Japanese car manufacturer, Honda, has been known to dish out exceptional pieces of technology in the past. The company has now been crowned as the country’s first car manufacturer to sell solar power! Honda plans to install 0,000 panels on the rooftops of its factory buildings in Yorii, Saitama Prefecture. The panels will begin power generation by August while the assembly line in the factory will kick off operations by July. These panels will generate 2.6 megawatts and generate enough energy to meet 3.7% of the factory’s power needs.
One of the world’s most popular cola manufacturers, Coca-Cola, is bringing greener technology to Africa in order to secure its stance in the African market. The company has joined hands with One Degree Solar to bring solar energy to grid-free grocery kiosks. This in turn will allow these kiosks to stay open for longer hours and increase the sales of Coca-Cola. Using One Degree Solar’s BrightBulb solar kits, thousands of grocery kiosks across Kenya will be powered by solar energy and offer refreshments after the sun has set.
Qatar is making a special effort to have the 2022 FIFA World Cup go as green as possible. The country was elected as the host for the World Cup and is currently developing a state-of-the-art solar-powered cooling technology that will keep visitors cool and away from the Middle Eastern summer heat. The state is also developing stadiums incorporating modular technology for the tournament which will be disassembled after the World Cup completes. The seating will then be donated to countries lacking good sports infrastructure.
The city of Venice seems to have realized that its water ways are slowly though surely turning polluted and could soon become nothing more than thick sludge. So, to keep away the pollution, the city has banned motor boats and any form of polluting transport through its waterways, with a hope that cleaner and more energy-efficient and eco-friendly means of transport will be used. This could indeed include electric boats and hand-powered vessels that require oars or pedals.
The world’s largest operational off-shore wind farm is busy churning out megawatts and powering up the UK grid with green and renewable energy. Called the London Array, the wind farm had its 175th turbine commissioned on Saturday afternoon and overtook the Greater Gabbard west farm, also in UK. The array has a capacity of 630 MW and was completed in December.
The United States of America is embracing the greener side of transportation and the nation has seen a huge rise in the numbers of charging stations off-late. The US has increased the number of publicly accessible electric-vehicle charging stations by 9% in the first quarter of the current year, 2013! With increased demands from EV drivers who have begun taking to the streets recently, putting gas-guzzlers to shame, several municipalities and retailers have begun installing more charging stations.
His Holiness The Pope could soon travel in a one-of-a-kind green ride, unlike any his predecessors have travelled in before. Commissioned by the Environmental Transport Association (ETA) after previous pontiff, Pope Benedict, spoke about a green Pope-Mobil, this pedal-powered chariot for the Holy Father is bullet-proof and amour-plated. Currently under development, the contraption will be ready for delivery this summer.
We’ve been following the journey of the awe-inspiring Solar Impulse HB-SIA plane since quite a while now. Termed as the world’s cleanest and greenest aircraft, this one is powered up by solar energy and does no harm to the environment as it flies through the skies above. The Solar Impulse uses batteries to store the electricity collected by the solar panels on its wings. The energy stored is then used to power up the plane’s engines.
Mercedes Benz recently announced its latest development that will hit the shores of the United States of America. The company will soon stock the 2014 Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive and the car will show up on store shelves by early 2014. With a sweet range of around 115 miles, the German automaker assures this to be one of the greenest cars to have rolled out of its assembly lines.
It’s best to inculcate habits in people when they’re young. Teaching the new generation the cons of fossil fuels and the pros of renewable energy is the need of the hour. What we’ve got here is a fuel cell-powered toy car that teaches kids the awesomeness of having a vehicle this clean. Called the H-ROVER or the H2GO, the toy is light, eco-friendly and is recyclable.
