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sustainability
A Little Ball of Energy
Sep 27th
Wind turbines don’t necessarily have to be big, so the Energy Ball wind turbine to generate energy for a home or business. It operates in low wind speeds, and produces energy at these low speeds, so there’s no need to live in an incredibly windy area in order to produce your own electricity.
Designed by Sonkyo Energy, the Energy Ball is configurable into a preexisting wind/solar system and produces zero emissions. It’s also noise and vibration free and installable on roof, pole and facade mounting. The unique design of the Energy Ball wind turbine translates into higher aerodynamic efficiency by moving the wind parallel to the rotor hub through the rotor. This creates a wind flow pattern that converges first and then accelerates through the rotor, which is different from typical wind turbines where the wind hits the blades perpendicular to the rotor shaft.
These wind turbines can be purchased all over the world, so check the website to see who is your closest distributor.
These wind turbines can be purchased all over the world, so check the website to see who is your closest distributor.
The World’s First Sustainable City
Sep 2nd
Masdar, United Arab Emirates. It’s scheduled to be completed by 2016, but the city will be the first zero carbon, zero waste city powered entirely by renewable energy sources. Located 10.5 miles from Abu Dhabi, Masdar will be completed in seven phases and will include a plaza, a five-star hotel, a convention center, an entertainment complex and retail facilities. Images after the break
Solar toothbrush, solar fuel, now the solar home
Aug 24th
Ralph Disch of Freiburg, Germany has designed and build the first zero-energy home that generates five times the energy it consumes from the sun. The home, dubbed the Heliotrope, actually rotates with the sun’s celestial path and has 6.6 kWH solar panels mounted on top. Though intriguing, the Heliotrope is not the most practical home design in the world. But it represents a great step forward in the green movement and alternative energy sources.
Brush your teeth with the sun
Aug 20th
Canadian scientists at the University of Saskatchewan are working on a toothbrush that runs on solar power yet doesn’t need any toothpaste. For a dirty mouth, prototypes cause a chemical reaction to get rid of plaque and bacteria. You wouldn’t be able to brush in the dark, but not many people do anyway. It also doesn’t come with the minty fresh flavor, but as long as teeth pass the dentist inspection, it probably doesn’t matter.
The Orange Revolution
Aug 17th
Yokohama, a Japanese tire manufacturer, is utilizing plant waste in their newest tire model. The dB Super E-spec tire is made with rubber mixed with orange oil, derived from the byproducts of orange juice production. The tire generates less heat on straight stretches, while adhering to the road and softening during cornering and braking. The new model is also lighter and thinner, as well as better able to retain air.
Sustainability: Sanyo’s Solar Ark
Aug 12th
How do you get everyone’s attention towards what solar energy has in store for us? By building an “Ark” of course. Sanyo’s done that with its Solar Ark – a really big building in Japan intended to educate people about their relationship with this planet. The Ark is constructed over an area of about 3300 sq. meters and spans 315 meter.
The Ark is covered with 5046 solar panels over 7500 sq. meters of surface area. Thats a lot of energy! Every year the money equivalent of electricity costs to support the building if run by conventional sources is funded by Sanyo to keep the Sanyo Environmental Fund going. Sanyo Environmental Fund is used to fund conservation activities. Apart from generating about 530,000 KWHr of electricity, the building also reduces carbon emissions by 167 tons and saves about 120,000 liters of petroleum a year. Images after the break.
Know The Xprize
Aug 8th
The Xprize was born in 1996 with a $10 mil purse solely to create the first private space vehicle. Today the competition spans 4 categories with hundreds of teams participating to get that prize. All these teams have in turn created new technology that may change our lives in the near future. The Xprize targets at creating solutions to long standing problems and challenges dogging humans. Curing cancer, lunar colonization to name a few “problems”. Video about the Xprize after the break.
Hey, Now We Have Wireless EV Chargers
Jul 30th
TThink only the iPhone can be charged wirelessly? Evatran has released the first wireless “Car Charger” for your plugin EV. This tech works thanks to magnetic induction via a wireless charging tower and an adapter on the car’s charging port. 2 drawbacks – 1- its wireless, so expect some energy loss while charging. 2- it will take out about $4300 of green from your pocket before a $2000 tax refund. But come on, do you want to bend you back and plug that wire into the car everyday? Guess the loss of green is worth it. So much for wired power! Wireless power is the way of the future and I think technologies like these will keep the world on track for wireless power. Remember the wireless induction charging article we had posted some time back? Link to the trial program and images after the break.
Extreme DIY: Steam Powered Battery Charger
Jul 27th
We are not surprised. When people can run nuclear fusion reactors at home, there sure can exist some old school tech lurking somewhere in the corner. We have stumbled upon a steam powered battery charger. Before you start cutting yourself up with a butcher’s knife, read up all the low tech involved here.
The steam engine used is a 1903 C&BC 6 HP steam engine. Apparently the builder wanted freedom from fossil fuels and hence the choice of motor. This engine when combined with a custom built coil charges up a 48V battery bank. Enough for those blackout days eh? Hit up the source link after the break for full details.
