The XR3 is a hybrid car that can run 125 miles per gallon on diesel power alone. But if you take in account the electrical power it can run as much as 225 miles a gallon. It can carry 2 passengers. It weighs only 1480 pounds. Either power can be used in standby or together by just flipping switches. The li-ion battery is good for 40 miles.
Looks like Nokia is planning to make solar energy redundant by making cellphones that can be powered by radio waves. A prototype radio wave-powered cell phone is already in development at the Nokia Research Centre where it will be able to harvest 50 milliwatts of power which is enough to charge a switched off phone. If this technology works, then it could be used for a variety of appliances like MP3 players and other electrical devices that use around 100 milliwatts of power. Nokia plans to release the technology in three to five years probably as an add-on to solar powered cellphones.
The Onda Velocita is a luxury powerboat concept which fuses the latest in high-tech systems and materials, with traditional design elements and craftmanship. The speciality of this luxury yacht concept is that the roof is interwoven with a series of photovoltaic cells which provide electrical energy to the onboard batteries so that when you are out boating on a sunny day, you don’t have to run the engines as a generator to top them. In short your electrical appliances will all run without depleting your batteries.
Earlier, we did mention about a helmet concept that charges up batteries by feeding on wind. But today it times to take a read about a prototype that puts all such ideas into action. A team of three students from Taiwan’s Cheng Shiu University has invented a motorcycle helmet that can generate electricity and power a scooter’s lights. Fitted with five tiny fans, aka wind turbines, and four batteries to store the electricity produced, this helmet can also power a pair of direction indicator and brake lights on the back of the helmet. A Bluetooth wireless transmitter sends the power to the vehicle to light up the indicators. Estimated at $30, this charging-up helmet will soon reach the production stage as the inventors are looking out for some manufacturers to mass produce them.
[Eco-trees]
Lamborghini is not just a good car-maker, they are also great thinkers for humanity. They proved that by announcing that the products coming out of the factory vow to reduce CO2 to 35% by 2015 by adding solar power to their factory they will install a 17,000 square meter solar array to its factory roof that, when completed later this year, will generate 1,582 MWh of electricity annually. Changes will be made inside the plant to improve insulation, lighting, and climate control as part of a broader effort to lower factory-related CO2 emissions 30 percent by 2010.
The chairman of Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority today inaugurated Masdar’s 10MW marking the integration of the largest solar photovoltaic plant in the Middle East. This state of the art plant will generate 10 mega watts of clean energy which is equivalent of taking 3300 cars off the road yearly. This solar plant will provide electricity to the temporary site of Masdar site administration facilities and also power the ongoing construction activities. It will also supply all the energy needs of Masdar Institute of Science and Technology. The institute itself is a graduate level scientific institution dedicated to renewable energy study.
Air travel is such a common thing these days and that could also be another reason to why our environment is so messed up and greasy. To save the trouble, the Air New Zealand Boeing 747-400 partially fuelled itself by fruit oil, a 50-50 blend of oil from a plum-sized fruit known as jatropha and traditional jet fuel. A demonstration was done for a two-hour flight. Apparently the greenhouse gas emissions from long-haul flights could be cut by 65 per cent by using the biofuel and up to 1.5 tons of fuel could be saved in a 12-hour flight, and cut carbon dioxide emissions by about five tons – around 60 per cent. While so much investment is going into going green, such inititatives are definitely a route to success.
[Dailymail]
The word free is something that makes you very happy when you hear it or when you see it. If you are the kind of person who loves to hear it because it saves you the extra pennies for your something special, this would be of interest to you. If you are looking for free Wi-Fi in your city, well it will be soon coming to your nearest bus shelter and also few other hi-tech perks. San Francisco’s first solar powered bus shelter with Wi-Fi has been launched in the Richmond District at Geary and Arguello Boulevards. This is the first of the 1100 similar structures that will be up by 2013. The bus shelter will harness the sunlight to power a push-button update, intercom, LED display and also your free Wi-Fi. The structure is made from 75% recycled materials.
[Bayareaonthecheap]
What do window blinds do? That is easy. They keep the heat out of the building by blocking sun rays in the day. Blight which is an innovative company has taken the window blinds to the next level. They have recently displayed their ne illuminating solar blinds concept which combines flexible solar panels into venetian blinds to collect energy during the day and provide light during the night.
This is an exciting new solution that enables action driven citizens to improve and share environmental best practices. Bluetooth wireless devices will be used in combination with mobile phones for first large scale deployment in Paris. Air pollution is one of the most important factors affecting the quality of life and the health of the increasingly urban population. Currently the data of different pollutants measured at different stations in a city are typically aggregated to a single number. Air pollution is highly location dependent, especially in the vicinity of traffic chokepoints. The miniature wrist worn solution leverages geolocation chips and mobile technologies. Such devices transform mobile phones into measurement instruments using Bluetooth communication. Sensaris provides mobile centric solutions bases on geolocations, wireless communication and low power.