The Solar Golf Cart

The solar golf cart, save energy while hitting the greens, "... will allow most golf carts to become solar powered vehicles." These solar panels produce up to 180 watts of power, supplying 3 amps of electrical current

Why should Golf Course should Buy this Product

• "The solar panels can generate up to 180 watts and supply 3 amps directly to a 36 or 48 volt battery. Overall, this will increase the distance the cart can go on a single charge by 30%." [Meta Efficient]
• Federal Tax Credits

To be specific [From Cruise Car]:

• Most powerful solar panels on the market: 190-380 Watt Solar Panel Top Systems output up to 88 Volts.
• Batteries constantly recharge in the sun extending the battery life by up to 30%.
• Lower electricity bills.
• Increases driving distance by 5-12 miles per day on the average.
• Eco-friendly; zero carbon emissions when operating on solar power.
• Easy to install, no maintenance.
• Quality construction: mono-Crystalline solar panels, U.L.Certified High Grade Industrial Wiring, Compression Tested Glass.
• Full 10-year warranty included; an extended 25-year warranty is available.
• 2-5 year customized leasing programs available.

Cruise Car even sells a kit that will let you make most golf carts solar powered.



Sources: [Meta Efficient] [Cruise Car]

Green Today: Canada to Mexico on 14 Gallons

Can you say Flux Capacitor..?

1984 - Bill Green and Craig Henderson built the "Avion," which had 113 mpg


1986 - Henderson set the world record in fuel efficiency by driving from Mexico to Canada with an average of 103.7 mpg


2008 - Henderson beat that record when he drove from Bellingham, WA to the Oregon border with a fuel efficiency of  113.7


2010 - With a new aerodynamic shell, Henderson hopes to drive from Blaine, WA to the Mexican border on 14 gallons of fuel [follow the journey on Twitter)




Source: [Inhabitat] [Official Avion Website]

2010 eVolo Skyscraper Competition

Water Purifying Skyscraper Cleans the Rivers of Jakarta

Read Full Article

Stacked Tower City

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Underwater Skyscraper

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First U.S. Wave-Power Farm

The United States first wave-powered farm is off the coast of Oregon. The wave energy producer is composed of Ten 200 ton buoys [150 ft. x 40 ft], costs $60 million dollars, and powers 400 U.S. homes. 


Sources: [Gizmodo] [USA Today] [Good] [Inhabitat]

Orange Peels + Newspaper = Ethanol Fuel

Green Tech of the Week

"Scientists may have just made the breakthrough of a lifetime, turning discarded fruit peels and other throwaways into cheap, clean fuel to power the world's vehicles."

Dr. Henry Daniell in his lab at the University of Central Florida

"Daniell's technique - developed with U.S. Department of Agriculture funding -- uses plant-derived enzyme cocktails to break down orange peels and other waste materials into sugar, which is then fermented into ethanol. Corn starch now is fermented and converted into ethanol. But ethanol derived from corn produces more greenhouse gas emissions than gasoline does. Ethanol created using Daniell's approach produces much lower greenhouse gas emissions than gasoline or electricity. There's also an abundance of waste products that could be used without reducing the world's food supply or driving up food prices. In Florida alone, discarded orange peels could create about 200 million gallons of ethanol each year..."

Sources: [Physorg] [Gizmodo]

Wind-Powered Highway Lights

Green Tech of the Week

Nothing says green development like wind-powered, disconnected from any power grid, highway lights. Though this product is very self-explanatory, my question is what happens if there is heavy traffic, at night, on a windless day?


Sources: [Gizmodo] [Turbine Light] [Inhabitat]

Cheaper, Adjustable Glasses for the Impoverished

Green Tech of the Week: Adspecs

"World Health Organization research indicates that over 1.3 billion people would see an improvement if they had access to glasses, but currently lack access to them. Our estimates indicate that this could be even higher."

