Google’s search for business value in circular cities

A new report explains how four technologies can help cities become hotbeds of the circular economy.

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Google’s search for business value in circular cities

sCarabane: a self-sufficient collapsible caravan powered by sun and wind

Green camping is about to get a lot more glamorous. Green Cat Technologies from France -has designed the sCarabane, a self-sufficient caravan with several fancy clean technologies: you’ll find solar cells but also a solar concentrator to generate hot water, and a telescopic wind turbine . The foldable caravan can rotate 360 degrees to follow the sun – and provide incredible views. The sCarabane folds up for easy travel, and one person can do the job in around half an hour. It can then be towed as a standard caravan. Once in place, it unfolds into a futuristic getaway that rests on a circular stand so it’s able to rotate and make the most of the renewable technologies on board. Related: Live off the grid and rent-free in the charming Wohnwagon mobile caravan A parabolic mirror atop the sCarabane tracks the sun. A telescopic vertical axis wind turbine can generate 500 watts of clean power. Solar cells supplement the renewable energy generation, providing another 500 watts. The bright space includes fold-out components to connect the indoors and outdoors. A hatch can open to connect the kitchen with a full-length deck outside. There’s a 77.5 square foot master bedroom, with a 59 square foot children’s bedroom next door. Each of these opens to the outdoors with a full-size door. The dining area in the kitchen also doubles as an extra bed. A bathroom area includes a toilet, sink, shower, and compact washing machine. A rotating bubble window offers a fun way to look outside, and rose windows on the bedroom roofs let those beneath control the sunlight’s intensity inside. Green Cat Technologies notes the sCarabane may not be completely self-sufficient anywhere a person could travel – that depends on weather and geographical location. They said right now, users still need a bottle of propane to cook. They are still developing the caravan – including rainwater harvesting and water filtration systems – so don’t yet have a date for when it will be on the market (or what it will cost). + Green Cat Technologies Via New Atlas Images via screenshot

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sCarabane: a self-sufficient collapsible caravan powered by sun and wind

SolarWindow unveils ultra-thin solar film for curved glass surfaces

In a revolutionary move for the solar power industry, Solar Window Technologies recently announced a new flexible solar panel coating for curved glass surfaces that is as thin as a business card and flexible enough to bend without breaking or cracking. The company says that, when applied to a 50-storey building, the coatings can achieve a one-year financial payback by creating 50-times more power than conventional solar. To put it that claim into perspective, the average solar system take about five to 11 years for a full payback. SolarWindow is currently a leading developer of transparent solar coatings for glass windows in tall towers and skyscrapers. With this new product, the first-ever electricity-generating flexible glass, the transparent SolarWindow coatings allow solar power to easily be integrated into a variety of non-flat surfaces, including applications in the automotive, aircraft and military industries. “Flexible glass could play a big role in window, canopy, smart building, and other building and transportation products. We believe that flexible glass can serve an even more valuable purpose by generating electricity using SolarWindow coatings,” said President and CEO, John A. Conklin. SolarWindow’s coatings are transparent, ultra-light weight and generate electricity when applied in layers thinner than a human hair. Related: Check out the world’s first lights powered by micro-sphere solar cells If the technology for their new product is the same as their original product for skyscraper windows , the coatings will be made of mainly organic components, including carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen; with the key part being the active layer that generates electricity through the absorption of light, and transparent conductors that extract electricity. The company estimates the market for their new product at about $25 billion. Now that it’s completed tests to show its coatings perform under real-life conditions, it’s well on its way toward accessing that money and keeping more carbon out of the atmosphere. + SolarWindow Technologies Images via SolarWindow

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SolarWindow unveils ultra-thin solar film for curved glass surfaces

"Vibranium" hyperloop pods will be 10 time stronger than steel

When Hyperloop Transportation Technologies announced that it would be using a new type of carbon fiber to make its capsules, what stuck out to many comic and film fans wasn’t the technical details of the innovative new material, but the name: “Vibranium.” The material takes its name from the fictional metal used in the Captain America comics to create the hero’s nearly indestructible shield. However, the name isn’t the only exciting thing about the startup’s announcement. Unlike the…

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"Vibranium" hyperloop pods will be 10 time stronger than steel

Parsing the hype behind the Hyperloop

Dirk Ahlborn, CEO of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, tells the VERGE audience that the once-futuristic concept of traveling between cities at the speed of sound will start to take shape next year.

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Parsing the hype behind the Hyperloop

Farm sensors, software and growing more food with less water

Tule Technologies, Rubicon Water and other ag-tech companies as well as university and government researchers have devised tools to grow more food with less water.

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Farm sensors, software and growing more food with less water

Reporting your company’s carbon footprint can save $1.5 million a year

Voluntarily reporting carbon emissions can pay for proactive businesses, according to new research out of Oxford University.

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Reporting your company’s carbon footprint can save $1.5 million a year

Ultralight Nemus Cajalun Bike is Made From Hollow Wooden Tubes

German bike manufacturer LignoTube Technologies designed their ultralight Nemus Cajalun bike by combining layers of veneer, real wood and alumnium. Thanks to its veneer composite pipes (called LignoTUBEs), the bike weighs less than 20 pounds, but retains plenty of durability and strength. The Nemus won the 2014 Red Dot Award for product design in the Outdoor, Leisure, Sports and Fun category. Read the rest of Ultralight Nemus Cajalun Bike is Made From Hollow Wooden Tubes Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: bike design , German bike design , green transportation , LignoTube Technologies , nemus Cajalun bike , red dot award , Red Dot Award bike , ultralight bike , wood bike , wood tubes bike

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Ultralight Nemus Cajalun Bike is Made From Hollow Wooden Tubes

American Graphite Technologies Begins Development of a 3D Printer that Prints Graphene

Graphene model by James Hedberg From stone , to plastic bottles , and even metal , there is a growing list of materials that can be extruded by a 3D printer. Now, American Graphite Technologies is trying to add graphene to that list. Graphene is one of the world’s strongest materials thanks to its unique, atom-sized interlocking lattice structure, but at the same time it’s also a classically hard to manufacture material. Researchers from the US company have teamed up with with Kharkov Institute of Physics in Ukraine to change that by making the material 3D printable. Read the rest of American Graphite Technologies Begins Development of a 3D Printer that Prints Graphene Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: American Graphite Technologies , graphene , Kharkov Institute of Physics , meta-materials , microscopic , nano-weave , nanostructured carbon , new material research , research , science , Science and Technology Centre in Ukraine        

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American Graphite Technologies Begins Development of a 3D Printer that Prints Graphene

Co+Labo’s Tiny Pee-Powered Barn House Shelters Two Humans, Two Horses

Read the rest of Co+Labo’s Tiny Pee-Powered Barn House Shelters Two Humans, Two Horses Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: “energy efficiency” , Animals , Architecture , barn house , Co+Labo , energy efficient , green resources , Hokkaido , house for horses , Japan , LIXIL* International University Architectural Competition , pee powered , tiny homes        

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Co+Labo’s Tiny Pee-Powered Barn House Shelters Two Humans, Two Horses

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