Not to be outdone by the recycled house in Quebec, the Brits have unveiled a zero-emission home. The BBC reports that it’s the first zero-emission home in the UK and aims to be an example of new rules to be applied in 2016.
“The home generates all its own energy – and when you’re away on holiday can send electricity back to the National Grid. The company says its annual energy bill would be £31, as compared to £500 for the standard new home of this size,” he said.
Sir Richard Branson owns a lot of companies and he has previously mentioned that he wants to fight climate change and cut back on emissions. It appears that he’s sticking to his word as Virgin Trains is running a biodiesel train in Europe and plans to switch more trains to biodiesel if this test run goes well.
If running biodiesel isn’t enough, the trains also produce energy!
In addition to the environmental benefits of the Voyager trial, Virgin’s Pendolino electric trains return 17 percent of the power they use to the national grid every time they brake, making the Pendolino fleet one of the most efficient in the world. Over the course of a year this is enough to power 11,825 homes. These trains emit 76 percent less CO2 than cars or domestic flights.
Japan’s first solar power condo is on the market and it looks pretty funky. The Grandia Solare has solar panels on its roof that power the complex.
This is what Japan for SUstainability has to say:
Shibaura Group estimates that the system will reduce carbon dioxide emissions equivalent to the amount absorbed by approximately 4,200 cedar trees, and will save as much as 1,200 18-liter containers of petroleum.
Via: TreeHugger
PGIGrup is about to make Europe’s largest solar roof. The building is going to be built in Madrid and generate 3 megawatts of electricity.
At over a kilometer in length, the rooftop will have an area of over 57,000 square meters, of which 21,000 will be occupied by solar panels. The power installed will be of approximately 3 MW peak, which will generate over 3.6 GWh per year.
It is predicted that this design will enable it to save 15% on climate conditioning in winter, and 34% in summer, as well as saving on lighting. The facade of the office blocks is a double skin, where the external glass is hung out from staggered glass fins.
How does not needing an air conditioner or a furnace sound? To me, it sounds great.
The Enertia home uses thermal energy to cycle cooling and warming the house. It achieves this by delaying the thermal patterns of the planet, it’s like slow motion but in real life.
Once completed, even before you move in, these new homes will have come alive with a natural atmospheric cycle, like the Earth, on which they are based. A built-in “biosphere,” in gradual but constant motion, draws energy from the sun, and geothermal stability from the ground, creating a temperate climate that buffers the primary living space.