Technology Archives - Page 2 of 18

China Now Largest Investor Renewable Energies Worldwide

BEIJING, July 3, 2016 (Xinhua) -- A full solar power vehicle is presented during a ceremony held by Chinese renewable energy company Hanergy Holding Group in Beijing, capital of China, July 2, 2016. Hanergy launched four full solar power vehicles at the ceremony on Saturday. (Xinhua/Cai Yang) (wx)[/caption] The International Energy Agency (IEA) on Wednesday launched its first detailed report of global energy investment, with China singled out for praise. In the first detailed analysis of investment across the global energy system, the IEA reported that global energy investment fell by 8 percent in 2015, with a drop in oil and gas upstream spending outweighing continued robust investment in renewable energies, electricity networks and energy efficiency. Total investment in the energy sector reached 1.8 trillion U.S. dollars in 2015, down from 2 trillion U.S. dollars in 2014, according to the IEA's World Energy Investment 2016 report. The new annual report provides a compre…

Solar Powered Airplane Lands in New York on Historic Flight Around the World

NEW YORK What started as a sky-is-the-limit dream for two Swiss explorer/entrepreneurs is now one giant, soaring, fuel-free, #futureisclean reality. Bertrand Piccard (@bertrandpiccard) André Borschberg (@andreborschberg) and their innovative solar plane, Solar Impulse 2, reached a milestone Saturday as it completed a trip across the United States. The solar-powered airplane on a globe-circling voyage that began in the United Arab Emirates more than a year ago. The Swiss-made plane landed at John F. Kenney International Airport at 4 a.m. after a 4 hour 41 minute flight of about 165 miles from Lehigh Valley International Airport in Pennsylvania. Its trip across the U.S. mainland began April 24, when Solar Impulse landed in San Francisco from Hawaii. The aviation industry told them #solarimpulse was an impossible project so they built their own team & found new solutions. Read more from their logbook here. Have you ever seen bicycles assist an airplane landing …

Ecocapsule- World’s Smallest Solar House

The Ecocapsule (or Eggo-capsule?) is a new form of mini Glamping. It may not be the prime spot to host a party, but for the chic, pod-dwelling nomads among us, the Ecocapsule is strides beyond a basic shelter and nicer looking than most trailers or RVs. If you've ever felt like leaving it all behind, you can live off the grid for up to a year. It's got a bed, kitchen, bathroom and work area, and a couple windows to let in the breeze. No need to plug into the grid — there's a wind turbine and bank of solar cells built in to charge a battery for light and heat, and rainwater is filtered and collected into a tank under the floor. Power Supply A 750-watt wind turbine and 600-watt solar array collect energy. Assuming outside temperatures stay between -13° and 104°F, the capsule can consistently produce all its own power. A super-efficient climate-control system helps: On its way to the exhaust fan, heated air passes through channels alongside fresh air, warming it up. Video E…

Rory Stewart pledges to tackle UK's "crazy" recycling systems

Environment Minister Rory Stewart has signalled his desire to work with local councils to slash the number of different recycling systems in the UK from around 300 to just five or six, arguing a more co-ordinated approach to waste management would help cut costs and boost recycling rates. Speaking at the Environment Industries Commission annual conference in London last week, Stewart said the area of waste policy he has been most focused on since joining the Defra team following May's election was addressing "the craziness that we have over 300 different recycling systems in Britain". "Almost every council is running a different recycling system," he added. "We really need to find a way of co-ordinating better." Stewart admitted many local councils remain resistant to central government efforts to standardise local waste and recycling policies, which currently result in massive variations in how local authorities collect recycling and which materials they will process. "It i…

London Heathrow Marriott aims to clean up with Europe's first soap recycling scheme

The London Heathrow Marriott has announced plans to start recycling discarded soap after teaming up with social enterprise Clean The World. The partnership, the first of its kind in Europe, will see soap discarded by the hotel's guests repurposed in hygiene kits that are distributed to impoverished communities around the world. FURTHER READING "Hundreds of people fly in and out of Heathrow Airport every day and as a result we see hundreds of leisure and business guests come through our doors," said Ron Vos, general manager at London Heathrow Marriott Hotel, in a statement. "If you think about the amount of soap that's discarded by each of these guests and then consider all the people in the world that may not have the luxury of hygiene products, it seems absurd to let it all go to waste." Shawn Seipler, Clean The World's founder and CEO, welcomed the new partnership and urged more European hotels to embrace the recycling model. "Since 2009, Clean The World has distribut…

Mayor Boris launches fresh London recycling push

London Mayor Boris Johnson yesterday helped launch a campaign designed to encourage households to step up their recycling efforts. The Just One Thing campaign is being orchestrated by Recycle for London, the wider campaign run by Resource London, a partnership between the London Waste and Recycling Board (LWARB) and WRAP. FURTHER READING The campaign is backed by a revamped website that allows Londoners to quickly search by postcode what materials can be recycled in their area and a wave of new communications materials to help local authorities and businesses promote recycling awareness. "This is a great way to boost the environment and save money, so let's not waste any time and get into the habit of recycling more of our everyday items," said Johnson. Councillor Clyde Loakes, chair of Resource London as well as North London Waste Authority and Deputy Leader of Waltham Forest, said the new initiative would help tackle some of the specific challenges London faces as it …