Eco Factor: Electric vehicle derives power from its electric engine combined with a pedaling mechanism.
The TW4XP, a battery-powered three-wheeler from Germany with its unusual looks, remains a strong contender for the Progressive Automotive X-Prize in the Alternative Side-by-Side category. Built just for this competition, the car is powered by both electricity and human power. Read the full story
Eco Factor: Eco-friendly table made from recycled computer parts.
As technology evolves with time, old things become obsolete and are replaced by the new ones, but nothing in this world can replace the sweet memories of your first vehicle, cellphone or even computer for that matter. GuyInMilwaukee, who found it difficult to part with his first computer, came up with an ingenious idea to keep it for life. He converted his late 80s machine into a stunning table that he calls the “Computer Board Table”.
Eco Factor: Solar-powered party venue made from prefab shipping container.
Owing to the busy life that the competitive world forces us to lead, we often face stress and anxiety. Party could be a great stress buster. But, getting a venue prepared isn’t that simple a task. What if you could get a venue ready in just 20 odd minutes and that too with an added green benefit? Well, now you can. Boxman Studio presents a solar-powered party venue, which comes conveniently packed into a pop-up shipping container.
Eco Factor: Zero-emission concept racing vehicle.
Mexican designer Ivan Vela has drawn inspiration from feathers to create a feather-light human-powered electric-assist racing vehicle for the TOUR competition. The vehicle seeks to spread sustainable culture through electrical-assisted pedal mechanism.
Eco Factor: Tunnel Algae Park consumes CO2 from vehicular tunnels to produce biofuel.
Algae are one of the most robust classifications of life on earth. They grow in every continent and can thrive in any physical environment where they are able to derive energy from photosynthesis and the uptake of organic carbon.
Eco Factor: Solar installations to generate 1.5MW of renewable power annually.
Chip-giant Intel announced plans to build seven new solar projects across four U.S. states in January. The company has now stated that installations at Folsom in California and Chandler in Arizona are now up and running. The solar plants that consist of ground and roof-mounted solar facilities generate a combined output of 2.8MW – enough to power 900 American homes.
The Folsom installation is Intel’s biggest solar site-to-date and the largest non-industrial solar plant in the district. Spanning 5.5 acres, the plant produces more than 1.5MW of power. The other Chandler solar roof plant will generate about 10 percent of the building’s energy peak demand.
Via: Environmental Leader
Eco Factor: Solar photovoltaic plant to generate 14,000MWh of renewable electricity.
Illinois-based Exelon Power has unveiled the nation’s largest urban solar power plant in Chicago. The project, called Exelon City Solar, has been built at the cost of $60 million and carries 32,292 solar photovoltaic panels to convert solar energy into usable electricity.
Eco Factor: Garden made from recycled material restores natural environment.
Estudio Caballero Colon architects have designed a beautiful garden on the O’ Donnell Street, of Madrid which formerly hosted a cellar for Madrid Regional Service of Health using minimum possible elements and at a relatively very low cost. The garden basically looks like an enlarged graffiti that affects an interesting visual break from the surrounding concrete apart from restoring the natural environment of the place. Read the full story
Eco Factor: Eco-friendly refrigerant breaks down in just 11 days.
General Motors has announced that the company will introduce greenhouse gas-friendly air-conditioning refrigerant in 2013 Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac models in the U.S. The new refrigerant keeps cars as cool as they’re today, without adding much to the atmosphere.
Read the full story
Eco Factor: Wallcovering made from recycled newspapers.
Artist Lori Weitzner has come with a rather amazing wallcovering that tries to green your indoors with old newspapers. Christened, Newsworthy, the covering uses age-old technology of upcycling old newspapers. The newspapers are hand-woven on a loom and then paperbacked to make the covering sturdy.
Read the full story
Eco Factor: Sustainable building design uses passive and active energy systems.
Sadar Vuga Architects have proposed a sustainable design for the K66 site in Ljublana, Slovenia. The masterplan includes a structured development on one of the ends and a conic shaped park which connects the K66 to the existing residential fabric. Read the full story
Eco Factor: Luxuriously green yacht uses diesel-electric propulsion system.
