Author: madan

Eco Factor: The concept harvests both solar and wind energy.

The industry is flooded with environmentally friendly concept designs, but often we notice that these designs are either impractical or not cost effective. However, designer Harsha Vardhan’s “Embryo” streetlight concept design looks completely practical and effective. Taking inspiration from a living sprout, he has designed a concept that not only generates energy for itself, but also for other needs. His design harvests solar and wind energy through a single structure. He proposes to install these street lamps on the sideways along the road in rows, much like the present lighting system. The flexible photovoltaic cell on the top of the hood-like roof and an included wind turbine will harness renewable energy that will not only supply power to the lamp itself, but the remaining energy can be stored in a battery contained at the bottom and used for other purposes.

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Eco Factor: Sustainable building includes photovoltaic panels and rain-harvesting system.

Located on the coastal site next to a mangrove swamp, The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute’s new research campus in Panama is designed by Kiss + Cathcart. The building is designed with an intention of exerting minimum environmental impact while providing an exemplary scientific facility. The building includes laboratories, classrooms, conference rooms and support spaces built on a raised platform shaded by an overhanging patched roof. The linear plan provides gateway for the natural ventilation and daylight to reduce the need for artificial lighting.
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Designer Ricardo Fedrizzi has shown some deviation from conventional material for his “Bug” electric concept car. He has suggested recyclable and renewable materials, such as polymers with a load of vegetable fiber in order to keep it a lightweight ride, which in turn will enhance the efficiency of the car. Like many other sustainable transportation designs, special attention has been paid to the aerodynamics, as it’s an important factor that affects the efficiency of vehicles. Reduction in weight and better aerodynamic can help promoting economy and performance.
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Eco Factor: The concept bike has optional zero emission electric motors.

Designer Michael Luzar’s Thrive concept bike is one more solution to the energy crisis and increasing carbon footprint among many others. The bike has been designed to provide efficient and green performance without compromising on style. It’s a hybrid bike, having optional electric motors other than petrol engine and this, of course, solves the problem for those who want to take long distance journeys. For short distance travel inside the city, the user can rely on electric motors. It’s still hard to rely on batteries for a long distance journey, as the present batteries doesn’t hold enough charge. The concept is proposed for 2015 and we can hope that better batteries will be available in between to make it entirely an electric ride.

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Eco Factor: The innovation ice-cream selling vehicle uses solar energy.

Present problems of global warming and energy crisis demand even the smallest effort that you can make towards the solution. Designer Roger Hawkins has suggested his contribution through his solar powered Icekart, designed especially to be used on sea sides. We don’t have the detailed technical specification or the information about the features specifically included to make it suitable for beaches, but the project has been designed to provide innovative applications for IDC’s patented jet pump refrigeration system.
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Eco Factor: The pool purifier is powered by solar energy

It’s must to make sure that your swimming pool is completely safe and is free from contamination, and Healthier Pool Purifier is efficient enough to do that for you in a green way. This small solar powered gadget will help you reduce the amount of chorine you used earlier up to 80 %. Solar panels installed at the top of device power the mineral electrode insert to release ions that free your pool water from algae and other bacteria.
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Samsung doesn’t want to lack behind in the quest of providing clean energy, much like Toshiba had done few months ago. We don’t have an exact date or specification about Samsung’s new “Fuel Cell” concept, but it is expected that company is preparing a device similar to a fuel cell tank that will replace the existing energy resource and will supply energy to your mobile phone and MP3 player, etc.

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Designer Yuji Fujimura has added one more idea to the concept pool overflowing with futuristic mobility concepts. With his EBIQ Electric Bike concept, he seeks to integrate some electronic facilities that will be a must in the coming future. The lithium ion battery not only powers the wheels but also provides electricity to charge the routine gadgets like mobile phone, laptop etc.

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Scientific breakthroughs and inventions are really required at present times when global warming is emerging as one of the major problems. However, even your smallest effort to contribute in this quest counts. Designer Elizabeth Joy Wong has worked on a simple phenomenon and has prepared a bicycle powered generator prototype. A friction drum attached with the bicycle wheel spins the alternator when the user pedals the bicycle and generates electricity which is stored in the power pack.

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Mark Muller is Swiss engineer and his ambition is to tour the world without emitting a single gram of CO2. He has built a special vehicle for this 40,000 Km trip. The vehicle will generate electricity from sun in the day while a wind generator will power its electric motor in the night. This is a first attempt at a journey this long in a solar and wind powered vehicle.

