solar power

World's Largest Solar Boat Heads To Miami

Earlier this year we mentioned the plans for the world's largest solar boat. The boat is now on the water. It left Monaco in late September 2010 and will arrive in Miami on November 29, 2010. The 102-foot yacht has a 50-foot beam and weighs around 60 tons. The topside of the ship is covered with 5,300 square feet of solar panels and it can hit a top speed of around 15 knots. The catamaran is being piloted around the world by five men and one woman to raise awareness of the carbon footprint created by boats used to ship goods. Craig Loomes of LOMOcean Design designed the Turanor Planet Solar to piece waves, which uses less energy than riding atop them.

Raphaël Domjan, a Swiss engineer and founder of the PlanetSolar project, entlisted German entrepreneur Immo Ströher, an advocate of renewable forms of energy, to join forces with him in this project. Ströher invested $17.5 million into the development of Turanor PlanetSolar. "We want to help drive forward the development of sustainable energy technologies on the water and in other mobile applications," says Ströher. "The aim is to offer future-proof solutions for sustainable living in major cities and environmentally responsible mobility concepts."

After Miami, the yacht will held to Cancun, Mexico, the site of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Tags: planet solar, planet solar yacht, solar power, solar powered yacht, Turanor

World's Largest Solar Boat Revealed

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Yachts & Sailing, Green

The world's largest solar boat has been revealed. Planet Solar is a 102-foot yacht which has a 50-foot beam and weighs around 60 tons. The topside of the ship is covered with 5,300 square feet of solar panels and it can hit a top speed of around 15 knots. Two men Raphaël Domjan and Gerard d'Aboville will take the catamaran around the world starting in April 2011. The voyage is designed to raise awareness of the carbon footprint created by boats used to ship goods. Around 1.4 billion tons of carbon dioxide (in 2008) were expelled shipping goods. That is 6% of the total carbon dioxide emissions and twice as much as air transport. Check out more images of the yacht in progress and learn more about the mission at the Planet Solar website.

[via Christian Science Monitor]

Tags: planet solar, planet solar yacht, PlanetSolar, PlanetSolarYacht, solar panels, solar power, SolarPanels, SolarPower

Czeers, the Solar-Powered Speedboat

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Yachts & Sailing, Green

This time of year speedboats are a popular hobby, and unfortunately a more and more common accessory with that hobby is a big 'ol side of guilt due to all the gas and energy negatively impacting the environment. But wealthy water-lovers in the Netherlands now have a new option that's not only much more environmentally friendly but also outrageously cool: a solar-powered speed boat.

The Czeers Solarboat is 33 ft long and can get up to 35mph, thanks to the 150 solar cells covering its entire surface and giving it a very futuristic look. All yours for just $1.1 million. Ouch.

Gallery: Czeers Solar-Powered Speedboat

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Tags: boat, boating, czeers solarboat, czeers solarboats, CzeersSolarboat, CzeersSolarboats, solar, solar power, solar powered, solar-power, solar-powered, solarboats, SolarPower, SolarPowered, speed boat, SpeedBoat

Power Monkey Solar Charger

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Gadgets

If you are out and about with your mobile devices one worry always prevails, what if I run out of charge. The Power Monkey Explorer Solar Charger fixes that problem. It can charge gadgets anywhere there is sunshine. The solar charger provides short-circuit, over-charging, and over-discharging protection. It can store reserve power for cell phones, iPods and yes, iPhones. The kit costs $119.89 and includes a universal mains travel charger with interchangeable heads for use in 150 countries.

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Tags: gadget charger, power monkey, PowerMonkey, solar power

Solar Impulse Plans Solar-Powered Flight

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wings, Green

The plans to get the Solar Impulse off the ground got a boost this week. The Solar Impulse is a solar-powered airplane that Swiss adventurer Betrand Piccard plans to take on a round-the-world trip. Piccard has been working to raise funds for the project and so far they have raised $60 million but need $90 million for the whole project. Piccard, who piloted the first hot-air balloon nonstop around the world in 1999, was in Singapore recently to announce a partnership between his Solar Impulse project and the International Air Transport Association, or IATA. The IATA will provide assistance to ensure the smooth passage of the solar plane around the world.

The project began in 2003 and the first attempt for the flight is planned for 2011. The one-pasenger plane will have a long wingspan of 262.5 feet to provide maximum surface area for the solar cells that will power it. The flight will be conducted in four stages over 15 days, with stops on several continents to switch pilots.

