Eco Factor: Electrically propelled Eco Yacht generates solar and wind electricity.
London-based Rainsford Mann Design has unveiled their latest design, the 80m Eco Yacht that is a result of the company’s in-house study of the potential technologies that can lower the environmental impact of sailing. Apart from considering the environmental impact of yachts, the Eco Yacht has been designed with several luxury features as well.
Eco Factor: Energy-saving all-in-one PC from ViewSonic saves desk space as well.
Traditional computing systems can be both unattractive and expensive, but ViewSonic’s latest development can answer both these problems with an added benefit of consuming less desk space. The VPC 100 PC is sans a tower PC unit which makes it easy to install and removes the cable mess associated with normal desktop PCs. The unique AIO design also reduces the use of plastic, and the company claims that the PC consumes 45% less power than conventional desktop computers.
Eco Factor: Zero-emission airplane powered entirely by solar energy.
With a wingspan similar to a Boeing 747 and having a weight less than a small car, the Solar Impulse airplane has been unveiled by adventurer Bertrand Piccard. The plane will now go through rigorous testing over the next two years and based on the results a new plane will be constructed, which will show the tremendous potential of solar energy when the plane will aim to make history as the prototype for a solar-powered flight around the world.
Eco Factor: Wireless sensors powered by metabolic energy of trees.
With the rise in the average temperature, forest fires are becoming an ever-increasing threat to the delicate ecosystem of the planet. Not only do such fires account for billions of dollars in losses, they disturb the wild life as hundreds of animals and birds are killed along with thousands or even more trees. Voltree Power thinks that they’ve struck the bull’s eye with an ingenious sensor system that detects forest fires and warns a central monitoring station, which can then tackle the fire before it gets out of control.
Eco Factor: Renewable energy-powered gym is the world’s first.
When Movement Climbing and Fitness will open its doors in July, it will enter the record books being the world’s first solar-powered climbing gym. Lighthouse Solar has signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with the inventors of the gym. The energy required to power the gym will be harnessed by a 100KW photovoltaic array and water will be heated in a 90-sq-ft evacuated tube solar thermal system.
Eco Factor: Hydroponic gardening system for green interiors.
The Legacy Hydrocart ensures that your family food is as hygienic as it should be with no pesticides and harmful fertilizers to be used. The indoor hydroponic gardening system provides you with a fresh supply of organic vegetables and fruits that grow up to 3 times faster than traditional dirt gardens.
Eco Factor: Solar-powered houseboat recycles waste.
For those of you who have had the pleasure of living in a houseboat, the experience might have been mesmerizing. From fun, this experience can quickly turn into a necessity if glaciers keep on increasing the sea level at a pace at which they’re today. Industrial designer Wyatt Little is trying to keep abreast with the needs of the future in the greenest possible way. Little has designed a stunning houseboat, which has been carefully planned after living in a houseboat for about six years.
Eco Factor: Folding bicycle designed by Andre Kim.
Until solar and wind-powered cars get cheap enough for the common man to afford, bikes will retain the first place in zero-emission transit. Though slow, bikes are undisputed winners over cars in traffic jams, which will get even worse with the amount of cars being sold every year on a rise. Samchuly has unveiled a new commuter bike for all those who love carrying their bikes in their car’s boot.
Eco Factor: Solar and electromagnetic wave powered concept phone.
News recently surfaced that Nokia is planning to develop new handsets that don’t need a connection to the wall socket as the phone will be powered by the electromagnetic waves emitted by wireless transmitters. The device is still on paper, and designers like Alexander Mukomelov have already planned a conceptual device that not only is powered by the same technology which Nokia is hinting at but also takes on any shape you might have dreamt of having.
Eco Factor: Wind farm capable of producing 20GW of electrical power.
Three Gorges Dam has made it to the record books, being the largest hydroelectric power plant in the world, with a claimed output of 18.2GW, which is destined to be increased to 22.4GW with the addition of six more generators. China is now planning to challenge that output with another green source of energy – Wind Power. The country is planning to develop a huge wind farm in the northwest by 2020, which will have the same energy capacity as the $23 billion hydroelectric plant.
