Tag: Alternative Energy

The Eiffel Tower Installs Two Wind Turbines

Energy Industry | Wind Power | Wind Turbines

eiffel-tower-wind-turbines

The 126 year old Eiffel Tower is going green! A pair of camouflaged VisionAIR5 wind turbines were installed inside the scaffolding on the second floor, and are expected to generate 10,000 kilowatt hours of electricity every year. That’s enough to power the tower’s entire first floor; including history exhibits, a souvenir shop and restaurants. The […]

Possible Dual Rotor Technology for Wind Turbines

Energy Inventions | Wind Power | Wind Turbines

Dual Rotor Wind Turbine

Iowa State Aerospace Engineers Anupam Sharma and Hui Hu are exploring the possibility of adding a smaller, secondary rotor to wind turbines. The engineers studied the base of existing turbines and found two major problems. First, they are big round structural pieces that don’t harvest any wind energy because they are not shaped like an […]

The Kymogen Wave Energy Generator

Energy Inventions | Hydro Power | Wave Power

KymoGen

Mechanical Engineer David Hartmann and Craftsman Jason Ballash have designed a new wave power technology called the KymoGen, which has the potential to produce clean, low-cost energy using the constant power of waves. Key to the design is its simplicity. A portable 8’x8′ platform is tethered to a mooring on the sea floor. Inside the […]

Man Converts Toyota Prius into Motor Home

Hybrid Cars | Transportation

Toyota Prius Motor Home

It’s Friday, so we figured it’s time for a little humour. James Lawler, a Landscaper from Torquay Australia, has built himself a mini-motorhome atop his Toyota Prius Hybrid. The project took just over a week to complete using scrap materials, and ended up costing him just under $150. What inspired this project? Lawler says “There’s […]

The Hydrobee: USB Power from Nature

Energy Inventions | Human Power | Hydro Power

hydrobee

We just received an email from a company called Hydrobee, asking us to vote for them as Autodesk’s inventor of the Year. Having never heard of this we checked it out… what a neat invention! This soda-can sized device generates electricity for USB devices when you’re off the grid. It can generate power using flowing […]

Meet the Makani Energy Kite

Energy Inventions | Wind Power | Wind Turbines

Makani Energy Kite

Back in 2013 Google purchased a company called Makani, creators of the Energy Kite. Their goal is to make wind energy pricing competitive with fossil fuels, and they believe a new approach is needed. The Energy Kite is a new type of wind turbine, designed to generate more energy using 90% less materials. “Makani’s energy […]

Nissan Launches 7-seater Electric Minivan

Electric Cars | Energy Industry | Transportation

Nissan e-NV200

Ever wanted to own an electric car, but didn’t think any of the current options were practical? Think again! Nissan is turning over a new leaf with it’s new 100% electric e-NV200 — a 7-seater electric minivan — perfect for cargo, families and even taxis. Previously only available as a 5-seater, the new model has […]

The Lateral Axis Wind Turbine

Energy Inventions | Wind Power | Wind TurbinesSri Lankan inventor Leelananda Jayasuriya just sent us this concept for a Lateral Axis Wind Turbine. The turbine functions just like a Ferris Wheel, with the blades orbiting in an epicyclical path around th…

Meet the Strati: A 3D Printed Electric Car

Electric Cars | Future Technology | Transportation

3D Printed Car

3D Printing is all the rage these days, so it’s no surprise someone has printed a complete and functional electric automobile, appropriately named the Strati (Italian for “layers”). 18 months ago, Phoenix Arizona company Local Motors teamed up with Cincinnati Incorporated to develop a neighborhood electric car. The project is open source; members are encouraged […]