‘solar energy’
Alumna steers Acumen to home solar investment in remote global locations
Jul. 16, 2018—A Vanderbilt engineering graduate is leading Acumen’s efforts to provide citizens of developing countries access to energy with low-cost home solar projects. “Around the world, 1.1 billion people live without energy access. One in seven people don’t have access to lights at night,” said Leslie Labruto, BE’11, who is taking skills she honed at the Clinton...
Spinach protein and blackberry dye give juice to biohybrid solar cells
Feb. 20, 2018—Berries really do pack extra punch – increasing the voltage of spinach-derived biohybrid solar cells developed by Vanderbilt researchers by up to a factor of 20. The interdisciplinary team discovered that combining a natural dye from blackberries with photosynthetic proteins extracted from spinach leaves creates a device that can produce vastly more voltage than a...
Five questions with Vandy alum, Ubiquitous Energy founder Miles Barr
Oct. 31, 2016—Anyone who’s stared helplessly at a dead smartphone, its charger sitting at home on a bedside table, can appreciate the mind of Miles Barr. The Vanderbilt engineering alum and founder of Redwood City-based Ubiquitous Energy developed a transparent film that can power phones. Placed over enough windows, it can power an entire house or office...
Solar technology entrepreneur to deliver engineering school’s Chambers Lecture
Oct. 13, 2016—A highly-recognized solar energy leader who is developing transparent films that, when applied to any piece of glass or plastic, absorbs light and converts it to electricity, will deliver the School of Engineering’s Chambers Family Entrepreneurial Lectureship Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2016. Miles Barr is founder and CEO of Ubiquitous Energy, a Silicon Valley technology company...
California’s solar incentive program has had only modest impact on adoption rates
Apr. 7, 2015— (iStock) Since 2007, California has had one of the most aggressive incentive programs in the country for putting solar-electric panels on the rooftops of homes and businesses. Its $2.2 billion California Solar Initiative (CSI) has provided a per-watt rebate for installing residential and commercial photovoltaic systems. During this period, the solar industry in the...
Sustainability, Habitat’s mission inspire Solar Decathlon team
Sep. 11, 2014—The breathtaking winner of last year’s Solar Decathlon was an ultramodern, mostly wooden showplace with a minimalist vibe and series of white, lace-cut UV curtains pulled across the outside. But could it fit on an infill lot in a Middle Tennessee neighborhood? Could it be duplicated again and again at a reasonable price and by...
Young alumna’s passions fuel sustainable solutions globally
Jan. 18, 2014—You can explore and engineer clean energy, too Vanderbilt alumna Leslie Labruto’s early career trajectory illustrates just how many ways a young civil environmental engineer can accommodate both her heart’s leaning and her tangible talents – in as many places as possible. Before she graduated from the School of Engineering in 2011, Leslie’s studies and...