Author: gavril

Samsung is playing its role in the race to save our disintegrating environment. This time, the company along with Korea Electric Power Corporation will help manage the development of wind farms that will produce 2,000MW of energy and solar panels that will generate 500MW. The project is now in its newborn stage with the construction of a 500MW cluster of energy generating sources (400MW of wind power and 100MW of solar power) in southern Ontario that will kick off in 2012. Samsung has also adopted an open tendering process and will build four manufacturing plants in the Ontario area that will also increase employment. These plants will produce wind turbine towers, wind blades, solar inverters and other equipment required to help produce greener forms of energy. Samsung is a youngster in the field of green energy and this project that the company has taken up will help boost its confidence in alternative forms of energy and achieve its goal of being a major manufacturer of wind turbines. This will also be the world’s largest project of this kind costing a whopping $6.6 billion.

[BusinessGreen]

Basketball goes green. And by that, we don’t mean the color of the ball. It’s the sport that’s turning environment friendly, with a basket ball team having its training facility go solar powered. The Golden State Warrior’s basketball team has converted its training facility into a modern marvel that uses the suns energy to power itself up instead of relying on the grid and saves a whole load of energy as the players bounce the ball around and hoop baskets. The Solar Company, a firm based out of Castro Valley, California installed this system and the President, Mark Danenhower, was ever ready to help out and make the teams decision a reality. This is the second team that has decided to go green after the Pheonix basketball team that embraced the idea in 2008. The system will generate around 277,008kWH of power annually and will help save $36,000 per year on their electric bills. Basketball shows its concern for the environment yet again with this one.

[Cleantechnica]

After rock concerts and traffic jams, airport runways are the noisiest places around. Jet planes taking off and landing create a whole load of noise pollution that has its significant effect on our eardrums. To get rid of this eardrum blaster, designer Hung-Uei Jou came up with what he lovingly named “Green Noise”. The device makes sure the sound energy created by the airplane’s engine does not go waste and instead captures it, converts it and then uses it to power up runway lights. This sure helps save up on lighting costs and at the same time gets rid of the din. The Green Noise is designed and shaped like a conical speaker-form that will also help endure the harshness of nature and everything else an airport runway has to go through.

The device also stands on three feet and has a tripod design that enables easier maintenance. With the Green Noise on our runways, we can now smile with comfort, knowing that this innovative design will help suck in all the sound energy created by the airplane we’re taking off in and use it efficiently.

[Yankodesign]

We all would want a share in saving our environment and doing our bit to turn the earth into a green globe. One such innovative way is by simply living in a turbine that harvests wind energy which will be used to produce electricity. Sounds cool right? Well, the idea is unquestionably cool. On Office is now focusing its thoughts on what will be known as the Turbine City, if all goes well. Set off the coast of Norway, the country that is considered ideal for its weather conditions to harvest offshore wind energy, the Turbine City will also help increase tourism (the views from these structures built in the middle of the ocean will be spectacular, and enough to grab the attention of photography geeks all over the world). To power the entire facility, just 1MW of the 8MW produced by the facility itself will be used to power it up. These awesome structures will be architectural symbols of the future and will also help turn the world greener in its own way. Now living in a wind turbine is a dream no longer!

[N And Designboom]

Tesla’s newest electric baby is here. And this time, it’s the production version of the Model S luxury hatch that will pop out in the market in 2012. The car is a five-door hatch, about the same size of a BMW 5 Series and will be sold in the United Kingdom once launched. The car can seat seven people. And no, we do not mean the roof. The car has two facing seats in the boot that will help accommodate two more people, exactly like the Mercedes E-class estate. The fact that the Model S is powered by electricity acts as a plus point to the environment too. Luggage goes under the bonnet in this vehicle that needs a bit more headroom however, to accommodate taller folks. Twenty thousand cars like these will be chiseled out in a year with more vehicles of different variants based on the Model S. Peter Rawlinson, Tesla’s engineering boss, reckons that two more models will probably be designed. So let’s go green as Tesla’s Model S luxury hatches hit the road soon.

