What a brilliant idea! A new type of wind turbines is in development that uses Maglev technology. Maglev, or magnetic levitation uses powerful magnets to lift and “suspend” objects in mid-air. The technology is used in high-speed “maglev” trains which can reach 900 km/h.

These maglev wind turbines are reported to produce 1 gigawatt of electricity, making them roughly equal to 1000 traditional wind turbines. They are much more efficient than traditional turbines, no doubt a result of minimizing friction with maglev. These turbines can power aprox. 750 thousand home, cost 50% less to operate, and take up about 100 acre, compared to about 64,000 acres for a 1000 turbine wind farm.

With the introduction of maglev wind turbines, we could be seeing wind power become more widespread, and much cheaper to use and operate.

A turbine for every city? Could be the way of the future.

via EcoFuss

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Dubai has been the center of a huge building boom in the past couple year, and sustainable energy is not being forgotten.

This beauty is the Burj Al-Taqa (”Energy Tower” in English). It’s a 322-meter, 68-story, green tower currently being built in Dubai. So what’s so special about this green tower? Well, it’s just how green this tower is.

The Burj Al-Taqa is completely off-grid. Through a combination of thermal air conditioning, wind, and solar power, it is able to generate 100% of it’s own electricity, plus a bit more (which will be used to extract hydrogen for fuel-cells).

Air conditioning can be a large problem in Dubai due to the scorching sun. The tower manages to reduce energy usage for air conditioning by using a form of natural air conditioning. The tower’s design forces hot air out of the tower, while at the same time pumping fresh, seawater-cooled air in. This keeps energy usage down, provides a cool interior, and also allows for the warmth of direct sunlight through the windows.

Beyond the tower’s efficiency, it generates all the power it does use. The tower features a wind turbine on it’s top, as well as two roof-mounted solar arrays generates a majority of the tower’s power. In addition, the tower has an additional solar array on a rotating shield that changes to match the position of the sun.

This rotating shield, in addition to generating electricity, serves to block out the majority of the sun’s rays, improving the air conditioner’s effectiveness.

This tower uses numerous other energy saving techniques to reduce energy usage such as super-efficient windows, hanging gardens inside transparent ducts, and a specially designed shape that minimizes the building’s surface area exposed to the sun.

This green tower sets a fantastic example for future skyscrapers, and proves that with enough design and engineering, skyscrapers can be sustainable. It is not proven yet, but construction is underway in Dubai, and we’ll see how effective the finished building turns out to be.

By the way, this building will take #22 on the list of the world’s tallest buildings. Go green go!

via Inhabitat

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 Solar gadget chargers are a dime a dozen, some are better than others, but they’re all the same basic idea.

Well let me introduce you to another take on green gadget charging: wind power. The HYmini wind power charger uses wind, the often forgotten green technology, to generate electricity to charge your devices. Perfect addition to your bike, car, or even your backpack on a windy day.

It can even be used at night!

Treehugger sums up all the performance information in a quote from Swept Away Media:

“Spend an hour outside in the sun with HYmini and you’ll get enough power for 2 full hours of MP3 playtime. Ride your bike for an hour, with HYmini strapped on your arm, or mounted on the handlebars, and you’ll have enough power for over 50 digital photos or about 15 extra minutes on your cell phone. Mount HYmini on a car window, drive about 40 MPR, and you’ll generate enough power to listen to over 8 hours of music on your MP3 or chat on your cell for over 40 minutes.”

Not bad for free energy!

Of course, if you’re riding your bike, you’ll get power as long as you’re moving. Great way to soundtrack a bike ride!

via Treehugger & EcoGeek

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The Navitas bicycle trailer is a new concept in portable green power.

Designed by Paul Smith, a final year design student at the University of Derby in England, the Navitas is “a pure concept in sustainable transport” explained Smith.

The trailer is a bit of a transformer. It’s wheel splits apart into 3 sections which serve as a wind turbine, and a compact solar panel provides another source of power in case of low wind.  These work together to charge the 24v on-board battery.

The trailer provides power output via a 12v cigarette lighter, and a USB port, allowing you to charge all your USB devices. Charge your iPod on the go!

Surprisingly, there’s no standard outlet, however power inverters intended for cars could be used in the cigarette lighter to provide standard outlets.

It clips easily to the seat post, and as an added eco-bonus, utilized all-LED brake and hazard lights.

This is a fantastic concept, however a method to charge the battery, even just a small charge, without  disconnecting and setting up the whole trailer should have been included, I wouldn’t want to stop just to charge the battery.

This is only a concept, and not currently available for sale, but it certainly seems marketable, and if it ever hits store shelves, we’ll be sure to let you know.

Get more information from the design poster:

via MetaEfficient

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The Windspire is is a practical, quiet green energy device, and could just get a shot as mass consumer adoption.

It’s a 1 kW, vertical-rotating, bird friendly wind turbine. It super quiet at 25 db, “the average noise of a residential neighborhood at night”, which is great for residential uses.

It’s a bit expensive at $4,000, but it can produce up to 2,000 kWh per year. It’s a great way to offset some of your grid-power with all-natural, sustainable wind power.

Bird friendliness is also important to this design. You’re not going to hurt any animals using this, and in a residential environment with lots of birds, that’s crucial.

All-in-all this is a brilliant design that could really get some consumer attention if it was a bit cheaper. The low noise is great for a residential environment, and it’s small enough to fit in an average backyard as well. Most importantly, it’s bird friendly so you’ll take care of your local wildlife as well as the global climate.

Windspire

via Treehugger

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Well we’ve been seeing a whole bunch of new electric vehicle concepts, securing the age-old idea that we’ll all drive electric cars in the near future.

Unfortunately electric cars still have a problem with range. Most of them are very energy efficient, but still can’t drive very far without needing a recharge.

Mitsubishi has put some innovative ideas into the iMIEV to solve this problem. Use green energy!

The iMIEV features a solar panel on the roof and two compact wind turbines in the front to generate electricity. Along with solar and wind, the iMIEV has a regenerative braking system, which uses braking friction to generate electricity.

These technologies help recharge the car’s battery and helps to improve the car’s range. The solar roof alone adds about 20 miles to the range. It’s not much, but every little bit helps, and if it’s green energy, all the better!

In addition to the green power, the car features LED based lighting, heat-absorbing window glass, and green plastic - a plastic made from plant resin.

It’s great to see some innovative thinking in creating a green car, it’s ideas like this which will give us the car of the future, not just a simple concept.

via Treehugger

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