Biofuels are often touted as the next big thing in airplane fuel technology, but solar power shouldn’t be discounted — as was recently proven by the team behind the Solar Impulse. The solar-powered plane just took its first test down the runway, and eventually the plane is expected to take a 20 to 25 day trip around the world.

Read the rest of Solar-Powered Plane Makes Runway Debut

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: "solar energy", airplane, alternative energy, green design, renewable energy, solar impulse, Solar Power, solar powered airplane, sustainable design

Inhabitat readers might remember that we interviewed San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom back in October over a live webcast that was open to any of our readers who wanted to attend. The finale of our Green Talks series of live chats with green thought-leaders, this interview touched on subjects such as mandatory composting, electric vehicle infrastructure and political leadership in CA. Our interview with Mayor Newsom was provocative and inspiring, and was a can’t-miss bit of Inhabitat journalism, if we do say so ourselves. Happily, for those of you who missed this amazing interview – we finally have the videos together of the interview in its entirety. We’ve chopped the full 35 minute transcript down into 4 shorter, themed segments for easier viewing. Enjoy!

PART ONE: The Big Picture & Mandatory Composting & Recycling

PART TWO: How to Make Your Cities (And Your Politicians) Greener

PART THREE: Renewable Energy & Electric Car Infrastructure

PART FOUR: How to Get to Carbon Neutrality in 2020

Let us know what you think in the comments below!

PS- Big shout out to the awesome band Tanlines who provided us this great audio track for our videos. You can find out more about Tanlines here >

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: California, electric cars, Gavin Newsom, green building San Francisco, green politics in california, green san francisco, high speed rail in CA, INHABITAT GREEN TALKS, inhabitat interviews, mandatory composting, mandatory recycling, renewable energy, san francisco city hall, san francisco mayor gavin newsom, solar power San Francisco, Video, youtube video

The recent evolution of solar technology has been nothing short of amazing, and we are continuously impressed by all the products hitting the market that make it easier to integrate clean tech into our daily lives. One innovative company at the forefront of the solar energy bustle is Sulfurcell, the producer of a new kind of modular solar panel that add energy-generating capabilities to any building. The super-thin panels are entirely self contained, so they don’t require any substructure, and they can be applied to new buildings as well as retrofitted old buildings to provide a sleek look and plenty of power.

Read the rest of Uber-Thin Modular Solar Panels Energize Any Building

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: "sustainable energy", clean tech, green design, modular solar panels, renewable energy, Solar Power, sulfurcell, sustainable design

We’re pretty certain that parking lots of the future will be more than just storage areas for our vehicles. They’ll generate their own power, have morphing advertisements, and likely recharge cars as well. Well our friends at Designboom and Nissan are way ahead of the curve. They just announced the results of their Think Outside the Parking Box competition, and while we’re certainly impressed with some of the imaginative ways to park cars (car ferris wheel, anyone?), we were most excited about the Solasis Light Tower. This renewable energy generating parking lot actually uses the cars’ windshields to shine sun onto a solar power concentrating tower adding valuable juice to the grid. Read on to see how the designers propose to make the tower work and see some detailed pics of the final design.

Read the rest of Solar Parking Lot of the Future Does Much More Than Park Cars

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: designboom, NISSAN, parking lot, parking lot of the future, power generating parking lot, renewable energy, solar concentrating, solar concentrating power, Solar Power, solasis light tower

Design and engineering innovations over the last two decades have had a dramatic impact on our ability to create beautiful, environmentally sensitive structures that help contribute to a more sustainable future. A dramatic example of the confluence of design, technology and environmental sustainability can be seen in the proliferation of innovative bridge designs around the world. We’ve put together a list of five of our favorites. Check them out and let us know what you think!

Read the rest of Top 5 Most Innovative Green Bridges on the Planet

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: "sustainable architecture", "wind power", Green Building, green design, renewable energy, Solar Power, Sustainable Building, sustainable design

Throughout India there are many rural villages that are completely removed from the grid. With no source of power for cooking, light, and heating they currently must rely on firewood, kerosene or diesel for fuel. Now green jobs are blossoming throughout these remote areas as the Orissa Tribal Empowerment & Livelihoods Programme trains women and youth to become barefoot solar engineers. This brilliant initiative provides a bright future for the semi-literate and illiterate rural poor by teaching them to harness the sun through the construction of photovoltaic systems and solar powered lanterns.

Read the rest of India’s Barefoot Solar Engineers Are Building a Brighter Future

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: barefoot solar engineers, dfid, green design, Orissa Tribal Empowerment & Livelihoods Programme, renewable energy, social design, solar lanterns, sustainable design

Instead of acting as one of the most bland parts of city landscapes, what if manholes served a purpose? That’s what designers Cheolyeon Jo and Youngsun Lee propose with their “Eco Sign“, an electronic manhole cover that gives directions to the closest train or bus stop.

