Environmental News, Eco-Friendly Gadgets - FreshAirTimes.eu

Eco Factor: Eco-friendly structure designed to harvest rainwater and reduce energy consumption.

The Horizontal Scraper is the brainchild of designers Rae Won Noh, In Ki Kim, Jeong Tae Kim, Hyo Bin Jung and Jang Ook Lee and has been conceptualized to reduce the environmental impact of high rise buildings. Unlike conventional skyscrapers, the Horizontal Scraper rests above the ground level on roofs of existing buildings.The 15-story tall structure “floats” on the skyline without blocking natural light necessary for the buildings underneath. The mixed-use structure provides space for residences, offices and recreation areas. The rooftop is adorned with green garden with sports facilities. Moreover, the roof also includes rainwater harvesting systems, which help in reducing solar heat gain as well.

Eco Factor: Zero-emission vehicle powered by an electric engine.

The urban world of tomorrow not only needs vehicle that are powered by clean energy, but need them to be compact so that they don’t use up much space on the overly crowded highways. Auto designer Raphael Morais recognizes the challenges and has come up with a concept vehicle perfectly suited for such environment.Christened Seat Flexus, the zero-emission vehicle is powered by electricity and adopts a compact form to ease parking. Instead of conventional air-filled tires, the vehicle uses next-gen Tweels reducing need for car maintenance.

Eco Factor: Sustainable twin towers look into minimizing energy consumption.

Designed by Plasma Studio, the Datong Twin Towers is a mix-use complex that flaunts its extraordinary design and sustainability. Planned to be erected on a 70,000sqm area, the green structure was recently awarded first prize in an invited competition in Datong, Shanxi province. It will house a hotel in one tower and offices in the other.Depicting the architectural firms’ geometric obsession, the towers will include low-energy ventilation design in its interior along with parametric differentiated facade concept, which will help in minimizing energy consumption and maximizing ambient quality and expression.

The central light well between the towers is surrounded by shared public spaces. There is also room for pedestrians and greenery. The lowest level has a common public lobby, while the towers end on an accessible roofscape. The twin towers hold the potential to become a landmark for China.

Via: ArchDaily

Eco Factor: Stylish bike concept powered by thermal and electric engine.

Stylish, powerful, aesthetically appealing and huge are the words that come to my mind when I think of this muscle hunk. Dubbed the “Custombike concept,” this dazzling bike is what I would like to call a complete green package. It is powered by a hybrid engine, which is a combination of a thermal engine and the electric one hidden in the frame.The French designer Jean Baptiste Robilliard has also included a F1 like HERS system that harvests braking power to convert it into electric energy. The Lithium-ion batteries perform the electric power saving task for this eco-friendly concept. Honestly, it is designed as a two-wheel muscle car for the road.

Eco Factor: Outdoor umbrella generates power for recharging portable devices.

Konarka Technologies, an innovator in development and commercialization of Power Plastic (a material that converts light to energy), is working to make sure that power for your portable devices is available anywhere. The firm entered into a technology partnership with SKYShades one year ago and lately, SKYShades received its first shipment of Konarka Power Plastic thin film. SKYShades is one of the global leaders in supplying shade and tension membrane structures. This lightweight thin film, which converts light to energy, will be used by SKYShades to create the Powerbrella, an innovative way to charge your laptop, cellphone or other portable devices outdoors.

Designed for use at outdoor venues such as cafés and restaurants, hotel and resort swimming pools and outdoor lounges, the Powerbrella incorporates the Power Plastic on the surface of SKYShades’ retractable and fixed architectural SKYbrella. Testing for the Powerbrella has been done in 2008 at Lake Highland Preparatory School in Orlando. Physics students at Lake Highland checked the effectiveness of the Powerbrella to withstand the elements, its ability to generate clean green energy and the amount of resulting power that could be stored in batteries for reuse.

Other than generating energy from the solar panels, the Powerbrella will also offer people coverage from the sun. The Powerbrella is expected to go on sale by Q3 of 2009.

Via: Talk2MyShirt

Eco Factor: Energy-efficient Air Conditioning system from Ice Energy.

Ice Energy has developed an energy-efficient way to reduce the energy required by air conditioners installed in small to mid-sized commercial buildings. Ice Bear, as the system has been named, stores off-peak power in the form of ice to reduce daytime energy consumption, which isn’t green and is obviously expensive.

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Eco Factor: Cold storage facility powered by solar energy.

Perpetual Power has announced the completion of a 416KW DC solar installation on a Budweiser cold beer storage facility in Contra Costa County, California. The 2,240 panels, which cover about 60% of the 110K-aquare-foot building’s energy needs generate about 600,000KWh of energy which would result in an annual savings of approximately $100,000.

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Eco Factor: Zero-emission car powered by electricity.

BRUSA Elektronik has developed a new electric roadster, The Spyder, which offers speed, performance and styling without polluting the environment with even a gram of CO2 emission. The Porsche 550-inspired roadster comes with two real-wheel-mounted 100KW electric motors which churn out an amazing 270HP and 324 foot-pounds of torque.

The car, with a 16KWh lithium-polymer battery pack, does zero to 62 in less than five seconds and can power the car for 100KM on a full charge. The company claims that its enormous battery pack can be recharged in just four hours when plugged into a 16-amp 220V line. Since the car’s power house is mounted on the rear wheels which eliminates the need for a differential lowering the weight of the car to just 2,000 pounds for maximum efficiency.

Via: Autopia

Eco Factor: Unmanned aircraft powered by solar energy.

Aurora Flight Sciences has announced that the company successfully flew their latest solar powered UAV, the SunLight Eagle. The flights took place at the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Flight Test Center operated by the Physical Science Laboratory of New Mexico State University. The news came just days after the company announced the successful completion of a solar aircraft from DARPA’s Vulture Program.

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Eco Factor: World’s largest solar energy plant planned for Australia.

Australian Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd has said in a statement that the government is ready to invest $1.05 million (USD) to build the world’s largest solar power plant with an output of 1000MW. The plant will have three times the generating capacity of the current biggest solar energy plant which is in California.

The project is intended to exploit Australia’s biggest natural resources, the Sun. The plant will help Australia become a leader in the renewable energy sector. The project should eventually lead to a network of solar-powered stations across the country. The government stated that the country doesn’t want to be a renewable energy follower but a renewable energy but a clean energy leader in the world. Tender details will be announced later this year and successful bidders will be named in the first half of 2010.

Image Credit: Flickr [Under a Creative Commons License]

Via: Reuters