Offshore winds has always been known to cause showers and thunderstorms. These winds are now being utilized to generate renewable electricity which is safer for the environment. Principle Power, a new company that was started in January this year has planned its first project on the offshore of Tillamook County coast of Oregon. The firm has raised an amount of $20 million to provide a power of 150-megawatt power to Oregon.

Principle Power has already secured license from Marine Innovation and Technology for WindFloat, an establishment that supports offshore windmills and also signed an agreement with the Tillamook Intergovernmental Development Agency for the project. As said by the co-founder and President Jon Bonanno, of the $20 million the company has raised, a loan of $2.3 million is convertible which gives the lenders shares in the company. This money will be used to fund the project. The company uses renewable technology devised by others in the building of these offshore wind power plants.

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We keep hearing about eco-friendly vehicles dominating the roads across the world. But Mochi Craft has thought about the remaining 71%, which is water. A branch of Ferretti Group, this organisation sailed in world’s first eco-vessel.
A hyrbid yatch, it was launched at the 48th Salone Nautico Internazaionale. The green tag comes from the hybrid propulsion system that is exclusively manufactured by Ferretti. In other words, twin MAN diesel inboards are attached to a 15-inch, touchscreen monitoring system; thus allowing the helmsman to be able to switch among three different propulsion modes with the swipe of a finger: diesel, diesel-electric, or just electric.

An amazing start indeed, because once such eco-friendly hybrid yatchs sail across the blue water the ever-increasing pollution level will come down. Plus with its diesel-engine combination, the 75-feet water bus leaves ten kilograms of carbon dioxide for each nautical mile. There is also a battery pack that too can power the boat. And in this diesel-electric mode, the vessel emits less than half a kilogram each nautical mile.

The RINA Green Star certifies that the Long Range 23, priced at a huge three million euros, comes with both enhanced hydrodynamic capability and static stability.

Via luxury-insider

The big news is – Google decides to go green. In an attempt to rescue the USA from the energy crisis before 2030, the largest search engine in the world has decided to pursue a new energy plan. Experts believe that the company is being a little too modest calling their effort as too small, when now they are supporting and promoting green technology like wind power, solar energy, geothermal energy etc like enevr before.

The idea here is to take pressure off the fossil fuel resources. Google has cut down on its servers and buildings, even their computers are more efficient now so as to decrease consumption.
A very simple approach by Google that is hoped to inspire many others to actually sit back and think about the amount of energy they consume. It has even partnered with General Electric Co to develop a power grid that will have real-time pricing to show people their energy consumption.
Via planetark

With the benefits of Windmills come common concerns like the whooshing sound that regular turbines produce, as well as their divisive visual aesthetics. Keeping in mind the volatility of the speed of wind in the urban environment, the QR (Quiet Revolution) has been designed. A new type of wind turbine intended to address both of these issues, Quiet Revolution’s QR5 Vertical Axis Wind Turbine, or VAWT for shawt, is smaller, quieter, and way better looking than your typical windmill, plus it should produce the equivalent of its £25,000 price tag in clean energy within 15 years or less. The elegant helical (twisted) design of QR ensures a robust performance even in turbulent winds. It is also responsible for virtually eliminating noise and vibration.

At five metres high and three metres in diameter, it is compact and easy to integrate, and with just one moving part, maintenance can be limited to an annual inspection.

Though the energy output will vary according to the wind speed but is likely to be between 6,000 and 10,000 kWhrs on a typical site. And if that wasn’t all, according the usage of such windmills will also lead to reduction in CO2 emmisions.

Via trendir

Wind energy has been considered traditionally as both cumbersome and ungainly with the way in which it needs to be tapped into. Giant windmills and large wind turbines are deemed unfit for modern cities as they are a both a physical obstruction and not profitable enough as an investment. But modern designers have amalgamated design with energy savvy methods to create sleek and sexy wind turbines that are blowing away traditional perception of wind energy. Here is a look at the 10 best modern wind turbines that take clean energy forward in a classy and silent fashion.

1. Energy Ball

The perfect wind turbine for the modern world, Energy Ball works on the principle of the Venturi Effect. Making use of the change in fluid pressure at different points to produce motion, it acts a lot more effectively than wind turbines and is a lot more quiet and adept for city life. The wind turbine can be put on your roof or in your backyard, and it will start immediately producing energy. Silent and effective- Energy Ball surely is the charmed prince of the new millennium’s turbine world.

