Archive for November, 2009

Thursday
Nov 5,2009

spark lights1

Indoor lighting accounts for nearly 15% of energy use in most of the households, and while new technologies are working to drastically reduce this energy consumption, things like Sparks LEDs could prove very useful. This design from Daniel Becker uses energy efficient LED light bulbs, which can be put together to create a striking light sculpture.
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Thursday
Nov 5,2009

german nuclear plants

Nuclear power plants in Germany are on their way to an extended life, surmounting the huge obstacles in their path. There is a vehement opposition to nuclear power plants in Germany, and most of the population believes that the country should let go of nuclear power plants. The new policy aims at keeping the old plants running to ultimately have greener energy take over the existing system, but it may also pave the way for new nuclear plants.
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Tracking tropical storm Ida

Wednesday
Nov 4,2009

Hurricane season lasts until November 3oth.

Tropical Ida is trying to get in on top of the radar, as opposed to under the radar before the season winds down. It’s near Nicaragua now.

Ida is the 9th storm of the season, down a bit and sending the global warming/climate change alarmists into a frizzy.

tropical storm ida

The most current info here.

Come back for updates.

Wednesday
Nov 4,2009

plugin hybrids

The effect of millions of electric vehicles connecting to the grid during peak hours has been feared and discussed since long. While charging vehicles during off-peak hours may be good for utilities, in an interesting turn it may even earn some money for the owners. More specifically, EV/PHEV owners in West Texas and Illinois are being paid to charge their vehicles during off-peak hours, and that’s clean wind energy we’re speaking of.
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Tuesday
Nov 3,2009

kilimanjaro melting

Mount Kilimanjaro is Africa’s highest peak, and used to be covered in snow throughout the year despite its proximity to the equator. The ill-effects of global warming however, have put up a drastic picture of the mountain, whose slopes went ice-free this year; probably for the first time in 12,000 years.
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Tuesday
Nov 3,2009

world solar challenge winner1
The World Solar Challenge started off in 1987, and features teams of some of the top engineering colleges from around the world vying to get hold of a top spot, while traveling thousands of miles in solar powered racecars. The challenge puts up a grueling task for the vehicles which are powered by only solar energy. This year, the cars covered a distance of nearly 1,864 miles through a route that stretched from Darwin in Northern Australia to Adelaide in South Australia.
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Monday
Nov 2,2009

solar monorail 1

Designers and architects Iosa Ghini Associati have proposed a solar powered monorail system for the city of Bologna, Italy. Called Energy Belt, the 5084 meter long system will connect the airport to the city center. The monorail will operate at heights varying from 7 meters to 25 meters, will have an intermediate stop at Lazzaretto, and will be entirely powered by solar energy collected by photovoltaic panels placed at the track’s southwest side to maximize energy gain.

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Monday
Nov 2,2009

dii solar energy

The vast expanse of the Sahara desert has since long been seen as an available source of solar energy that can be tapped. However, there isn’t much progress to show on the issue. Now the idea seems closer to reality with a German-led consortium of 12 companies that intends to harness the desert sun to power Europe.
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Monday
Nov 2,2009

southwest green plain

Southwest Airlines has unveiled a prototype that will help the skies go greener. Until now, little progress has been made in making the aircrafts environment friendly, and the new prototype aircraft Southwest displayed appears to be a step in the right direction. The new aircraft does not have any ground breaking technology as such, but a healthy dose of innovativeness is what makes this flier eco friendly.

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Monday
Nov 2,2009

gazprom tower1

The Gazprom Tower, or the Okhta Tower has been given a green light for construction, upon completion of which it will be the tallest building in Europe. To be built in St. Petersburg, Russia, the 77-storey tower isn’t just about height, the modern building will also be full of environmentally friendly features.
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