By Michael d'Estries
May 13, 2008 – 1:04 pm
Glasgow, the largest city in Scotland, is debating the implementation of a naturally-inspired solar design to help ease the use of traditional power sources and add some green to the city. Called a “Solar Lily”, the pads of photovoltaic cells would be anchored in the Clyde River — and potentially even computer-controlled — to take advantage of the changing angle of the sun’s daily path. From Ecofriend,
“Already, the winner of the International Design Awards, the concept of these lily shaped discs, from Glasgow-based ZM Architecture, has been handed to the city council with the hope that a trial project could go-ahead. Effectively, the energy gathered by these discs will be transformed and to the national grid, and integrated motors could rotate the pads in order to follow the sun for maximum output.”
One thing I would be concerned about (judging from the concept photos) is how these ‘pads’ might appear visually. It’s one thing to throw a few wind turbines up on a hill — but to choke a river with electronic pads might cause some protest. If any measure of water recreation exists on the Clyde River, such restrictions would also have to be addressed. I’m all for attempting unique ideas to make us more sustainable, but I also believe a certain level of finesse in design and aesthetic appeal is important too.
What do you think of these solar lily pads?
Inhabitat via Ecofriend
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By Michael d'Estries
May 5, 2008 – 7:21 pm
At a cost of nearly $150 billion, you’re not going to see an Ultima Tower grace the skies anytime soon. The two-mile high structure is the brainchild of some forward-thinking architects looking for some creative ways to solve the world’s future population crisis. With people living in denser concentrations — such a structure (which has a square-mile footprint and can hold one million people) might be needed many years from now. From the article,
“The shape of the building draws inspiration from the nests of termites, a 1-mile wide funnel shape with gently curved sides. A criss-crossing network of double-helix cables distributes tension across the outer covering in such a way as to allow the entire building to absorb stresses instead of single areas. The design is extremely aerodynamically efficient, and resistant to earthquake shock waves. The structure is cooled in a similar way to a termite nest - the lower levels are cooled by water flow (in this case, a series of ground-floor waterfalls) and the cool air rises through the building, taking heat energy with it, and exits at the upper floors into the atmosphere.
The entire 150 million square foot surface of the building is covered with photovoltaic cells and wind turbine energy generators - and the extreme height of the structure allows a new form of energy generation to occur, using the differential in air pressure between the ground floor and the 10,500-foot high tip to generate further electricity for the project.”
Pretty incredible — and each of the 120 levels would feature their own fully landscaped habitats with a “sky” 30 to 50 meters high and inbuilt lakes, streams, rivers, hills and ravines. Sunlight would be filtered from above by an intricate system of mirrors — very similar to how the Egyptians lit the inside of their massive structures.
So what do you think? Would you like to live inside the Ultima Tower?
More info over at Gizmag
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By Michael d'Estries
May 2, 2008 – 1:03 pm
One of the more frustrating aspects of camping is breaking down your gear in as efficient a way as possible to minimize weight. I often look for creative gear that serves two purposes at once. Such is my excitement of the Lightcap 200 Solar LED Cap. Basically, it will take any standard water bottle and turn it into a full-fledged glowing lantern. Perfect for lighting up an area after dark — while also convenient to store your water in. Simple, but effective. This is also a great way to add some life to that old water bottle you’ve got laying around.
They’re only $20 — have a look at purchasing one here. The color choice is all yours — just grab some Koolaid.
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By Michael d'Estries
May 2, 2008 – 12:51 pm
Overcoming another obstacle to their adoption (once they’re eventually mass produced and practical), the US Department of Transportation has given the green light to fuel cell accessories on airline flights. According to CNet’s Green Tech Blog, the department has decided that passengers will be allowed to carry approved methanol fuel cells and up to two spare fuel cell cartridges in their carry-on luggage. The ruling isn’t much of a precedent as Canada, China, Japan, and the UK already let passengers carry their nonexistent fuel cells onboard.
Fuel cell technology is not yet widely available on the market — however, several cell phone makers — such as Motorola and Samsung — are planning on introducing the technology sometime in 2009. The application of fuel cells as an energy source is considered safe — as one would have to hold a flame to the enclosed methanol to create a fire. As many of us know, lighters and matches are generally scooped up by aviation security before boarding.
For more information, check out the CNET article here.
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By Michael d'Estries
April 28, 2008 – 3:24 pm
The above fact comes courtesy of a new announcement that HydroGen Corporation has started up a 400 kw hydrogen-powered phosphoric acid fuel cell (PAFC) at ASHTA Chemicals in Ashtabula, Ohio. Essentially, this is a demonstration “small power plant” that uses by-product hydrogen from the ASHTA plant that is created in the production of chlor-alkali. The 400 kw plant is the first in a series of “Power Islands” that will output 6 MW-30MW from fuel cells. From the release,
“John Freeh, HydroGen’s CEO, stated: ‘The successful start up of the ASHTA demonstration plant is another significant operational milestone for HydroGen. With this start up, we have validated our capability to design, engineer, manufacture, and successfully commission a full scale fuel cell power plant at a representative potential customer site, in a key “hydrogen-available” market segment - the chlor-alkali industry. We believe that plant startup positions us for near term commercial uptake of our multi-megawatt PAFC plants for the chemical industry, while giving us an operating platform from which to improve further the design of our systems. We anticipate bringing prospective customers to the site as early as this week to observe fuel cell operations.’”
