Author: gavril

We all love riding superbikes, or at least looking at them zip away. Bikes are all about speed and attitude. Make way for the newest electric superbike by the American motorcycle company, Roehr. Christened as the 1250sc, this bike will be available in both, street as well as racing versions. This is the first bike from this
motorcycle company who has ensured that they make their debut in the market in an environmentally friendly way. This bike can do everything a normal superbike does; it throws up 180 horsepower using a modified
supercharged Harley Davidson Revolution engine, 96 hp and 210 pound-feet of torque.

Powered by a 10kWh lithium iron phosphate battery, this bike can burn up the asphalt and leave the others behind in a cloud of cleaner dust devoid of any CO2 emissions. A second version of this electric bike with 48 hp and a 6kWh battery will also be available. The price of these electric mean machines hasn’t been announced by the company yet. This American electric sports bike is sure to spark the interest of bikers everywhere.

[Luxist]

We may have come across those little miniature globes in our classrooms or may have even owned one in our bedroom. Well, this globe is just the same, with the only difference of rotating on an axis of its own accord. No, it isn’t possessed by an evil spirit; it simply uses the earth’s magnetic pull to rotate without the use of cords, a motor or human intervention. The globe consists of three photoreceptors inside its belly that gather incandescent or indirect sunlight that powers the internal drive. This system along with the earth’s magnetic field helps provide it with the torque to spin around.

Suspended in a clear liquid in a clear shell made out of acrylic, the globe is free from any disturbance. The acrylic shell can be moved 360 degrees leaving the globe in place. The globe rotates on most surfaces including your palm. Measuring 8 ½ inches in diameter, the globe provides information on 3500 places and water bodies. Using alternative sources of energy, this $400 globe is a great energy saving way to education.

The iRacer, Westfield Sportscars electric vehicle will now have a chance to cross the finish line with the company’s decision of joining the EV Cup with this car. The car is uses lithium phosphate batteries to power up and has light weighted body panels with a tubular chassis. To lower the center of gravity, over 100kg of batteries can be stored beneath the cars floor. The iRacers two electric motors produce 80 kW (107 hp) and 1000 Nm of torque causing the car two zip from 0 – 60 in under 5 seconds. The car also has an electronically limited speed of 110 mph.

As planned, the car should eat up 55 miles of the racetrack on a single charge and will have a three phase generator to recharge its batteries in about 2 hours. If all goes well, we will soon see the iRacer electronic vehicle zoom around racetracks and competing in this eco-friendly motorsport.

[WorldCarFans]

Solar heat trapped at the bottom of a solar pond and used to power a membrane distillation system using an artificial salt –gradient stratification process is being worked on by Fransico Saurez. Using solar energy, the system desalinates water and makes it drinkable and free from salts and impurities. This system will help maintain the ecological balance of closed-basin lake regions. In places like these, due to the high amount of
evaporation and no out-flow of water, a high concentration of minerals and salts behind, rendering the water inconsumable.

At the lower levels of the pond, the hot brine can exceed temperatures of up to 195 degrees. This heat energy is used to heat the water in this system. This system will help out save on costs and energy resources. The heat energy obtained will also have other uses like desalinization of water and other thermal applications. This low cost membrane system has been patented recently by the University of Nevada.

[Physorg]

You may have found your self in the unavoidable situation of having your cell phone battery go dead and leave you with no access to any communication. The frustrating fact that our cell phones have a battery life too can be overlooked using this battery. This may not be an environment friendly option for charging up you cell phone, however
this novel idea designed by Song Teaho & Hyejin Lee sure is practical and unique. All you need to do is, open up the back panel of your phone, bring out this unique battery and swing it round by inserting your finger in that little hole. Okay, this isn’t an April Fools trick. The battery juices up when you swing it around your finger and will bring your dead cell phone back to life. This helps keep your phone switched on to last a short conversation and a trip to a charging port. Turn the battery around your finger a little more than a hundred times and it’s enough to keep your phone running through 25 minutes on standby mode and 2 minutes on a call. So save yourself the energy burnt up on the frustration that occurs when your phone goes off and go buy yourself one of these smart and practical batteries!

