HERE…
,

My first year with an electric vehicle.

My first year with an electric vehicle has been very interesting. Buying a vehicle is a major purchase.  So, like most married couples, my wife and I discuss and agree upon all major decisions before hand.  In this case, it was my idea,…
, ,

It’s time to cut loose!

Spring is here and along with it come all the amazing colors and festivities.  Enjoying the warm weather and the upcoming Earth Day celebrations reminds us of the fragile shrinking planet we all share.  Nobody is more keenly aware of that…
, ,

Do you support solar charging?

A 3fficient affiliate, Strawberry energy is competing to enter the Verge CleanTech Accelerator in Silicon Valley.  This is a great opportunity for a young startup to showcase in front of influential people from famous Silicon Valley.  They…
,

It all boils down to the next 15 years

US Congress has gotten really good at kicking the can down the road, especially when it comes to climate change.  Doesn't matter what party is in power.  It's really up to the city leaders to take action - now.  Here's why. A major new…