Author: Jolly

Eco Factor: Sustainable development collects rainwater and solar energy.

The Bushwick Inlet Park by Kiss + Cathcart Architects is the remaking of the Greenpoint – Williamsburg waterfront in Brooklyn, NY, from a decaying industrial strip to a multifaceted public park. The park becomes a green hill on the west side, offering views over the ball fields to the Manhattan skyline.

A multi-level playground and public rooms ascend the hill, while direct access for the public and parks personnel is provided from the street edge below. The paved surfaces on the hill harvest rainwater to irrigate the green roof slope. All other rainwater goes into the ground or passes through a tidal wetland landscape at the river’s edge.

Solar panels have been installed to generate more than half the energy demands of the development. Moreover, the architects are also planning to use a ground source heat pump for efficient heating and cooling.

Thanks: [Gregory Kiss]

Eco Factor: Environmentally friendly future city for China.

Gu Wenda has recently turned to reflect social issues such as environmental protection in his work and is trying to help offer a solution for a sustainable future city. The artist has modeled China Park, a future city that combines traditional Chinese concepts and architectural idea of traditional Chinese gardens.

The China Park has been designed to offer a blueprint for an ecologically friendly future city. The green calligraphy garden will be crafted out of natural evergreen trees, and artificial streams and ponds together form the shapes of Chinese calligraphic characters.

The artist now hopes that someday his blueprint is realized, either in the form of a large-scale public entertainment park or a residential complex.

Via: Xinhuanet/ChinaDaily

Eco Factor: Low-emission concept car powered by a hybrid engine.

The Mazda Tanken is a low-emission hybrid SUV designed by Anthony Sims from California’s Art Center College of Design. The SUV pays tribute to the American nature. The futuristic vehicle is powered by a small 4-cyclinder engine that revs up whenever the onboard batteries deplete.

Power is provided by a set of electric motors running on electric batteries. The stance of the vehicle is established with dynamic coupe lines contrasted with aggressive tires for an off-road appeal.

Via: Car Design

Eco Factor: Vertical axis wind turbine to produce up to 600W of renewable power.

Wind turbines are often considered noisy and ugly, but new revolutionary designs are trying to better their credentials. Urban Green Energy has come up with a turbine that is both silent and attractive. Dubbed Eddy, the vertical axis wind turbine can generate electricity from wind coming from any direction, making it ideal for an urban setting.

The Eddy weighs 81kg and is 1.38m wide and 1.6m tall. Eddy has a rated power output of about 600W and a cut-in speed of just 3.5m/s. The unit has a maximum safe wind speed of more than 120mph and an engineered lifetime of about 20 years.

The carbon fiber and fiberglass blades of the Eddy spin at a maximum of 200rpm. The company claims that the noise level produced by the turbine at 12m/s wind speed is about 38dB, which is halfway between the noise level of a whisper (15dB) and normal conversation (60dB).

Via: Energy Matters

Eco Factor: Zero-emission electric vehicle betters its own world record by running 1000km without recharging.

Last month we reported about the Mira EV making a world record by traveling 345 miles (555.6km) on a single recharge. The car has now made another world record by traveling 1003.184km without a recharge. The zero-emission vehicle is powered by 8320 cylindrical lithium-ion batteries supplied by Sanyo.

The record was created during May 22 to 23, 2010, by a team of drivers at Japan Electric Vehicle Club, a civic group based in Tokyo. The car ran for 27 and half hours at around 40kph on average. The team will soon ask the Guinness World Records to officially recognize the drive.

Via: Akihabara News/Crunch Gear

Solar energy seems to be getting on the minds of the designers who are always looking for ways to use this abundant energy to power vehicles. We’ve seen designers come up with sustainable cars and buses that are powered by renewable solar energy for a truly zero-emission ride. Apart from land transport, there have been concepts aimed to green your weekend marine picnics as well. Here is a list of 15 boats that generate propulsion power from an onboard array of solar panels:

• PlanetSolar Catamaran:

At 31m long, the PlanetSolar is the world’s largest solar-powered multi-hulled vessel. The boat’s solar panels are expected to produce up to 103.4KW of renewable power. The solar panels allow the PlanetSolar to hit a top speed of about 8 knots. The boat’s 38,000 photovoltaic cells have been provided by SunPower, which are claimed to have an efficiency of at least 22 percent.

