Apple plans to power a data center with biogas and solar energy

A protest against the perilous use of coal-fired plants slammed  recently Apple.

The Greenpeace organization has taken this decision.

Due to this, Apple plans to use fuel cells to power up its North Carolina data center.

This will feed on biogas  captured from landfill sites.

4.8 megawatts worth of fuel cells were supplied by Bloom Energy.

So, Apple want to lighten its carbon footprint. In this case greenhouse gas emissions will be reduced, using biogas instead of the conventional natural gas.

Apple wants Maiden to be one of the greenest datacenters known to mankind.

Solar powered picnic tables in Tennessee

Tennessee’s Maryville College has taken the green approach by installing solar powered picnic tables.

The energy from the rooftop solar panels can charge cellphones and laptops. This invention will conveniently cater to the students energy needs.

The company,EnerFusion, installed two Solar Doks on the college’s campus. Maryville College has become the first university or college in Tennessee to have solar  powered tables.

The Solar Doks have three 45 watt photovoltaics and one 100 watt panel.The table and the seat tops have been made from 100 percent recycled materials.

EnerFusion’s Doks are wireless and feature four 110 volt standard GFCI outlets, a 700 lumen LED lighting system and two USB power outlets. The lighting system can be activated by the push of a button.

After Maryville College decision to put these tables on their campus, we expect to see more colleges and universities with Solar Doks on their campuses.

Solar energy powers telecommunication infrastructure

IHS Africa powers telecommunication infrastructure with solar energy.

IHS Africa is one of the biggest telecommunications infrastructure of Africa.

The company has recently unveiled the largest solar-powered cell site in Africa.

This is an attempt to reduce diesel consumption at least 40% to 50%.

Only in West Africa, HIS Africa have 4,000 generator powered cellular communications towers.

Most telecommunication towers are located off-grid and powering these with electricity makes it all easier.

This solar powered system could prove to be a boon to rural mobile-phone users.

Green Hotel made only from recycled materials

You are looking for a green vacation? AirHotel is the best location for such holidays.

AirHotel will soon be nestled deep in the woodlands of Norfolk at about $57 a stay.

It is a suspended hotel, with six suspended independent rooms.

A bar, lounge, sauna and the breakfast service and are part of the fabulous hotel.

Also solar-powered Wellness Machine is there as the center  and it makes maximum use of natural lighting.

This design was thought by a group of Belgian artists who seemed to keep the environment in mind while developing this concept.

The best bart of this construction is that is made only from recycled materials.AirHotel uses solar energy and natural lighting to the fullest.

Chinese farmer builds wind powered vehicle with 90mph speed

A Chinese farmer has built a wind powered vehicle that he says can travel at 90mph.

It looks little like a conventional car with a large fan in front and wings at the rear. What is really amazing is that the creator built the car from scratch with little outside help.Tang Zhengping is the name of the creator.

He loved electronics since he was a child and used his expertise to create this eco friendly car.The vehicle measures 3 meters in length and 1 meter in height, its colour is blue and its maximum speeds is about 90mph.

It took 3 months for Tang Zhengping to built this car. It isn’t just the wind that propels the car, but also solar energy was used for wings at the rear to support  electricity generation. He used two electric generators that enables it to travel at high speeds.

The generators and the batteries take turns charging while one works when the car moves.

The spinning fans help recharge the two batteries.Countries like China are at the forefront of wind energy.

Five years ago, China had no infrastructure for wind energy, but it’s now leading the world at this segment.

Raising the efficiency of solar cells with Luminescent LED

Solar cells have a limited capacity in getting  sunlight and convert it into electric energy.

This limit can now be extended, due to the research team from the University of California, Berkley.

Acording to the researchers solar cells should be made to work like LEDs that will perform the dual function of absorbing as well as emitting light. This way its efficiency will be better and it will produce higher voltage.

The study shows that there was indeed a mathematical connection between the efficiency of solar cells,their absorption and light emitting capacity.Of course you should
know exactly how this system works and what makes it more efficient.

The process begins when photons from the sun hit the electrons and the energy so produced knocks free the electrons to flow freely.Unconnected photons are produced  through a process called luminescence. These unconnected photons have to be released.

Emitting photons will give higher voltage and also greater efficiency. The researchers hope to achieve 30 percent efficiency for solar cells.

Clothes with solar power chargers

Researchers at Colorado State University have been putting their best efforts to design clothes with solar power chargers.

This team of researchers is making apparels using only UV treated natural fiber fabric such as cotton and linen that are durable and of course comfortable to wear.

These are the only apparels that mingle solar power with the natural fibers, without over adorning with solar panels.

It was also discovered that an appropriate choice of fabric and weave of the natural fabrics provides an outstanding shield from harmful UV rays. The outfits will provide a solar source of energy for the electronic devices such as MP3 devices, tablets, computers, laptops and smart phones, which can be charged with the help of the built in solar panels. Also the use of alkaline battery will be reduced.

The project will surely cater to the market needs and it is also take into consideration designs that could be adopted by the road construction workers.

A new jack-up vessel specially designed to install offshore wind turbines

A2SEA (owned 51 % by Dong Energy and 49 % by Siemens Wind Power) has signed has signed a contract with a Chinese company for the construction of a new jack-up vessel  specially designed to install offshore wind turbines.

The value of the contract is about US$ 155 million.

The vessel will be identical to “Sea Installer”, ordered in 2010, but extended by a longer crane able to lift up to 900 tons. The new vessel will be 132 m long and 39  m wide and its speed will be around 12 knots.

It will operate at water depths of up to 45 m, and is expected to be delivered in 2014.

Jens Frederik Hansen,A2SEA says that:
“With the fast growing offshore market in Northern Europe, we can already today see that the demand for installation vessels will grow dramatically. With the new vessel  we take a big step continuing to shorten the time of installation and thereby bringing down the cost of energy from offshore wind energy.”

New building totally covered in solar panels in Japan

Tokyo Institute of Technology has built a new building which is covered in solar panels.

Tokyo Institute of Technology is considered as a prestigious university the world over and in fact the best in Japan.The unveiling of its self sustaining building has enhanced its image for the eco conscious community.

The exterior of the Environment and Energy Innovation Building and also the roof is covered with 4500 panels. The capacity of those panels is about 650 kilowatts of  power.

The building has seven floors and two additional basement levels and because of the solar panels  it consumes half the power that a building of the same size would have consumed without solar installations.

Green Yacht: wind & solar power

You can have wind turbines on a modern yacht that add a bit of power to its engine and that is exactly what the Zero 80 does, an electric yacht.

The green Yacht uses both solar and wind energy and it’s silent electric motors give a peaceful atmosphere during your cruise.

The luxury yacht is designed by a group of Italian architects. Zero 80 is 24 meters long and its speed is 13 knots.

Zero 80 has photovoltaic panels on its surfaces and gives you green power when you are away from shore.

Sleek, efficient and sporting green technologies, Zero 80 amalgamate comfort with eco consciousness.