Ericsson is till date known for the mobile phones it manufactures, but now it has come up with a tower tube that will soon work with a vertical wind turbine. It takes its inspiration from the award winning original Tower Tube. These new age cell towers are expected to make communication in regions with inadequate access to the power grid.

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This might be the largest biomass power plant in the world that runs only and only on chicken manure. Netherlands has come up with an innovative eco-friendly method which is expected to provide renewable electricity to somewhere around 90,000 households.

With a capacity of 36.5 megawatts, the biomass plant will generate more than 270 million kWh of electricity per year. Insiders reveal that the plant is a good way to get rid of the chicken manure, which if spread over the farm land would release a massive amount of CO2 as well as methane.
In other words, the plant is more than just ‘carbon neutral’. It will use up approximately 440,000 tons of chicken manure, which is one third of the total chicken manure produced in Netherlands every year. Indeed a good way to get rid of pollution by excess of different kinds of animal manure, a problem faced by many agrarian economies.
Via enn

We had been hearing of it unofficially for some time now, but finally Toshiba has come out with the actual schedule of the fuel cell-powered mobile devices. Releasing in March 2009, the new mobile devices will be equipped with a methanol fuel cell that gets charged with a dedicated cartridge. However, there will be a second built-in-Li-ion battery that will provide a strong back up.

Hear hear the cartridge can make space for around 50 ml of 99 per cent methanol which can charge a mobile phone 10 times. Priced at 700 yen, the cartridge has already become hot property but Toshiba is planning to reduce the cost price further down to 100 yen. A wise move as it will increase salability manifolds.

The big Toshiba plan is to use these fuel cells in digi cams, lappy etc as well. And the best part is, the cartridge being designed will be of a single type and will be compatible with many devices.

Via nikkei

The concept of ‘green buldings’ seems to be catching up in India. These structures are truly eco-friendly as they harvest their own water and not to forget the solar power systems. Not only this, they even have their own waste re-cycling system.

Plus the greenery in the otherwise concrete junglse that metros in India have become, is sure bliss. The construction has been done so that more than 50 per cent of the bulding is covered with glass like it is in Japan, which reflects the sun’s rays and keeps the indoor cool; thus, saving power.

When the fad was at a nascent stage, a 20,000 sqaure feet green building was consructed in Hyderbad in 2004. But now, the green attitude is catching up. You will be surprised to know that the green buldings (please read 315) in India today cover over 235 millin square feet.
Via zeenews

Imitating nature, this may be called!! With Lianne van Genugte designing an automatic functioning device which lights up with the sun, technology seems to be going the nature way. Intertwined with flexible solar cells that receive power from the sun during the day this device provides shade to its owners or to portions of a house in need of protection from heat or bright light. This innovation has been selected as one of 64 finalists for the Golden Eye, the top award for which is to be given at Dutch Design Week in mid-October.
Though this is a step ahead towards optimum utilization of natural resources, it has its respective loop-holes. Automatic switching may lead in wastage of accumulated energy when not required. Besides this, it also requires a battery to store solar energy to reserve all the power for illuminating the nights followed by cloudy days.

Also such a solar guzzling shade can be utilized to power up few household gadgets. Like a flower opens to the sun, this device opens at daylight and closes at dusk.
Via EcoDesign

The Crown Estate of England knows which way the wind blows and has decided to acquire the prototype of the world’s biggest wind turbine, Clipper’s 7.5 megawatt MBE turbine, also known as the Britannia. While the other windmills have been land-based, this giant will be located in deep waters near the UK. This will assist the marine interests of The Crown Estate which includes almost the entire UK territorial seabed out to 12 nautical miles , about 55% of the UK’s coastal foreshore, and rights to lease seabed for the generation of renewable energy on the continental shelf within the Renewable Energy Zone which extends out to approximately 200 nautical miles.
This will drive forward the development of turbine technology designed for the challenges of the offshore environment hence providing a great opportunity to help establish a new industrial base of activity to advance the UK’s leadership in renewable energy.

The 10-megawatt monster machine built by Clipper Windpower of Carpinteria, California will have a wingspan larger than two soccer fields and will stand 574 feet tall when completed. The windmill is expected to displace two million barrels of oil as well as 724,000 tons of CO2 over its lifetime. It will also serve as the flagship for Clipper’s Britannia Project, an effort to produce massive new turbines on deep-sea floating platforms. If all goes as planned, the Queen’s windmill will light up thousands of British homes starting in 2012.
This thus, will not only prove benevolent but when yield as a good financial investment for the Crown as well.


