20Jan

Tûranor PlanetSolar: World’s Largest Solar Ship About to Complete Trip Around the Globe

Categories: Green Technology & Efficient Solutions
No comments
Tûranor PlanetSolar World’s Largest Solar Ship About to Complete Trip Around the Globe

Email, RSS Follow

The epic voyage of the Tûranor PlanetSolar – the world’s largest solar-powered boat – will soon come to a close as the ship closes in on its final stretch. The Swiss vessel is a full-bore high-tech solar harvesting machine whose deck is covered in 537 square meters of photovoltaic panels. The array produced enough energy for the boat to navigate the entire circumference of the Earth without any other means of energy. The Tûranor PlanetSolar is currently set to depart Abu Dhabi en route to their final port in Morocco – the same place the expedition launched on September 27th, 2010. The journey has come full circle in more than one respect, as it was not too long ago the only way to navigate the earth was by harnessing renewable energy with sails.

Share

Tags:
20Jan

PowerTrekk instant charger powers your smartphone with water

Categories: Green Technology & Efficient Solutions
No comments
PowerTrekk instant charger powers your smartphone with water

Email, RSS Follow

A Swedish firm myFC has created an instant mobile charger, dubbed the PowerTrekk, which makes use of water to produce power for your smartphones. PowerTrekk mixes water with a chemical powder called sodium silicide to generate hydrogen gas that can power your cells through the fuel cell technology. The PowerTrekk was put on display at CES 2012.

Share

Tags:
16Jan

How New Self-Healing Circuit Restores Electricity in 20 Seconds

Categories: Green Technology & Efficient Solutions
No comments

Email, RSS Follow

As many of you know, a broken and then repaired thing won’t ever be as it was before, no matter how much we try. This truth applies as well to electronic circuits, that once broken are not very easy to fix. Despite these, a team of engineers at the University of Illinois managed to create self-healing circuits for electronics and batteries.

How many of you have not tried to open a TV or a laptop and when you had to put it back together it was already broken? I guess you know what I’m talking about, and I also guess you know this kind of question often asked by your not very happy parents: “You wanted to see why it worked, huh?”.

(more…)

Share

Tags:
13Jan

WaveRoller Arrives in Portugal for Long Awaited Tests

Categories: Green Technology & Efficient Solutions
No comments
WaveRoller Arrives in Portugal for Long Awaited Tests

Email, RSS Follow

The WaveRoller arrived on January 2nd at Portugal’s Peniche Shipyard for a much anticipated pilot test this summer off the coast of Portugal, one of the best testing sites in Europe for ocean energy. The scaled-up version for the pilot test is to be tested in the same waters near the sea shore of Peniche where its smaller prototype showed promise (Previous: WaveRoller Uses Swinging Door for Underwater Wave Energy.)

Wave energy involves very large machines that must survive harsh underwater conditions. Even this pre-commercial version weighs 280 tons, and the test has been financed by the European Commission.

(more…)

Share

Tags:
11Jan

Video: Solar Powered Chariot Robot Brings Ancient Rome and Green Technology Together

Categories: Green Technology & Efficient Solutions
No comments
Video Solar Powered Chariot Robot Brings Ancient Rome and Green Technology Together

Email, RSS Follow

The Maker Faire is a place where weird and wacky inventions are welcomed and championed, which is surely why Bob Schneeveis and Grant Grundler decided to debut their crazy solar powered electric chariot there. The chariot is a modern-day renewably powered take on the ancient Roman cart which is pulled around by a roller blading robot who glides with the greatest of ease. Video of the chariot in action after the jump.

(more…)

Share

Tags:
10Jan

SpaceX Dragon: The First Spacecraft Using Solar Panels

Categories: Green Technology & Efficient Solutions
No comments
SpaceX Dragon The First Spacecraft Using Solar Panels

Email, RSS Follow

I wonder what it feels like to know that you’ve contributed to space expeditions and, indirectly, to the future of mankind? Very proud, I assume, as must feel the engineers from SpaceX, a private space transport company led by Elon Musk, also Tesla Motors’ CEO.

During its first mission to the International Space Station, the Dragon spacecraft will spread out solar arrays within minutes after its departure.

The arrays will be put in place to capture the energy needed to run sensors, cooling and heating systems as well as keeping in touch with SpaceX’s Mission Control Center and the ISS.

(more…)

Share

Tags:
9Jan

Eco Wave Power developing two new wave-power devices

Categories: Green Technology & Efficient Solutions
No comments
Eco Wave Power developing two new wave-power devices

Email, RSS Follow

Israel’s Eco Wave Power is just entering the second phase of proving its new wave energy harvest and conversion system that’s claimed to produce cheaper energy than existing coal-fired power plants. Energy is captured by the influence of rising and falling waves on two proprietary float designs called the Wave Clapper and Power Wing, which are installed on existing, stable structures. The floats are said to be capable of gathering energy from both high and low waves, which is fed through undersea cabling to a land-based power plant for conversion to usable electricity.

(more…)

Share

Tags:
5Jan

Interesting Solar-Powered EV Charging Stations

Categories: Green Technology & Efficient Solutions
No comments
Interesting Solar-Powered EV Charging Stations

Email, RSS Follow
We’ve covered solar-powered EV charging stations in the past several times, but I don’t think we’ve ever shared these interestingly designed solar-powered EV charging stations:
Share

Tags:
4Jan

Who needs a road? Chinese designer creates eco-friendly all-terrain car for land, water and ice

Categories: Green Technology & Efficient Solutions
No comments
Who needs a road Chinese designer creates eco-friendly

Email, RSS Follow

A Chinese inventor has come up with an incredible new design for a car that will work on tarmac, sand, ice… and even water.

The all-terrain vehicle, which has a top speed of 62mph and works like a hovercraft, can move seamlessly between different surfaces.

Designer Yuhan Zhang, 21, created the spectacular car – called the Volkswagen Aqua – for a competition sponsored by the German car manufacturer.

Share

Tags:
3Jan

WakaWaka solar led lamp aims to light up Kenyan school

Categories: Green Technology & Efficient Solutions
No comments
WakaWaka solar led lamp aims to light up Kenyan school

Email, RSS Follow

Although we have entered 2012 approximately 1.5 billion people around the globe remain without access to a stable or safe source of light. Commonly in some of the world’s poorest regions, kerosene lanterns are the standard form of night time lighting, which leads to the possibility of fires, explosions, asphyxiation and toxic fumes. Cheap, accessible solar lighting presents an obvious solution to this problem and the latest tilt at making this a reality is WakaWaka – a solar LED lamp concept that can fit snuggly onto a soda bottle.

(more…)

Share

Tags: