These days everyone wants you to hack your life in order to make your day-to-day existence more efficient. But there are times when the effort’s not really worth it—and this chart should help you work out what to spend time on, and what to ignore. More »
All EVs have their own particular merits: some climb, some race, some only have three wheels, and some are even prone to melting. Chevrolet’s Spark EV may not have any of these credentials, but now it’s found the right feather to fit its cap as the “most efficient” retail car. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that the Spark has a combined city / highway range of 82 miles on a full charge of its 21 kWh battery, and has given the vehicle a rating of 119 MPGe (a gasoline-equivalent figure). As Autoblog notes, Honda’s Fit EV will go 82 miles on a smaller 20 kWh battery but, once the regulators have done fiddling with digits, it only scores 118 MPGe. That’s the efficiency number that matters, and whether you’re saving the world or just trying to save money, every mile counts. You’ll be able to put that EPA rating to the test this summer when the Spark EV goes on sale in California and Oregon, but until then, check out the official certificate below the fold for more juicy details (read: efficiency stats).
Filed under: Transportation
Via: Autoblog
Curious as to the effect that your poking wars are having on the planet? Facebook is outing power and water usage data for its Oregon and North Carolina data centers to show off its sustainability chops. The information is updated in near-real time, and the company will add its Swedish facility to the charts as soon as it’s built. The stats for the Forest City, NC plant show a very efficient power usage effectiveness ratio of 1.09 — thanks, in part, to that balmy (North) Carolina air.
Filed under: Internet, Facebook
Via: GigaOm
Source: Facebook, Open Compute Project
Homeowners in northern states have already had to turn on their furnaces and boilers this fall. And a lot of them are already paying too much to make the house warm and keep the lights on. The thing is, you don’t have to be a glutton to waste energy—many homeowners with good intentions still end up blowing money this time of year. More »
Eking out more power from solar cells is an ongoing challenge for scientists, and now architect André Broessel has developed a spherical glass energy generator that’s said to improve efficiency by 35 percent. Acting as a lens, the rig’s large water-filled orb concentrates diffused daylight or moonlight onto a solar cell with the help of optical tracking to harvest electricity. In certain configurations, the apparatus can be used for solar thermal energy generation and even water heating. In addition to the oversized globe, Broessel has cooked up a mobile version of the contraption for domestic use and an array of much smaller ball lenses with dual-axis tracking that offers 40 percent efficiency. These devices aren’t the first venture into concentrated photovoltaics, but they are likely among the most visually impressive. If the Barcelona-based architect’s vision of the future comes true, you’ll be seeing these marbles incorporated into buildings and serving as standalone units. Hit the source links below for the picture spread of prototypes and renders.
Filed under: Alt
Spherical glass lens concentrates sunlight by up to 10,000 times, boosts solar cell efficiency originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Aug 2012 09:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Scientists from Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University aren’t keen on being wasteful — that’s why they’ve developed a toilet that uses 90% less water than other commodes and is capable of generating energy. Aptly named the No-Mix Vacuum Toilet, the porcelain pedestal’s pot divides waste between two partitions — one side for liquids, the other for solids — and uses vacuum tech reminiscent of airline lavatories. Flushing solid and fluid wastes with 1 and 0.2 liters of H2O, respectively, the can will be able to route refuse to external processing facilities. Fertilizer ingredients such as nitrogen, potassium and phosphorous would then be harvested from liquids. Similarly, methane can be coaxed from solids for conversion to electricity or as a replacement for other natural gasses. Two of the university’s restrooms are slated to have the toilets installed in the near future, and the team expects the thrones to roll out worldwide within three years.
[Thanks, Yuka]
Scientists develop flush-efficient toilet system that can turn waste into energy, sort before it recycles originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jun 2012 21:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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