Category Archives: Alternative Energy
Apple has been making an effort to stay green since quite a while now, and has just released its 2012 Environmental Report, with its Maiden data center in focus. This data center in North Carolina will soon sport the largest end user-owned solar array in the United States and will cover an area of about 100 acres. All this will help generate 42 million kWh of green renewable juice annually, while Apple also plans to build a 5MW Fuel Cell facility alongside it. The 20MW installation will help Apple wipe off its carbon footprint to quite an extent, and will further help the manufacturers of iOS devices to stay eco-friendly.
[engadget]
[9to5mac]
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Nature tends to inspire, and these fabulously green streetlamps we just stumbled across speak volumes. Called the “Mango”, these streetlamps are drawn along the lines of mango leaves and were developed as an eco-friendly lighting solution for Indian streets. In essence an LED lamp concept that uses rain and sunlight to generate energy to power on, these street lights look great and are energy efficient too, helping pull the load off the Indian power grid. By designer Adam Mikloski, these lamps use solar energy with integrated solar panels and collect rainwater too. Presented for the India Future of Change Design Competition, these beautiful concept streetlights could soon adorn Indian streets in the future!
[dvice]
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Solar-power harvesting facilities don’t really need to be an eyesore, proved the company AROA. Developers of some pretty aesthetically-beautiful installations that generate enough energy to power up thousands of homes, AROA has now set up its second energy-generating Solar Tulip power tower in Spain. The flower-shaped tower is in all essence a concentrated solar power (CSP) electrical generator and uses less water than steam solar generators. The facility sports 50 mirrors that track the sun and heat the bulb to a whopping 1,000 degrees centigrade that in turn expands air through a turbine to generate electricity. Priced at $550,000, the plant will add a touch of green renewable energy to the electricity grid in Spain.
[inhabitat]
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Solar energy soaking systems could soon get cheaper and could work as a boon for developing nations who have no connections to electricity grids whatsoever with this new development that featured in the Scientific Reports a short while ago. Researchers today are working on creating a chemical that can be mixed with green plants to create a paintable biophotovoltaic material that could harness the energy of the sun! Without the need of sophisticated laboratory equipment and the like, this material could very well be painted on the roofs of houses in developing areas, helping people living there generate energy from renewable sources like the sun! A mix-up of biology and electronics, the chemical helps use the photovoltaic abilities of plants for the betterment of humankind.
[cnet]
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BMW’s Zentrum Museum has now gone greener than ever with the automaker completing a one-of-a-kind solar installation that will completely power up the facility. Spending a whopping $500,000 for the same, BMW installed 400 solar modules in front of the museum, each capable of soaking in 240 watts worth of solar juice. The installation generates about 96,000 watts, enough to power up the sprawling 24,000-square-foot facility. And that’s not all. BMW has also installed three electric charging stations to juice up electric cars at the museum and we applaud the automaker’s efforts to go a darker shade of green.
[goupstate]
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India will now play home to an eco-friendly initiative, also the first of its kind in the nation called the REAP. The Renewal Energy Assisted Pump, developed by BSES Yamuna Power Ltd, a subsidiary of BSES, in collaboration with IIT Delhi, uses solar energy to power up its water pumping system. At a total cost of just Rs. 4,00,000 (approximately $8,075.29) including the solar panels, the system could revolutionize the way homes, residential societies and industries pump water in the near future. The REAP system is easy-to-install and uses a submersible pump hooked on to solar panels and requires very low maintenance. This new development makes solar energy even more reliable for day-to-day use and is a fantastic way to bring home a clean supply of water without punching holes in the ozone.
[thehindubusinessline]
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Producing hydrogen gas for use has always been a burden of sorts. HyperSolar however has come up with a brilliant way to do so, without too much of a hassle and without harming the environment. Hydrogen as we know it, is one of the cleanest ways to power up, with water as its only by-product. However, generating hydrogen gas takes energy, and HyperSolar has devised a technique to use solar energy to do so. Using solar energy to generate hydrogen gas for fuel seems to be a win-win deal and HyperSolar plans to use a solar-powered nanoparticle system inspired by photosynthesis to create hydrogen gas using solar energy.
[gizmag]
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The Pennsylvania Farm Show plays home to some pretty exceptional pieces of art carved out of butter, and this might seem like a tremendous waste of food to some, though once done, these sculptures are put to rest in a pretty eco-friendly way. Here’s how. Instead of dumping them in the trash, these butter sculptures are dumped in manure and are broken down with help from ever-hungry micro-organisms. The breaking down causes the release of methane gas which is then used to generate electricity using methane digesters. The electricity in turn is used to power up farms. This eco-friendly way serves as a win-win mode to disposing off the butter used at the Farm Show, without having to put food to complete waste.
[dvice]
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Besides burning them extra calories and giving you Greek-God like calf muscles, pedal power these days serves the purpose of lighting up art installations too! Take this fabulous piece of art that delivers an eco-friendly message unlike any other. Set up by artist Bruce Munro and designer James Augustini, this geodesic dome structure sports little twinkling lights that shine bright to entrance you as you pedal away to glory. The lights, hooked up to the stationary bicycle, are powered by energy generated by pedaling the bike. A great way to spread eco-consciousness coupled with an inspiration to use renewable energy, this art installation drives the message right home!
[treehugger]
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The UAE has now added a shade of green to its streets with its new solar powered road lighting project. The project extending to 11km has been set up by the Ministry of Public Works at the Wadi Sidr Area. The system makes no use of low or high tension electricity lines and is a green as a leaf. Helping reduce carbon emissions substantially, the solar powered system also boasts low maintenance costs and is a step towards achieving sustainability. All in all, this touch of green added to the streets of the Wadi Sidr Area is an effort worth a load of applauds, and we sincerely hope the initiative is spread elsewhere, helping make cities environment friendly.
[emirates247]
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Apple has been making an effort to stay green since quite a while now, and has just released its 2012 Environmental Report, with its Maiden data center in focus. This data center in North Carolina will soon sport the largest end user-owned solar array in the United States and will cover an area of about 100 acres. All this will help generate 42 million kWh of green renewable juice annually, while Apple also plans to build a 5MW Fuel Cell facility alongside it. The 20MW installation will help Apple wipe off its carbon footprint to quite an extent, and will further help the manufacturers of iOS devices to stay eco-friendly.