Via – [Designlaunches]

The HydroFill by Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies revolutionizes the way we go about charging our gadgets at home. This device will help juice up our phones, cameras, mp3 players and other gadget using electric
current produced from hydrogen. The HydroFill stores hydrogen energy extracted from water in Hydrostick cartridges with a hydrogen absorbing metal alloy. A pocket sized fuel cell charger is required to charge electrical devices. Called as MiniPak, this device pulls hydrogen energy from the cartridges producing an electric current that is used to charge up your gadget. The optional USB port and cell phone adapter can also be used to charge. If that’s not enough, the cartridges can be charged using a normal electrical output, or a solar panel and even wind turbines! The system can generate 2.5 Watts of power ideal for using with small gadgets. The HydroFill system, scheduled to release later in 2010 sure paves the way for hydrogen fuel cell technology.

[Cnet]

The big daddy of yachts is here, the Magnum 100 is bound to make a statement at sea. This new model from Magnum Marine is the largest to be manufactured and will be delivered in 2012. Designed by Italian designer Alberto Mancini, the Magnum 100 offers some pretty cool features like outdoor cockpit livability, and expandable top that
provides various shaded areas and the yacht is built to be eco friendly. Magnum has done its part in saving the environment by building the yacht out of stronger and lighter materials like advanced composite foams and carbon fiber. This indirectly helps save around 20% power making the vessel more efficient and strong at sea. Magnum has also used surfaces drives that help reduce consumption and increase speed. The boat uses an electric smoke free and noiseless harbor drive; an electric wing engine for slower speeds. The LED and fluorescent lighting makes this vessel come alive from the inside. The Magnum Marine can hold its head up high for designing this environment friendly boat.

Via – [Luxurylaunches]

With everyone turning to cleaner and greener energy resources and transport designs, Porsche has decided to take a step forward too. The car company is considering producing a new Boxster sports version, this time with lower CO2 emissions. Scrapping the previous reports of a four cylinder Boxster, Porsche is considering building these sports cars with a three cylinder engine that will be cleaner and more efficient. According to the director of the Boxster model line, Hans-Jurgen Wohler, a three or four cylinder engine will produce between 180bhp to 200bhp and emit just 180g/km of CO2 which is certainly acceptable. However, the fate of this environment friendly sports car depends on the impact on Porsche’s emission requirements due to change because of Volkswagen’s new ownership. Porsche on the other hand, need to deal with their emissions and reduce it by 25% as compared to that in 2006. Will Porsche come up with a bunch of eco-friendly sports cars in the near future? We wait and watch!

[Leftlanenews]

Semi’s or tractor trailers, those long centipede like trucks we see rumbling down interstate highways and burning up precious fuel may be a sight of the past with Mercedes-Benz’s first production version of its tractor trailer powered by natural gas. Natural gas is gaining popularity over the use of petrol and diesel, especially for commercial vehicles like these which are usually parked and deployed from one depot. These trucks can be juiced up at those depots when
needed. The Mercedes-Benz Econic NGT (Natural Gas Technology) has almost no particulate emissions and is ideal for urban areas. It also boasts of lower CO2 and NOx emissions. The truck can be optionally powered using biogas, making its operation carbon neutral. The Econic NGT uses a six speed transmission and meets the rigid EEV emission
standard.

Mercedes-Benz delivered the first truck of this kind to the company ALDI SÜD for food distribution to grocery stores, who opted for an environment friendly mode of transport. Hopefully, other automobile companies are inspired and start designing and producing trucks that kiss the environment instead of harming it.

[Autobloggreen]

Squeeze a digital battery system in a $2 million luxury sedan and you are bound to have a great ride. And that’s exactly what Granite Digital has done by tying up with car manufacturer, DiMora. This gave birth to the Natalia SLS 2 luxury sport sedan, a car that lets you burn down the roads with style. The car will be equipped with the Save A Battery system that will continuously monitor the battery, test it and also charge it in the garage. So just incase Mister Millionaire needs to zip out of his garage, he can always rely on this car. The dashboard will be integrated with a system that will display the status of the Save A Battery 1702 Charging System. This works as a great option to trickle chargers used to the battery’s heart and brain alive. Also, the Natalia has a 110 or 220 volt AC cord that is retractable and can be connected to a power outlet. President of Granite Digital, Frank Gabrielli is excited about this new venture and states that the Save A Battery 1702 Charging System will help keep the cars battery fresh and alive for use any time.