Via fashionfunky

As the latest innovation in green technology and water desalination, comes the Solar Cube (aka Spectra Solar Brackish Water System). Producing 950 to 1500 gallons of water daily, it can be used in disaster areas, such as hurricane affected sites. Not only this, the solar cells attached to the Cube can produce up to 1240W. It also has a wind generator that helps with energy production up to another 1000W.
Utilizing Spectra’s highly efficient Clark Pump technology it minimizes energy consumption & provides extra electricity to power other devices. Having advantages like rapid installation it provides Off-the-Grid water purification and has point-of-entry water filtration capabilities. Adding to this once deployed and in operation, no fuel or fuel delivery costs are incurred. Like all the inventions of our days, the Cube has been already tested by the army and the civilian services of Chile. Likewise, it has been imported in remote areas of South America and Asia. Early prototype models were used in Pakistan after the major 1995 earthquake.

The users say it performs well - it has a recovery rate of about 30% and it produces quality water, with less than 170mg/L of seawater in it. Hence this popular “off the grid” solution can be used for military applications & civil defense and creates drinking water and electricity anywhere at any time.
Via Cleantechnica

Technology going ecofriendly is the best one could ask for. But if it brings foliage straight into your house-Bingo! Sara Rossbach has planted an innovative green concept for today’s energy consuming lifestyle. She has come up with a décor for your window that is dubbed as Leaf Shade. Leaf Shade utilizes sun’s energy to power up a house and at the same time acts as a screen to keep away the glaring sun. This leafy shade too just like real leaves absorbs the sun rays.

But the shade doesn’t prepare food for itself. It is tweaked to power your home with solar energy instead. Made of two layers, the prime solar film layer is fitted with a battery and does the actual job of energizing your abode with all the goodness of the sun. The other layer is fabric that is dressed with cutouts that give an impression of sunlight passing through the leaves. With the concrete jungles spreading like wildfire erasing all the greens from the face of the earth, this Leaf Shade would also remind you every moment to conserve our lush greens.

A very interesting and style of green décor and eco-energy, one would agree. This one’s a must have for every eco-lover!

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If we go by natural facts then it’s absolutely accurate that we would on no account be competent to neutralize carbon effects of wood burning in our lives but we may possibly accept this and make the most of it in newly designed wood boilers. The concept revealed here articulates that these pioneering boilers breed out only that much of carbon dioxide by burning wood which a customary and natural decay process of woods in forests would do. Putting this in another way we can say that without augmenting in the already established environmental carbon intensity levels, this new range of wood boilers bequeath us with much healthier green boiling option.

Unlike the conventional fossil fuels employing boilers, these home energy wood boilers are fully automated and appealing as well. Within the power range of 12 KW to 62 KW, these eco friendly boilers are apposite to congregate our home’s each and every energy requisite in effect.

Via HomeEnergy

So what exactly is ‘Solar Cogeneration Power’? That is probably something that we should clear out first and foremost before getting in to the meat of the matter. It is quite simple actually and it just means that solar power will help power the engine to a partial extent. Why are we so bothered about that one little term when we have such a huge story unfolding before us? Simply because it very cleverly hides the fact that this Solar Powered Cargo ship will probably be powered by solar energy to a very little extent. I would be surprised if it was even 10% of the total power required to power a cargo ship.

Japan’s biggest shipping line Nippon Yusen KK and Nippon Oil Corp said that solar panels capable of generating 40 kilowatts of electricity each would be placed on top of a 60,000-tonne car carrier to be used by Toyota Motor Corporation. The ship system is expected to help reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 1 to 2%, or about 20 tonnes per year. While the news is indeed great, using wind and wave energy would probably be more viable along with solar power. Any amounts of energy saving is indeed good, but why stay content for so little when it can be a lot better?

The energy provided by the solar panels would probably amount to 5% of the total power that the ship needs and both salinity and vibrations of the ship will further hamper their efficiency. On the wide blue oceans, it just makes more sense to tap in to the unabated wind and the untamed waves!

Via Nextenergynews