Sun-Powered Bambu House Sprouts at Solar Decathlon Europe

Tonji
University Shanghai’s Bambu House at the European
Solar Decathlon is a beautiful sun-powered abode inspired by
nature. It has two elegant sloping roofs and is almost entirely
constructed from bamboo. Its impressive solar
array generates 9 kilowatts of electricity which powers its one
bedroom, one living room layout. We love how the house combines
traditional Chinese architecture with state of
the art technology — it has temperature
and humidity control systems, high-level thermal insulation systems,
and a bamboo enclosed garden.

Tonji University’s team has 20 members and is composed of doctors,
postgraduates, and undergraduate students who range across many
disciplines — from architecture and urban planning to energy
development. They hope that their solar-powered
house can help promote their forward-thinking ideas about renewable energy use in
residential urban areas. The team has spent six months designing and
constructing the house from scratch and they are hoping their hard work
will pay off. Structurally, the house is strongly influenced by
traditional Chinese architecture but with a tinge of the efficient look
of contemporary architecture.

The Solar Decathlon Europe
kicked off with a bang today and Inhabitat is on the scene to provide a
first peek at the amazing sun-powered architecture
on display. The European Solar Decathlon is the sister of the US Solar
Decthalon — which we
covered in Washington DC this past October — and was organized in a
partnership between Government of Spain’s Ministry of Housing and the
United States Government. The decathlon is taking place all through next
week in Madrid, so stay tuned to Inhabitat as we bring you a front seat
view of all the action!

Read more: Sun-Powered
Bambu House Sprouts at Solar Decathlon Europe | Inhabitat - Green
Design Will Save the World

Google Power Meter

Google PowerMeter is a free energy monitoring tool that helps you save
energy and money. Using energy information provided by utility smart
meters and energy monitoring devices, Google PowerMeter enables you to
view your home's energy consumption from anywhere online.

Discard the Cord

When people talk about going wireless, they're usually talking about the kind of wires that involve data. But what if you could actually charge gadgets without a power cord? That fantasy became a reality in 2007 with devices like the WildCharger charging pad. Fit your cell phone (or whatever) with an adapter, put it on the pad, and it will power right up, as fast as it would with a wall plug.
Available Now
wildcharge.com

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1677329_1678130_1678118,00.html#ixzz0WffZomUY

Autonomous Automobile

The trouble with most green-concept cars is that they require regular "refueling" with hard-to-get hydrogen or ethanol. The Venturi Eclectic runs solely on wind and solar power. Solar cells blanket the rooftop, and a wind turbine provides extra juice. When that's not enough, a backup electric outlet can recharge the three-seat Eclectic in five hours.
Available: 2008
http://www.venturi.fr/

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1677329_1677971_1677977,00.html#ixzz0Wfc4MzTP

Biomechanical Energy Harvester

Wasting energy is so 20th century. Power is all around us, if we just know how to use it. That's what motivated Max Donelan, a kinesiologist at Simon Fraser University, to invent a device that harnesses the energy of walking. The 3.5-lb. device wraps around the wearer's knee and generates power using the same principle that allows hybrid cars to recycle energy created by braking. A walker wearing harvesters on both knees could generate about five watts of power — enough to charge 10 cell phones — without hampering his or her stride. Donelan's device is perhaps the most promising in a class of products that harvest energy — all the more important at a time when portable tech, from Blackberries to iPods, is becoming ubiquitous. There's not a watt to waste.

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1852747_1854195_1854172,00.html#ixzz0WfYeOHMU

The Human-Powered Vending Machine

When it comes to building a healthier vending machine, lesser minds have considered only swapping out the sodas and Snickers for apples and granola bars. But Pep Torres has a better idea. At his Barcelona workshop, Stereo-Noise, he attached a stationary bicycle to a vending machine so a customer who wants a product would have to pedal a certain distance to get it. Thus far, Stereo-Noise has had just one taker — a Spanish baked-goods company — but Torres has high hopes for the device. "We'd like to see it in subway stations and schools," he says. "That way, people can eat their potato chips and still get in shape."

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1934027_1934003_1933980,00.html#ixzz0WfV5NvV8

The Smart Thermostat

A couple of years ago, Seth Frader-Thompson was driving a Prius. Priuses have little screens on the dashboard that tell you what gas mileage you're getting, in real time, as you drive. It crossed Frader-Thompson's mind that houses should have something similar. So he built the EnergyHub Dashboard, a little device, with a screen, that can talk wirelessly to your furnace and your various appliances and let you know exactly how much electricity (or gas) each one is using and how much it's costing you. It can also turn appliances on and off and raise or lower the temperature in your house so you can rein in the real power hogs. EnergyHub is currently partnering with utilities for trials and will be available direct to consumers in early 2010.

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1934027_1934003_1933948,00.html#ixzz0WfRczdPc