As a result of this technology, waste hydrogen is fed through the fuel cell and used to help power the chemical plant. Sounds like a great way to take advantage of a usually wasted resource to benefit an area of production.
via hydrogen cars and vehicles
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Skynet anyone?
By Michael d'Estries
April 28, 2008 – 3:02 pm
A government agency has awarded a new contract to Aurora Flight Sciences for the development of a radical and ultra-efficient aircraft capable of staying aloft in the stratosphere for five years — or more. The latest design, called Odysseus, uses solar energy to power the aircraft during the day and stored solar energy for the night. From the article,
” The objective of the Vulture program is to develop an aircraft capable of remaining on-station uninterrupted for over five years to perform intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR), and communication missions over an area of interest. The technology challenges include development of energy management and reliability technologies capable of allowing the aircraft to operate continuously for such extended durations. Vulture, in effect, will be a persistent pseudo-satellite capability, in an aircraft package.”
This would be an incredible UAV if expectations are fulfilled. Currently, global climate change research, weather monitoring, and regional-scale telecommunications are the expected uses.
via ecofriend
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By Michael d'Estries
April 22, 2008 – 3:37 pm
Harrison Ford is joining forces with green organization Earth Share and the Ad Council to promote a new PSA encouraging people to get involved in giving back. Seeing as today is Earth Day, I thought I would take a moment from the tech news to push some support towards this campaign.
Earth Share is a nationwide network of the most respected environmental and conservation organization. These groups include the Natural Resources Defense Council, National Wildlife Federation, Rainforest Alliance, and many others. Ford take part in narrating a new PSA that features a young girl being bombarded with images of natural degradation. At the end of the ad, the girl looks into the camera and says, “You promised me the world. Is this what you had in mind?”
Earth Share participates in campaigns at hundreds of public and privates sector workplaces, including WalMart, Nokia, American Express, and American Airlines. There, employees have a choice of organizations to support through direct deductions from their paychecks. Even $1 from every paycheck can make a difference.
You can see the video here (click on the link in the right-hand sidebar) and learn more about Earth Share over on their official site.
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By Michael d'Estries
April 17, 2008 – 2:24 pm
BMW has been handing over their Hydrogen 7 sedan to several celebrities and other notables as part of a trial of the new technology out in the real world. The car is actually a hybrid of sorts that allows the owner to either use hydrogen or gasoline as the fuel of choice. This week, however, at the 2008 SAE World Congress in Detroit BMW showed off a pure hydrogen concept car that not only burns clean, but also emits fewer carbon monoxides than found in the air around it. From the article,
“This means the engine breaks down or converts the carbon monoxides it takes in. The emissions tests, run by Argonne Laboratories, also show a similar reduction in non-methane organic gasses. The vehicles other emissions are all so low that standard automobile emissions testing wouldn’t have detected them.”
How about that? Not only can you drink the waste water from this thing, but it will also make the air you breathe cleaner. Sounds like a must-have for any future inhabitant of Los Angeles.
BMW has no plans to market the hydrogen-only vehicle and will stick to the current H7 for future sales.
via Green Tech Blog
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By Michael d'Estries
April 10, 2008 – 7:33 pm
I’ve always thought integrated building turbines were a smart idea — but generally they could only be found on models or drawings of ‘potential’ green architecture. No longer. The Bahrain World Trade Center made history earlier this week by allowing its new integrated blades to start catching some wind and generating electricity. They are expected to provide between 11%-15% of the building’s power. From the article,
“he elliptical shapes of the two buildings of the architecture funnel and even accelerate the wind towards the turbines. And there’ll be no shortage of wind too, what with the Bahrain World Trade Center in direct path of the onshore breeze blowing from the Gulf coast. According to the project manager, the cost of turbines was reduced to 3.5 percent of the whole project’s, which means that should the turbines work as expected, the project is financially viable.”
It’s about time we create buildings that take advantage of their height and air flow to work for them, rather than against. The Middle East is currently a hot bed for green tech — so look to other projects in the coming months to wow even further.
via goodcleantech
[UPDATE] Metaefficient has posted a sweet video of the three turbines in action. Take a look here.
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With so many disasters appearing in the news over the last 10 days, something like the Solarial should be made a reality as soon as possible. According to the creator, this unmanned airship provides “mobile support infrastructure for disaster relief and remote communities, generating renewable energy and supplying communications links where they are needed most.”