Meet CHIP, the iPad and Kinect Controlled Zero Net Energy Home

The CHIP home (source: SCI-Arc/Caltech)

Can you imagine a zero net energy house that actually feeds power into the grid using a bank of solar panels and exterior insulation, without sacrificing style? Students from the Southern California Institute of Architecture and California Institute of Technology did, and they call it CHIP (Compact Hyper-Insulated Prototype).

Created as an entry for the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon, CHIP led the SCI-Arc/Caltech team to the next stage of the competition, which culminated in a display of the most progressive new building and energy projects on the Mall in Washington, D.C. last year.

Up to 45 solar panels can be mounted on CHIP's roof, providing three times the energy than the home actually requires. LED lighting and wireless switches mean less power and fewer bulbs, while HVAC energy use is reduced by using a large water storage tank.

The house is high tech as well, with wireless lighting controlled and power consumption monitored with an iPad. The thick thermal envelop around the house is controlled by a Kinect sensor bar using gestures and pointing, meaning CHIP can turn on specific hardware when you sit in certain chairs, close blinds when it's bright, and automatically lower shutters to avoid passive heating.

Read more about CHIP here.

Keeping up with ZNE News

Want to keep up on the latest ZNE news? Check out the ZNE Action Bulletin that keeps you up to date on the California Public Utility Commission's efforts toward a clean, green energy future for California.

Frito-Lay Plant Approaches Near ZNE

Solar Panels at Frito-Lay's Casa Grande plant in Arizona (source: Frito-Lay)

Already known as the company that makes chips and snacks, Frito-Lay is now also the company with one of the greenest manufacturing facilities in the U.S.

Named one of Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies for its plan to move all 32 of its plants to zero-waste status, the snack company just completed an even more ambitious project: a near-ZNE plant. The Arizona plant dubbed Casa Grande, which will produce Lays, Tostitos, SunChips, Cheetos and more, features a water-recovery system that allows the plant to recycle 75 per cent of its water, a five megawatt solar photovoltaic system and a solar shade parking structure.

The same energy and efficiency technologies are currently being used piece-meal at various other Frito-Lay plants, but this is the first time Frito-Lay is putting them all together in one plant.

Read more on this new near-ZNE project here.