"Invented by Professor Josh Silver, the Adspecs are the first (and currently only) available self-adjustable glasses that allow the user to tune their glasses to their eyes. To change the power of the lens, the user turns the wheels on the syringes on the arms to pump more or less silicone oil into the lenses (which are simply two flexible membranes, protected by a hard plastic layer), changing their shape. When done, the user simply tightens the screws on each side of the frame and cuts off the syringes and tubing -transforming the Adspecs into a normal pair of glasses in a few minutes!"

Adspecs from Joel

"So what causes this? Although in many parts of the developing world physical access to the glasses is expensive and rare, this is a solvable problem. Glasses can be made inexpensively and plentifully, and are already being supplied like this worldwide."

"The major problem to overcome is a lack of personnel to fit them. Highly trained optometrists are very rare in many parts of the developing world, and often leave to work in countries where their skills will bring them better pay."

"So far, over 30,000 Adspecs have been deployed worldwide through various programmes, most notably the US Humanitarian and Civic Assistance Program of the US Military's EUCOM. Others have been deployed through research studies, other humanitarian organisations and 10,000 through the adult education programme of the Ghanaian government, NFED."


Donate and Help Increase Literacy Rates through the Gift of Site.

Sources:

[Gizmodo] [Centre for Vision in the Developing World]

Green Tech of the Week: Obsorb

The ability to quickly remove oil and gasoline from water is a technology crucial to protecting our ecosystems from oil spills and the advancement of water purification.


"Intended to purify our groundwater from dangerous pollutants like gasoline (note: it doesn't appear that Obsorb can handle crude oil, but I could be mistaken), Obsorb is a hydrophobic material comprised of active glass—in other words, its glass actually bonds with bad chemicals, but it won't take any water along with the pollutants."

"Once full of up to 8x its weight in gunk, Obsorb floats to the water's surface where it can be skimmed, ringed out (by other chemicals, we believe) and dropped back in the water hundreds of times."

Source: Gizmodo via Obsorb via CleanTechnica via Inhabitat

Making Water from Air

The DewPointe DH9 Atmospheric Water Purification System

This water cooler looking device extracts water vapor from the air and converts it into water. The third world applications for drinking water seem endless, but how realistic is this device. Here are a few quick facts about the device:

• Developing nations in need of clean drinking water usually have unreliable electrical systems. The DH9 requires 80 Watts while idle, and 500 Watts while actively processing water from air.
• The machine works best in more humid atmospheres. In dryer desert like climates that have an average of 30% humidity, the DH9 can produce 2.5 gallons of water and up to 3 times as much in more humid areas.
• The DH9 cost $1600, making it way to expensive for developing nations to expand in long term Air to Clean Water programs.

Here is a closer inspection of the DH9 and how it works:

STAGE 1: Air Filtration

The first electrostatic air filtration stage removes dust, pollen, mold and other airborne contaminants as humid air enters the Dewpointe^®. Atmospheric water production immediately eliminates 95% of contaminants found in municipal ground water.

STAGE 2: Chilling the Air

The airflow through the filter system is rapidly chilled to “dew point”. This is the temperature at which the potentially unlimited water in the air transforms from a gas to a liquid.

STAGE 3: Condensation

Condensed moisture collects on the specially designed coils, which are covered with a FDA approved food-grade coating to prevent potential metal pollution. Once the Dewpointe^® has completed the moisture “extraction” process, the water is delivered to an advanced multi-stage filtration system.

STAGE 4: Purification

The water passes through 10 specialized filters, including a proprietary activated carbon filter, a sediemnt filter, two carbon filters, a zero-waste R.O. filter, and a powerful UV light sanitation system. This comprehensive purifying system provides unparalleled removal of contaminants and microorganisms. At this point, the Dewpointe^®’s water is 99.99% pure.

STAGE 5: Water Temperature Optimization

The hot & cold water lines pull from a sealed stainless steel holding tank, providing chilled and hot water on demand. In just five stages, the Dewpointe^® transforms atmospheric moisture into delicious, rain-fresh drinking water!

Additional Reading about the DH9 Air to Water Purification System:

• triplepundit
• Dewpointe - "just pure water"