[PR]

Wind, water, hydro-electric and solar energy from all over Europe will be laced together to form Europe’s first renewable energy grid. Nine countries have put their heads together and have planned to link their renewable energy resources around the North Sea to form this grid. The network is created using under sea cables spanning thousands of kilometers and probably costing around €30bn (£26.5bn). Nine countries, Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Denmark, Sweden and Ireland and the UK plan to start working on this project in the next decade and will achieve their aim to produce 20% of Europe’s energy using renewable resources. Off shore wind energy projects that could provide 100GW of power are being developed. According to a study by the Greenpeace organization, this project
could cost around €15bn-€20bn by the year 2025. This super grid will connect wind turbines, solar panels, hydro-electric dams around the North Sea area and will be the first of its kind.

Though a far sighted project, when in use, this power grid will help Europe benefit from any shortages in power supply and reduce pollution caused due to coal power plants used today.

[Guardian]

We may have learnt about fishes and sea life the hard way every time we accompanied our father fishing or in school, but kids in Japan can learn about life deep down under with robots! Alright, these aren’t just metallic bots shaped like fish. They have been made life-like and very realistic. The creator of these bot fish, Masamichi Hayashi is a marine ecologist and has a good knowledge about the bot world also. These marvels were hand crafted out of recycled materials, a plus point that helps educate children about recycling at the same time. They were made out of recycled raincoats and even windscreen wipers! The “fish” mimic the actions of their real life counter parts using complex internal servos and motors, and some bigger models are also capable of opening and closing their mouths, pretending to “eat”.

In 2005, an aquarium in London had featured its own robo-fish. Hayashi also documented his inventions and has made videos to be shown to school children. Technology and nature together come alive with this Eco-friendly educative creation.

[Technovelgy]

This may sound selfish to those who usually ferry around their whole family in their SUV, but vehicles intended to transport just one person at a time are being chiseled into shape. Designed to work like a train i.e. using a monorail type track, these vehicles can transport a person to his destination quickly. The cassette vehicle concept is powered using electricity and uses the suction technique. The monorail like carrier acts as a hub for the vehicle and at the same time fulfills the duty of charging the vehicles. The carriers form a path for the cassette vehicles through a transparent tube with rails and air suction motors at stations. When needed, the operator needs to run the suction motor at the destination point and the carrier zips there quickly. This design is unique and will be more practical if it can accommodate more than just one person for use in future. This will help save energy and prevent our environment from those harmful gases vehicles emit nowadays.

[Tuvie]

Japan is the future of the cell phone industry and developments and innovations from the land of the rising sun have helped change the way we use our phones. As dreamt by Japan’s mobile big shot, NTT DoCoMo, the mobile phone will be an essential part of our lives, more than it is today. The company displays its technology in cell phones at the ‘Future Station’, located in a Tokyo skyscraper. The company anticipates the use of its wearable phone by the year 2020. This phone is to be made out of recycled materials. It’s uncommon for cell phone manufacturers to use recycled materials for production today, however this will not be so in the future. DoCoMo’s phone will also be partially powered with kinetic energy created due to the movements of the user.

The phone will be capable of projecting images in the air in the form of a hologram. The people in Japan now use phones for entertainment purposes, buying goods and a whole lot of other applications besides calling. If DoCoMo’s dreams are realized soon enough, it will help change the world of telecommunication and help create a cleaner cell phone industry with its recycling policies.

[France24]

Ever heard of energy created due to the vibrations of a dance floor or train station? It is known as piezoelectric energy. This form of energy is formed due to the conversion of mechanical strain into electrical current. A tiny piezoelectric energy, capable of collecting energy from machinery and infrastructure is being developed by a team of researchers in Europe. These devices can be used to power remote sensing equipment that can detect deterioration of bridges and even wind turbines. Wind turbines are usually located in remote areas and accessing those burns up loads of energy.

Also, maintenance teams face huge risks while climbing up these turbines. Instead of burning all this energy for regular checkups, these remote sensing devices powered by piezoelectric energy can be used. Aluminum nitride as an alternative to lead is being developed by a European nanotechnology research team with the creation of a tiny device made out of micro-electromechanical systems. The use of lead- free piezoelectric energy devices is anticipated in the future and will change the way maintenance operations are carried out.

