INTEGRATED LIVING SYSTEMS CONSORTIUM The front line of cleantech: A systems approach to intelligent buildings, design, and development
Cleantech Finance:
Despite the crumbling global economy, the cleantech industry received venture investment upwards of $8.4 billion in 2008, up 38% from 2007. Top recipient sectors of these funds were solar (40%), Biofuels (11%), and Transportation (9.5%). Wind, Smart Grid, Agriculture and Water shared the remainder.
Yearly Totals:
Source: Cleantech Group
Systematic Regeneration
REDESIGNING THE WAY OUR WORLD WORKS
The majority of the infrastructure supporting our lives is based on the fundamentals of an agrarian level society. Our rapid technological advancement has benefitted us in data and network-based communications, though have yielded relatively few advancements resulting in improvement to the way we operate the rest of our lives. The core mission of ILSC is to bring together the technologies and ways of thinking that will shape the future of our world, and foster their growth through collaborative efforts and establishment of interoperable standards. We invite you to join us in our mission and learn more through our research, members and partners.
Cleantech Stimulus
A BOOST FOR THE CLEANTECH INDUSTRY
The $787 billion U.S. stimulus package contains just over $94 billion to be spent on clean energy over the next 10 years. This is a considerable boost for the industry, however significant private investment will be required to reduce greenhouse gases to sustainable levels. The International Energy Agency estimates that total annual global spending on cleantech needs to average $542 billion per year, through 2030 to avoid potentially harmful and irreversible climate change.
LOWER ENERGY USE, ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT, AND COST
HIGHER COMFORT, CONVENIENCE AND CONTROL
Today's technologies offer the potential to radically improve the way we live. Social, economic, and environmental forces call for an entirely new approach to the systems in place which support our basic needs and comforts. The following are a cross-section of the numerous efforts underway across the globe to bring these changes to light:
Masdar City, UAE
A FRESH LOOK AT HOW WE BUILD CITIES
Built from scratch in the deserts of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, Masdar City is a culmination of the efforts of leading planners, scientists, engineers and architects to create a city with zero carbon emissions. Masdar may be the world's first environmentally sustainable city once it has been built. Visit: Masdar City.
House_n
MIT: ARCHITECTURE MEETS TECHNOLOGY
House_n is a research group of the department of architecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology focused on the utilization of new technologies, materials and design strategies to construct places tailored for today's lifestyle. Visit House_n online.
Parkblocks
SMART GRID TECHNOLOGIES UNITE
Most consumers are completely detached from their energy footprint. Parkblocks proposes that energy use must be understood before the formulation of intelligent solutions. They believe that by measuring use, increasing awareness through accessible energy information and analysis, adding intelligent control mechanisms, and multi-node coordination, we can understand, plan for, and implement a platform to create the most efficient system possible. Visit Parkblocks online.
Z+ Partners - Leading Futures Research Firm Led by Andrew Zoli
TED Talks - Thoughts From the World's Most Facinating Thinkers