Category Archives: Awareness and Hype
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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It seems that energy companies are overcharging households to the tune of an extra 1.6 billion pounds a year by failing to pass on the total fall in wholesale prices to customers. Gas prices have to be atleast 7.4 percent cheaper while electricity should be a minimum of 3.1 percent cheaper. Energy bills have risen by 42 percent last year. There were some reductions in spring, they haven’t reflected collapse of around 50 percent in the wholesale price of gas and electricity. British customers are not enjoying as much as cut as their western counterparts and to top that many Spanish, German and French companies which own most of the British companies are giving good discounts in their home countries but not in United Kingdom. But as usual energy companies have denied the fact that they are over charging. It is so obvious.
[Dailymail]
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This is graphene – a sheet of graphite the thickness of just one atom that can be processed like silicon to make electronic devices, which makes it easier to manipulate than the currently used material carbon nanotubes. Graphene based electronics reduces a lot of the waste normally seen while making electronics. Researchers say that the electrons in graphene are more than 100 times more mobile than in silicon even at room temperature, reducing the need for energy-sucking temperature controls. The Defense Advanced Research Project Agency is now reportedly starting to invest heavily in graphene-based electronics through its Microsystems Technology Office, which is developing graphene-based transistors.
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A 70 foot digital billboard was unveiled today at 33rd Street and 7th Avenue in the heart of New York City by Deutsche Bank. It displays the running total of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The number displayed on the scientifically-valid Counter is based on measurements that come from scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The measurements track all long-lived greenhouse gases covered under the Kyoto and Montreal Protocols. It is definitely a huge task to control and bring down the global emissions. But we have to start somewhere isn’t it.
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Copenhagen in Denmark is a very green city. Evident so, in its new introduction of the cyclist counter or the cykelbarometer in front of city hall. It counts the number of cyclists that pass by on any given day. There are two things in the counter – total number today and total number this year so far. The way they are promoting this is by giving a Biomega bike free to the 500,000th passerby. The cool thing about this is that on an average there are about 12,000 cyclists that pass by on a week day. This also has an air pump to inflate the bike’s tires.
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India too is gaining momentum in the green race. The country is gearing up for a ‘National Solar Mission’ which is still not officially out in open. Touted to be world’s most ambitious solar strategy, the plans includes a national target of 20 gigawatts (GW) of solar generation capacity by 2020; 100GW by 2030; and an astounding 200GW by 2050. However at present the green scene is bleak as it is estimated that only 700 megawatts is generated from photovoltaic cells each year. Akin to the German strategy, this plan too includes a feed-in tariff. Once enforced, it will be mandatory for all hospitals, hotels, and residential complexes larger than 500 sq meters install solar hot water systems. And just when you are wondering how can India support such an expensive project ($20bn over a 30-year period), let me tell you that the government is going to get wiser by levying heavy taxes on fossils fuels which are currently heavily subsidized. Such a move will help India to fight climate change as well as provide basic energy consumption for hundred thousand of residents below poverty line.
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A US government report says that by 2030 carbon pollution will grow by 40 percent, much of it to come from China and India. Their growing economies will prove the biggest threat to the atmosphere which is facing huge concerns of depletion. According to the report there will be substantial growth in the use of renewable energy sources such as hydropower, wind and solar, the report said. But it also said overall growth in demand will require continued reliance on fossil fuels, especially oil and coal. President Obama is taking this quite seriously and thank God for that keeping in mind all the ice caps of Greenland that is decreasing as we type. Congress is considering legislation that would reduce greenhouse gases by 17 percent by 2020 and about 80 percent by mid-century and Obama has called for mandatory limits on greenhouse gases. An international conference is scheduled for December to try to work out a treaty requiring such emission reductions.
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Not just bark but also bite is required when you take the giant leap in making eco-friendly devices and products because it is a serious matter. Pure has hence announced that its Energy Saving Recommended radios are officially certified to use less energy than an energy saving light bulb. Apparently running four Pure Energy Saving Recommended radios will use less electricity than one low energy light bulb on for the same time. Officials of the Energy Saving Trust’s says that an Energy Saving Trust accredited digital radio is the most efficient way to listen to DAB digital radio and we would encourage anyone enjoying the fantastic content that digital radio provides to move across to one of these radios which uses less electricity and is better for the environment.
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Studies state that a quarter of the world will be powered by solar energy by 2050. Since we are seeing a surge in mega solar projects world wide (Hawaii, Taiwan, Australia, Spain), it isn’t unnatural to expect 25% of the globe to be free of grid connectivity. Three groups, Greenpeace, the European Solar Thermal Electricity Association (ESTELA) and the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) SolarPACES group assert that solar power could meet up to seven percent of the world’s projected power needs in 2030. It is reported that a giant surge in investments to 21 billion euros a year by 2015 and 174 billion a year by 2050 will also help to create many job opportunities. Solar plants would also have installed capacity of 1,500 gigawatts by 2050. It is estimated that concentrating solar power installations made up just 430 Megawatts of the world’s electricity generation capacity at the end of 2008. However another four decades for just a part of globe to go grid-free seems to be a long wait. Wonder when our whole planet can be enjoy this green liberty!
[Businessinsider]
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I don’t get it. People have been coming up with such strange ideas for New York city, I can’t seem to wonder where is the space for all this! There was news sometime ago regarding a settlement in air and now here is a vertical farm based on the wings of a butterfly. Yes, literally that. Belgian based Vincent Callebaut Architectures has come up with a dragonfly vertical farm concept in the city located along the east river at the south edge of Rooselvelt Island in New York city. The tower will apparently be self sufficient in water, energy and bio fertilizing. It will have 132 floors and 600 vertical meters and will be able to accommodate 28 different agricultural fields for the production of fruit, vegetables, grains, meat and dairy.
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