Archive for category Eco news
Floating Solar Panels Designed for Inland Bodies of Water
Posted by Victor M in Alternative energy, Eco news on March 5th, 2011
Israel-based Solaris Synergy and French EDF Group are planning to develop a new system of floating solar panels, called AQUASUN, which has the possibility of being installed on the surface of existing bodies of water.
The panels use silicon cells, which unlike other types, are less expensive but also prone to inefficiency caused by overheating. However,this is not a problem as the water on which they’re floating acts as a cooling system.
Users have the option to add or remove panels in order to tailor the power output to their requirements. A single modular panel is capable of generating around 200 kW of clean energy.
This kind of system will not be installed in ecologically-sensitive areas or in open seas, but rather on reservoirs already in use for agriculture and industrial purposes. The water will not become stagnant because the panels are designed to allow oxygen to permeate through. So far, the companies have released a prototype that has been presented at the 4th International Eilat-Eilot Renewable Energy Conference in Israel. The designers have great plans for the future. They’re planning to install AQUASUN for a nine-month test period on a basin at a hydro-electric facility in southeastern France by the end of September.
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Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Here are some really useful ideas to help reduce waste.
- Recycling Bins – Always have recycling bins available and labeled with the appropriate recycling stickers
- No More Plastic Grocery Bags – A reusable canvas shopping bag is a great alternative to plastic shopping bags that fill up the landfills.
- Reusable Water Bottles – Invest in a reusable water bottle and coffee mug. Save money while reducing waste in the landfills.
- Paperless Reading – Read books, magazines and newspapers on an iPad, Kindle or PC. Save the trees with eBooks and eReading Devices.
- Rechargeable Batteries – Save money and reduce waste buy using rechargeable batteries.
- Buy Recycled – Buy products made from recycled materials help you to save the planet while shopping
- Donate Clothing – Never throw out clothing! Donate old clothes to your local thrift stores.
- Bed Sheets – Use old sheets for drop clothes when painting
- Crafts – Recycle egg cartons, old Christmas cards and Kleenex boxes for craft supplies.
Toyota to Release Home-Based EV Charging Stations in 2012
Posted by Victor M in Alternative energy, Eco news, Environment on February 28th, 2011
Let’s hope that this works and becomes widely available in the near future.
Toyota is planning to launch home battery chargers for plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles by the end of 2012. According to the company, the chargers will be compatible with any type of EV and will come in two types. One would be for setting up in a garage and the other would protrude from the exterior wall of a home.
Toyota hopes to sell around 30,000 units in the first year. Each electric car charger will have a price of about US$2,405 (200,000 yen), including installation costs.
The company also said it will start selling Prius-based plug-in hybrids by early 2012 mainly in Japan, Europe and the United States, expecting to have sales of more than 50,000 units a year.
Unlike a a conventional hybrid, the new Prius has the possibility of being plugged in to enable longer-distance driving using only electricity. The car is expected to cost as little as $36,072 (3 million yen in Japan).
Besides this, Toyota, 0ne of the world’s largest automakers will release a model based on the tiny iQ in the United States, Europe and Japan, also in 2012.
Honda Civic GX Becomes the Greenest Car of 2011
Posted by Victor M in Eco news, Environment on February 25th, 2011
The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy has published its annual list of the top 12 greenest electric cars of the year, but with a 12th-place tie, the list includes 13 vehicles.
With the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid and Nissan Leaf electric car now being delivered in the U.S., experts would have expected that one of them would occupy the first place, but they were wrong, because Leaf earned a second place while Volt ranked 12th with the Mazda 2. Honda Civic GX, a model produced on a limited scale that runs on compressed natural gas, has been ranked first, becoming the greenest car of 2011.
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Think what a difference this would make to the fuel consumption for long distance travel!
In the United Kingdom, Easy Jet Airlines plans to apply a revolutionary nano-technology coating on all of their aircraft in order to reduce carbon emissions by up to two per cent and also the fuel consumption.
Measuring less than a micron in thickness, the ultra-thin coating is already being used on US military aircraft but it is for the first time that it has been tested on commercial airliners.
Currently, the company has coated eight airplanes and wants to compare them with the rest of the 194-strong fleet at the beginning of next year.
Generally speaking, this technology is a polymer that enables a high performance solution to cross-link and bond with the surface materials to which it is being applied. The paint applied on the aircraft has microscopic “hills and valleys” that fill up with debris and dirt. The polymer contains hard, durable acrylic elements, forming a barrier to prevent penetration by contaminants.
The UK suppliers of the coating, tripleO, claims this substance weighs only 113 grams, reducing drag by up to 39%. Once the tests will be finished and the results positive, certainly other airlines will use the nano-coating, making the aviation industry become greener.