Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, The Solar Decathlon gathers 20 college and university teams around the nation in a competition to design, build, and operate the most progressive and energy-efficient solar-powered house.
Competition aside, The Solar Decathlon is also a public event that strives to raise awareness among the general public about renewable energy and energy efficiency, and how solar energy technologies can reduce energy usage.
With some of the nation’s top schools competing, here’s a sneak peak of Team California’s (Santa Clara University/California College of the Arts) REFRACT House:
The 2009 Solar Decathlon kicks off October 8th, meanwhile the competing houses will be open for public tours starting October 9 at the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
Expanding the grid of solar design, the designers at Studio Formwork designed a lightweight, inflatable solar panel concept called “Solar Skin” that can provide energy to any building without the expense of costly renovations.
How does it work? Each white foam eye-shaped component holds thin-film solar cells printed on flexible mylar and lined on inflatable polymer. Therefore, Solar Skin can easily be installed on any building type to form a temporary skin of solar panels without dreading the time and cost of renovation for conventional solar panels.
Finalist at the prestigious 2009 International Design Award (IDEA), the “Leaf,” designed by South Korean designers Seungkyun Woo & Junyi Heo, is a wearable bracelet phone inspired by photosynthesis.
With solar cells on the front for easy charging, and a cradle charger that utilizes solar cells, this phone is definitely hot!
Housing four New York-based artists, the Waterpod is a floating sculptural living structure that is making its way around NY. Powered by electricity generated from a mix of solar, wind, and bicycle power, the Waterpod is providing the pubic with performance art shows and workshops that highlight the artists’ unique sustainable lifestyle.
The Waterpod is currently docked at Pier 5, Brooklyn Bridge Park.
Berlin’s first solar-powered passenger ship, the “SOLON,” set sail in Germany’s capital city today. Driven soley by the sun, the ship can carry up to 60 people and will cruise on Berlin’s waterways providing tours of the city.
SOLON SE, one of the largest solar module manufacturers in Europe, and to which the ship is named after, furnished and fitted 24 solar modules with a capacity of 5.6 kWp to the ship’s roof. While SolarWaterWorld AG, one of the leading innovators in solar shipping, manufactured and operated the ship.
It is important to note that the “SOLON” not only promotes climate-friendly mobility, but it also offers a notable sign that emission-free mobility is advancing for inland shipping.
Once voted as the world’s worst international airport, London Heathrow Airport is looking to have a bright future. Today, Heathrow operator BAA announced plans for a new terminal, Terminal 2, designed by Foster + Partners and developed by Ferrovial Agroman and Laing O’Rourke’s joint partnership company HETCo.
The new, greener terminal is projected to produce 40% [...]
Opening: Junior Software Engineer
Company: SunEdison
Salary: $100,000
Location: San Francisco, CA
Job Overview: This position will be responsible for working on a combination of technologies and stacks, including open-source Ruby on Rails projects, Microsoft C# projects, and back-end database systems.
Company Overview: SunEdison currently manages more than 67.4 MW of PV solar power plants across the globe, and is thereby the number one provider of [...]
Ironically shaped like a pack of cigarettes, renowned designer Michael Jantzen, world famous for his architectural and renewable energy designs, revealed his newest design: the Sun Rays Pavilion. Comprised of 12 giant acutely angled columns covered with PV film, the structure relies solely on solar power.
The PV film will take the active role of generating the electricity that will power the pavilion, while [...]
India trumped its own record of having the world’s largest solar-powered cooking system with the unveiling of a new system at the shrine of 19th century saint Sai Baba in Shridi, India. The new and improved system can feed up to 20,000 people per day and generate some 3,500 kg of steam daily—which will ultimately [...]
Serving as a great model for integrating solar technology with natural forms, Neville Mars designed an Electric Vehicle charging station that takes the form of a grove of evergreen solar trees.
Aside from providing an excellent source of shade to parked cars, each of the trees in Mars’s solar forest is made up of a set [...]
