«ELSTAR»
Russian scientists from Podolsk have developed a unique building material «ELSTAR» – electrostabilized papercrete. It combines structural advantages of concrete with the environmental-friendliness of wood. Big pluses of this material are ecological compatibility, available consumables and low price. «ELSTAR» is produced from crushed wood waste that gets soaked in water, processed with special solutions and tools and then mixed with cementing substance so a ready piece of construction is fabricated. Each piece is processed with electricity for 50 minutes so it becomes very strong. This product can be used for the construction of any building. «ELSTAR» has less weight than a brick, so lightweight foundation can be used. Another important advantage of the new product is its low thermal conductivity (a 30 cm thick wall of «ELSTAR» is equal to the thickness of five bricks – 125 cm) and this reduces costs for heating of premises.
BIPV
Building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) are photovoltaic materials that are used to replace conventional building materials in parts of the building envelope such as the roof, skylights, or facades. They are increasingly being incorporated into the construction of new buildings as a principal or ancillary source of electrical power, although existing buildings may be retrofitted with BIPV modules as well. The advantage of integrated photovoltaics over more common non-integrated systems is that the initial cost can be offset by reducing the amount spent on building materials and labor that would normally be used to construct the part of the building that the BIPV modules replace. These advantages make BIPV one of the fastest growing segments of the photovoltaic industry.
*info from http://www.arbolit.ufab.ru/, http://www.mediaterra.ru/materials/ and Wikipedia
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