[Cleantechnica]

Canada spots its first bifacial photovoltaic solar module with the unveiling of Sanyo Canada Inc. and Avacos Solar Energy’s installation at DuROCK Alfacing International Ltd.’s headquarters. This installation combines Sanyo’s HIT (Heterojunction with Intrinsic Thin-layer) Double bifacial solar photovoltaic modules and Tio-Coat reflective roof membrane. The Sanyo HIT Double PV is capable of generating energy from both the sides due to which, 30% more energy is generated as compared to common PV modules. The Tio-Coat is a roof coating made of elastomeric urethane. It provides 89% solar radiation reflectivity and weather resistance. Together, the HIT Double PV and Tio-Coat membrane will help provide energy for DuROCK and also reduce the cooling cost of the building. An increased PV module output and higher exposure to solar radiation is gained due to the combination of these two products with its 10kW grid-tied arrangement. According to president of Avacos Solar Energy, Sandro Costa, this is a win-win situation for the client and a great example of how combination of two technologies can help boost the solar industry.

[RenewableEnergyWorld]

Maybe you don’t look at your trash can with a twinkle in your eye, but the Strauss family sure do! The garbage sticking out of this trashcan is the amount of waste the family produced in one year. And they haven’t achieved this by digging up their lawn to hide all their waste. The Strauss family recycles. These folks have produced an average of just 2oz of garbage a week. The family has disposed of its garbage wisely by using it as compost and landfill. That’s not all; they have even burnt up their old wooden toilet seat in the living room fireplace. They have been growing some of their own food, reusing shopping bags and have stopped receiving junk mail. Next year, the family aims to produce no garbage at all.

This pursuit to cleanliness began 18 months ago when the family, 53 year old Richard Strauss, his wife Rachelle, 37, and their eight year old daughter Verona, came across an article on the effects of plastic waste on marine life. Their dwelling place, a three bedroom house in Longhope, Gloucestershire is heated using a wooden burner and is partially
powered up using solar energy. The Strauss family sure has created an example that everyone should learn from.

[Dailymail]

Solar energy is being used for various purposes all over the globe today with the rise in technology. The sun is being squeezed of its juice to power up homes, cars and even cell phones. The newest application for solar energy is to power up airplanes. Known as the HB-SIA and built by a Swiss team, it completed its first test run in Zurich this December. The plane flew 350 meters at an altitude of one meter and will have its next test run in 2010. Chairman of Sun Impulse and co-founder of this project, Bertrand Piccard, hope’s that this airplane will circle the globe in 20 days by the year 2012. He managed to draw in €40 million of the total €70 million needed from investors like Semper, Deutsche Bank, Toyota and a few others.

This project aims at promoting the use of alternate forms of energy. Piccard hopes that the Chinese solar technology firm, SunTech will present the solar cells required. To circle the globe, the HB-SIA requires around 12000 solar cells that need to be attached to the planes wings and fuselage. These will help store 14 hours of energy. With a wingspan as long as an Airbus 340 and the weight of a car, it can soar up to 8500km with an average speed of 70kmph. When completed, this plane is sure to pave the way for a cleaner and greener aviation industry.

[EnterpriseInnovation]

Acclaimed as one the Top 10 ‘green’ in America, rockers CAKE are doing their part to save the environment. They have converted their recording studio in Sacramento to a solar powered building. The studio is a hundred percent solar powered building and has no carbon footprint. According to the band’s front man, John McCrea, they aim to get people thinking using the Internet. Unlike the rest, this band’s website speaks about environmental issues and not just music. McCrea states that music is not enough to render a discussion on a webpage everyday and hence other issues should be addressed too. CAKE will headline the Bill Graham fund raiser event in San Francisco on the 9th of January and will release its sixth studio album soon. Not all bands address social issues as such and some fans are skeptical. However, this should set an example to people from every field to work towards building a cleaner and greener atmosphere.

[Times-Herald Online]

The lithium ion technology is gaining impetus with the release of such batteries by a whole lot of companies. Panasonic is now working on its 3.1 Ah 18650 lithium ion cells. Panasonic’s newly acquired company, Sanyo, recently released the Eneloop Music Booster, a 9V lithium ion battery made for on-stage use. Panasonic has now planned to produce 3.4 Ah cells having a carbon anode unit in 2012 and 4.0 Ah cells the following year. The 4.0 Ah cell however, uses a new silicon-based alloy for an electrode. These cells will have nickel oxide positive electrodes that are commonly used.

Due to this, the energy density is popped up to 800 Wh/L as compared to the 620Wh/L of the 2.9 Ah cells available today. The capacity also increases from 10.4 Wh to 13.6 Wh. The cell voltage drops from 3.6 V to 3.4 V and gains weight from 44 to 54 g/cell. This may act as a drawback however. Panasonic is sure striving hard to make its lithium ion technology more widely applicable.

[Autobloggreen]