• ARKKI Solar Boat:

Designed by Janne Leppänen, the ARKKI concept features a huge open space covered with a surface like that on an outdoor basketball court. The entire surface of the boat is covered with multilayer photovoltaic cells that can produce the required energy from the sun to power the boat.

• Solar Powered Personal Boat:

Costing $10,500, the Solar Powered Personal Boat can ferry up to four adults. The boat is powered by a 700W electric motor that enables the boat to move silently at 5mph. The motor is powered by four deep cycle batteries that are constantly recharged by the sun during daylight hours. The batteries hold a reserve charge that can power the boat for 6 hours after dark.

• Buffalo’s Solar-Powered Boat:

Designed by Buffalo Solar Boats, this pontoon boat is capable of touring inland waterways and lakes by harnessing solar power from a rooftop array of photovoltaic modules. The PV modules can generate up to 1KW of power, which can be stored in a large onboard battery for use during overcast days.

• Solar Proa Catamaran:

The Solar Proa is a self-sufficient boat designed by Carolin Dissmann, Tibor Bartholomä, Daniel Boos and Andreas Schwab that harnesses solar energy for green power. The Proa is an asymmetric catamaran that provides space for six people with light weight, elegance and sustainability the key aspects of the design. The solar-powered boat has two foldable covers with solar panels on top. When docked, the covers are closed and the entire boat features just one clean and flat surface enabling the solar panels to generate electricity.

• Onda Velocita Powerboat:

The Onda Velocita Powerboat is a luxury boat that features the latest in technology with traditional design elements to make your ride green and comfortable. The hybrid boat uses a pair of water jet propulsion units, which can be turned off on sunny days, as the boat carries a photovoltaic system on its roof, which generates enough electricity to power the engines and other systems that are installed in it.

• Sea Raider:

Designed by Muhammad Imran, the Sea Raider is equipped with photovoltaic modules to collect solar energy during the day to power the boat and recharge onboard batteries. During the day the boat can power itself using the harnessed solar energy and during nighttime the boat’s batteries take over the system, ensuring a zero-emission cruise irrespective of the time of the day.

• SunCat23 Catamaran:

Developed by Horizon Yachts, the SunCat23 Catamaran utilizes four solar panels capable of generating 760W of power to fuel a 2.8KW electric outdoor motor. The electric motor propels the catamaran to a top speed of 6 knots while carrying 12 passengers. A fully charged battery bank will be able to power the boat for a day trip, even on a cloudy day.

• Iron 23 Motorboat:

The Iron 23 Motorboat by industrial designer Carl Hagerling features space for three passengers, runs on a solar-powered electric engine and also includes a kitchen and a toilet. The eco-friendly boat features a compact solar array that according to the designer generates enough energy to power the boat. The boat is also equipped with a conventional engine that can be used if the sun isn’t shining or if the juice in the onboard batteries depletes.

• N-DOUR Hybrid:

The N-DOUR by designer Riccardo Pilurzu is a yacht with multiple purposes. The design was created with the idea of developing a luxurious yacht that will sustain itself for a longer period of time out at sea. The idea is to utilize wind and solar energy to create hydrogen which will later propel the yacht with a hydrogen power plant. The N-DOUR has another trick up its sleeves, when the vessel is docked in the harbor and no electricity is been consumed by the vessel, the yacht will start producing energy for the harbor, therefore providing clean energy to the grid.

• SolarLab Research’s Solar Shuttle:

The Solar Shuttle by SolarLab Research is a solar-powered boat that has been designed for the 2012 Olympics. The 255-passenger boat features a rooftop array of solar panels that generate the electricity needed for propulsion.

