Growing crops on solar-power farms works as a win-win situation!
Let’s not deny it. Solar plants are a space-taking affair and many a times, most areas don’t have enough space to house these renewable-energy-generating facilities. The Stanford scientists have therefore come up with a way to save space and integrate photovoltaic farms with agricultural areas! A system like this works as a boon for areas like southwestern United States where water is scarce. The system proposed by the scientists will allow solar farms not only to collect sunlight for electricity but also to produce crops for biofuels.
Iraq will soon play home to an architectural marvel that will place the middle-eastern nation on the energy-efficient map. Designed by UPA architects, the sophisticated and sustainably designed new Al Qassim Green University will be the country’s first LEED Gold certified building. This development will enhance the country’s university system and was design on request by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research.
While most multinationals around the globe shy away from taking a greener step, some companies like IKEA are a shining example of how the manufacturing sector can settle for more energy efficient and eco-friendly practices. For the 206th time since its conception, IKEA has shown the world just how environmentally friendly it is with its recent investment in its first wind power facility in the United States! IKEA’s new wind farm is located in Hoopeston and has a 98 megawatt capacity.
Streetlights use bulbs, bulbs use electricity and the generation of electricity does have an environmental impact that’s quite damaging. This is why the Netherlands has decided to replace streetlights with an energy-efficient and eye-catching way to light up its roads. Light-absorbing glow-in-the-dark road markings have now found a home on a 500m (0.3 mile) stretch of highway in the region, designed by Studio Roosegaarde.
There’s nothing better than a cup of joe, except a cup of joe brought to life by the power of the sun! Behold Wheely’s Café, one of the first among mobile coffee-serving restaurants, powered by the sun! This solar powered cart is as revolutionary as revolutionary gets and is an “ecological café bike”. The little bike-cart has everything needed to brew a cup of coffee, tea and serve all of this alongside soft drinks and pastries.
Nike has stunned the world previously on several accounts with its revolutionary designs. The sporting goods giant has done so yet again, having teamed up with Arthur Huang, founder of upcycling company MINIWIZ, creating a one-of-a-kind aerostatic dome supported by a helium-filled canopy! This creation by Nike and Huang is the first architectural structure ever created that uses zero compressive elements.
The British multinational alcoholic beverages company Diageo, also one of the biggest of its kind in the world, has switched to more eco-friendly practices. The company has begun burning unwanted grain by-products, wood chips and other types of biomass as a substitute to expensive fuel oil and gas. A few years ago, the company had swung open the doors of a massive distillery in Roseisle, Speyside in Scotland. With no access to a gas line, Diageo instead settled for a bioenergy plant capable of generating up to 10 megawatts. 
One of the biggest automobile manufacturers hailing from the United Kingdom, Jaguar Land Rover, has recently taken a step towards energy efficiency. The company has topped its new plant in South Staffordshire with the largest rooftop solar array in the UK! The company’s Engine Manufacturing Centre now plays home to more than 21,000 photovoltaic panels on its roof. The solar panels have a joint capacity of 5.8 MW and Jaguar plans to increase this to at least 6.3 MW soon!
There are more energy efficient ways to power up homes and office spaces than incandescent bulbs. This is exactly why the world has quickly begun swinging towards LED and fluorescent lighting solutions. However, the rest simply won’t break away from the good old incandescent, given the fact that most LED lighting solutions available today simply don’t “feel” right! Keeping that in mind, electronics giant Philips has unleashed an LED bulb that literally looks like an incandescent bulb and also gives off a similar glow!
Aah, Tesla. That cheerful automaker that has managed to silence most of its peers with its revolutionary electric cars has done it again. The company’s Model S has won favor globally from car aficionados, who’ve crowned it to be one of greenest ways to ride. The car has been extremely well received in Norway and nearly 1493 Model Ss were sold in the country just last month alone! That’s twice as much as the number of VW Golfs sold last month!