As consumption of fossil fuels and other, damaging non-renewable energy materials reaches it’s greatest extent, it’s becoming increasingly obvious that sustainable power will play a significant part in shaping (and possibly saving) the future of the planet. Here’s our list of 10 of the most promising new green technologies – some can be implemented on a small scale, others have grand hopes attached to them. Whatever the scale, we hope they will feature in our daily lives soon…
10. Concentrated Solar Power
Image by langalex
A recent survey, co-authored by Greenpeace, found that by 2050 nearly one quarter of the world’s energy could be generated by Concentrated Solar Power (CSP). CSP uses mirrors to focus sunlight onto water, producing steam that turns giant turbines, generating energy. Building these sorts of projects in many countries is simply not a viable option for obvious reasons, but in those places lucky enough to possess sunny climes, such as Spain, Morocco, Algeria and Egypt, it’s proved a big hit. Who knows what the future holds but both the US and UK governments have expressed tentative interest in the idea; a more likely scenario is that the latter two might begin to purchase energy from these countries, both increasing sustainability and helping develop their growing economies further.
9. Cross Wind Bridge
Image via New Ecologist, by Tiago Barros and Jorge Pereira
This is one of the coolest ideas you’ll see all year. The Cross Wind Bridge, developed by designers Tiago Barros and Jorge Pereira, generates energy by harnessing wind power from passing cars. The natural wind velocity inside the tunnel is amplified by the movement of passing cars, which helps to rotate 2,188 lightweight panels, generating energy that is then passed through an electromagnetic band. The resultant energy is then used to light up the bridge at night, as well as illuminate the local area. We think these fantastic bridges should be implemented all over the US.
8. The World Community Grid
Image by Miki Roventine
Now let’s have a think… what do most of us use our computers for? Unless you work at NASA, probably checking Facebook, running word documents, watching DVDs… Imagine how much power is left unused, sitting unexploited. IBM has come up with a small idea that pertains to grand designs: what if we hooked up every computer in the world to a single grid and used the spare power in the background to collaboratively tackle scientific research projects that benefit humanity? To give an you an example, it would take the Harvard Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology 22 years to complete the necessary calculations for the Clean Energy Project, but using our combined spare computer capacity, this task could be completed in a mere two years. Nearly half a million people have already signed up, so get involved (worldcommunitygrid.org) and turn your computer over for the benefit of humanity.
7. Invisible Streetlights
Image via calfinder, courtesy Jongoh Lee
Some of the best green ideas find ways of supplementing and working with nature, rather than simply exploiting it. These elegant streetlights, created by Jongoh Lee, mimic the earth’s natural process of photosynthesis to create a sustainable source of lighting that works hand-in-hand with the environment it illuminates. Modeled after tree branches, they sit inconspicuously amongst the leaves soaking up sunlight during the day with their solar panels, and emitting light at night. Easily installed by wrapping their flexible body around a branch, they put out a soft, warm light and are a fantastic way to both enhance the natural beauty of a public space, as well as make it safer for the public without damaging the planet.
6. Nanosolar
Image by Fernando Tomas
We all know we should take more responsibility for the environment and building a sustainable future for the next generation, but putting this into practice is another story. It may be a tad depressing, but it’s probably true that one of the most powerful ways to encourage the use of eco-friendly technology is to make it more attractive than regular energy sources… and cheaper. Nanosolar has gone a long way towards achieving this by reducing the cost of producing the Power Sheet solar panels from $3 to 30 cents per watt. They’ve achieved this using an innovative technology which coats metal sheets, as thin as aluminium foil, with a microscopic layer of printer ink containing minuscule solar cells. Nanosolar also has big plans for how they might implement this technology in the future, so watch this space.
5. Solar Curtain Walls
Image via archithings, by Konarka
Solar energy developer, Konarka, has come up with an ingenious way of eliminating the often awkward and unwieldy nature of solar energy panels. Power Plastic are sheets of extremely flexible, very thin solar panels which can be quickly and easily attached to virtually any surface – most obviously the roofs and even walls of urban office buildings. The effect is not dramatic, but as ever it is the more low-key, easily implicated ideas that provide some of the best hopes for real change in the future. Imagine thousands of miles of urban wall-space draped with unobtrusive, paper-thin solar paneling and producing thousands of megawatts of sustainable, eco-friendly energy. Glorious!
4. Blights
Image by Vincent Gerkens
Working along similar lines to the invisible streetlights, this innovative product by Vincent Gerkens is a combination of a blind and a light that stores light during the day, and illuminates your interiors at night. Making use of flexible solar panels, fitting over the surface of standard Venetian blinds, Blights handily function as both regular blinds and lights. Unobtrusive enough not to call attention to the fact you might be a die-hard eco-crusader, and stylish enough to give sparkle to any room, blights are a great way to greenify your living/working space.
3. Porous Sidewalks
Image via North Jersey
This may sound crazy, but a 132 home development in Salem, Oregon has already been built using almost exclusively porous sidewalks and roads. Specially designed porous concrete allows 90% of rainwater to dissipate back into the surrounding soil, dramatically reducing the negative effect storm-water runoff can have on surrounding water systems. The flexibility and strength of the porous pavements also minimizes freeze-thaw effects and requires less road salt in winter conditions. Plans are already in place to increase the proportion of new homes with porous driveways.
2. Sonic Water Purifier
Image courtesy CSIRO
There are nearly 1.2 billion people around the world without regular access to clean water. The Sonic Water purifier may sound like something out of the Jetsons, but it is in fact a handy tool that allows water to quickly and easily be purified. Ultrasound waves are beamed into the liquid, blowing up the cellular walls and carbon bonds of contaminants, leaving fresh, clean water suitable for drinking. Water recycling at it’s very best, we say – although the machine isn’t the most portable of gadgets, it does the job. Scientists are now working on building bigger and more powerful purifiers that can deal with large tanks of water, or even sewage.
1. Enhanced Geothermal Systems
Image by Wim Malfait
Geothermal power usually requires naturally occurring water and rock porosity to channel heat. Enhanced Geothermal Systems (ESG) ‘enhance’ or encourage geothermal energy from rock that is dry and non-porous, creating an energy resource where there was none previously. Whilst natural cracks and pores do not allow for geothermal flow, ESG injects cold water into the rock at high pressure, increasing the fluid pressure in the rock and enhancing its permeability. This is pretty good (and major) news for all of us, particularly when you consider just how much rock there is inside the planet. There are EGS systems currently being developed and tested in several developed countries, including France, Australia, Japan, Germany, USA and Switzerland – with the largest being a monster 25 megawatt facility in Cooper Basin, Australia, which has the potential to generate 5,000–10,000 MW. As such, ESG looks set to become a massive and increasingly influential technology in the future.
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Porous surfaces are long overdue. The tragedy of paving over our cities is that valuable rainfall turns into runoff instead of soaking into the earth and recharging the water table. This should be a standard method for road building.
Agree. I live near a park that suffers terribly from storm water runoff and resulting flooding of anything that floats, all the way into the park forest.