• A SpecialChem online course, "U.S. Patents: How to Avoid Infringement Issues," is set for 10 a.m. EDT Tuesday. The 90-minute course is designed for "R&D people who need to become familiar with patent searching and mapping." The cost for up to three participants on one connection is 290 euros.
• New market research from Technavio: "Global Baby Warming Devices Market 2016-2020." Embrace, a nonprofit company that introduced a PCM-based warmer in India in 2011, is among the vendors listed in the report, which projects a compound annual growth rate of 8.74 percent for the sector.
• EnergyNest of Norway is turning to crowdfunding to finance development of its concrete-based thermal energy storage system.
• A University of British Columbia study shows that snow cleared from winter roads can help reduce summer air-conditioning costs.
• Axiom Exergy of Richmond, Calif., has been granted a U.S. patent for its PCM-based "direct expansion" thermal energy storage system designed for supermarket refrigeration and commercial HVAC markets.
• The venture fund Breakout Labs has invested an undisclosed amount of money in Seatrec of Pasadena, Calif. Seatrec makes a battery designed to power underwater research vessels. The battery is packed with phase change materials that expand and contract as ocean temperatures fluctuate. The volume change generates high pressure that is stored and subsequently used to drive a small electric generator.
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