All good habits begin from home. So instead of blaming the government and other citizens of this planet for abusing energy consumption, why not equip our own den with ZigBee's Green Power spec. The company is rolling out an energy-harvesting specification that would enable switches and sensors equipped with its wireless home-control technology to operate without batteries and without a connection to a home's power lines. This means that ZigBee-enabled on-wall light switches, dimmers, motion detector, moisture sensors and door sensors will be able to harvest energy from small solar cells, from heat or from the conversion of mechanical energy to electrical energy. To make it simpler, let me explain to you with an example. To put on light, we press a button. This action will be converted into a small electrical charge, which in turn would power an embedded ZigBee transmitter. And the ZigBee signal would then turn on ZigBee-equipped lights.

[Twice]

As dozens of new handsets are launched every day, people are tempted to swap them for their not-so-outdated models. Though discarded handsets lead to a threatening rise to e-waste heaps, their complementing chargers add on to the same. As every phone comes with a charger that can only connect to itself. However cell phone giants are planning to come together to put an end to this menace by offering a universal charger that fits any kind of handset. Apple, Nokia and Sony Ericsson along with Motorola, LG, NEC, Samsung, Texas Instruments, Qualcomm and the BlackBerry maker have given their nod to this agenda. Studies state that there are more than 30 different chargers in circulation in member states of the European Union, which estimates that 51,000 are lying unused. Such a move will not only help our environment but also reduce the clutter in our drawers.

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Bicycles have been in the news off late for various reasons. Aside from the usual marketing schemes, the idea is to get every fat ass on the street to become healthy and also of course, use it as an alternative source to save the environment from the harsh carbon footprints. Hence, an architect firm designed this Bike Arc, a U-shaped bike rack to park your… bike! A few prototypes were installed in downtown Palo Alto in January and were an instant hit. The main idea was formulated by Jeff Seltzer, a bike retailer and advocate, and Joseph Bellomo, principal of Palo Alto–based Bellomo Architects. The Bike Arc is a simple curved unit that combines the space-saving quality of hanging systems with a much easier to maneuver roll-in-place design. The units can stand alone as the circular umbrella arc, incorporated into bus shelters or fully covered in the double-loaded tube design.

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Various experiments, programs and tests are being carried out daily for alternative sources of energy. One company in Florida finally came to a conclusion that carbon dioxide can be used to MAKE fuel rather than be the curse. Algenol Biofuels and Dow Chemical said that they are building a pilot plant on the site of a Dow plant in Freeport, Tex., that produces carbon dioxide as a by-product of several different processes. The algae would be exposed to sunlight, in water mixed with carbon dioxide, and would give off ethanol and oxygen. Dow wants the ethanol as a feedstock for plastic, replacing natural gas. In that sense, the ethanol-producing algae would become another processing unit in a chemical factory.

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AORA is developing the world’s first hybrid solar thermal plant. It will have enough capacity to power 70 homes throughout the day and night. It will have 30 heliostats that will track and reflect the sun towards the turbine tower, where the concentrated sunlight heats compressed air, which then drives a gas turbine. Through this process space is improved and energy is made more efficient. The company is also hoping to have plans in Jordan, where such a facility will provide great relief. They used solar thermal instead of the typical photovoltaic cells because the company feels that ‘solar thermal is a great technology for sunny areas, while PV can be more efficient in cloudy climates with indirect sunlight. When PV panels heat up, they lose efficiency, but in places like England, Japan or Germany, they [flourish]’.

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The engineers at the University of Leeds are working on an entirely new range of armored vests that are made from cement. The vests are a combination of super-strong cement and recycled carbon fiber materials. This combination makes the vests very strong and effective against almost all types of bullets. It is still at an early stage and is being developed at the School of Civil Engineering at the University. It is good enough for security guards, reporters and even aid workers who are working at hot spots.

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This is a time of severe water shortages around the world. The summers are also getting hotter as every year passes by. Hence conservation for water in gardens is becoming very important day by day. This is where AIR-igator comes into the picture. This device collects condensates from air conditioners, storing it and the automatically drip waters the plants. So the hotter it becomes the more water you get for your garden. A fairly efficient three ton central air conditioner unit will produce up to 15 gallons of water every day. Moreover the condensate from air is free from chemical and is pure, it is ideal for micro-irrigation. The system is also very simple. It has a diameter of 245 inches and a 65 gallon capacity polythene tank which is buried in the ground and the condensate drain pipe is plumbed straight in. it also has a 120V 1200 GPH pump and a float control. When the tank fills, this float will start the pump and run till the tank is empty. The float can also act a signal timer for watering the garden at specified times. Water loss is kept at a minimum and also inhibits the growth of weeds. A complete set of AIR-igator costs $495 and is presently available through the Florida based manufacturer.

