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20 unusual homes from around the world

reuters compiled a gallery of homes that stand out based on their “weird” location, design and/or size.  the inspiration for these unique structures include political protest, cultural traditions, social status and basic survival/necessity. click on the pics below for a closer look + backstory (via reuters).   also, let me know which homes resonate with you the most and why.

This solar panel printer can make 33 feet of solar cells per minute | Grist

First personalized medicine, now personalized energy production! Here comes Singularity! This solar panel printer can make 33 feet of solar cells per minute | Grist.

End of an era…….

Today, you will be spared another depressing post about climate change….. The ten year old SunProfi inverter which has literally been here as soon as the roof was up and our first solar power system was able to be installed has been playing up for the past couple of years, occasionally not turning on in the morning, sometimes discharging the batteries into the grid, and lately behaving more and more erratically.  So seeing as we’re selling the house, I don’t want to sell the new owners a lemon and problems in the future, and it had to go.  I looked into replacing it with a more modern equivalent, but such an exercise would’ve cost us over $5000 (that we don’t have), and in any case, the grid today is far more reliable than it used to be when we were building.  The cost of batteries is such that we doubt this particular array, apart from knocking power bills on the head, was ever really paying its way.  So I’ve sold the batteries, and the old inverter

Studs and Spuds

–>MEN:  PART 2:  If I like a man (as in “LIKE-like”) he will not ask me out.  Ever.  He will not speak to me.  He would book a dental procedure before entertaining the thought of perhaps walking to within 50 yards of me.  *……..”You’re exaggerating…………………………………………..OK.  40 yards……………………………………………That’s better”…….*  If I think a man is a nice person but I don’t like him in “That Way”, he will ask me out quite a bit.  As in–more than 9 times and less than 46 times.  Somewhere in that range.  *……..”You’re exaggerating again…………………………………Alright.  More than 8 and less than 43.  Better??……………………………OK.”……..*  An equation something like this surely keeps the earth’s axis in the proper alignment.  It might also have something to do with the regularity of Halley’s comet and the cycles of the moon.  Perhaps even the very concept of Regularity…………………………………………….You see, my lack of a love life keeps the solar system runni

Army Engineering Operational Efficiency and Sustainability

Image by Triple Pundit. Published May 24, 2013 By Dr. Tyra Oldham, LANDsds Sustainable Voice The Army is moving forward again introducing the importance of energy in the large scheme of tactics of war, resources management, strategy, logistics and the efficient use of their supply chain. The army has installed solar panels on its bases and considered net zero applications. The next step is to form standards on operational efficiency and planning to identify the needs of its supply chain to identify requirements for a sustainable future. The release of the  ”U.S. Army Strives to Create an Energy Informed Culture” suggests an organizational change and language shift to bring about new outcomes. Triple Pundit reports  that the “U.S. Army has just issued its latest policy for Operational Energy,” from the  Department of Defense is “serious about transitioning the colossal machinery of the American military into a more flexible, efficient and sustainable future

Vikram Solar to setup a 10 MW solar power plant in Tamil Nadu

According to reports, Kolkata-based solar company Vikram Solar is planning to put up a 10 MW power plant at Tamil Nadu under the second phase of the state’s solar policy. The company, which manufactures solar modules and does EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) projects, is keen on getting into project development as well, the managing director of the company, Gyanesh Chaudhary, said. The company has already commissioned EPC projects of about 45 MW in Rajasthan and Gujarat, and is close to commissioning another 10 MW project in Rajasthan, and about 2MW of rooftop systems, Chaudhary said. In Tamil Nadu, the company is working on EPC projects of about 60 MW. Vikram Solar offers EPC projects at Rs 7 crore per MW, promising efficiencies of 16% on their modules.The company currently has a module manufacturing unit with annual production capacity of 100 MW at Falta, West Bengal, and the company plans to expand its capacity by 250 MW in phases. “We will initially put u

The Copycat Syndrome, Innovation and Not Giving Up

              Call it the copycat syndrome or marketing burnout wherein a company has a success with one product at which point every company in the space copies the effort leaving a market dotted with me-too products with little differentiation other than price.  Eventually through this process value is suctioned out of the product or service, demand wanes, and consumers move on.  It is almost impossible to satisfy consumer desire for the cheapest or most innovative product/technology/service/oh-heck-anything, particularly as in the end the equilibrium price may well be zero while innovation may be defined as simply announcing that something is innovative.  Sometimes, particularly with software or the internet (which move much faster than PV technology development), ennui with the copycat syndrome drives innovators to ask new questions and these questions lead to new directions and products – for example, something will replace apps and disrupt not only software but the tablets, cell

May 24 Energy News

Opinion: ¶   “Microgrids: A Utility’s Best Friend or Worst Enemy?” As arguments against renewables prove faulty, microgrids are beginning to prove their worth. But it threatens the status quo. [Energy Collective] Science and Technology: ¶   Clarkson University and the city of Ogdensburg, New York, are collaborating on a proposed sludge-to-renewable-fuel pilot program based on research done at Clarkson. Sludge will be turned to fuel instead of going to a landfill. [WatertownDailyTimes.com] World: ¶   Experience in Europe suggests the best way of persuading local people to accept wind farms is to ensure they have some share of the potential benefits. [The Economist] ¶   There is a growing chorus of analysts saying solar power is reaching grid parity.  Analysts at Deutsche Bank predict that even more markets throughout the world will become sustainable solar markets without subsidies within a year. [EcoSeed] ¶   Innergex Renewable Energy Inc. closed a $72 million non-recourse

Solar plane sets distance record on U.S. tour

AFP | Previous record was attained by Solar Impulse one year ago on a 693 mile flight from Switzerland to Spain. Infowars http://preppersuniverse.com/solar-plane-sets-distance-record-on-u-s-tour/

Ok…So we have wrote about the solar elevator, the solar plane and the solar helipad but are you ready for the next green invention? Of course you are. Electric scooters are getting a revamp in an attempt to make them green. This is through the launch of a crowd funding project for a scooter with a solar panel on the foot platform. As an alternative mode of transportation, electric scooters are positioned as an eco-friendly way to give commuters a green choice to leave their cars at home. What could make an electric scooter even greener? How about a built-in solar panel? The Solar Electric Scooter does just what its name suggests: gives you a lift with an assist from the sun. Sounds good right? The scooter can go up to 20 miles on a charge at speeds up to 15 mph. The scooter is charged by either plugging it in like a regular electric scooter or leaving the solar panel to do all the work. If you wish to travel purely by sunlight I can take up eight hours to fully charge the battery. If y

ART Solar boosts local solar PV module manufacturing capacity

Engineering News 23 May 2013. South Africa’s first locally owned photovoltaic (PV) module manufacturer, ART Solar, officially opened its Durban manufacturing plant on Thursday. The plant, which Department of Energy deputy director-general of energy programmes and projects, Dr Wolsey Barnard, described as “a brave step forward” in a country that ordinarily imported renewable-energy technology, had the capacity to produce 250 000 PV modules a year – enough to generate 75 MW of electricity, which was sufficient to power at least 15 000 homes a year… More…