Author: gavril

You may have heard of the Solar Impulse before. This sun-powered breakthrough in the world of aviation made its first full test flight, taking it closer to its goal of flying around the globe with energy from the sun. The Solar Impulse, weighing as much as a car and with a wingspan of a Boeing 747 took off from a Swiss airfield powered by its four electric motors that are juiced by solar cells on the planes wings.

A bigger production model that the designers hope to develop soon, will circumnavigate the globe. Flea-hop tests on the plane have been conducted since December, and the plane had never seen the sky above 2 feet and 300 meters in distance. The two pilots, project leader Bertrand Piccard and co-founder Andre Borschberg will take off on their round-the-globe voyage in the Solar Impulse in 2012.

[BBC]

Technological developments boasting better efficiency are springing up everywhere. The guys at MIT have come up with an innovation to “muscle up” electronic devices in the future. These shape-memory alloys on heating change shape, acting as mechanical muscles that produce three to six times more torque and weigh one-20th. These devices known as actuators to be used in electronic devices are cut out from flat metal sheets, a fraction of a millimeter thick.

Rectangular notches chiseled into a metal alloy increases electrical resistance. The material around these rectangular notches heats up when an electric current passes. These shape-memory actuators use this principal and are expected to exert a force, 160 times of their own weight. These tiny muscle-like devices being developed by MIT could help increase energy efficiency of electronics in future.

[Popsci]

President Obama’s dreams of travelling green have been washed out now. This time round, the President will not have his word fulfilled, that’s because the awesome and huge Cadillac Escalade limo he is driven around in, cannot have a hybrid engine to power it up, thanks to its weight and bulk. According to the Secret Service, a hybrid engine isn’t powerful enough for the car to zip down roads, incase of an emergency.

The Cadillac Escalades hybrid version available sports a V8 engine that can tow 7,700 pounds, rubbishing the weight claim. Electronic interference from despicable sources may be just another cause why a hybrid engine isn’t being used. The current Presidential limo is rumored to be diesel powered with a fuel economy as much as an RV. Perhaps a more powerful hybrid engine will fulfill the President’s dream.

Via – [Luxurylaunches]

The Bicycling Magazine recently stuck up a list of the top 50 bike friendly cities in the United States. Including the cities of New York, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington D.C., the list also pulls up some trivial facts you should get a grab of if you live in the United States and are planning to cycle your way home from work. For instance, you probably didn’t know that Fargo, North Dakota, has over 200 miles of bike paths or that 5% of the people of Gainesville, Florida, use cycles to commute.

The cities haven’t been ranked, though this would be a bit handier while trying to figure out cycle-friendly cities in the US. The cities listed by Bicycling Magazine have populations of 100,000 or more. The magazine has also stuck up a list of the top five cities with populations lesser than 100,000, where riding a cycle isn’t so unusual.

[Fastcompany]

The Yogo electric scooter joins the ranks of some of its peers we’ve seen before, the Motorino VTn and the Xero. Being electric is the only similarity between them though. The Yogo decides to go a bit farther with its drivable, or should we say ride-able range. A product by Econogo, this scooter uses a simple yet effective idea to extend its range. It simply packs a spare charged up battery in its storage compartment that you can swap with a drained out one when needed. This simple swapping doubles the scooters 22 mile range.

You can also carry the removable cell to your office and have it charge while you work. A great way to zip through packed city streets without burning up fuel, the Yogo scooter will cost you around £1999 (about $3k). Available in black and beige, this innovative scooter is a smart alternative to charging up every 20 miles.

[Engadget]

Fed up of all those empty beer or soda cans piling up in your backyard? Need a way to decrease your electricity bills? Well, simply put those cans to use by making a solar collector, the way 61-year old Ward Miner and 10-year-old Rashel Cortez did. The duo came up with solar collectors (these devices collect energy and are not to be confused with solar panels that convert solar energy to electricity) made out of 300 recycled aluminum cans. These cans once cleaned and dried had their tops cut off and holes punched in their sides. They were then painted black, with grill paint, to withstand heat.

Stacked up end-to-end, a continuous seven foot tube is formed taking in the air from the basement that rises in the can columns and is heated by the sun. On reaching a scorching 110 degrees, vent fans blow the heated air in the dining room. This project cost just around $400. Don’t throw your cans away. Recycle them to heat up our homes instead!

[Energyboom]

Mitsubishi have gone a shade greener with its new 23” LCD monitor. Known as the RDT232WLM (why can’t model names be easier to remember?), this LCD monitor was released by the company in Japan recently. With a 1920×1080 resolution, the monitor sports a 1000:1 contrast ratio (5000:1 with the CRO). Mitsubishi claim that this monitor reduces energy consumption by 35% by using an improved ECO mode. With a brightness of 250cd/m2, it also features HDMI, DVI-D (HDCP), D-SUB and 2×1W speakers.