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Most of us don’t bother to keep a tab on the amount of water consumed during our daily activities. And who thought a seemingly normal hose could do that for you! Tobin Spann came up with this very intelligent design of a water sprayer that shows how much water you consumed while washing your car or watering your lawn. Considering we normally use 80-100 gallons of water per day, this seems like a very intelligent way to make us aware of the amount of water used and consciously avoid any kind of water wastage. A smart product indeed I must say!

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A new solar trend seems to have caught everyone’s fancy these days and it was proved at the PV Japan 2009, an exhibition of photovoltaic technologies. This new trend is the tandem-type panel that consists of different kinds of solar cells and can convert light in a wider wavelength range to electricity. These panels are made of amorphous silicon and microcrystalline silicon and are suitable for industrial photovoltaic systems.

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When one is obsessed with saving energy he becomes really obsessed. Hence is the case with this particular high-tech house in California. It helps to shed energy by automatically cutting power to its array of high-end electronics. What happens is that when all the electronics are turned off, the phantom load of electricity that home electronics normally use are not drawn at all. In this house the phantom electricity load has been cut by a third by using energy-efficient electronics and automating them to power down completely.

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This is another one of them green yachts. But this is the first hydrogen powered yacht with a fully integrated laboratory to study pollution in the Mediterranean. The Zero CO2 project can sail using a clean carbon-free auxiliary motor. A scientific platform installed on the yacht by the University Joseph Fourier (UJF) and its technology transfer subsidiary, Floralis, will be used to collect scientific data on man-made pollution throughout the length of the 10 month trip. The yacht will travel around the Mediterranean coast as far as Turkey on a journey that will commence in March, 2010.

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YET another yacht story. Isn’t it odd at an hour and time of global warming, many are concentrating their energy on a green and eco-friendly yacht!? Spooky. This is a design by London-based Rainsford Mann Design. It is the 80metre Eco Yacht design that is built to reduce the carbon and ecological footprint of a luxury vessel as well as reducing operating costs and increasing comfort for those onboard. This ‘eco-yacht’ has got some really interesting features. On board are electrically driven Azipull Thrusters which are charged by ultra-efficient generators. Vibrations, noise and emissions produced when underway at a low speed would be reduced which reduces any ecological impact when mooring near fragile environments such as coral reefs. 100sqm of Solar Electric Panels and a Vertical Axis Wind-Turbine charge at up to 30kW, powering some of the low energy systems on board such as the long-lasting LED lighting throughout the vessel. Water Filled Solar Heating Panels absorb the sun’s heat which is used to drive an absorption chiller which can then reduce the air temperature within the vessel, thereby reducing load on the air conditioning systems.

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Aston Martin is synonymous to luxury and James Bond. But now the company intends to associate with the current trend of going green with its eco-friendly supermini. Dubbed, Cygnet, this low emission car will zoom from 0 to 60 in 14.7 seconds. So unlike an Aston! Based on Toyota's IQ city car it is given the Aston Martin makeover with a sporty grille, alloy wheels, and luxury interior. And the automaker intends to knock their loyal customers to drive this green Aston baby. Only folks who own an Aston will be eligible to buy Cygnet. Estimated to sell at about £20,000 ($33,000), I am sure it will not hurt any Aston owners who have shelled out about £160,000 ($265,000) for gas-guzzling cars from the same company. So Aston owners, care to swap those high-end non-eco-friendly vehicles for a green drive in Cygnet?

[Telegraph]

Solar power from space is not out of reach anymore! Japan’s government is serious about grabbing solar energy from space and directing it down to our planet pretty soon. The government intends to start work on related project before this year ends. Few firms comprising of pioneers in electronics and heavy electric machinery will be selected as early as next month to materialize this green project. The idea is to convert solar electricity into microwaves, which would then be converted back into electricity at the surface. Estimated to illuminate the world with the orbital solar power by 2030, the team will first attempt to transmit microwaves for a distance of around 10m only. However it will be extended to 100m within three to five years.

[Nikkei]

It's the correct marketing of a product that does wonders for sales. And LG is attempting to woo consumers with its latest energy efficient refrigerator with an out-of-this-world launch. Staying off the terra-firma, the company has designed a 70-meter long container ship disguised as their new refrigerator. Floating on blue waters, this football field sized ship-cum-refrigerator sailed up the Seine from Le Havre to Paris between June 22 and June 25. Though the company boasts that the refrigerator consumes low power, I am not too sure if the worldwide launch of this new LG side-by-side refrigerator was anywhere close to being environment-friendly. Wonder how much fuel was exhausted to sail such a massive ship just for advertising purpose. The well-designed, space-saving 617-liters refrigerator does make less noise due to a LG’s "Linear Compressor” technology. It is stated that this appliance requires 20 percent less energy than conventional refrigerators hence earning A+ class rating in the European Union.

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