Author: smadmin

A solar-powered superyacht is available for charter in the Mediterranean

Arcadia 85, the super-yacht built with solar panels is offering charter holidays in the Mediterranean, during the summer of 2011.

The solar-powered yacht was named ‘Solar’ and from €49,000 (about $70,371) per week, up to eight people can feel confident about their carbon footprint, without losing out on luxury.

This yacht has the lowest fuel emission of any yacht in its class because it has an economical speed of 9 knots, when the diesel engines use only 30 liters per hour.

Solar’s panels run the hotel load, which it means everything from air conditioning to lighting, plus pumps and refrigeration.

The Solar yacht was built by  Edmiston & Company, it boasts a deck of 60 square meters and has  four cabins that have all necessary audio visuals, a spacious saloon in the top deck which is the entertainment area and sitting place and a huge saloon.

The super-yacht reaches a top speed of 18 knots propelled by a fuel that is organic in nature.

Also, on the yacht is a delicious cuisine where the chef uses only organic ingredients.

This is the perfect green-way to relax on your holiday.

Californian college – 100% electricity from solar panels

The first college in the U.S. to go ‘grid positive’, the Butte College has installed 25,000 solar panels.

The college will generate over 100 percent of its electricity from solar power.

The solar panels are expected to generate more than 6.5 million kilowatt hours of electricity annually, which is more than the annual power consumption of the college.

The system generates more energy than it consumes, it says that it will be able to save between $50 million and $75 million over the next 15 years.

Butte College will surely set an example for other American institutions to go green.

Solar thermal power generation has a new research centre

A new solar research institute was established by the German Aerospace Center.

The German Aerospace Center has more than 30 years experience in solar energy and solar thermal plants.

This technology has become increasingly important during recent years in sunny regions such as Spain and the southeast of the USA.

The Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) uses sunlight to produce steam, and then generates electricity by driving a conventional steam turbine.

The German federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia will subsidize this new institute with approximately € 27 million in the next few years.

Solar thermal power plants are usually very large projects with long lead times.

The Army plans to install microgrids in Afghanistan

To reduce its energy the Army plans to install microgrids in Afghanistan.

The Army said earlier this week that they will deploy a system designed to use fuel more efficiency and pave the way solar and wind power in the field.

Now, the Army uses diesel generators to power its bases which have a significant financial and military cost as fuel convoys are often targets for attack.

The Army plans to save fuel with the new microgrids.

The microgrid bases will be formed from four generators able to produce one megawatt.

The microgrids will include controls to integrate power generated from solar panels and storage systems.

“They’re being designed so that a soldier can just hook them up any way and plug things in and not have to worry about doing prior analysis of how the power grid should be laid out or what load should be placed where,” said Chris Wildman, the Hybrid Intelligent Power program lead, in a statement.

The strategy of U.S Army is to minimize the amount money spent on fuel, using solar panels for diesel generators and portable solar panels for soldiers on patrol.

Algeria discovered solar thermal just one year ago

Algeria is the fourth biggest exporter of natural gas worldwide, the second biggest producer of liquefied petroleum gas and the tenth biggest producer of mineral oil.

The consequence is clear: renewable energies are not in the focus of the government.

The administration of the country only talks about photovoltaic and wind energy.

During a conference in Algeria in January, the state-owned electricity and gas utility Sonelgaz had 20 minutes to talk about projects in the field of renewable, and the speaker did not once mention the words ‘solar water heating’.

Algeria still remains in a deep slumber when it comes to heating water with the sun.

So far, annual market volume is estimated at around 50 residential systems per year.

3000 MW by 2020 in Malaysia

Malaysia‘s parliament announced the country’s installation targets for renewable energies and the plan to install 3,000 MW of renewable by 2020.

They expect that 1,250 MW will be generated by photovoltaic installations and another 1,065 by biomass.

With the implementation of these ambitious targets Malaysia follows other Asian countries like Thailand or Taiwan.

The Malaysia’s Minister of Energy announced that the legislation will come into effect in midsummer this year.

The 2011 quota for photovoltaic power is 29 MW with 9 MW set aside for projects smaller than 1 MW.

Malaysia’s feed-in-tariffs for photovoltaic power are divided into six different sections:  systems smaller than 4 kW, between 4 and 24 kW, between 24 and 72 kW, between 72 and 1 kW, between 1 MW and 10 MW and installations between 10 and 30 MW.

The world most efficient EV

The T.27 city car, designed by Prof. Gordon Murray is claimed to be the world’s most efficient electric car.

Also, Gordon Murray had designed McLaren F1.

He has been working on this project since a long time, and finally it has come out into the open.

Prof. Gordon Murray dreamed to make an electrically driven car ever since he unveiled McLaren F1 and he work on this project over the past three years.

The T.27 has a size that can easily fit into a single parking space.

It can accommodate three people inside, including the driver and has a massive upwards-swinging door.

The electric midget is a product of real innovation with a fully integrated electric motor, control system and battery design.

The vehicle isn’t a super car, because it has a top speed of 60mph; however the little vehicle leaves behind Mitsubishi’s i-Miev and the electric Smart Car with its efficiency.

It is 36% and 29% more efficient than i-Miev and Smart car respectively.

The vehicle can reach 100 miles on its charge and possesses a 33-horsepower electric motor charged by lithium-ion batteries.

The little T.27, it got tested under the strict Euro-NCAP safety standards and has been given” First Class” recognition.

SolAir – a new hybrid wind/solar power generator

This new invention named SolAir is a small wind turbine combined with solar panels.

Each device has three rotating blades, a 64 radius, and weighs approximately 60 lbs.

A solar panel 40 square inches in size is integrated into the micro wind turbines.

These SolAir’s are getting quite popular in San Diego, because they can generate power in winds anywhere from 6 mph to 60 mph.

SolAirs are often installed along the roof line of residential or commercial buildings, but they can be used in a variety of locations.

SolAir product is ideal for many parts of the country because the small wind feature combined with solar panels allows for electricity generation on sunny days with little wind or windy days with/without sun.

State incentives and federal income tax credits can reportedly cover up to 50-70% of the total cost of the micro clean energy system.

SolAir ha a quick process of install and once installed you start saving money on your electric bill.

You can be informed about your house energy usage with the new Interactive Carbon Calculator

If you want to know how much energy you use throughout the year, you can find now with the new Interactive Carbon Calculator House.

This little new invention use animatronics and light-up parts and two live displays that throw up information, changing according to the energy-saving systems you add and deduct from your home-grid.

The ICCH is portable and powered by rechargeable batteries and he also includes a thermostat dial, a washing machine dial, an energy saving bulbs switch and a load of similar features that you can add and remove from the home energy systems.

It has dimensions 70cm W x 60cm D by 80cm H.Weights 20kg.

The Interactive Carbon Calculator House is a great way to keep users informed and entertained, while providing education of a green life.

Solar powered ATM

If you thought banknotes will be the greenest thing of an ATM, you were wrong.

Expert Group, Inc. announced that it will deploy In Miami the first solar-powered ATM.

The ATMs will be installed throughout Miami in high traffic outdoor areas, said Robert Rico, Chairmen of Expert Financing, Inc.

The ATMs will use solar energy because they are powered by solar panels installed on the top of the ATM.

Part of the collected energy is stored in the power controller for the ATM’s night operation.

The company plans to set up about a 100 of these green ATM machines in Miami soon.