The companies spouting LCD technology on shelves in markets today need to come up with and work on energy saving technology for future use, before they get run over by newer technologies like the laser phosphor TVs being developed that save a lot more power.

[Akihabaranews]

This may not be the ideal gift for your loved one on Valentines Day, taken that its devoid of color and flowery scents. This “flower” can do things pretty red roses from your local florists can’t. It glows with light every time the wind blows right. Located on the banks of the River Mersey in Widnes, Cheshire, UK, and christened as the Tonkin Liuʼs Future Flower, this structure has a frame of an icosi-dodecahedron to which 120 perforate galvanized mild steel petals are attached. The central stalk lacks thorns. It sports 60 low voltage LEDs though, that are directed to different clusters of petals.

The Halton Borough Council pulled the veil off this 14 meter high metallic flower that uses three turbines fitted on its stem to produce electricity at wind speeds of 5 mph or more to lighten up the LEDs. 4.5 meters in diameter, the Future Flower is a piece of art wrapped with green sustainable innovation.

[Dezeen]

The Earthbound RV can now sell up its chest in pride as it conquers and wins the Third Annual Green RV Award by the Roaming Times. The V2 Earthbound is lightweight using thermoplastics and hybrid materials instead of traditional wood and wood byproducts, allowing it to shed those extra pounds. This obviously increases fuel efficiency. This also makes these trailers that boast a host of eco-friendly features, towable by a range of cars people own. According to David B. Hoefer, Earthbound’s vice president of sales and marketing, the company has the prospective to add 11 million customers to the towable-RV market.

With companies like AM Solar and RV Solar Electric offering products that turn your gas-guzzling RV green; we hope to see more of these eco-friendly homes-on-wheels ahead. Eco-friendly RVs are bound to turn that hour long trip across deserted roads with your family into a greener and cleaner affair. Shed the guilt of punching holes in the ozone and get your own green RV!

[RVBusiness]

Dehydrated? Feel the heat biting through your skin? Need an ice-cream? Well here’s a great way to spread the ice in scorching summers. Powered up using solar energy, the IceKart irks the sun by using its resources to spread cool treats. The IceKart is fitted with solar panels on the top that soak in the heat and generate electricity. This electricity is used to power up the cart’s refrigerators that store your favorite iced delight.

Its eco-friendly efficient qualities and design make the IceKart great for use during seasons like these when the sun tries to prove its heated point. Its two huge rear wheels and jolly design will also grab a whole lot of attention, from kids and adults alike. Freeze the heat with the IceKart!

[Ubergizmo]

A disappointment to the green community in India, solar-powered rickshaws have been pulled off the road. These rickshaws were unveiled last year by the Municipal Corporation, to whom they have been dolefully returned. Besides the already overweight passengers, the solar panels act as an added weight to the rickshaw pullers, increasing their workload.

Ironically, this project, costing the authorities Rs. 1,500,000, was undertaken to reduce the labor involved. Rickshaw-pullers have complained that the batteries drained after 40 kilometers, after which man power was required. The pullers were also required to pay the Municipal Corporation Rs. 500 every month, an act that fell heavy on their pockets. Using lightweight solar modules available nowadays might help reduce the load and the backache of rickshaw-pullers in India.

[IndianExpress]

After a lot of head-scratching and brain storming, the guys at the Research Center for Photovoltaics at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) came up with a record-breaking flexible solar submodule. Using a CIGS thin film, a solar cell material, this monolithically integrated flexible solar cell submodule has the world’s highest photovoltaic energy conversion efficiency of 15.9%.

These types of solar modules are the heart-throb of solar technology, since unlike their paneled up counterparts, they can be easily fitted onto uneven surfaces. An energy conversion of more than 10% for these flexible solar submodules has never been attained before, due to which efficiency suffered. However, with this breakthrough, lightweight and flexible solar cell technology will find more uses and wider applications in future.

[NanoWerk]

The summer sun burns with all its glory. So the Sunflower Corporation took advantage of it and came up with a basking-in-the-sun contraption, the Sundolier. This system compromising of a 2-axis reflector automatically tracks the sun and turns to the sunshine. That’s not all. It also combines a specially designed chandelier used for lighting up building interiors.

This indirect natural lighting system can illuminate 2,500 square feet of space. The Sundolier, a cost-effective and efficient system to lighten up your ballroom, may not be designed to be a building’s soul source of power, though if ever combined with a battery to store the generated power, it would work great throughout the day, and not just when the sun is shining bright.

[Ohgizmo]

A never before used or implemented means to public transport, the Community Transit system designed by Dave Owsen lets you travel privately, in public. This private public transit system involves the use of private “Cells”. These Cells can accommodate two adults and two small children at a time. Using a monorail type rail system, these Cells cans be navigated using a touch screen interface through which commuters can select their preferred routes. It can also help transport goods from peer to peer, using containers instead of transport cells, allowing businesses to transport goods in a cheaper way.

