Category Archives: Alternative Energy
Wind turbines are a perfect way to create alternative energy. Leviathan Energy, led by Dr Daniel Farb, has come up with an improved version to get more efficiency by making the wind hit them differently. They completed tests on the ‘Wind Energizer” device – an addition that could upgrade any wind turbine, without much higher costs and without even compromising other neighbor turbines. It helps increases the wind turbine’s efficiency by 30% on normal winds and up to 150% at low-speed winds.
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I want to live in this place! It’s amazing! Imagine having to go to your home on a cycle in this century! Ok, maybe that’s not as appealing to most of you, but what about going underground and ride to your home or friend’s home or wherever at Abu Dhabi’s eco-friendly 50,000 one mile square Masdar City in a personal transit vehicle or PRT or in normal layman language – a robot or electric taxi! These vehicles are electrically-powered, centrally-controlled pods and can carry four to six people and go in speeds of up to 25 mph, following magnets embedded in the pathways. The really neat thing is that no cars will be allowed in this zero-carbon, zero-waste city.
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The PiSAT Solar’s K-Light is a very useful product especially while going on a hike or if you take a trip to someplace that is low on electricity. The unit, in 10 hours of daylight charging can give up to 20 hours worth of battery power for use in the low-power 8 LED mode or 10 hours of life if used in 16 LED mode. It’s also switchable between flashlight and lantern modes making it a good option for camping trips. K-Light is designed for up to 10 years of full daily use in such a scenario and PiSAT is working on an adapter to let the lantern’s battery also charge a cellphone.
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Old is gold and who can argue with so many stories of using the age old techniques, recycling them to work in the current living conditions and creating a useful alternative to wasting energy. Tibetan designer Taikkun Li is using tourists as an energy source for his Prayer Wheel Energy Generator, envisioned for Tibet. This is how it works – when tourists spin a multitude of prayer wheels, the positive energy can be harvested along Tibetan streets, turned into electricity, and used to provide evening lighting along those streets and inside the adjacent homes.
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Retro is in and so is eco-friendly products and alternatives. Finnish designer Pekka Salokannel has come up with a great concept. It is a solar-powered Gram Speakers which is patterned in the old gramophone record player style that gives such a nostalgic feel. It will be charged up by three layers of solar panels and the batteries will help play music long beyond sunset. The volume can be changed with the touch of a finger.
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Abengoa Solar has begun commercial operation of the new PS20, the world’s second largest power tower plant, located at the Solucar Platform, near Seville in Spain. The testing has gone quite well as they found that the PS20 surpassed the predicted power output, thus further validating the high potential of power tower technology. PS20 features a number of significant technological improvements with respect to PS10, the first commercial power tower. These enhancements, developed by Abengoa Solar, include a higher-efficiency receiver, various improvements in the control and operational systems, and a better thermal energy storage system. Plant construction was carried out by Abener.
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Daniel Thomas designed the Star Gazer tent that is very eco-friendly and are unlike other common tents. These tents come with LED lights powered by the Sun! The tent also features a covered canopy outside the tent for a miniature mobile patio. A clear sky top panel is also provided to allow you to star gaze during the night. If the tent goes into production, then it could cost around anywhere between GBP 250 (US $ 365) and GBP 300 (US $ 435).
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Folks at GoGreenSolar have conceived four designs that can add a dash of greenness to the glamour quotient of the Hollywood Sign, a famous landmark in the Hollywood Hills area of Los Angeles, California. They intend to show their version of green Hollywood Sign with these 3D concepts. The solar electric systems are grid connected which means that the energy is transferred into the network and the community can benefit from the power especially when there is peak demand. Grid connected systems also help California reach its RPS (renewable energy portfolio standard) a requirement for CA to generate power from clean renewable resources. Off the fours designs, I am game for the Solar Trees option. These pole mounted solar arrays can be adjusted to the optimal orientation and pitch to maximize energy harvest. Also the Solar Lillly Pads are fit for a green vote. Here circular solar panels shaped like lily pads will sit beneath the sign. However such a design comes with its share of obstacles for layout.
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Movie theatres are a huge mob grabber… and so some wise guys in the US realized. An 18,000 square foot array of rooftop solar cells gives Livermore Cinemas more solar electrical capacity than any other movie theater in the US it seems. The cells are rated at 132 kilowatts and in a year will generate about 190,000 kilowatt hours of electrical energy. The cost of setting up the system, by Novato-based SPG Solar, is less than the return to the company after energy savings, rebates and incentives are accounted for.
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Two new wireless routers have been released by NEC from the AtermWR8150N Series. The specialty of this router is that it comes with an eco button. What happens when you push the button? All LEDs except the power is switched off which consumes only 30% less power. If you are too lazy to do that also, well, you can set your router to Eco Mode where it will do it automatically depending on your usage and predefined settings. Well that is surely eco and human friendly!
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