[4WheelsNews]

The EV Mini Sport is a car that is bound to steal our hearts with its cute bug like appearance and its environment friendly policies. This car is powered by electricity and was unveiled at the 1st EV & HEV Drive System Technology Expo in Tokyo. The EV Mini Sport is a car by Tajima Motor Corp and was released earlier this year. For those who love imitating your favorite formula drivers, here’s a chance to do so in a greener way. This car is designed to look like a formula car, though it somewhat appears to be a descendant of a sand buggy. Characterized as a motorized bicycle, the car has a motor output of 0.59W and weighs only 300kg due to its steel tube space frame and resin bathtub-like body. The battery and chassis of the vehicle can be chosen by the customer according to his satisfaction.

At a cost of ¥228,480, you can get yourself a car with a current capacity of 40Ah and for ¥2,468,580 this EV is available with a 120Ah lithium polymer battery. The car has a drivable range of up to 25km with a 40Ah lead battery and 90km with a 120Ah lithium polymer battery. With a gear ratio of 4.6 and dimensions of 2,490 (L) x 1,298 (W) x 1,090mm (H), this new sporty EV will stay true to its name and live up to its fame.

[Techon]

We all care about our environment and the best place to start working towards saving it form future damage is our homes. A whole lot of products in the market help us use alternative energy sources instead of direct electricity from the grid. The newest step towards these technologies is Lennox’s SunSource Home Energy System. Using power from the sun, this system harnesses solar energy that can be used to reduce the energy used to power up heat pumps and air conditioners. Besides this, it can also be used to power up other devices that require electricity in our homes. If and when the system generates extra power, it sends it back to the credit company.

The U.S. Department of Energy states that a household in the U.S. spends at least $2,200 on utility bills annually, out of which 50 to 60 percent power is used for heating and cooling systems. The Lennox system however, makes the utility bill easier on our pockets. Go turn your home green and save up on utility bills at the same time with Lennox.

[Sys.Con]

Die hard Apple fans will receive yet another surprise from the company that produces some of the best mp3 players and phones around. This time, they go green. The company has revealed plans for their green and environment friendly portable device that will power itself up with our favorite alternate energy, solar power. As seen in the patent design, the device will have built-in solar cells that will soak up heat from the sun. These solar cells will be fitted on to the surface of the device and will probably cover the entire front and back of the device. The device will also have a monitoring system that will inform the user on battery status and charging requirements. The patent for this design was originally put across by Apple in 2998 and it has been two long years since the company have finally decided to work on it. So will the next generation of Apple goodies be environment friendly? Only time will tell.

Via – [Newlaunches]

A whole load of people have tried going around the globe with their own contraptions. This time though, this incredible feat will be accomplished yet again, using a vehicle powered by alternative energy sources. The car known only as the ‘Wind and Solar Powered Car’ will travel 40,0000km around the globe with a message – save the environment from global warming. Built by a Swiss engineer who thoughts were encircling the globe, Mark Muller, this vehicle will power itself up using juice from the sun and the wind. He intends to accomplish this feat without emitting a single gram of CO2. Sounds incredible, doesn’t it? Well, the technology this car uses is even more so. It uses solar panels to charge up its batteries during the day and a wind powered generator during the night.

A trailer that will drag along all this equipment is fitted to the back of the vehicle. During their journey, Muller and his co-driver will push the pedal to the metal and visit thirty countries with this car and the message they intend to carry across. Here’s wishing them the best of luck on their journey!

[Automotto]

Bikers and their mean machines is the fastest and hottest thing on every city street. Well, here’s a chance for them to go green and do the environment a favor by using the newest biodiesel powered motorcycle on the block, the Metalback. Designed by a guy with bikes on his mind, Jordan Meadows, the Metalback somewhat reminds one of a bullet ready to zip thru the air. The bike makes across the asphalt using a V4 engine that drinks up biodiesel to power itself. Another green fact about this bike is, its body is made out of recycled aluminum. Using a special finish on its body, this bike can stand the tests of weather elements through time.