• Leviathan:

The Leviathan concept yacht is the work of industrial designer Adam Valmassoi, who believes that the sun and wind have the potential to green your next cruise. The eco-friendly self-sufficient yacht runs on two electric jet pump engines, which are powered by wind turbines and solar panels on board the yacht.

• The Float:

The Float flat-surfaced boat is a solar-powered double motor concept boat that harvests renewable solar energy using an array of solar panels placed neatly on the roof. Solar power and electric engines don’t make it the fastest boat you’ve ever ridden, but provide a decent cruising speed of up to 10kph. Meant for a marine picnic, the boat is equipped with a table, a grill and a small refrigerator.

• IKKAR:

The IKKAR by designer Julien Anglade is a low-emission futuristic yacht concept that has been designed to bridge the gap between man and sea. The innovative concept yacht features a simple yet elegant design that can change its shape according to the location for the comfort of the passengers. The 150m-long IKKAR includes a streamlined hull for better fuel efficiency, and its main sail is equipped with rigid photovoltaic panels that help generate energy to power the boat.

• Code X Yacht:

The 47′ 7” Code X yacht comes with a hybrid engine that can either give you a thumping 710hp by twin Ilmor Formula 1 engines to propel the yacht at a speed in excess of 80 knots or a more leisurely 9 knots using its twin electric motors. The battery pack has the capability to run continuously for two hours and can be recharged using the on-board solar panels for additional leisure.

Eco Factor: Zero-emission vehicle powered by an all-electric engine.

According to recent reports the Audi A2 will be an electric-only car when launched in 2012. The vehicle is set to be pitched against BMW’s Megacity, which is due to go on sale in 2013. The second generation model will drop the pricey spaceframe construction of the original A2 for a conventional steel-monocoque from the Audi A1.

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Eco Factor: Container port to tap wind energy using five wind turbines.

A new container port in New Jersey is looking to tap wind energy to generate all the energy it needs. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey plans to power the port with five, 288-ft-tall turbines erected on a 70-acre site.

The Port Jersey-Port Authority Marine Terminal will accommodate container ships too tall to pass under the Bayonne Bridge. The five turbines will collectively generate bout 7.5MW of power, which is enough to power the port or power about 2000 homes. All excess power will be transferred to the grid.

Image Courtesy: Wikipedia [Under a Creative Commons License]

Via: SmartPlanet

Eco Factor: 3D telecasts of FIFA World Cup matches to be powered by renewable energy.

We recently reported about Qatar’s bid for the FIFA World Cup 2022 matches that involved sustainable stadiums powered by renewable energy. Japan has also rolled out its proposal for the event with a promise that football fans worldwide will be treated with ultra-realistic 3D telecasts.

The $6 billion project dubbed “Universal Fan Fest” will allow some 360 million fans at nearly 400 select stadiums in FIFA’s 208 member countries. The images would be captured from 360 degrees by 200 HD cameras during each match. The 3D images will be transmitted to stadiums worldwide, where the matches will either be shown on giant screens or, if technically possible in coming years, the images will be projected like real matches onto the pitch itself, giving viewers the illusion of watching the real match.

Microphones will be installed below the playing pitch that will bring realistic sounds of the ball being kicked and the referee’s whistle. The futuristic communication systems will be powered in part from the electricity generated by spectators cheering and stamping their feet as well as from solar panels on the roof of the stadium.

Via: Physorg

Eco Factor: Solar-powered hydrogen fueling stations stretching from Maine to Miami.

Proton Energy Systems and SunHydro have broken ground on the first connection of the planned Hydrogen Highway that can create an East Coast market for cars powered by hydrogen fuel cells. The Hydrogen Highway will be a network of nine stations stretching from Maine to Miami.

The Hydrogen Highway should be completed by the time automakers start to roll out hydrogen cars at the rate of thousands. The stations on the East Coast can also help change automakers’ opinion of this as a viable market for fuel cell cars.

