Eco Factor: Prototype streetlight runs on wind energy.
Solar energy for lighting systems does open up a new era of gadgets that promise to be green and clean all through their lifetime. However, solar energy doesn’t power these lamps when you need them, but they make use of costly and un-ecofriendly batteries that could store power during daytime and release it as night falls. Wind energy takes us a step forward here as it can power a system during nighttime as well.
Eco Factor: Solar-powered carport to recharge EV batteries while they’re parked.
We recently showcased ingenious photovoltaic arrays developed by Envision Solar, which could convert parking lots into solar recharging points for electric vehicles. Today we have another similar development by Romag, which is not as large as Envision Solar’s parking lots but has more practical sense. PowerPark, as the company calls their carport, is a photovoltaic roof that harnesses solar energy and uses it to recharge electric vehicles parked underneath.
Eco Factor: Non-toxic coating to prevent metals from corroding in seawater.
Researchers at Sheffield Hallam University have developed a new biological coating that could prevent metals such as ship hulls from corroding in seawater, without making any toxic additions to seawater. The ecofriendly coating works with the help of bacteria, which protects corrosion.
Earth Hour may have lowered the temperature across the globe but for sure it raised the temperature at a house in New Jeresy. Kevin was sitting with his beer watching recorded programs on TiVo, when Rose, his live-in partner, told him about Earth Hour and their duty toward turning off all electronic appliances. Not to be disturbed from his weekend rest, he preferred enjoying the TV to waiting in the dark for the time to pass. But never in his wildest dreams he could have thought that it would become the cause for their breakup.
The tribe of people who have seen their partner drift apart because of environmental issues is a recent development, but a growing one. Environment-friendly is no more just a fad but has entered the mainstream thinking; and like yesteryears vegetarianism, socialism, etc. has become an important issue while selecting partners.
For example, Evian, who is a computer programmer in New York, decided to dump her date on the first night when she saw his gas-guzzling Hummer. She says that it was emotionally difficult to sit in the car as she was constantly under realization that how she was impacting the earth. These days she is seeing a guy who, proudly and voluntarily, doesn’t own a car and prefers to travel in the city only on bicycle. And, interestingly, she is not the only one with such thinking.
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Eco Factor: Zero-emission UAVs being developed to enhance their abilities and reduce their impact on the environment.
The Office of Naval Research (ONR) has sponsored a program to help tactical decision makers get better and much more detailed information from their “eyes in the sky.” The ONR is funding a project to develop the next-gen UAVs that run on fuel cells and can go further with heavier payloads, and are able to gather information while being nearly undetectable from the ground.
Eco Factor: Ecofriendly vending machines from PepsiCo.
In an effort to reduce energy expenditure and provide greener machines to the masses, soft drink giant PepsiCo has developed a new range of vending machines, which are being tested in Washington. The company has installed 30 planet-friendly machines, which reportedly consume just 5.08 KWh of electricity, saving about 1KWh on a daily basis.
Eco Factor: Outdoor LED light fixtures powered by solar energy.
Keeping its green image intact, Sharp Corporation has developed a new range of LED light fixtures for outdoor use. The range includes 10 fixtures, four out of which run on solar energy and emit no CO2 whatsoever. The company intends to debut the fixtures in succession into the Japanese market over the coming months.
Eco Factor: Carbon neutral processes could turn canal algae into cheap, green power.
Using algae for fuel is not a new concept, but using it to generate megawatts of clean electricity is the newest in eco technology that is being experimented with in Venice. Italy has recently announced a €200 million project that would make use of algae brought by the ships coming from Japan and Sargassi Sea and convert it into fuel that could be used to power electricity-generating turbines.
Eco Factor: Carbon neutral process uses electricity to generate methane.
A team of Penn State Engineers have developed a new technique that could possibly convert electricity into methane, using self-perpetuating microorganisms commonly found in marshes and dumps. The research might change the conception that all the methane generation going on in nature is a result of hydrogen, as the new process found very little traces of hydrogen in the gas phase.
Eco Factor: Heat exchanger reuses heat energy from waste water for your next shower.
An average home consumes more energy in heating water than any other use. While we all will continue to love a hot shower after a hectic day at the office, the EcoDrain will make sure that hot water doesn’t go down the drain without any reuse. No, the device doesn’t make you bathe in used water but makes sure that the energy needed to heat water for subsequent showers doesn’t cost that much.
Eco Factor: Solar power plant in Florida could serve 11,000 people.
Lauren Engineers & Constructors have signed a contract with Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) to develop the world’s second largest solar power plant in Indiantown, Florida. Using concentrated photovoltaic technology, the plant will be able to generate about 75MW of power, which could serve nearly 11,000 urban households.
Eco Factor: Gold bars recycled from old gold jewelry.
Researchers estimate that mining the amount of gold used in a typical 18 karat gold ring generates about 20 tons of mine waste, which does contain toxic elements harmful for the ecosystem. San Diego Jewelry Buyers (SDJB) has started a new endeavor along with local award-winning designer Timothy Meier to provide recycled fine jewelry to San Diego residents.
Eco Factor: Super batteries made from liquid metals could save enormous amounts of electricity.
With electronic gadgets getting smaller, researchers around the globe are envisioning the smallest possible batteries that would be able to fuel the next-gen electronic equipment. Brains over at MIT have an altogether different opinion. They are working on batteries that could possibly fit in football fields. These batteries, made entirely from liquid metals, will be able to store power from solar and wind plants, for days that are not conducive for renewable energy generation.