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These days NASA is busy building a single passenger vertical takeoff and landing aircraft that runs on electric motors. It is 3.7 meters high and stands on 4 extendable legs when on the ground. It can achieve a maximum speed up to 480 km per hour, while the cursing speed is 240. This aircraft was specially designed for army as it quieter and the heat emission is also lower as compared to combustion engine. Two rotors raise it off the ground before it begins to fly horizontally with the pilot in a lean position in the cockpit. Puffin can fly up to 9,150 meters.

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Cass Community Social Services, a non-profit organization, started the nation’s first eco-gym facility in Detroit on Wednesday. This time, it is only for the homeless population of the region. It is beneficial both in terms of public service and toward the environment in the sense that it will not only help homeless people, but also reduce energy costs.

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Okinawa Electric Power Company, a power company in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, will now receive next-generation electric power system from Toshiba Corp. The system includes storage batteries to store the electricity generated by solar panels and other available sources. The system is scheduled to be tested in Miyakojima, Okinawa, from the autumn of 2010. In order to conduct the test, photovoltaic systems (3MW, 1MW) and storage batteries (4MW, 200kW) will be installed in addition to existing facilities that includes two thermal power plants (21,500kW, 40,000kW), a gas turbine plant (15,000kW) and five wind plants (900kW x 4, 600kW x 1). The test will also measure the voltage rise, frequency adjustment, etc as the output from solar and wind farms keep changing.

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Will Wagenaar is one of those artists, who can turn scrap into artistic sculptures. This time he has created, what he calls BRENDA – the born to be bad little girl robot. BRENDA is 15” tall and 9.5” wide and Wagenaar has given her vintage clockworks and an antique key on her back. He has not just assembled recycled metal parts and hardware here, but explains the cause of transformation of a cute little girl robot into evil character. On the full moon on Halloween, this little girl rolled out of assembly line and then a bolt of lightning put her into trouble.

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Designer Kristina Magnitskaya has come up with this futuristic VESNA concept design. It’s a single-seat electric car shaped out from a one-piece body that comprises of natural resin composite with built-in wiring. The front wheels with an offset center of rotation run on a non-synchronous electric motor that uses a direct current with high-powered permanent magnets. The rear wheel is a reinforced-rubber sphere, and the suspension clip has four petals, with each petal containing a roller for free rotation of the sphere. Motors include geared cylinders and it uses regenerative breaking in combination with mechanical breaking via cylinders outside the belt in case of emergencies.

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University of Arizona Science and Technology Park has chosen the UA Tech Park to introduce the “Solar Zone.” This $32 million project is planned in 45 acres of area. The entire area will be covered with parabolic solar mirrors to capture the solar energy. The plant is expected to generate enough electricity to power more than 1,500 average homes of Tucson and reducing up to 1600 tons of carbon emissions. Tucson Electric Power customers will begin to receive the supply by May 2011. This project is not all about producing electricity, but is also aimed to integrate research and industry to develop and promote renewable energy.

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The Eolic is a wind-powered foldable generator. The main idea of the project is to create an easily foldable power generator to be used in the construction at places where there is no electric service. The generator can also be used to replace the electric service in small housing. All the equipment can be stored together in one package in order to provide an easy operation.

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At the very first sight this mirror look like a solar panel and further its name, ‘Solarclone’, supports the perception. However, it’s just a mirror. It’s made of recycled aluminum and provides natural light through reflections captured from its surroundings. The product belongs to Antrepo Design Industry and intended to encourage people to reduce carbon footprints.

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Vertical Gardens are not new for environmentalists, but a new series of 250-foot-tall trellises planned by Architects and federal officials in Portland is definitely an ambitious project. This huge structure is a part of $135 million project that is expected to begin soon. The entire building accommodates 18 stories along with various green features such as solar arrays, smart lighting system to save energy consumption and elevators to generate electricity. To water the plantation, water harvested on the roof will be utilized.

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International agencies are on their way to Haiti with food, water and medicine, but victims require something more to gather energy to start again. To keep alive the faith in God, a U.S. based group is sending Bibles to Haitians. These are not simple books, but are in the form of an audible device that runs on solar power. Called “Procalimer,” the holy book is essentially intended towards those who are not able to read. About 600 of these audible bibles are on the way to Haiti and more will be delivered soon.

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