On the Move Charging

Here at the EcoList we have featured a number of portable chargers which allow you to keep your electronic gadgets (phone, music player, computer) fully charged while you are out and about.

We thought you might like to have a look at what the BBC (and a collection of UK ramblers) think of some of these “one the move’ charging devices.

View the video here.

Renewable Mobile Phone Charging

This week (27th June), the Glastonbury festival opens, attracting masses of enthusiastic music lovers to the Vale of Avalon, here in the UK. All of them have mobile phones, most of them will want to be texting their mates to tell them what they are missing.

To make sure everyone stays connected to the ‘outside’ world, phone network Orange is providing a solar and wind powered charging tent. It will generate enough electricity to charge 100 mobile phones an hour. Any surplus is to be stored in a battery tank.

Orange had something like this last year but the 2008 version is larger and still only a test for more powerful charging stations, which could be deployed at other, massive, out in the middle of know where, gatherings.

More details at: www.rechargepod.com

The Queen (of England) Gets Windy

The Queen is buying the world’s largest wind turbine and will be testing it out on the British Coastline.

Well, the Queen isn’t actually doing it herself (she has people to do these things for her), but the project is being undertaken by the British Crown Estate which, interestingly, owns most of the seabed off Britain’s coastline. They have regularly leased out parts of the seabed to wind farm projects but this is the first time they are investing in turbines themselves.

Britain hopes to generate 15 percent of its consumed energy from renewable sources by 2020 and this large investment in offshore wind energy, by the Queen, will be used to gain firsthand knowledge of the challenges involved by installing and maintaining a machine on this scale.

[ Via MetaEfficient ]

Oil Tycoon goes Alternative

Mr T. Boone Pickens is a Texan oilman who, one can assume, makes quite a lot of money in that business what with the current cost of oil per barrel. He has just ordered 667 wind turbines, from energy company GE, at a cost of three million dollars each! A total bill of two billion.

Mr. Pickens plans to develop what will be the world’s largest wind farm located in the Texan panhandle. There is something VERY interesting about an oil tycoon investing in alternative energy - does he know something we don’t?

Not only is this a massive order it is only the first phase - a quarter of the total number of turbines he wants to install. Once completed the wind farm will have the capacity to supply well over one million texan homes with power.

[Via Metaefficient ]

Built in Turbines Generate Building's Power

What is thought to be the world’s first commercial building with integrated wind turbines just opened.

The Bahrain World Trade Center incorporates three 29 meter diameter blades into the main structure of this landmark building. Mounted between two elliptical towers the turbines are expected to generate 11-15% of the power needed by the building once fully operational. The shape of the supporting towers means that they act a little like aerofoils, funneling and accelerating the wind towards the blades. The location of the building means that it can use the onshore breeze from the adjacent Gulf.

One of the reasons more new buildings do not incorporate this type of technology is because of the additional costs involved. This building has been able to reduce those extras to around 3.5% of the overall project value which seems to make it financially viable as well as eco friendly. Strangely they only expect to operate the turbines for 50% of the time.

[Via: Businesswire ]

Green Parliament in Germany

Germany has always prided itself on its eco credentials and now the Reichstag is reported to become the greenest parliament building in the world.

When it was refurbished in the 1990’s, ready for the move of Parliament from Bonn back to Berlin, its glass cupola, designed by Sir Norman Foster, was not only seen as an architectural beacon but also helped make the building more energy efficient. The Reichstag managed to cut its carbon emissions by 94% after the refurbishment.

Now, they are going one step further and this summer will switch completely to renewable energy which includes wind, water and solar. The massive glass cupola already provides passive solar power and bio fuel is used in generators in the basement to provide 40% of the building’s energy. Currently the other 60% comes from coal and nuclear generation. This will be replaced, using outside suppliers with renewable sources.

Nothing like leading by example!!

[ Via: Metaefficient ]

Spinning Street Lights

As cities begin to realise that they can reduce their energy consumption by switching to eco lighting, this wind and solar 'street' light might be an indicator of things to come.

Located at the Panasonic Center in Tokyo, the lights incorporates solar cells for daylight energy collection and a spinning column to generate power from wind. The energy is stored in the base of the lamp post for use at night.

Not only does Panasonic have some of the most unusual outside lighting but a kinetic sculpture as well. The center was built with the intention of reducing its energy consumption by almost 30% and has a number of other 'eco' initiatives including rainwater utilisation and inbuilt solar lighting.

More details at: panasonic.co.jp

[Via: Hyperexperience]