Read the rest of Manhole of the Future is Powered by Rainwater

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: bus, Electricity, green design, hydroelectric, kinetic energy, manhole, rainwater, renewable energy, sustainable design, train

The Birds and the Bees have inspired one startup to send forth a hovering turbine. Green Wavelength, “committed to finding ways of applying nature’s solutions to our man-made energy problems,” presented its xBee prototype to an entrepreneurial buzz at The Perfect Pitch 2009. This biomimetic windmill sports 19-ft. wings of aluminum and carbon fiber that rotate to and fro — à la bumblebees, hummingbirds and dragonflies — to produce 1-10 kW of wind power suitable for homes and small businesses.

+ Green Wavelength

Via TreeHugger

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: "wind power", bumblebee turbine, green design, green wavelength, renewable energy, sustainable design

A giant step has been made in what will be the world’s largest renewable energy project. While previously just a grand vision for the production of clean energy in the Saharan desert, the project now has a core group of backers and a signed agreement between 12 companies wanting to move forward with the $555 billion renewable energy belt. The 12 collaborators signed articles of association last week for the DESERTEC Industrial Initiative (DII), which will work to bring more companies and groups on board as well as focus on regulations and conditions to get the project successfully completed and generating pure power from the sun.

Read the rest of $555 Billion Sahara Solar Energy Belt Takes Giant Step Forward

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: Africa, Desertec, Europe, renewable energy, renewable energy belt, renewable energy project, Saharan, Saharan Desert, Saharan Solar Project

Earlier this week, Regen wowed us with their sleek, modular iPhone charger. Now the electronics company is back again with another impressive Apple-related product: the Reverb, an eye-catching 3-foot tall iPod dock that blasts out the equivalent of 60 watts of sound from a conventional speaker. And best of all, it’s solar-powered.

Read the rest of Regen’s Giant Solar-Powered iPod Dock Pumps Out the Tunes

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: clean tech, green design, Greener Gadgets, ipod, regen, renewable energy, Reverb, Solar Power, solar-powered, speakers, sustainable design

Any one point on a busy street can receive up to 50,000 steps a day, so imagine if you could take all that foot traffic and turn it into something useful – like energy! A new product designed by Laurence Kemball-Cook, the director of Pavegen Systems Ltd., can do just that. With a minuscule flex of 5mm, the energy generating pavement is able to absorb the kinetic energy produced by every footstep, creating 2.1 watts of electricity per hour.

Read the rest of Pavegen: Energy Generating Pavement Hits the Streets

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: crowdsourced energy, energy generating pavement, green design, kinetic energy, pavegen, renewable energy, sustainable design, Urban design

Rooftop solar panels are unlikely to elicit complaints from neighbors–they’re silent and relatively unobtrusive. But loud rooftop wind turbines? That’s where the virtually NIMBY-proof Ridgeblade turbine comes in. The turbine, designed by a former Rolls Royce turbine engineer at UK-based The Power Collective, boasts a sleek profile that is both powerful and visually pleasing.

Read the rest of Ridgeblade Wind Turbine Silences NIMBYs

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: "wind power", "wind turbine", green design, power collective, renewable energy, ridgeblade, sustainable design, wind energy

With fall here and winter on the horizon we’re bundling up for brisk weather, and fortunately Zegna is heating things up with their brand new solar-powered Ecotech Jacket. This sharp technical shell is constructed almost entirely from recycled plastic, and it features a set of photovoltaic panels capable of charging your ipod, cell, or even an integrated heating system. Perfect for sunny days on the slopes yet minimal and chic enough for a night around town, the Ecotech Jacket will keep you toasty in the most inclement weather.

+ Ecotech Solar Powered Jacket

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: fashion and accessories, green design, renewable energy, solar powered jacket, sustainable design, sustainable style, zegna ecotech jacket

Hydrogen peroxide is best known for its properties as a hair dye and disinfectant, but it might just power the next generation of drag racers as well. Unlike expensive hydrogen fuel cell and electric-powered cars, h202-powered vehicles are both cheap (hydrogen peroxide is just water with an extra oxygen molecule) and fast — drag racers powered by the stuff can quickly reach speeds of 450 mph!

Read the rest of Hydrogen Peroxide Powered Drag Racers Take Off!

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: clean technology, drag racing, ev, fuel, green design, h202, hydrogen, hydrogen peroxide, renewable energy, sustainable design

Fall is here, and If you aren’t part of the lucky few to still be basking in the sun (ah, Italia!), don’t fret – we have some great news that will surely brighten your day and warm your house. Recently Boulder-based company Cool Energy, Inc. unveiled SolarHeart, a specialized engine that can convert low temperature solar power and waste energy into enough electricity to provide 80% of a home’s heat, all of its hot water, and 60% of its electricity!

Read the rest of SolarHeart Generates Energy and Heat in Cold Climates

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: cool solar, green design, Renewable Energy, renewable energy, sustainable design