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.
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.
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.
Thousands of pieces of trash that would otherwise be clogging waterways and landfills in Nigeria have been turned into sturdy, and surprisingly attractive, construction materials in the village of Yelwa, where the country’s first plastic-bottle house is drawing curious visitors and plenty of press.
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:
By now we all know how important it is for our precious planet that we recycle and choose the materials we use in our daily lives wisely. Reusing things that we might have previously considered trash is also a great way to give a new life and purpose to materials that might otherwise end up in a landfill somewhere. We see artists use trash to create beautiful artwork all the time.
As winter approaches the days are starting to get dark and cold in London, however the country’s first certified Passivhaus now provides a warm and energy-efficient haven for one lucky family. Created by London-based Bere:Architects, the Camden Passivhaus is a timber-framed 118 square meter two-bedroom residence that preserves the Earth’s resources while shaving up to 90% off its energy bills!
With various countries undergoing liberalization for faster economic development, the energy needs of the world are growing at a very fast pace. The availability of fossil fuels is only for a limited time period and their effects are also very devastating for the global environment. As increased carbon levels in atmosphere have been found to damage economic systems throughout the world, the nuclear power is emerging as a more useful and easily explorable option for fulfilling the energy needs without causing any environmental damage.
In US, more than 90 percent of building roofs are dark colored. During peak summer, dark color roofs absorb more heat and buildings require more energy to cool off. Remedy to this problem is coloring roof with lighter shades to promote better heat reflection and emission that keep the building cooler. Using CFLs instead of conventional filament based light bulbs saves around 75 percent of electricity consumptions. Similarly, insulating water heater and hot water pipes reduce heat wastage and promote efficient heat utilization. These techniques are very common and generally used by many to make their homes environment-friendly. But green homes are becoming major area of interest in modern building construction business and everyday new products and technologies are evolving either to recapture lost energy or to lower the energy usage at first place.
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.
Follow