Say what you will about the fiascoes leading up to the Beijing Olympics, but the event has brought along with it some amazing new architecture. Greeting visitors attending the Xicui entertainment complex near the site of the games is a 20,000 square foot wall of computer-controlled LEDs, the largest of its kind ever built. Better yet, the wall manages to power itself completely using only the sun.
Far more serious than beaming a salted snack advert into space, scientists at Pennsylvania State University in State College suggest that if we really want to catch the attention of aliens, then we should cover half the moon in mirrors, and send coded flashes of light into space. Always assuming ET’s not too bored by us, that is.
This small V-22 Osprey lookalike looks like a sleek and sexy machine, doesn’t it? The Falx Salker is a VTOL aircraft and is designed to be a hybrid electric vehicle, with solar energy augmenting the 100hp engine to achieve a fuel efficiency of 10 litres per hour of flight. According to their website, Falx Air Vehicles is “set to release its first 100% scale platform during 2008 leading to certification during the next 3 years.”
Of all the solar powered gadgets we’ve shown you recently, I’d have to say this is the most elegant. The Intelligent Forms SOLo is a lounge table (can we call it a coffee table?) and is simply designed to soak up the sun, turning it into stored power so you can charge your gear. Apparently left for a year in a “typical outdoor setting,” it can store enough power in its internal batteries to charge up your mobile phone 6,800 times or your laptop 168 times. Its got USB sockets, a car-style 12V socket and even a standard 3-pin mains plug, and the whole thing is weatherproof.
Eco start-up company Sungevity is launching a new web application on Earth Day (three days away, people!) that will take the guess work out of solar panel installations. Enter your address on Sungevity’s website and satellite-imaging software will zoom in on your home, calculate your roof’s dimensions, select the right sized solar arrays and calculate how much money you’ll save on energy costs.
This chandelier design by Christoph Klemmt is truly the superhero of lighting fixtures. Besides the obvious aesthetic qualities, the segments that make up the structure itself gradually change from clear to brightly coloured when struck by direct sunlight. It also gathers the power from the sun’s rays and uses it to illuminate the LEDs scattered along the surface. The piece is currently on exhibit at the Milan furniture fair 2008, so I highly doubt that it will be available to place in your garden anytime soon. And even if it was, you probably couldn’t afford it. Additional pic after the break.
When you’re green, you’re green: Tesla Motors chairman Elon Musk’s other gig is SolarCity, a solar energy company that just announced it would lease panels to residents of San Jose with no money down. Typically going solar requires a US$20K to US$30K install, or at the very least, a US$2,000 down payment, so a no-cash-upfront proposition is nice. But further reading suggests it may not be the homeowner’s dream come true.
When most of us think balloons, we think, “I never should have had children.” But these solar balloons are a lot more promising than their carnival counterparts. Constructed of photovoltaic fabric, the soft tank is filled with helium and tethered by power wire above a home, saving space on the ground while optimising sun exposure. But it’s not just the physical footprint that makes the technology so appealing. It’s the price per watt.
They say that inventors should find a need and fill it. I don’t know who needs a solar boosted pedal boat, but a design concept for one exists nonetheless. The boat features a centre cockpit where up to four passengers can sit, alternating pedaling duties in 2 person shifts. When you get tired (which should be after only a few minutes), switching to solar power can help lighten the load. I’m not sure if this concept will ever see the light of day, but in a world filled with non-solar powered pedal boats, it would be a welcome improvement. Video after the break.
That neighbour of yours thinks he is so badass with his top-of-the-line riding mower. With the Husqvarna’s new autonomous lawn mower, you can sip a beer on your porch and tell your neighbour to suck it while he toils away on his yard. And the best part is that the mower is a solar/electric hybrid — so it will mow your lawn whisper quiet with nearly zero emissions.
