As our dependence on fossil fuels will be reduced, we will need new ways of harnessing renewable energies. Actually, there are lots of ways to get energy - wind, solar, wave and tidal will replace oil in the future. The problem is that we have to find efficient and cheaper options to get power from the sun or from the wind.

Home Energy is a Swedish company which has designed a new wind turbine that is very silent and it’s based on six curved rotor blades attached to a rotor hub at both ends. The new and futuristic wind turbine is called Energy Ball and when it rotates it looks like a sphere and it creates a wind flow which resembles the rapids of a river - this wind flow pattern is called the Venturi effect.

Thanks to the Venturi Effect, the Energy Ball is more efficient aerodynamically as it also catches low-winds to generate electricity. Although the costs seem to be cheaper than for a conventional wind turbine, for the moment we don’t know when Home Energy will start manufacturing and when they will deliver the first Energy Ball wind turbines.

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What would you say if plants would grow in deserts? Actually, not plants, but entire crops for a big quantity of food and this is not all as this project developed by a team of engineers which also claim that the Sahara Forest Project will provide clean water in deserts.

The idea is not entirely new as this project is being demonstrated in Tenerife in Spain, in Oman and in the United Arab Emirates. The Sahara Forest Project consists of greenhouses and concentrated solar power. This technique is great because it’s based on mirrors to concentrate the sun rays which causes steam to spin the turbines that will eventually generate electricity.

“Plants need light for growth but they don’t like heat beyond a certain point,” said Charlie Paton, a member of the team and the designer of the Seawater Greenhouse. The plan is to create this solar farm that will reduce the temperature inside with 15C. As the condensed water will appear, the team found a way to use this fresh water to irrigate crops and to clean the solar-concentrator mirrors.

“So we’ve got conditions in the greenhouse of high humidity and lower temperature. The crops sitting in this slightly steamy, humid condition can grow fantastically well,” added Patton. In the demonstration greenhouse-solar farms you could see vegetables like lettuces, cucumbers and tomatoes growing.

For the Sahara Forest Project to be completed it would be needed about $120 million in funding, 20 hectares of space for greenhouses and a 10-megawatt CSP plant. We don’t know if the project is underway or when it will be completed, however we are hoping that the project will be deployed soon.

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Here is an interesting concept wind turbine that could solve all the problems of conventional wind turbines. It’s small, beautiful, quiet and it catches winds from all directions. The conceptual wind turbine is called Natura Levo and it was designed by Laura Sink from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh.

The wind turbine can be installed on any structure, from a telephone pole or on a house. Well, you can even put it in your own backyard, but the problem is that winds are not so strong there therefore we wouldn’t recommend to mount it there.

The Natura Levo turbine measures 66-inch tall and it consists of two blades which are spinning around a center axis that completes a beautiful and futuristic, but so simple design.

The wind turbine will be made of Novomer plastic, steel bearings and an adjustable cylinder mount. We shouldn’t ignore the small housings which will not be machined unlike all other components that will be molded in four pieces and the energy will be harnessed by the nature of rotation. We can only hope to see Natura Lebo turbines become a reality in the future!

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I guess you have noticed that we love to present you vehicles of the future which will make our transportation easier and greener. In my opinion this is one of the greatest concepts ever as you can carry it around because it’s foldable. The Sun Fold Bike was designed by CaO dawei and it won some awards at international design competitions.

It’s called Sun Fold Bike and it’s powered thanks to the solar panels which will absorb the energy coming from the sun. If it’s night outside, then don’t worry as the energy in excess will be stored so that it can be used when the sun doesn’t shine.

Like I said, the bike is foldable and you can put in a baggage and if you’re in a hurry just unfold and go! If you get stuck in traffic, then fold it and walk. Surely, the materials have to be extremely lighweight because not all the people are weightlifting world champions.

Source via EcoFriend

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A few days ago tidal power “entered on the market” as the first ever tidal turbine power station was put on the National Grid in Strangford Lough, Northern Ireland. In a test, the £10million turbine designed by SeaGen was able to power 150 homes and in a few weeks (when it will perform at full speed) it will be able to generate 1.2 megawatts of power which is enough for 1,000 homes.

The tidal turbine works like an underwater windmill and the rotors are powered by tidal flows and Strangford Lough is a perfect place as the stream is one of the fastest in the world. The turbine is situated at 400 meters offshore, it’s connected to the sea floor and it will generate energy for 20 hours per day.

“This is an important milestone for the company and indeed the development of the marine renewable energy sector as a whole. SeaGen, MCT, tidal power and the UK Government’s push for marine renewables all now have real momentum” said Martin Wright, managing director at Marine Current Turbines (MCT).

Although Strangford Lough is a breeding place for seals, the SeaGen turbine won’t pose any threat for them as the rotors only have 10 to 15 revolutions per minute which is very slow therefore the marine wildlife will be safe.

DailyMail

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In a world full of machines and buildings that have a negative impact on the environment there are needed green and sustainable structures therefore architects started to design buildings that protect the environment. London is a city where a sustainable office building will be built on the Southbank of the River Thames at One Westminster Place.