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Tags: betrand piccard, BetrandPiccard, flight, solar impulse, solar power, SolarImpulse

Atlanta's Aquarius Tower To Get A Boost From Windpower

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Real Estate Developments

Every condo project wants to be considered "green" these days but some take it further than others. The Aquarius Tower in Atlanta, Georgia is a condo project located near the Georgia Aquarium and Centennial Olympic Park. The 500-foot tower will have a serious commitment to alternative power: a five-floor wind tunnel with about 60 small turbines and rooftop solar panels could provide more than half of the building's power. The project will also recycled building materials and thermally efficient products. Amenities will include a pool, sundeck, fitness center, lounge, media room, guest suite and concierge services. The building will also have Georgia's first automated underground valet service. Prices start as low as the $300,000s to the $900,000s and penthouses will range from $1 to $2.5 million. It is hoped that construction on the $70 million project will begin this spring with an estimated completion in 2010.

[via the Atlanta Journal-Constitution]

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Tags: aquarius, atlanta, condominium, green, solar power, windpower

Damien Hirst Orders Serious Solar Power

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Green

Damien Hirst, the world's most expensive living artist, is going green in a major way: he recently placed an order for Britain's second largest solar panel system. The system will be used to switch his Gloucestershire country home and studios over to total solar power. I can imagine he's got a lot of electricity needs for his entire estate, but I'm wondering if a 310 watt system (enough power to supply electricity to the equivalent of over 150 homes and will account for 2% of the entire country's solar power) isn't a bit overkill?

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Tags: artist, damien hirst, DamienHirst, eco, environment, green, hirst, most expensive, MostExpensive, solar power, SolarPower

New Zegna Jacket Charges Your Gadgets

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Gadgets

Where high fashion meets pure geekery you have this little number by Ermenegildo Zegna, a jacket that provides power for your gadgets. This jacket has solar modules around the neoprene collar so that it can charge your iPod or cellphone. The coat will be in stores this November and five hours of sunshine can recharge just about any device. It comes in a bomber jacket or a longer style and will sell for $750.

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Tags: coat, ermengildo zegna, ErmengildoZegna, fashion, gadgets, jacket, solar panels, solar power

Keenan Winery Releases Solar Powered Wine

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

There are many different ways that wineries go green. We've seen carbon neutral wines, wineries that use sustainable corks and of course all sorts of organic wines. The Robert Keenan Winery has released a wine that is eco-friendly in a different way. Their 2006 Napa Valley Summer Blend Chardonnay is the winery's first release bearing the words "Solar Powered and Sustainably Farmed." Wine Business reports that the winery, located in the Spring Mountain district of the Napa Valley, recently completed a solar power system on their property. The system will supply all of the winery's power needs. When the winery's reds are released in the fall they will carry the same "Solar Powered and Sustainably Farmed" phrase on the label.

The Summer Blend Chardonnay sells for $22 and is a blend of Chardonnay with a small amount of Viognier and Marsanne added. It has aromas of peach lemon and pineapple and delivers a crisp taste with just a bit of oak.

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Tags: eco friendly, green, keenan winery, KeenanWinery, napa valley, solar power

Oregon Winery Goes Green

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

Just in time for Earth Day this year, an Oregon vineyard will be opening a new winemaking facility that runs off solar power. The new winery at Stoller Vineyards in Dayton, Oregon will open on April 19 and is expected to create 44,000 kilowatt hours of clean renewable solar energy each year. The facility includes a gravity-flow system which results in energy savings in production and is also considered to be the most gentle way to process the Pinot Noir that the winery specializes in. The new facility is the first winery in Oregon to be certified by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design’s Green Building Rating System. Their 2004 JV Pinot Noir sells for $22.

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Tags: earth day, eco-friendly, green design, oregon, oregon wine, pinot noir, solar power, stoller vineyards, wine

Morgan's Rock Hacienda and Ecolodge

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

A former Sandinista training ground in Nicaragua is now a luxury eco-resort. A review in the Miami Herald brought my attention to the Morgan's Rock Hacienda and Ecolodge which is an enclave of 15 bungalows each with a king size bed, sofa bed and a private deck with a day bed. The eco-friendly resort is run by solar power and has handmade furniture. It's not quite roughing it but there is no air conditioning. The resort has a pool overlooking the bay and offers hikes through the dry tropical forest. Their honeymoon package, which includes five nights of lodging and all meals, costs $2,700 during the high season.

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Tags: eco tourism, ecolodge, morgan's rock hacienda, Morgan'sRockHacienda, nicaragua, resort, solar power, tropical