Category Archives: Alternative Energy
A company in the UK will soon be considered a legend for taking the hand in creating the world’s first solar powered Electro Luminescent (EL) signs. Anokimobi Ltd is launching its environmentally friendly and low maintenance, solar powered signs that can save businesses millions in electricity costs. Based on Electro Luminescence (EL) technology, one of the most energy efficient and versatile light sources to exist, a typical outdoor sign can provide between 6 and 14 hours of continuous illumination from daytime charging depending on the model. Unlike signs that use solar power to light very simple shapes made from light-emitting diodes (LEDs), EL signs can broadcast complex design sequences and detailed messages. EL signs can also be fixed almost anywhere due to their lightweight properties and streamlined construction.
Continue reading 
Australia is planning to build a solar power station that will have an output of 1000 megawatts at a cost of A$ 1.4 billion (US$1.05 billion). This plant will have three times the generating capacity of the current biggest solar-powered electricity plant which is in California. The tenders will be announced later this year and will be awarded to successful bidders in the first half of 2010. The project is aimed at exploiting Australia’s biggest natural resource, the sunshine it receives every day. This project is also aimed at making Australia become a world leader in renewable clean energy.
Continue reading
Africa is a place with lots of sun and also lots of need for some clean and good water. So adding one and one together, a company launched the SOLAQUA which is a useful device. It is going to be used as a water disinfection unit in the rural areas of Sub-Saharan Africa. This device will obtain infra-red and ultra-violet rays from the sun and will utilize them to eliminate pathogens of contaminated water.
Continue reading
We have all heard of solar powered gadgets including vehicles but Japan has gone a million steps ahead and got itself a solar powered shopping mall. The Aeon shopping mall near Yonago and the Oasis21 mall in the city of Nagoya are very beautiful and marvels in eco-friendly architecture. The Aeon shopping mall is almost completely covered in solar panels providing almost all of its power requirements. The walls of the malls can decontaminate urban environments. The roof of the Oasis21 is covered with mini water pools which controls the environment in the shopping plaza and underground shopping center. These extraordinary structures have reduced a lot for Japan’s carbon footprint in the world. I think it’s high time others followed the same.
[Trendhunter]
Continue reading
Better Place will demonstrate key elements of their battery switching station technology. This will be the first public exhibition of their battery station. The company has been invited by the Japanese Ministry of Environment to set up an exhibit in Yokohama. Electric vehicles have a slight disadvantage. Their fuel is electricity and it is stored in battery packs. Charging these would take hours compared to pumping 10 gallons of fuel into a normal car. This makes the electric cars restricted for use only for short distances, fully charging during long breaks or something simpler; don’t take them out at all. Better Place intends to solve this problem by swapping out used batteries for full charged replacements. If this can be done in less than 5 minutes, then this will provide the driver a hassle free way to exponentially extend the range of their vehicles. Of course there are challenges, but this kind of station in the long run will definitely be the best and soon you could find others joining the league.
Continue reading
Washington DC is preparing to see a very green future with major companies preparing to bring a huge reduction in the city’s CO2 emissions. Automotive company, Nissan North America, and AeroVironment, an industry expert in battery and charging systems, have signed a deal that could bring hundreds of Electric Vehicles (EVs) and charging stations to the District. This is part of the Obama Administration’s and the District’s initiatives in progressive transportation programs, reducing C02 emissions and improving the environment.
Continue reading
In India, inventions are normally accepted if they make sense. They wouldn’t want to be wasting time thinking oh how brilliant this inventor is when they could be doing other relevant things like join a union or pollute the railway tracks. So this solar powered portable fan, I feel, will do really good in this country because here it is each man to themselves. This fan is solar powered and it has the function to blow right onto a particular source. If it’s your face, feet, elbow or nose, it can focus on that particular point and not blow the room into a mess. It can also apparently be used for heating.
Continue reading
Ledalite’s Ergolight Controls system has been designed to decrease energy consumption by 80% as well increase office energy efficiency. It is also designed to help building designers and architects achieve LEEDS certification. Ergolight uses an integrated system of lighting fixtures, sensors and computer software to achieve over the roof energy reduction results. It uses daylight sensors, occupancy sensors and software-based personal dimming controls on each workstation making Ergolight a very active system. Each fixture is connected to the building’s electrical system and then to one another via network cable. This whole network is then connected to a central control unit that the users can interact with from their workstations.
Continue reading
A new study has revealed that cars powered by bioelectricity can travel 81% more than the ones powered by biofuels like ethanol. They also produce much lesser greenhouse gases than vehicles powered by ethanol. It also reveals that alternative bioenergy pathways have large differences in how efficiently they use the available land to achieve transportation and climate goals. Well this sounds really impressive and with this kind of efficiency, I bet we will not only be saving the planet but also our fuel bills.
[Gas2]
Continue reading
A solar company in the US has come up with the idea of using energy-efficient transparent solar cell that will be built onto electricity-generating windows. They will be using Konarka’s plastic solar cells in building materials, including windows. They also built prototypes of windows with the solar cells between two panes of glass. The photovoltaic cells can be tinted different colors.
Continue reading