Yet another reason New Yorkers might be jealous: the city of San Francisco has just announced 19.2 million dollars in new funding for energy efficiency programs. The bulk of the funds will go to EnergyWatch, a program that provides free energy efficiency assessments and low-cost retrofits for businesses and multi-family residences in the city.
As the world energy crisis mounts and the threat of catastrophic climate change looms near, the need for clean and green energy sources has never been greater. Fortunately, the future is bright and 2009 saw no shortage of sustainable energy solutions! From space-age solar power beamed down from above to glitter-sized solar sequins to power producing plasma plants, check out our top 5 energy stories from 2009 and vote for your favorite!
Unleashing energy information within your home, and the use of gadgets and tools like Google’s PowerMeter, DIY Kyoto and Tendril’s energy dashboard just got a rallying call to action at the Copenhagen climate change negotiations going on this week. Google, GE, research firm The Climate Group and the National Resource Defense Council are calling for international governments to enable consumers to access real time energy information and say that energy information gadgets and tools could help consumers cut 15 percent off their energy bills through behavior change alone. The 45,000 attendees at the climate negotiations have a lot to think about right now — with the fisticuffs that happened Monday — but given research has shown that information technology can cut carbon emissions across sectors by 15 percent by 2020, these types of energy information tools can have a real impact in the near term.
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Frigid seawater pumped in from the ocean’s depths will soon help cool more than half of the buildings in Honolulu’s downtown. Honolulu Seawater Air Conditioning LLC, which is undertaking the $240 million project, expects its technology to cut the Hawaiian city’s air conditioning electricity usage by up to 75 percent while slashing carbon emissions and the use of ozone-depleting refrigerants.
By far one of the most wasted spaces of every residence is the roof – of course it is there to protect us from the elements, but surely it can be put to better use. Aiming to innovate upon conventional roof cladding, researchers at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory recently unveiled a new breed of flexible and moisture resistant solar panels that are designed to be rolled out en masse as energy-generating roof tiles!
Situated amidst 100 acres of scenic views, rainforest, and flowing water, this gorgeous solar-powered residence stands perched above Australia’s Kangaroo Valley. Faced with an incredible natural site, Tom White and Alexander Michael’s home incorporates simple, robust materials while practically floats among the clouds.
We’ve seen piezoelectric systems that harvest energy from roads, subways, and even umbrellas — now researchers have announced that they are on the brink of unlocking an energy grid composed of capillaries, arteries, and veins. Heralded by advancements in piezoelectric nanowires, the development may one day harness the flow of blood to power ipods, cellphones and other portable electronics. How’s that for an alternative take on plasma power?
This might not be the most practical outdoor light in the world, but what the Firewinder lacks in pedestrian utility it makes up for in sheer engaging awesomeness. Transforming wind into light, the Firewinder is a hanging, wind-powered LED light that can be powered by the smallest breeze. Unlike most wind turbines that spin vertically, the Firewinder spins in a horizontal direction, illuminating its LEDs in a spiraling helix of light. The coolest thing about the Firewinder is that it doesn’t just run on or off, but instead is visibly reactive to subtle changes in the environment. How bright the LEDs glow corresponds directly to how fast the turbine spins, enabling observers to visualize the power of wind.
The home of the Eiffel Tower is getting a new architectural innovation- and a green one at that. The Energy Plus office building, to be located outside of Paris, is designed to consume no electricity other than that which it creates itself. This zero-energy building, according to the designers, will be the greenest office building ever created.
What’s a more renewable form of energy than human energy? We’ve seen it before with the human-powered gyms in Hong Kong, and here’s a portable energy source that’s powered by the spring in your step. We just discovered this amazingly useful gadget at CES, and can’t wait to get our hands on one. The Weza Portable Energy Source from Freeplay can produce enough power from a few footpumps to jump-start a boat or automobile battery and power a laptop, light or a variety of other electronics. If you were stuck out in the middle of nowhere, you could even use to charge your cellphone!
While you may not naturally associate pig feces with ‘clean’ energy, the Lapa Rios Ecolodge in Costa Rica manages to makes pig poo power seem smart, sexy and super sustainable with their environmentally friendly resort. Started by John and Karen Lewis as nature reserve, the Lapa Rios Ecolodge utlizes green construction, helps protect local wildlife, supports a local elementary school, uses solar power for electricity, recycles all of its own waste, and powers its kitchen entirely through pig power. But less you think this sounds like some tie-dyed hippie commune – take a look at the photos. The lodge is as beautiful and relaxing as any five star hotel, and probably a lot more enjoyable to anyone with a sense of adventure or imagination.
As solar panels and wind turbines become more and more commonplace in homes, it appears that green energy is finally moving into mainstream. But lest you fear that solar power is becoming too played out, there are still plenty of TRULY ALTERNATIVE energy sources to out there to sink your trendspotting teeth into. From kinetic energy to sound-power and even natural waste (yes, poo), there are more and more creative, weird, and super-promising ways to deliver all the power you need from renewable energy sources all around us. Here are our top 5 Really Alternative Energy Sources…..
New Zealand is a land of wonderful landscapes, beautiful scenery, and lots of sheep – and soon it will be known as the land of cheap solar power, thanks to the work of Dr. Wayne Campbell at the Nanomaterials Research Centre from Massey University. After 10 years of research, Dr. Campbell has developed solar cell technology capable of generating electricity at a 10th of the cost of current silicon based solar cells.
Quiet Revolution Ltd has revolutionized the windmill with their new QuietRevolution wind turbine, the QR5. Not only is it one of the most visually appealing wind turbines available on the market, its small scale allows it to fit seamlessly into an urban environment, providing a renewable energy resource in places where space constraints previously made it impossible to hook up green power systems.
LOTS MORE GREAT GREEN DESIGN STORIES HERE... KEEP READING!
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