Tag: sustainable

Kite Power

Wind power is nothing new, but a power plant that can produce as much power as a nuclear reactor is. Imagine a spinning top that uses kites to rotate and that, in turn, generates an electrical current. Researches in Italy have done just that, they have created KiteGen.

“KiteGen’s core is set in motion by the twirl of the kites; the rotation activates large alternators producing current. A control system on autopilot optimizes the flight pattern to maximize the juice produced as it sails on night and day. A radar system can redirect kites within seconds in case of any interference: oncoming helicopters, for example. Or small planes or even single birds.

Research by Sequoia Automation, the small company near Turin heading the project, estimates that KiteGen could churn out one gigawatt of power at a cost of just 1.5 euros per megawatt hour. That’s nearly 30 times less than the average cost in Europe of 43 euros per megawatt hour.”

Sausage-Shaped Power Generator

waves Ocean Power Delivery is putting a sausage-shaped device that will generate electricity by floating on waves off the coast of Portugal.

“OPD will deliver three wave power generation units with capacity of 2.25 megawatts to Portuguese renewable energy group Enersis for $10 million, but the project could be expanded significantly, Norsk Hydro said.”

OPD is banking on making more of these generators because by 2010 the European Union requires 22 percent of electricity consumption to come from renewable energy sources.

I wonder if the technology behind this wave turbine is similar to what is being done in San Francisco.

Thanks to mkb for finding this good news!

David Suzuki: Steal my Research

logoDavid Suzuki is awesome and ti add to his awesomeness he has openly proclaimed that anyone can use his research to fight for positive environmental change!

“Allow me to clear something up right now. To all politicians looking for ways to reduce our footprint on nature – or, to use politician-speak, create an “environmental platform”: Knock yourselves out. Feel free to steal, pilfer, borrow, rent, filch or otherwise take any research my foundation does and put it to good use.

This may seem obvious to some, but the whole point of conducting and publishing this research is to get people to actually use it.”

Off-Grid Trailer House

home? The Mini Home is a portable house that allows the inhabitants to live off the grid. Off-grid basically means not using water and power from public (or in some places private) sources, almost a self-sustianable lifestyle.

The mini home itself looks like a futuristic trailer park home because of the layout and materials used. Power comes from solar panels, I don’t know where the water comes from (or goes to) though.

It’s good to see companies making living spaces that can function without sucking power from non-renewable resources.

Seven Hybrid Concerns?

People seem to not like change and changing from a car that produces smog to a car that produces less smog is shocking for some. They don’t know what is true and what isn’t true when it comes to information about hybrid vehicles. CNN has tried to clarify what people should consider when buying a hybrid car and other points that aren’t that important.

Of their list below only three are “legitimate” concerns.

  1. Hybrids have complicated technology that is difficult or expensive to fix
  2. Hybrids have limited battery pack life
  3. Hybrids have technical problems like stalling and sputtering
  4. Hybrids do not pay for themselves to justify their premium cost
  5. Hybrids do not offer the driving performance needed
  6. Hybrids will not hold resale value
  7. Hybrids do not get the level of mileage promised