Hydrogen fueled cars don’t emit any toxic gas as the only thing coming out of the exhaust is water vapor, however generating hydrogen from natural gas can cause pollution. SunHydro’s hydrogen generating systems are different, they produce hydrogen from water using renewable solar energy, which ensures a 100 percent zero-emission fuel.

Fuel cell cars have a range of 200-450 miles, so with the Hydrogen Highway stations strategically placed, owners can drive the entire East Coast using the alternative fuel.

Via: Hartford Business

Eco Factor: System to store surplus wind generated electricity as ice to cater peak energy demands.

In an effort to reduce peak need for air conditioning on hot California afternoons, a consortium of municipal utilities in California will being retrofitting government offices and commercial properties with systems that use ice made at night using surplus wind power to replace air-conditioning during the afternoon.

The system will reduce fuel consumption by the state utilities by 30 percent and by individual building owners by up to 90 percent. Developed by Ice Energy, the system makes cheap ice overnight when electricity demand is low, using a high-efficiency compressor that freezes 450 gallons of water. In the middle of the day the device shuts down the air conditioner and instead pipes a stream of coolant from the melting block of ice to an evaporator coil installed within the building’s HVAC blower system.

The block of ice will take about six hours to melt completely, which covers the peak afternoon load on the grid. A total of 6000 devices will be installed by 11 small participating utilities at 1500 locations to provide 53MW of energy storage to reduce load on the grid.

Via: CleanTechnica

Eco Factor: Road covering for rural roads to generate renewable solar energy.

The Solar Arch by industrial designer Tyson Steele is a concept covering for rural roads that can generate renewable solar energy for off-grid highway lighting. The Solar Arch can also supplement electricity demands in neighboring areas.

Apart from generating renewable energy, the Solar Arch can also reduce icing in winter and keep the roads cool during summer. The arch design is in compliance with AASHTO Standards for US interstate bridges and passageways. The arch has a ground clearance of over 18 feet and has a width of 40 feet with each section 10 feet long.

Variations of the design include a longer version with lined troughs on each side so topsoil can be packed into the outer supports, increasing its insulation properties and reducing its visibility in naturally pristine areas.

Thanks: [Tyson Steele]

Eco Factor: Sustainable house made using bamboo.

This bamboo house has been designed by architect Benjamin Garcia Saxe of Benjamin Garcia Saxe Architecture for his mother, who always kept dreaming of a place that she could call home. After becoming transfixed with the moon and the sun, she inspired her son to build a permanent bamboo house with a cone-shaped “umbrella roof” that opens to reveal the natural elements.

The house is composed of two separate modules – a kitchen/living area and a bedroom space. The bamboo house inverts the role of the forest by bringing it inside, hence meeting the needs of the architect’s mother in providing her with a permanent dwelling which retains an intimate relationship with the natural environment.

Via: World Architecture News

Eco Factor: Eco-friendly public toilet concept harnesses energy and water.

The ZESS Public Toilet concept by Belgian design house Bundl has been designed as a standalone autonomous public toilet unit that generates all the energy and water it needs from natural resources. The innovative and prominent toilet tries to improve the street scene.

The ZESS toilet includes a rooftop solar panel that generates electricity needed to illuminate the toilet after dark. Moreover, rainwater is harvested and stored for use inside the toilet.

Via: Coroflot/Bundl

Eco Factor: Lapdesk made from sustainable materials.

Korean manufacturer Macally has presented its eco-friendly notebook holder the EcoFad that has been created from bamboo. Dubbed “EcoFad,” the notebook holder also includes a bamboo mouse pad. The environmentally friendly holder includes several grooves that are designed to circulate hot air and keep the notebook from cooking.

Via: Aving

Eco Factor: Sustainable lamp powered by solar energy.