The Metalback also shuns the use of paint that causes the environment a load of pain, and prefers to go naked. So watch this bike go as it turns a whole new leaf of diesel powered environment friendly motorcycling.

[Wired]

The Universal Studio theme park in Singapore goes green with the completion of its photovoltaic system. Built and put to use by Sanyo Asia Ltd, the system was built using 2,397 pieces of HIT (Heterojunction with Intrinsic Thin layer) solar cells that will help power up the theme park located at Resorts World Sentosa using energy from the sun. These solar cells are the brainwave and innovation of Sanyo and claim to offer the world’s highest power generation. The system is highly efficient and can generate enough energy to power up 108 four room flats in Singapore. It will also help decrease the parks carbon footprint by reducing carbon emissions by up to 342 tons a year. This system by Sanyo that the Universal Studio theme park can now boast about is the largest of its type in Singapore with 500kWp.

[Akihabaranews]

Designer Jonathan Janke came up with this innovative idea of and emergency lamp that powers itself up using a chemiluminescent power source. Known as the Sustainable Emergency Light (SEL), this emergency lamp can be used efficiently indoors in homes and offices as well as outdoors, for camping and emergencies. The SEL shuns the use of batteries and electricity and chooses a non-toxic a chemiluminescent power source. Chemiluminescence is basically the emission of light due to a chemical reaction and producing very limited heat. The SEL avoids unnecessary parts and emits no heat, can survive the wind and can be used safely around fiery fumes. The device can emit light for 24 hours and has return shipping information on the bottom that enables sending it back to the manufacturer for refilling, repacking and redistribution.

The customer can also choose to have the light delivered back to him if needed. It produces a green glow, sufficient enough to see things around you clearly.

[TheDesignBlog]

We all love our pets but not the poop they leave behind. Well to make things easier every time our loving pet decides to answer nature’s call, Tohoku Kankyo, a Japanese based company has come up with an awesome way to dispose off the poop and also food leftovers with its composting baby, the Samu Dog Robot. Using heat and an additive, this robot swallows (sounds disgusting) up all the poop and leftovers and composts it. The poop your pet leaves behind can be harmful if disposed of wrongly using a non-heated compost bin, since it is full of harmful bacteria and parasites, ready to spread diseases. Now here’s the glitch, this awesome composting can that both, you and your pet will simply adore (taken that it is shaped like a dog) is available only in Japan and from specialty importers. Also, this environment friendly way of disposing off leftovers from your table and your pets poop will burn a $900 hole in your pocket.

[Trendhunter]

Strap yourself up and fly off to space with NASA’s Puffin. Everything nice, cool and awesome is usually hushed up before it finally shows its glorious head in the market. It’s the same with the Puffin. NASA has finally claimed that the one-person aircraft called Puffin that they have been building is for real! Now that’s something we all would love to have. This plane will work on electricity and can take off vertically like a helicopter. It can also fly to a whopping 300mph, helping you travel quickly from one place to another by flying, just like your favorite masked superhero! Also, this plane is quite and doesn’t make a sound while flying, unlike helicopters.

Using technology present today, the plane can fly for 50 miles, but with future developments in technology, NASA anticipates a triple rise in cruising range by the year 2017. The Puffin is simply a jet pack with a cockpit. The fact that it runs on electricity enables an environment friendly and carbon free cruise in the sky. So will man reach the sky in this vehicle by NASA? Let’s keep our fingers crossed!

[Dvice]

Using wind power as an alternate source of energy can sometimes prove difficult since the apparatus used is large and setting up these wind turbines requires space. To overcome these hurdles and make the use of wind energy more easily portable, designers Marcos Madia, Sergio Ohashi and Juan Manuel Pantano have come up with a foldable wind powered generator. Known as the Eolic, these generators use the same principles as those huge turbines we see on the outskirts of our country-sides with the only difference of being foldable and can be easily assembled. The Eolic will find its use for construction work in places with no power supply and can also be used to provide energy in homes. Also, the entire equipment can be packed into a single box. The body of the Eolic is made of light weight materials like aluminum and carbon fiber. Innovations like these will help change the way we generate electricity for our everyday use.

