Category Archives: energy

Cathedral Data Center Uses Thermal Energy to Heat 500 Homes

Data farms take up lots of space, suck a ton of energy, and generate a large amount of heat. Whereas keeping sets of servers cool can be a complicated endeavor, the city of Helsinki is putting that excess thermal energy to good use with the creation of what a local power firm has called the “ greenest data center on the planet “. Situated in a cave beneath the gorgeous Uspenski Cathedral , the new data center will provide enough heat to keep 500 homes warm. Read the rest of Cathedral Data Center Uses Thermal Energy to Heat 500 Homes Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: cathedral data farm , green design , helsinki data farm , recycled heating , sustainable design , Uspenski Cathedral
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Solar-Powered Camel Clinics Carry Medicine Across the Desert

Kenya’s camels recently started sporting some unusual apparel: eco-friendly refrigerators ! Some of the African country’s camels are carrying the solar-powered mini fridges on their backs as part of a test project that uses camels as mobile health clinics. Organizers hope the eco-friendly transport system will provide a cheap, reliable way of getting much-needed medicines and vaccines to rural communities in Kenya and Ethiopia . Read the rest of Solar-Powered Camel Clinics Carry Medicine Across the Desert Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: Bronx Zoo , camels carry solar-powered refrigerators , Designmatters , Laikipia , Mariana Amatullo , mobile health clinics , Nomadic Communities Trust , Princeton Institute for the Science and Technology of Materials , PRISM , Samburu , solar-powered refrigerators
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Algae Could Be the Key to Ultra-Thin Biodegradable Batteries

Algae is often touted as the next big thing in biofuels , but the slimy stuff could also be the key to paper-thin biodegradable batteries according to researchers at Uppsala University in Sweden. Eventually, the bio batteries could compete with commercial lithium-ion batteries. Read the rest of Algae Could Be the Key to Ultra-Thin Biodegradable Batteries Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: algae , algae batteries , batteries , cellulose , electronics , green design , lithium ion , sustainable design
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Power Your Music Player With Your Running Pants

Instead of just burning calories, why not use all that energy from exercising to power your MP3 player? The Dancepants Kinetic Music Player , a shortlisted entry in Designboom’s Green Life competition, lets you do just that by converting kinetic energy from running, hopping, jumping, etc. into electricity to power an iPod or other music player. According to the Dancepants designers, the product is a “100 percent interactive way to feel the value of energy on your own.” READ MORE AT ECOUTERRE > Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: dancepants , ipod , kinetic energy , mp3 , power
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Uber-Thin Modular Solar Panels Energize Any Building

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
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Trash-Powered Street Lamp!

Think about how much trash goes into a bin in, say, New York City ’s Times Square on a daily basis. What if all that garbage could be used to generate energy ? That’s the thinking behind designer Haneum Lee’s Gaon Street Light – a lamppost powered by garbage! Read the rest of Trash-Powered Street Lamp! Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: compost , gaon street light , garbage , methane , trash
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Tio Light Switch is Happy When Kids Conserve Energy, Angry When They Don’t

When it comes to teaching kids to conserve energy , positive reinforcement is the name of the game. Combine that with a cute and fun toy, and you really can’t go wrong. Case in point: Tio , an educational ghost pal and light-switch system for your tot that teaches them how cool turning off lights when we don’t need them can be. When lights are left on for only a short time, Tio smiles and is green
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India’s Barefoot Solar Engineers Are Building a Brighter Future

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
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India’s Barefoot Solar Engineers Are Building a Brighter Future

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
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Manhole of the Future is Powered by Rainwater

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
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