A team of seven students from MIT and Rhode Island School of Design have created a low-cost lamp that could be used by millions of people in remote parts of India. Dubbed Enlight, the lamp costs just $20 and runs on renewable solar energy. The lamp can withstand drops on the floor and can easily be taken apart and fixed if something goes wrong.

The lamp aims to provide a clean energy solution to millions of people who rely on kerosene lamps, which are unhealthy, unsafe and inadequate. The team will present a prototype to one of India’s largest non-governmental organizations, the Energy and Resource Institute, which will consider using Enlight to light some 40,000 villages.

Image Courtesy: Picasa [Under a Creative Commons License]

Via: BusinessWire

Eco Factor: Concept phone made from recycled materials runs on renewable energy.

The Nokia EC509 Green Core is a concept cellphone designed by industrial designer Matteo Trisolini. The concept aims to make cellphones greener so that their impact on the environment can be minimized. The device is designed to harvest renewable kinetic energy to charge the onboard battery.

The cellphone is to be made using recycled materials and will ship in a package that can be used to send the mobile phone back to the company for recycling after use. The phone includes a spin charger that harvests kinetic energy to recharge its battery whenever the user spins the phone of his/her finger.

Via: iGreenSpot

Eco Factor: Zero-emission car powered by electric engine.

Italian design house Pininfarina has unveiled the Nido EV prototype as a starting point of a new modular platform for future electric and hybrid cars. The vehicle has been conceived, designed and built entirely by the Pininfarina Style and Engineering Center of Cambiano. The Nido EV bears witness to the skills and experience that Pininfarina has built up in the development of electric vehicles, paying particular attention to the Segment A city cars that will populate the streets of the future to make our towns more pleasant to live in.

The prototype includes a steel tube frame chassis, which is being expected to be replaced by lighter aluminum space frame in production variants. The vehicle is powered by a 30KW permanent magnet motor driving the rear wheels, while future variants may include a small engine for a hybrid configuration or electric motors for the front wheels as well. The Nido EV is powered by a 21.2KWh nickel-salt Zebra battery that weighs only 400 pounds.

The Zebra batteries are fully recyclable and contain no toxic materials. The Nido is claimed to have an operating range of about 87 miles and a 0-60mph time of 6.7 seconds.

Via: AutoBlogGreen

Eco Factor: Sustainable blimp designed to run on algae fuel.

E-Green Technologies has announced that the company has completed its inflation test of the Bullet 580, which is being billed to be the world’s largest airship. The six-hour inflation process took place inside Garrett Coliseum, Montgomery, Ala. The 235-foot long, 65-foot in diameter Bullet 580 is designed to carry payloads of up to 2,000 pounds to 20,000 feet, and a dash speed of 80 mph.

Payloads are carried inside the outer envelope, which is one-sixteenth of an inch thick, but 10 times stronger than steel. The material is a new type of Kevlar, which is used to make bulletproof vests. The airship’s engines that run on algae fuel are mounted on the fuselage. The company plans to build a fleet of hire vehicles that can be rented out for between £200,000 and £550,000 a month.

The Bullet 580 is the first of the company’s airships in production for commercial use. The first flight of the Bullet 580 is planned for later this year and will carry a joint NASA and Old Dominion University agricultural and geophysical payload that will measure moisture content in soil.

The Bullet 580 is a multifunctional airship intended to fly at very high altitudes for long periods of time serving as a “stratellite” for communications relays, broadcast communications, missile defense warning, airspace/maritime surveillance and control, position and navigation (GPS), weather monitoring, battlefield environmental monitoring, electronic countermeasures, and weapons platforms as well as geophysical surveys and other military, and civilian uses.

Images Courtesy: E-Green Technologies

Via: Daily Mail

Eco Factor: $740 million development aims to be clean energy hub of China.

China is aiming to provide a clean-technology answer to California’s Silicon Valley by developing a $740 million facility will be developed outside Dezhou, China and will be the clean energy hub of the country. The development will be anchored by Himin Solar Energy Group and will provide space for 100 companies in total.

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