[LikeCool]

We all love cars that can go fast. And if their green and energy efficient, we’re bound to love them more. Well, a car made out of cardboard and paper sounds incredibly… light and weird, doesn’t it? Honda made sure they turned visitors heads right round at the Tokyo Auto Salon 2010 this time with their life size model of the Epson Nakajima Racing Honda NSX. So what’s so special about this car? It looks fast, and is sure to make you drool, and is made entirely out of recycled cardboard and paper! Now that renders the car un-drivable, and its obviously meant to be just a showpiece and a model, but this real life-like car is sure to win the hearts of Honda fans all over the globe who love the environment and support the use of recycled products like cardboard. And as a postscript, no trees were cut to make this supercar!

[Carscoop]

Go down south of the globe and you’ll come across what has come to be known as the world’s southern-most wind farm. Antarctica as we know it is a barren continent with loads of ice everywhere and barely any life. However, these wind farms that have recently been set up and launched will help supply around 11% of the energy needs of New Zealand’s Scott Base and the American McMurdo Station in Antarctica. This will help these research centers decrease their carbon footprint significantly with the use of alternative energy and also cut short the use of 463,000 units of diesel every year.

Three wind turbines where recently unveiled and this is just one of the many wind farms that have already been set up in Antarctica at other places. Hopefully, the use of these turbines will help reduce the use of fossil fuels in this continent at least and in future, solar power generation systems will also be launched by the New Zealand utility company Meridian Energy, who currently run the turbines. So let’s hope the winds blow the right way and help power up the southern-most continent on earth.

[BusinessGreen]

Solar powered bibles are just one of the few things being sent to Haiti as a relief for its disaster struck citizens. Now, 1000 solar powered mobile phones are being sent to Haiti, a country where communication has been cut of from its roots due to the recent earthquake. The company’s, Intivation (a company that manufactures solar chargers that are built into a phone) and Digicel (a Haitian mobile operator) will take the initiative of sending these phones there. These phones can work in areas with moody electric supply and use solar power to juice themselves up instead.

These phones were released in June 2009 and more than half a million of them have been sold by Intivation worldwide. The mobile operator, Digicel has shown a huge support to the disaster relief funds with is generous contribution of $10 million in $5 credits to its one million customers in Haiti. This act and initiative by these companies is sure to help Haiti back on its communication track soon.

[eWeek europe]

The worlds largest cruise ship, the Oasis of the Seas now goes green with the fitting of 21,000 square feet of solar thin film by a Miami cruise line operator. Costing a whopping $750,000, the solar panelswill help power up the ship and satisfy a few of its energy needs making it a bit more efficient and environment friendly and decreasing its emissions by a small amount in the sea during cruises. The work on the mega ship was carried out by BAM Solar Power, a solar energy firm form Jacksonville, Florida. The energy collected using these thin film solar panels will be used to light up the ships promenade and central parking areas.

However the cost of these fittings may turn the company’s face sour, since it does not cause any significant changes in the powering up of the ship. Is this move taken by Royal Caribbean, the second largest cruise company in the world, a waste of financial resources? Well, we need to go on a cruise to prove that!

[SolarFeeds]

Praying has never felt greener before until the use of solar power to juice up electric bibles. We all know the problems the people of Haiti have faced recently, and how much they need to pray. So to fulfill this, a faith group from the U.S. known as “Faith Comes by Hearing” has, sent these bibles to the people of Haiti. These solar powered bibles are capable of broadcasting to 300 people at one time the Holy Scriptures in Haitian Creole. This innovation gets cooler and greener with the fact that it enables the poor and illiterate to access the Holy Scriptures with a digital quality. Baptized as the “Proclaimer”, these digital bibles draw energy from the sun to power themselves up, eliminating the wastage of power in needy areas like Haiti, and spread the word of God using audio.

[Image For Representation]

Hopefully, the prayers of those needy people in Haiti are answered and they live better lives in future with the help of the Proclaimer.

[Alertnet]