Are the terms ‘eco’ and ‘luxury super-yacht’ mutually exclusive?  I’m leaning toward ‘yes’ – although Swedish luxury car and yacht designer Dennis Ingemansson obviously doesn’t agree.   His 45-meter Esthec solar-powered superyacht design features a solar array and lightweight decking materials.

The decking material is a lightweight composite made by the Dutch company Esthec, an innovative composite decking manufacturer.  The decking, which is lightweight, durable, recyclable and low maintenance, can be created in a wide range of colors and patterns.   To put you in the right economic zip code, the Esthec design was recently featured at the Monaco Yacht Show.

Related: previously on atlCon – design posts

Who doesn’t enjoy the sound of wind chimes ringing in the breeze?  Woodstock Chimes offers a wide selection of chimes to enhance any patio.  I had the opportunity to test and review the Capiz Solar Chime from Woodstock’s eco friendly, Asli Arts line. The Capiz chimes are made from natural, renewable resources and handcrafted by Balinese artisans – hand strung and hand dyed.

The Capiz Solar Chime we tested uses full capiz shells gently farmed in Indonesia.  In the 1500s, capiz shells, the outer shell of the marine mollusk, were used as windowpanes in houses; however, today they are used in various home decorations, including lamp shades, vases and wind chimes.

What makes these chimes different is their solar panel and a LED light, which enables the chime to cast off a soft, mood enhancing light in addition to its chime.  The solar panel charges the chime’s battery during the day and a sensor turns the light on at dusk as the sun goes down.  The solar panel piece is removable making it convenient to hang the chimes with or without it.

Another feature of Capiz Solar Chimes is that they are not small.  (more…)

Wind power innovator, Mariah Power, and Connecticut’s Quinnipiac University are installing the first micro-wind farm at a U.S. university.   The 25 turbine installation, which will be installed along the new York Hill Campus’s main walkway, will power about 50% of the campus’s exterior lights.  The 35 to 45 foot Windspire vertical axis wind turbines will create a “wind terrace”, or “kinetic sculpture garden” that, when combined with a sweet view of Long Island Sound, will hopefully become student destination.

read the full press release

Maybe we need to look to nature for innovative alternative energy designs.  Clean energy design firm, green wavelength, has created a bumblebee-inspired 19-foot wind turbine prototype that they demo’d at this week’s The Perfect Pitch 2009 entrepreneur conference.

The company’s xBEE press release states: “Created by the clean energy company Green Wavelength, the prototype represents an attempt to break the mold of everyday windmill solutions that are, at best, 30 percent efficient, and seek efficiency from biological sources such as the movement of bumblebees, hummingbirds, and dragonflies.”

The prototype got Green Wavelength into the top 50 finalists in the pitch conference, that featured Sir Richard Branson as a keynote speaker, and placed it in the running with entrepreneurs focused on everything from high-end recreational vehicles to artificial fingers.

Unfortunately, the prototype did not break into the top ten.

YouTube video of sidewalk demo

Germany-based Neuber and Konarka Technologies have teamed up to market a new solar charging line of bags.  Neuber’s Energy Sun-Bags feature Konarka’s Power Plastic lightweight material which converts solar energy into electricity.  The new business and leisure bags charge mobile phones, digital cameras, iPods, Mp3 Players and other small devices with solar power.

Pricing of the bags begins at under $150 U.S..  They can be purchased at neuber’s website (be prepared to translate from German)

source: press release

The US Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon announced the 2009 winners of its biennial competition, which challenged 20 colleges and universities from around the world to design, (more…)

Boro Fuel Oil Co., Inc., which has been providing Brooklyn, NY residents and businesses with fuel and energy services for 80 years, is taking the plunge and going green.  On November 1st the company will become the first heating oil dealer in New York City to offer BioGreen – a new premium biofuel.

BioGreen is a blend of traditional heating oil and 10% soybean oil – a combo that is much more eco-friendly than traditional home heating oil.  The premium biofuel is clean, renewable, biodegradable, and non-toxic.  Domestically produced BioGreen is also part of the ‘buy American’ movement -  it’s produced from soybeans grown in the U.S.A – and helps to support American agriculture and reduce our dependence on foreign oil.

BioGreen offers heating oil customers the following benefits: (more…)

Techie fun, marketing innovation and wind speed site analysis all on your iPhone?  Mariah Power and Create with Context will soon release an iPhone app that will let you know how much wind is whipping through your property and if it’s enough to spin a Windspire small wind turbine.  Just hold your iPhone into the wind and it will measure the wind speed and do the math.  The app will also estimate how much CO2 your potential Windspire installation will save the environment.

You can sign up at Mariah Power’s website to be notified when the app is available.

Related: previous Altcon posts on Mariah Power and its vertical axis wind turbine

Although experts say we’re still quite a ways from driving in cars powered solely by the sun’s rays, here’s a concept of what the future might hold – called Lovos, which stands for Lifestyle of Voluntary Simplicity.

Designed by 24-year-old artist Anne Forschner from Pforzheim University, Germany, in collaboration with BMW, this concept car (which resembles somewhat of an eco-batmobile) consists of 260 exterior “scales” of solar cells, which harness power from the sun while simultaneously functioning as airbrakes.  When the car is in motion, each scale re-aligns with the sun accordingly to collect maximum power (even the wheels).

Forschner envisioned the car to stand as a symbol of  “the conscious self-restraint” in relation to reducing consumption and minimizing waste (I’m assuming by using solar as the car’s fuel source).

No word on whether the car will ever make it out of its concept stages, but what do you think?  Can you see yourself in one of these?

Check out more photos  @ autoblog.com

The amount of solar energy the Earth receives in 40 minutes is equivalent to global energy consumption for a year, so it’s no surprise that solar photovoltaic cells have become the world’s fastest growing energy source.

Whether you’re inclined to do your part for mother earth, or just want to lower your energy bills, a solar panel system may be an attractive fit.  Whether it’s a feasible option, however, will vary from home to home, depending on where you live and how much sunlight you receive.

Essentially, a solar panel system is a long-term investment.  Although a system typically has a high initial cost, the consumer saves money in the long run because the costs are eventually paid off in energy bill savings.  And, any solar power generated thereon after is entirely profit.

What varies is the amount of time it takes for you to make your money back – called, the payback period.  This depends on a number of variables – including: sunlight exposure, the system size, regional electric rates, household energy consumption, equipment placement, and the list goes on.  Generally speaking, systems typically average a payback period of 10-15 years.

Here’s how to calculate your payback period:

(more…)