So what powers the Community Transit? Solar energy! The Cells use an organic dye in their window material developed by the guys at MIT, that concentrate light to the surface edge, where it is captured and stored as electricity by the solar cells on the borders of the surface. With little chances of a gridlocked line, thanks to the two rail design that enables bypassing parked cells, this system will change the way we travel in future!

Via – [Designlaunches]

The sun trickles sweat on your brow, and the only option you’ve got to blow off that heat on a summer afternoon is to take a dip in your pool. Make sure its clean now with this new pool purifier. Simply known as the Healthier Pool Purifier, this system ensures that your pool’s water remains crystal clear and clean enough to spot the bottom of your pool. It reduces chlorine requirements by up to 80%, which means no more reddened eyes.

Juicing up this system is a piece of cake. It uses an array of solar panels to power up that are located on the top. This enables the sun’s rays to provide a low-power current for an electrode coil in the water. A mineral electrode-insert for the coil releases ions that destroy algae and bacteria. These electrode-inserts last a year and collect iron and calcium too, making your water softer. The Healthier Pool Purifier costs around $349.95, for a solar powered cleaner pool and a nicer swim.

McComb Gardens pompously flaunts its solar powered systems at the Sequim Nursery in Washington. The 4.23-kW grid-tied solar electric power system juices up around 70% of the nursery. April 17th, Earth Day, will see the debut of the solar electric system. Stewart and Burkhardt decided to have their business go green and had 18 Sharp solar modules rated at 4.23 kW installed on the south-facing nursery store roof. According to Jeff Randall of Power Trip Energy, this would help offset 70% of the annual electric bill of the nursery and the home of Stewart and Burkhardt.

This basking-in-the-sunshine system cost Stewart and Burkhardt under $30,000. If you love plants or the environment, do check out this nursery’s shades of green!

[Onlineprnews]

Visitors to the world’s tallest tower, the Burj Khalifa, have something to rejoice about. The observation deck on its 124th floor has thrown open its doors again, welcoming visitors to a breathtaking view. That’s not all. Environmentalists around have something to rejoice about too. This awesome 828 meter tall sky-driller has gone green, opting for solar power! The building will use its solar panels to heat 140,000 liters of water every day. This brings energy savings of 3,200 kilo watts per day and 690MWh of energy per year.

These solar panels are located on The Office, the Burj Khalifa’s annexure. Around 378 collector panels in all, these solar panels span measure 2.7 square meters each and can heat those liters of water in just 7 hours. The tallest building in the world is setting a sky-high example for everyone below.

[HindustanTimes]

If you live in Helsinki and plan to send across a sweet love letter with rose petals, you’re loved one will probably receive a PDF file instead. As an initiative to save up on costs and emissions, the Finnish post will soon cut open letters and mail their scanned copies to recipients. This initiative is currently under trial, wherein volunteers receive text messages or an email when their paper-mail is turned digital.

The PDFs are sent to a secured digital mailbox, to which only the recipient has access rights. The conversion of mail will take place on a secured premise, to keep your confidential stuff safe from prying eyes. Itella, the firm running the country’s postal service, has assured that copies of mails will not be archived for future snooping. This initiative will sure save costs, and maybe help in national security too!

[Google]

Flat panel TVs are more energy efficient and don’t dehydrate the power grid of juice like the old CRTs. Well here’s an innovation that consumes around 75% less energy then flat panels! Prysm, newbies in the world of digital technology are here with a new technology, laser phosphor TVs. These TVs use no toxic materials whatsoever with image quality as good as every flat panel around. These smart-idiot-boxes use laser beams modulated by mirrors, to shine light onto phosphor materials on glass that glow and create images.

Unlike LCDs and plasma screens, these TVs tend to remain cool and calm and not heat up. The technology used by these also allow for curved screens, a plus point for commercial customers. This TV by Prysm will sure find a place in my living room when up for sale, thanks to all its green energy saving qualities.

[Cnet]

Smoking is injurious to health. But it does help make beautiful rugs too! Here’s a rug made out of cigarette butts. Created by Puerto Rican artist, Jesus Bubu Negron, this rug is a masterpiece of recycling. The artist got a handful of street cleaners to pick up and collect cigarette butts shamelessly tossed on streets and with the help of a few helpers, created this piece of art.

Though this rug won’t satisfy your nicotine needs, it does make for a beautiful recycled innovation. The paper used in cigarette butts was unrolled and layered. The yellowish orange filter paper and the white cigarette roll form a pattern just like a textile rug. This would be a softer rug to tread on, had Jesus Bubu Negro have used the soft filter found in cigarette butts too!

[Designboom]