In my opinion, green architecture is really cool as many buildings feature a glass facade and this is exactly what Sheppard Robson architecture firm prepared for the London structure. The glass facade is destined to offer a great view for the surroundings (you will be able to spot the Parliament Square and the Westminster Bridge), it will reflect the sun beams in rainbow colors which will create a crystal effect.

The glass facade will be very important as it will contribute to the temperature control thanks to an “environmental buffer” between the interior and the exterior that will get heat for energy which will help the structure to receive an excellent BREEAM, the British environmental standard, rating.

The One Westminster Place will have a space of 345,000 square feet, will be 18-story high and there will be a center atrium from top to bottom that will provide a nice view on the inside. On the roof you will find a 10,000 square feet terrace so the view over the city will be amazing. For the moment there is no word about when the construction will begin and when it will be finished but we expect this to happen soon.

Sheppard Robson via WorldAchitectureNews

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Nowadays, a major problem is global warming and we all know that cars contribute a lot to this with their CO2 emissions and if you add the fact that the oil price is so high then cars are not so great anymore. But what if we could drive solar-powered cars? Actually, we could do this but those are not so efficient until the SolarWorld No.1 appeared.

This solar-powered car manages a top speed of 75mph and an average speed of 45mph on an 1864-mile race at the 2008 World Solar Challenge which was held this month in Australia. The SolarWorld No.1 never stopped at a “gas” station, however it only finished fourth at the race.

The SolarWorld No.1 was designed by a team of 50 students alongside their professors and they did well as the car won the Best Challenge Class Design Award. Also, we should mention that the motor managed to drive the front wheel at 94% efficiency which is really great. Now this looks like the future, isn’t it?

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I think that there is no need in reminding you that greenhouse gases are affecting the air which is more and more polluted. Due to this problem, car manufacturers are forced to design greener cars that will not have negative impacts on the environment.

We all know what Toyota managed to do as the Prius is the most renowned hybrid-car in the world. A while ago, the European Council came up with a new rule which will lead the automakers to manufacture cars with an 130g/km limit of the CO2 levels by 2012. This ruling would ruin the business of supercar manufacturers like Ferrari or Lamborghini.

In a recent interview with German newspaper Welt am Sonntag, Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo said that they are planning to reduce CO2 levels by 40% before 2012. They will make it possible thanks to a new hybrid technology and Ferrari might build cars powered by turbocharged V6 engines which are smaller and more fuel-efficient.

“We are currently working on the development of a Ferrari that will use alternative energy sources and which will be based on what we are doing at the moment in Formula 1″, he said. KERS or Kinetic Energy Recycling System is a technique based on the brake-energy-regeneration principle and it consists of a super-efficient CVT gearbox which uses a spinning flywheel to harness energy when the car brakes. This energy will be perfect to increase the acceleration needed when overtaking or cornering.

In the end, Luca di Montezemolo revealed that the hybrid Ferrari “would still have to fundamentally a Ferrari” therefore we can still expect high-performance cars. The problem is that the first hybrid Ferraris will enter on the market “until around 2015″. I guess we will have to wait and see what Ferrari will prepare for us.

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Everybody knows that the wind is an incredible source of power therefore researchers are trying to find new ways of producing energy using its force. One great project is BroadStar’s AeroCam which is a very powerful micro-turbine that spins on horizontal axis to allow its blades to intuitively track wind’s path.

These micro-turbines are the first that will reach the $1/watt cost therefore BroadStar is looking to integrate them in wind farms for rural and urban use. Thanks to its great design, AeroCam is easy to manufacture, transport and to be installed therefore the costs are lower than any other turbines.

For about $250,000 you can build a 250kW system that works perfectly with wind speeds from 4mph to 80mph, and these micro-turbines are very silent. For the moment, BroadStar is testing the AeroCam, but they are very confident that the results will be encouraging.

BroadStar

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Green architecture has been around for a while now and this is a good thing because they consist of state-of-the-art techniques and they are helping us to take care of our planet. Eco-structures are also very cool and another great example is the Habitat 2020 which was designed by Philips for China as a sustainable development.

These EcoHomes will be built in urban megalopolis and they combine electronics with bio-chemical functionalities which lead to a new material that acts like a sensitive functional skin that is “alive” and it harnesses energy.

The new skin acts like a membrane which absorbs air, water and light from the outside and it brings it into the interior. This means that there is possible to forget about our dependence on the grid because the new skin provides us with every necessary source. The membrane will move around in order to get into the best position to harness as much energy as possible.

The active skin will channel the air and the wind in order to supply the interior with clean and filtered air, and natural cooling. Also, the designers developed the skin to react to the rain which means that it will collect and channel water for the inhabitants.

The human and organic waste will be entirely recycled and will be converted into bio-gas energy that will be used for heating and cooking, and will produce hot water for washing.

This project is amazing as I never thought that is possible to “design” an existence without the dependence on the grid. Check out an amazing video below!

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