As solar panel manufacturers try to harvest more of the sun’s energy for less, they face increasingly diminishing returns. At roughly $1 per watt, the cost of solar modules now represents less than a third of the total cost of commercial solar installations. To cut the total cost of solar power—currently $3.00 to $3.50 per watt—bigger gains will have to come from improvements in the power electronics, wiring, and mounting systems required for solar installations.
The CHIP House – which stands for “Compact Hyper-Insulated Prototype” – was started with the goal of creating a net-zero energy home (i.e. one that requires no external energy source), and it looks like the designers exceeded that target. The house actually generates three times as much energy as it uses thanks to solar panels and a host of energy saving measures.
Environmentally friendly homes can reduce inhabitants’ carbon footprints, save resources and lead the way for others to live the same way. Most of us, however, have been living in homes that are pretty standard, in that they don’t help us reduce our carbon footprints. The US Department of Energy has been trying to further green living in terms of homes and has been organizing the Solar Decathlon for a while now. The international competition is a biennial event that challenges 20 college teams to come up with conceptual homes that utilize solar energy. The teams get to work on site, detailing their prefabricated houses for 10 days in a bid to take home the Solar Decathlon title. 2012’s competition is set to begin and we’re eager to see who wins the coveted prize.
Italy and France have joined forces to create the “Astonyshine” 100 percent solar home concept as part of the 2012 Solar Decathlon Europe. The international competition is open to universities from around the globe and promotes research into the development of efficient housing. Astonyshine is a modern reinterpretation of the classic Mediterranean villa, and is the result of the combined efforts from Polytechnic of Bari (Italy), University of Ferrara (Italy), Ecole Nationale Superieure d’Architecture Paris-Malaquais (France) and Ecole des Ponts ParisTech (France).
More than 500,000 SHS systems have been installed cumulatively as of year-end 2010, according to Grameen Shakti. The SHS home energy package includes one or more solar photovoltaic (PV) panels, batteries, a power regulator, and a set of compact fluorescent lamps (CFL) and LED lights.
As we know it
At a time when the world is looking for effective alternatives to replace the production of electricity from conventional sources, the concept of a self-powered house is slowly becoming popular as architects try to develop designs for a sustainable future. One can say that the future is safe as long as such endeavors continue to get more attention .These houses are mostly powered by renewable sources like the sunlight and the wind. The architects have used materials that have least negative impact on the environment. Not only this, they are unique designs that can provide both luxury and comfort to the users.
Rescue systems include all essential tools, equipment, machinery and anything that helps emergency personnel such as police, fire fighters, coast guards, military, etc. in emergency situations. These tools, that are included in the rescue system, are used as a part of safety measures in risky, emergency situations or for rescuing people who are in danger. No wonder that the best equipment of the latest technology are used for this purpose. But now that an effort to go-green is being made in every area and every invention, even rescue systems are being modeled in the same lines for future use. Here is a list of five such futuristic rescue systems that would help the environment gain its balance again:
A bare, seaside landscape may be beautiful to look at, but it also creates several challenges for architects interested in building an energy-efficient home. Plus Arquitectura couldn’t rely on trees or even dunes to block the sun or the wind from entering their Y-house, so they created an interesting Y-shaped roof instead. Shaped this way, the roof not only cantilevers over the base of the house in order to provide shade for its residents, but also facilitates the easy installation of energy-generating solar panels and a rainwater harvesting system. Meanwhile, high performance windows placed strategically permit daylighting without excess radiation. The result is a rustic pine-clad home dotted with round portals of light that ensure constant views of the nearby Tunquén beach in Chile.
UK-based Kingsley Architects have put a new spin on traveling the country in a mobile home. Rather than loading up a gas-guzzling Winabago, the firm has designed an eco houseboat that can safely transport you through the waterways in style. The SolarHome can be used to turn your road trips into sea trips – or you can just dock it trailer park style.
Ok, those Germans are just showing off now. Not only has the nation announced plans to shut down all of its nuclear power plants and started the construction of 2,800 miles of transmission lines for its new renewable energy initiative, but now the village of Wildpoldsried is producing 321% more energy than it needs! The small agricultural village in the state of Bavaria is generating an impressive $5.7 million in annual revenue from renewable energy.
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