2. Helix Wind Turbine

The design of Helix defies the conventional design of wind turbines. Its curved body and effective new design make it perfect for your modern home even in terms of style and ergonomics. Helix Wind Turbine is an elegant solution for home and small business owners. Powerful enough to supply your needs yet harmonious with the environment, the strength of the wind is captured by our unique and highly efficient vertical blade design. Truly modern!

3. Helical Structure for the Future World

These futuristic helical structures are designed by Asia Alliance Base, and are simple and compact offering a fluid mechanism to capture and generate energy from winds that go waste atop many roofs in cities across the planet. The structure also seems good for desert lands where low land winds also produce sustained and substantial energy. The helical blades of these Space Age Turbines offer both safety and efficiency.

4. Mini- Stylish Wind Turbine Charger

The Mini might not be a giant among the wind turbine domain but surely is a lot more practical than most other designs. This neat mini wind turbine charger is small enough to hold in your hand or attach to a bike. It needs only 9mph of wind to start charging the internal battery, which can then be used to charge many devices, such as mobile phones, digital cameras and iPods. If you are looking for a clean way to charge up your iPhone, then the Mini is here for you.

5. Selsam Super turbines to tame the rough waves!

If you took one look at the Selsam wind turbines and thought that they were some thorny desert plant that has been used to decorate a ship or some radar emitting signals, then it would be hard to fault you. These flexible futuristic wind turbines are shaped in a way to utilize wind power to the fullest on the rough seas. Apart from being flexible, they are completely submersible and hence can withstand even the toughest of storms. Selsam’s design and style makes them an absolute personal favorite for us.

6. Architectural Wind

Architectural wind is a collection of many turbines that form a small modular wind turbine system. The unique system makes wind power a viable option for urban centers, because it doesn’t require a massive tower. The wind turbines are sleek and low profile so they can be perfectly integrated into new or existing buildings. The design is meant to be shown off, rather than hidden away on the roof. Now you can get eco-friendly and do it in a proud, fashion-conscious way!

7. Philippe Starck wind machine

The design offered by Philippe Starck barely looks like a wind turbine, but this wind machine can apparently produce enough energy to power up to 60% of domestic energy needs. While it is priced at $360, if it indeed provides 60 percent of household energy, then you will reclaim you money in a matter of months- Fine design with great utility.

8. Swift

If pace, efficiency and silent power is what you are looking for then Swift might be the end of your search. This is the first quiet rooftop wind turbine that generates electricity by harnessing the power of the wind providing you a cost effective clean energy source. Swift is a pioneer in its field and one could call it the path-breaker for every other model that you see in this special collection.

9. Broadstar AeroCam

This is anything unlike your traditional windmill design and the AeroCam even functions unlike anything else you have known. It operates on principles first established by the French aeronautical engineer Georges Jean Marie Darrieus (1888-1979), who invented a wind turbine capable of operating from any direction and under adverse weather conditions. Its advantage lies in its ability to automatically and interactively adjust the pitch or angle of wind. Unique and efficient, it surely merits a place on the elite list.

10. Windspire

Windspire turbine from Mariah Power has a propeller-free vertical-axis design, and is expected to produce about 1800 kilowatt hours per year in 11 mph average wind conditions. That amount of wind power is roughly 25% of a typical household’s energy. Unlike the other turbines in the list, this one is 30 feet tall but is still fir for residential use. It does away with the traditional design of blades and is simple and easy to install. But at $ 4000, this is not for those who hate to part with their cash.

There are some of the best wind energy options available today and if you happen to live in a pretty gusty place, you can gladly give them a try. That does it for the Talk Ten for now and we will be back with more cool clean stuff very soon!

The Crown Estate of England knows which way the wind blows and has decided to acquire the prototype of the world’s biggest wind turbine, Clipper’s 7.5 megawatt MBE turbine, also known as the Britannia. While the other windmills have been land-based, this giant will be located in deep waters near the UK. This will assist the marine interests of The Crown Estate which includes almost the entire UK territorial seabed out to 12 nautical miles , about 55% of the UK’s coastal foreshore, and rights to lease seabed for the generation of renewable energy on the continental shelf within the Renewable Energy Zone which extends out to approximately 200 nautical miles.
This will drive forward the development of turbine technology designed for the challenges of the offshore environment hence providing a great opportunity to help establish a new industrial base of activity to advance the UK’s leadership in renewable energy.

The 10-megawatt monster machine built by Clipper Windpower of Carpinteria, California will have a wingspan larger than two soccer fields and will stand 574 feet tall when completed. The windmill is expected to displace two million barrels of oil as well as 724,000 tons of CO2 over its lifetime. It will also serve as the flagship for Clipper’s Britannia Project, an effort to produce massive new turbines on deep-sea floating platforms. If all goes as planned, the Queen’s windmill will light up thousands of British homes starting in 2012.
This thus, will not only prove benevolent but when yield as a good financial investment for the Crown as well.