Eco Factor: Car powered by wind breaks land speed record for wind-powered vehicles.
British engineer Richard Jenkins has entered the record books with the wind-powered Greenbird, a car which clocked at 126.1 mph at Lake Ivanpah, powered only by 30 mph winds. With that speed, Richard broke a decade-long record that stood at 116.7 mph, set by American Bob Schumacher. Plans to set the record were thought of in August last year, when the Greenbird was designed.
I’m grateful to Celia Chen, founder of Notes on a Party, who is throwing one of her stellar cocktail parties in NYC this evening to help launch my new book, The Lazy Environmentalist on a Budget.
Celia’s periodic green cocktail events – aptly dubbed A Night of Eco-Chic Entertaining – showcase leading eco-friendly products and services. Her parties are also designed to introduce other event planners to environmental choices that can be easily integrated into their own events. Several of my favorite green partners involved in this evening’s event include Pingg – a next-generation digital invitation and event management service, Rolling Press – an environmentally responsible printing company, Bonterra Vineyards, growers of delicious, reasonably priced organic wines, Square One – a mighty tasty organic vodka, and Preserve – makers of stylish, affordable and colorful kitchenware using recycled plastic. This evening is a testament to how being lazy, green, fabulous, and, yes, organically inebriated, is becoming financially feasible, increasingly delicious, and, of course, easy.
With the world facing a shortage of conventional energy sources, which in most cases are either too expensive or highly polluting, inventors all over the globe have focused their attention onto sources, which until now were never expected to be used to generate power. Though water has been used to generate electricity since long, recent development has made generating electricity from this renewable source cheap and portable. Here is a list of 12 such chargers and devices that use nothing other than clean water to generate clean electricity:
Eco Factor: Ethanol-fueled fireplace.
Germany-based Blomus has launched a new fireplace, they call the Vidro. Just like most of the fireplaces available on the eco-shelves today, this one too is fueled by clean and smokeless ethanol. Suitable for houses that lack a chimney, the fireplace is even available in a smaller 22 inch version. However if you consider the $1174 price tag, you’d end up thinking why didn’t your architect design a chimney for your room.
Eco Factor: Nanoscale piezoelectric generators could end battery dominance.
Scientists from the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed new nanosized generators that can convert the energy of movement into electricity, which can then be fed into any portable gadget, including your cellphones and iPods. The newly developed technology, which is based on zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowires, can harvest energy from even the slightest of movements.
Eco Factor: Non-black cars require less air conditioning,
Just when car manufacturers might have thought that electrifying cars is the only way out of the fuel crisis, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) has thought of something much lower-tech. The Board plans to cut down on energy required for air conditioning by banning black cars, claiming black cars capture more heat and hence require more cooling. The recommendation also requires 20% solar reflectivity in all colors by 2016, forcing paint manufacturers to develop next-gen paints for next-gen cars.
Eco Factor: DIY wooden human-powered charger.
If all those solar-powered gadget chargers are too expensive for you and you can’t wait for piezoelectric chargers to go into production, then do check out this wooden charger that uses more than a couple of joules of human energy for a cellphone and PMP recharge. Built by some folks in the Russian military, the charger is made from wood and needs some soldiers to pull the pulley connected to the generator for a juiced-up battery, not the most human-friendly way to charge it, but nonetheless it actually is a green way.
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Eco Factor: Tidal energy generating systems to provide electricity to the UK.
Researchers at the University of Liverpool, working along with Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory, have claimed that building huge barrages in the North West could possible generate enough energy to power 5% of UK homes. The researchers are planning to install renewable energy generating systems across Solway Firth, Morecambe Bay and the Mersey and Dee estuaries, which will be able to generate approximately half of the North West region’s electricity needs.
Eco Factor: Electrolyzer produces hydrogen and oxygen gas from water.
Dan Nocera, a professor at MIT, has thought of an all new approach to combat the energy crisis looming large on the global population. Instead of using expensive solar arrays or wind turbines, Nocera is attempting to power your home and your car with nothing more than a few liters of readily available water.
Eco Factor: Car powered by electricity to hit streets in 2011.
Tesla has launched an all-electric Model S Sedan, which is expected to come with an operating range of 300 miles when it hits the streets in late 2011. The launch puts an end to all confusion of whether Kevin Rose was right on his Twitter feed. Coming back to the great concept, the car will have quick-charging batteries, which Tesla claims can be partially charged in 45 minutes, and can do 60 mph in a mere 5.5 seconds.
Eco Factor: Scientists hope to generate clean hydrogen from polluted Black Sea.
The Black Sea, which is often referred to as the largest dead zone in the world due to the high amounts of toxic waste, could be the newest and the most unconventional source of clean energy if new findings conducted by a group of Turkish researchers is to be believed. The influx of toxic waste has reduced the amount of oxygen present in the water and replaced it with hydrogen, which has created high concentrations of hydrogen sulfide gas in the sea. Though poisonous for life, the gas could be used to generate huge amounts of hydrogen which can then be used as a clean, zero-emission fuel.
Eco Factor: Self-powered landing gear and braking system.
Airbus has developed a new landing gear system that can enable the aircraft to harness kinetic energy and use it to power the landing and braking mechanism. The company has applied for a US patent for an A320 power system, which will store kinetic energy of the rotating wheels while the aircraft is taking off.
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