Kingship Marine, re-instills the belief that going green doesn’t mean to compromise on luxury, style and comfort. The Chinese yacht builder will commence the construction of an eco-friendly 45m motor yacht later this year. The world’s first under-50m yacht built to Royal Institution of Naval Architects’ (RINA) Green Plus standards is called the “Green Voyager”.
Eco Factor: World’s first plant that uses molten salts both to store and to collect heat.
Enel, the Italian electricity company has recently unveiled Archimede, the world’s first plant that uses molten salts not just to store heat but also to collect it from the sun. Located in Priolo Gargallo, the 5MW Concentrating Solar Power plant makes use of molten salts for heat transfer and storage, and is fully integrated to an existing combined-cycle gas power plant. Enel and ENEA, the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development came together to shape up this pioneering project.
Eco Factor: Low-emission aircraft powered by biofuel.
Until now, we have seen many companies testing algae-based aviation biofuel, but EADS, maker of the Airbus and numerous defense and transport aircraft has made history with the successful completion of what is being called as the world’s first flight powered entirely by algae-based biofuel. It was the Diamond Aircraft DA42 New Generation twin-prop plane, which flew using the algae-based biofuel at the International Aerospace Exhibition in Berlin.
Eco Factor: Art made from recycled clothing.
From plastic water bottles to discarded electronic equipment, there is no dearth of waste materials that are given a new, worthy life by eco-conscious artists. Such artworks help encourage individuals to think before they throw unused items in the trash bin. Designers Alain Guerra and Neraldo La Paz have managed to come up with some intelligently crafted pieces of art using old clothes. The designers make use of everything from old ties to discarded shirts to create a variety of nature-inspired sculptures.
Eco Factor: World’s first-of-its-kind see-through glass SolarWindow to generate renewable energy.
New Energy Technologies has announced that researchers have made major scientific and technical breakthroughs, which allows the company to unveil a working prototype of the world’s first glass window capable of generating electricity, in the upcoming weeks.
Until now, solar panels have remained opaque, with the prospect of creating a see-through glass window capable of generating electricity limited by the use of metals and various expensive processes which block visibility and prevent light from passing through glass surfaces.
The technology has been made possible by making use of the world’s smallest working organic solar cells, developed by Dr. Xiaomei Jiang at the University of South Florida. Unlike conventional solar systems, New Energy’s solar cells generate electricity from both natural and artificial light sources, outperforming today’s commercial solar and thin-film technologies by as much as 10-fold.
Via: GreenDiary
Eco Factor: Zero-emission drag race car powered by electricity.
John Wayland believes that the only way to win over gas-powered cars with electric vehicles is to beat the conventional at races. The drag racer has converted an old 1972 Datsun called “White Zombie” to run on a zero-emission electric engine that is powered by lead-acid batteries. Surprisingly, the replacement makes the car fast and helps it beat Corvettes, Camaros and other 600hp vehicles in quarter-mile drag races.
The car, which takes only 2.95 seconds to hit 60mph, will return to Portland International Raceway for what Wayland hopes to be another record-breaking race. A crew of three mechanics is putting the finishing touches on the Datsun’s new lithium batteries, which have been built by hand.
The new cells, which were originally designed for the rotor crank of military helicopter, weigh just half but produce twice the power of White Zombie’s old batteries. Wayland states that the White Zombie will try to be the first electric car to run a quarter mile in under 11 seconds.
White Zombie’s new lithium batteries will store 355V of energy and can generate 2400 instantaneous amps. Storing about 22.7KWh of electricity, the vehicle can travel 120 miles at freeway speeds.
Via: Oregon Live
Eco Factor: Sustainable design reduces urban heat and ensures ample daylight.
Copenhagen a city emerging as one of the greenest places in the world shall host a green neighborhood that redefines 21st century living. Called the Ørestad, the complex designed by Bjarke Ingels Group would be Denmark’s largest apartment building with both public and private places. Read the full story
Eco Factor: Homes made from recycled materials.