Via fashionfunky

Wind Energy really seems to be gathering wind as a viable alternate option in the last couple of years and people are starting to use it alongside solar energy to get the best possible results. But the major problem in harnessing wind energy has traditionally been the use of tall and huge wind turbines which do not fit in to modern city patterns and also require considerable and consistent wind for production of energy. But designers and engineers have put an end to that problem by creating wind turbines that suit the urban lifestyle and ‘Energy Ball’ might be the best of the lot.

Energy Ball works on the principle of the Venturi Effect, making use of the change in fluid pressure at different points to produce motion. In simple terms, it acts a lot more effectively than wind turbines and is a lot more quiet and adept for city life. The wind turbine can be put on your roof or in your backyard, and it will start immediately producing energy. The efficiency is pretty high, and all that is achieved without changing the ergonomics of your home or your backyard in a major way.

While Energy Ball makes for a great wind turbine, we need more such wonderful designs which will harness other renewable sources with equal ease. So if and when you can get your hands on Energy Ball, just go for it.

Via Theenvironmentalage

Smart is one company that is relatively new in the world of automobiles and is only now celebrating its 10th anniversary. Now that is a very young age for a car making company and it is almost akin to an infant still in his first year. Then how is that Smart is this awesome and fancy with its work and so confident about its market? For those still wondering, Smart is a joint venture of Swatch and Mercedes. That is quite simply a phenomenal combination, which ensures that there is neither in shortage of funds or skill or even technical support.

To celebrate its 10th anniversary Swatch has released a Limited Edition car that it quite aptly calls the Smart Edi10n and the car is a perfect urban commuter in every sense of the world. Style and automobile finesse aside, Smart is a diesel-powered vehicle for two. Before you even shout about how it still spills out fumes and is not good for the planet, just remember that it only holds two people. This saves on space, energy while engineering the car and putting it together, parking space, fuel consumption and costs.

With most urban commuters using cars either all on there own or just for a couple, it is time every carmaker starting making this ’smart’ choice. While it might not be appealing for all, it does its job to perfection and saves the roads from plenty of messy jams and fumes. The rest of the car is simple impeccable with world-class interiors, top-notch styling and great design. It comes with the 0.8-cdi engines or the 1.0-liter 84hp gasoline engine and is priced at €16,850 - €19,790. That is no surprise at all either.



Via Leblogauto

If thinking out of the box is your cup of tea then Japan is the land for you. People there surely think out of the box even when they do not need to and ‘tea’ is pretty much all you will get their to drink. Japan is a land that has been known for its amazing new creations and amalgamation of electronic perfection with spectacular new gadgets. But here is an idea by the Japanese that is both needed and welcome. The spectacular Eco-Rigs to adorn Japan’s Coastline would soon make a mighty power source of free energy.

Huge Village-sized floating Eco-Rigs would soon float close to the Japanese shore to generate clean power for the country. These humongous structures would be fitted with both wind turbines and wide solar panels to produce energy in more ways than just one. While the 2 km by 800 meters solar base would be busy turning the power of the sun in to electricity, the wind turbine blades would be swirling around to power up Japan further.

So what about the ocean eco-system in all this? It gets better actually with some of that solar and wind energy to be used to power banks of underwater LED lights. They’re intended to be the source of light for nurseries of seaweeds to encourage the growth of fish and plankton population. That is indeed king-sized eco-revolution.

Via TimesOnline

It is nice to see that more South American nations are actively taking to production of alternate energy and with the immense natural resources the continent possesses; it will not be long before they start producing clean energy in a large way. South America is endowed with natural resources that are varied and unique and the continent is only now realizing its true potential. With vast open desert and plenty of Sunshine, Peru seems to be ideal to harness power from alternate sources.

Iberoperuana Inversiones plans to invest $240 million in a wind farm, which is projected to provide clean electricity for an estimated 80,000 families in Peru’s southern desert region of Paracas. The wind energy park will be located near the city of Ica and will be known as the “Parque Eólico San Andrés”. Iberoperuana Inversiones hopes that the park would already be generating 22 megawatts of energy by the end of this year.

This new venture is the first major investment in Peru in regards to the production of alternate energy and the country hopes that this will encourage further investments in both wind and solar energy. This is not just a wonderful new venture that will benefit Peru and other South American nations around it but will also help the planet to cool down that tad bit further.

Via Ecoworldly