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
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 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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By Michael d'Estries
April 5, 2008 – 3:01 pm
The world’s first commercial energy-producing tidal system has just passed an important milestone in its construction. The 1.2MW SeaGen Tidal System is being placed at Northern Ireland’s Strangford Lough — a site chosen for its combination of fast tidal current and ability to provide shelter from bad weather. The company behind the project, Marine Current Turbines, recently positioned the 1000 tonne structure onto the seabed about 400m from the shoreline. From the article,
It is expected that the breakthrough power plant will be operational around mid-year with its massive 16m diameter twin rotors harnessing the tides to produce the equivalent amount of energy it takes to power 1000 homes. “Tidal energy has the great advantage of being predictable and no other system can harness the power of the tidal currents in the way this one can. We take great pride and see enormous potential in the technology and hope it will eventually make a significant contribution to the future energy needs of the British Isles, Ireland and beyond,” said Martin Wright, Managing Director of Marine Current Turbines.
Indeed, there are other potential sites around the world that could use the tides to harness a great amount of energy. The Bay of Fundy in Canada — which has some of the highest tides in the world — could especially benefit from this technology.
For more information, jump here.
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By Michael d'Estries
April 2, 2008 – 2:00 pm
$12 billion dollars. That’s the amount General Motors estimates would be needed to install an energy infrastructure based on hydrogen that could provide fuel for more than 70% of Americans. Does anyone think this is a bit on the low side? I mean, if that’s a realistic number — awesome — but why the hell are we arguing over costs? I understand that this is only one piece of the puzzle, but when we’re giving away $18 billion in tax breaks to Big Oil regularly, I don’t see allocating money for shifting America to a more sustainable fuel as an issue. Obviously, we just require the will and collective planning to make it a reality. From the article,
Establishing an infrastructure to fuel hydrogen- powered vehicles is “economically viable and doable,” General Motors Corp. said Wednesday as the auto giant keynoted the National Hydrogen Association’s annual meeting. Larry Burns, GM’s vice president for research and development and strategic planning, called on the energy industry and government to step up and help automakers make the futuristic vehicles a reality, in part by opening hydrogen fueling stations to encourage their use.
Obviously, some hurdles remain before hydrogen can be considered a clean fuel. The generation of the hydrogen is still energy intensive and produces CO2. Fuel cells also currently require the precious metal platinum; though alternatives are in development. GM’s plea is great to hear, but the old saying of “10-15 years” will probably still apply to this futuristic industry before you see a hydrogen station in your neighborhood.
via morningstar
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By Michael d'Estries
March 25, 2008 – 1:10 pm
The Powercube is a solar generator taken to the extreme. Weighing in at almost one ton and costing just under $25K, you’re not going to be using this thing to solely charge your iPod. We’re thinking the military and power-hungry camera crews or event planners might have one of these tucked in their budgets. As it is, you’re going to need something with pretty decent towing capacity — or a chopper to drop it to your location in the first place. The specs, however, are mighty impressive. Here are the details from Ecofriend:
“The 1 ton device has a host of solar panels, three to be precise, each generating 200 watts of power each. The generated power is stored onto the powercube’s 6, 200amp-hr batteries to give you power when you need it the most. To make it that bit more rugged to take on tough conditions, the powercube is (also) waterproof.”
In addition, you can also add on such options as six additional batteries, a telescopic windmill and wimax support. How do you like them apples?
For more info, jump on over to the official site.
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By Michael d'Estries
March 18, 2008 – 9:52 pm
Just look at this thing! While it may seem like something Bruce Wayne would deploy in one of the Batman movies, it’s actually a concept under development between the US Military and scientists at the University of Michigan. Not only is it a small bionic bat with stereo cameras, miniaturized radar, and ultra-sensitive self-guidance — but it also is a renewable critter mean to take advantage of energy from solar, wind, and vibrations.
Piezoelectric technology, anyone?
Here’s what Gizmodo had to say on the development of this cool technology:
For energy recovery, UMich will work to develop “quantum dot solar cells,” making current solar cells twice as nice. The bat’s autonomous navi system will be 1,000 times smaller than current systems, and that much more energy efficient too. The comms system will be shrunk to one-tenth the current size, too. You can see how all of this shrinkage will have positive impact outside the bionic-bat community as well.
The bat-bot’s intended use is to run surveillance ops and relay data in realtime (as well as radiation and poison gas readings) back to HQ. UMich will receive $10 million over 5 years to develop the technology. You can grab more details here.
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By Michael d'Estries
March 15, 2008 – 6:45 pm
If you haven’t been to Chicago, I highly recommend it. It is truly one of the greatest cities in America — and has now been dubbed “the greenest” as well. To cap off a string of eco-friendly initiatives, the “Windy City” is planning on building a 2-mile eco-bridge. A breakwater in the Monroe harbor, it will celebrate Chicago’s new green honor — and potentially give it an edge in a bid to compete for the 2016 Olympic games. From the article,
“The project was also intended to enhance Chicago’s bid to host the 2016 Olympic Games. The observation tower is a prominent and central place to house the Olympic flame. The breakwater provides ample space for rowing and sailing events in calm water and could offer terrific viewer access for these events. The ecological and educational advantages of the project are plentiful. The bridge showcases the ecology of the Great Lakes and provides a haven for fish and water plants.”
The bridge would also be ringed with wind turbines — providing energy efficiency, as well as showing Chicago’s dedication to sustainability.
I think it looks beautiful — and would truly add even more space to the city’s already impressive harbor offerings. For more photos of the proposed “Eco-Bridge”, jump here.
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