Inhabitat's Week in Green of September

Swedish researchers have devised a way to turn bioluminescent jellyfish into solar cells. Because of the water in oceans become too toxic and acidified, jellyfish are increasingly overpopulate in the oceans. Using them to create carbon-neutral energy could potentially help restore the oceans to balance.

Soaring like robotic birds, a kind of energy generating flying devices which contain the solar cells were conceived for the skies of Dubai. The scientists try to use solar cells to store energy. When the night is coming, those devices will give out light and become the constellation-like formations to illuminate the land below them. While many different types of formations are possible, some of the pre-designed ones are a 100 x 100 m “shadow ceiling” which creates random shadows throughout the park, a light cube, a lightning pole, and a cloud where the Wings are transparent and blue during the daytime and light up at night.

About this plane, the Cri-Cri, is the world’s smallest electric plane and made its official maiden flight near Paris not long ago. The structure of this plane was designed with numerous technologies. It was designed as a lightweight composite structure so that reduces the weight of the entire plane and allowing for the additional weight of the necessary batteries, four electric motors and counter-rotating propellers.

Compare to Cri-Cri, the Solar Impulse is a fairly simple piece of machinery: it has a 208-foot wingspan, measures 3,500 pounds, and is powered by four 10-horsepower electric motors that gather energy from batteries. The plane’s batteries are replenished by 12,000 solar cells located on its wings.

Another plane which made by A University of Toronto student named the Snowbird, is similar to Da Vinci’s designs and weighs just under 43 kilograms with a wing span of 32 meters. Made of carbon fiber, foam and balsa wood, the entire weight of the craft is equal to the all the pillows on a commercial jet. It works by pumping a set of pedals attached to pulleys and lines that bring down the wings in an elegant flapping motion, a feat that requires both engineering and physical prowess.

The Twin towers, Abu Dhabi Investment Council Headquarters Towers, are designed by Aedas and Arup to outfit with a crystalline honeycomb shell that protects the buildings from the sun.  Each tower will feature a double-height space at the top of the tower for receptions that features a southerly. Both roofs are equipped with photovoltaic systems that will generate around 5% of their total energy demand. The towers will also feature sky gardens that provide visual relief and amenity space for the workers while working to reduce solar heat gain. Landscaping around the towers will include a large body of water and a plantation of indigenous palm trees. The towers are expected to be completed by 2012.