With an environmental conscious mind, architect Michael Reynolds is hoping to rebuild Haiti with homes made from recycled materials. The architect, who specializes in building eco-structures in regions ravaged by disasters, has come up with a prototype home that is made from discarded materials and runs on renewable energy.
Eco Factor: Robotic vehicles powered by electricity.
VisLab Intercontinental Autonomous Challenge has commenced with a goal to travel 8000 miles to Shanghai by the end of October. The team is riding on modified Piaggio Porter Electric vans that will play various roles during the journey that has started in Milan, Italy.
Team members will take control of the lead vehicles, but it will drive autonomously most of the time. The main function of the lead vehicle will be to navigate as there are no maps available for some remote parts of the route. The lead vehicle will send out GPS signals to the follower vehicle, which will also be equipped with cameras and laser scanners to avoid obstacles on the road.
The vans are also carrying solar panels to power computer processors, sensors and driving actuators. The vans will however retain their original electric power systems. With a top speed of 37mph, the vans will only function for four hours each day, after which they will be stopped to recharge onboard batteries.
Via: CNet
Eco Factor: Low-emission vehicles powered by hybrid engines.
Mercedes-Benz has showcased two new hybrid vehicles for the year 2011, which includes the S400 Hybrid premium luxury sedan and the ML450 Hybrid SUV. The S400 includes a 20hp electric motor working in tandem with a 275hp V6 gasoline engine. The electric motor is fueled by the world’s first lithium-ion battery designed especially for automotive use.
The ML450 Hybrid SUV comes with two electric motors that are coupled with 275hp V6 gasoline engine. The integration of electric motors in both the hybrids provides impressive power and fuel economy that is estimated to be about 21mpg around town and 24mpg on the highway for the ML450 SUV.
The 3.5-liter V6 engine included in both the vehicles takes advantage of the Atkinson principle – compromising torque for fuel efficiency and emission reduction. The decrease in torque is corrected by the electric motors that generate up to 118lb-ft of torque. A powerful computer, capable of 50 million calculations per second, calculates the best operating mode 160 times a second to maintain an ideal balance between fuel economy and performance.
The hybrid system further includes a fuel-saving start-stop feature that turns off the gasoline engine at low speeds when braking to stop. Moreover, during braking, the electric motors also act as a generator recovering kinetic energy and storing in the lithium-ion battery on board.
Via: eMercedesBenz
Eco factor: New wind power project to generate 3,000 MW of electricity in California.
It seems that the clean energy wave is sweeping across the US like never before. In a step that promises to give a huge boost to the renewable energy sector on the American West coast, Terra-Gen Power LLC has arranged finances worth $1.2 billion to establish four wind farms northwest of Los Angeles. The turbines for the project will be made by a Danish company in Colorado.
The entire project guarantees energy generation of as much as 3,000 megawatts of electricity apart from creating 5,000 new jobs in a country which only yesterday announced the extension of unemployment insurance benefits. The turbines will be made by a Danish company but built in Colorado.
Via: Treehugger
Eco Factor: Google to use wind energy to power data centers.
Google takes a huge step towards sustainability by entering into a power purchase agreement with NextEra Energy, North America’s leading generator of wind power. The Internet search engine giant announced that it will buy 14 megawatts of clean, renewable energy from NextEra’s Story II Wind Energy Center in Iowa for the next twenty years.
Eco Factor: Helium-filled zeppelin powered by solar panels spread across its top.
Air travel has earned a bad name in the transportation industry for being the most polluting means of commuting. Looks like industrial designer Thomas Tzortzi is here to change our perception. The London-based designer has come up with a luxury airship concept that offers a zero-emission aerial commute. Dubbed the Eunoia, this gondola is powered by solar panels spread across its top.
Eco Factor: Grass-clad hotel combines sustainability with surrounding landscape.
MVRDV, a name known to blend architecture, urbanism and landscape design together is here yet again to stun us with a luxury holiday resort that is disguised as a mountain with a green exterior. Located on an untouched coastline land in Montenegro, Galije is what this green escape is called. The grass-clad hotel looks like it hides under a lush green hilltop that has been pulled up as a blanket.
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