Off of England’s southern coast, the Isle of Wight is developing the largest sustainability project in the country. By 2020, “Eco Island” will become a net exporter of energy, and residents will see their electricity bills drop by 50%. The island will become a precedent for renewable energy and sustainability practices, and an example of Prime Minister David Cameron’s “Big Society” concept for the UK.
The newest electric vehicle to roll out cannnot be plugged in, but it does have one impressive credential: It’s the smallest in the world.
Unlike nanocars of the past that were aided by scanning microscopes, light, or heated surfaces, this molecular vehicle uses electrons to move forward.
“This is the first example where you really have a motor function,” said Ben Feringa, an organic chemistry professor at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands who led the nano-vehicle’s creation. “You can put in energy so you have a propulsion mechanism like in a real motor in a car.”
Last year, GM unveiled its EN-V (Electric Networked-Vehicle) concept in three flavors conceived by design teams around the world. In an effort to ascertain the real-world practicality of the two-seat, electric urban mobility concept, GM has begun work on the next-generation EN-V concept vehicle which the company plans to test in pilot demonstration programs in megacities around the world. The new vehicle and future EN-V concepts will also now be part of the Chevrolet brand and carry a Chevrolet badge.
When we talk about the Middle East Asia, we imagine harsh terrain, blazing sun and sand dunes. Abu Dhabi is a part of the United Arab Emirates. Its currently hostile area is being developed as the world’s first carbon neutral city in the coming 5 to 10 years. This city will be a green example that will not be constructed using polluting technologies and fossil fuels. The greatest irony is this city would be located in a country that is a leading producer of fossil fuels. Its architects and designers claim that the city will be powered up by various forms of renewable energy, including solar and wind power.
Amidst society’s hopes for a green future, the power of working with nature is still not sufficiently understood or exploited. Too many visions remain divorced from the end user. Claudia Pasquero and Marco Poletto, the architects and co-founders of London-based ecoLogicStudio, feel that ‘using and interacting with natural elements in a symbiotic way can become a game with ecological benefits.’ Recently they have focused on the potential of algae—micro-algae are used for energy, while macro-algae—like bio-radars or generative agents—is used for filtering water and making food.
While it may look like a handful of precious gems taking a dip in a river, the image below is actually of the Mentougou City, a gorgeous new “Ecological Silicon Valley” located in the mountains not far from Beijing.
The new development will be comprised of research institutes for modern science along with eco-efficient urban living. Designed with carbon neutrality, water and energy conservation, and renewable energy in mind, Mentougou Eco Valley even hopes to reduce its environmental footprint to one third that of a typical city of similar size.
Although net-zero projects have been creating a lot of buzz lately in the field of green building, the Sonnenschiff solar city in Freiburg, Germany is very much net positive. The self-sustaining city accomplishes this feat through smart solar design and lots and lots of photovoltaic panels pointed in the right direction. It seems like a simple strategy — but designers often incorporate solar installations as an afterthought, or worse, as a label. Designed by Rolf Disch, the Sonnenschiff (Solar Ship) and Solarsiedlung (Solar Village) emphasize power production from the start by smartly incorporating a series of large rooftop solar arrays that double as sun shades. The buildings are also built to Passivhaus standards, which allows the project to produce four times the amount of energy it consumes!
It seems the canvass of clean and green energy is getting bigger with each passing day. More and more products, vehicles, gadgets, homes and cities are being added to this ever expanding canvass. Germany’s Hamburg Harbor has announced the development of a world class Eco City. This eco city will be designed by Tec Architecture and the global engineering group ARUP. This city will encompass many industries and entrainment facilities.
The eco city will have the latest advancements in green design at its disposal. The developers and designers of this ambitious city want to set some standard that’s why they are seeking to achieve the highest level of environmental certification from LEED, BREEAM and DGNB. Eco City is one of the only projects in the world that is aspiring to accomplish the highest level of environmental certification from all three major green building rating systems. The project will assimilate efficient technology and building methods and at the same time nurturing social interaction and community resurrection.
This eco city will have 10 eco-friendly buildings. The eco city developers will use green materials, efficient facades and passive design techniques so that they can lower the energy consumption by as much as 30%.
The Eco City will use an alternative-energy mix for power generation. They will depend on wind turbines to meet the 10% of the power needs of the city. They will utilize solar power for hot water and lights. The vast majority of roofs and terraces will be covered with plants and flowers, making it pleasant for walking, recreation and open space for discussion. This greenery will keep a check on water runoff and make the interior cool. The developers will complete this Eco City in three phases. They will also rehabilitate the existing buildings with used materials. Eco City will cater to the environmental needs. It will not possess an exploitative nature and co-exist in sync with nature.
Tec Principal Sebastian Knorr shares his enthusiasm about the project: “Eco City represents a synergistic approach to urban development. By working in close cooperation with all the stakeholders and taking into consideration the immediate environmental context of the project, we’ve created a different type of sustainable, creative-industrial complex. We hope that iconic Eco City project becomes a model for sustainable urban development.”
Hamburg-Harburg Harbor has a history of German entrepreneurship and inventiveness, and the community anticipates Eco City to be a major contributor in its efforts towards renaissance.
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