In 2008, Masdar City broke ground and embarked on a daring journey to develop the world’s most sustainable eco-city.
Through smart investments, Masdar City is successfully pioneering a “greenprint” for how cities can accommodate rapid urbanisation and dramatically reduce energy, water and waste.
The city, which combines ancient Arabic architectural techniques with modern technology and captures prevailing winds is naturally cooler and more comfortable during the high summer temperatures.
But the sun is also a blessing. Harnessing the sun’s rays, Masdar uses clean energy generated on site from rooftop solar technology and one of the largest photovoltaic installations in the Middle East.
At the city’s core is an innovation engine. The city is growing its neighbourhoods around the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, a research university dedicated to cutting-edge solutions in the fields of energy and sustainability. The institute is Masdar City’s nucleus, which extends a spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship throughout the city. Companies can foster close ties with the university and partner to spark economic growth and accelerate breakthrough technologies to market.
With a few thousand people living and working in Masdar City, it is on its way to realising its vision. But this is only the beginning. Masdar City continues to add new businesses, schools, restaurants, apartments and much more, creating the diversity of any major, modern city. When complete, 40,000 people will live in Masdar City, with an additional 50,000 commuting every day to work and study.
This information comes from the website of Masdar.
The world’s first large all-electric car ferry started operating in january 2015 and is a 100 % battery driven catamaran in aluminium. The 80-meter long vessel can carry 120 cars and 360 passengers across the Sognefjord between Lavik and Oppedal in southwest Norway. Crossing time is 20 minutes. Time at port is 10 minutes, time which will be used to fully charge the 1 MWh lithium-polymer battery pack on board.
From the News section of Fjellstrand website:
SEATRADE AWARDS for Ampere 2015
Ampere, the world’s first large fully electric vessel, has received the Seatrade Clean Shipping award for 2015. Owned and operated by Norled and designed and constructed by Fjellstrand, the DNV GL classed car ferry is a fully battery driven catamaran made of aluminium. Innovative not only in its propulsion system but in its highly efficient hull design the 80 metre long vessel is able to carry 120 cars and 350 passengers across the Sognefjord .
The award was accepted by Sigvald Breivik, Technical Director of Norled, on behalf of the project partners. “Norled are proud to be the first ferry operator to operate the world’s first zero emission ferry,” he said.
“We are honoured to have been part of the Ampere project and to have received this award,” said Narve Mjøs, Director Battery Services & Projects at DNV GL – Maritime. “This has been a very exciting project to work on and we were very pleased that we could help to realise the vision of Norled and Fjellstrand. Vessels such as the Ampere demonstrate how the industry can use existing technologies to improve its impact on the environment, while at the same time maintaining economic operations.” DNV GL has developed several tools to help the spread of battery and electric, such as tentative class rules for battery power, a guideline for large maritime battery systems, a new tool for qualifying battery related systems, a battery ready service (technical, economic and environmental performance analyses), battery sizing and optimisation tools and an introduction course to maritime battery systems.
This is not the first time the industry has celebrated the Ampere. During the SMM global shipping exhibition in Hamburg, the Norwegian shipping magazine ‘Skipsrevyen’ gave the annual ‘Ship of the year 2014’ award to the Ampere’s owners, designers and yard.
This information comes from the website of Fjellstrand.
The Wavestar machine draws energy from wave power with floats that rise and fall with the up and down motion of waves. The floats are attached by arms to a platform that stands on legs secured to the sea floor. The motion of the floats is transferred via hydraulics into the rotation of a generator, producing electricity.
Waves run the length of the machine, lifting 20 floats in turn. Powering the motor and generator in this way enables continuous energy production and a smooth output. This is a radical new standard and a unique concept in wave energy; it’s one of the few ways to convert fluctuating wave power into the high-speed rotation necessary to generate electricity.
Environmental and climate issues, as well as uncertainty about energy supply, demand that we diversify our energy supply to multiple renewable and clean sources. With enough space for wave energy machines but little exploitation thus far, Wavestar is not just developing a wave power device, but energizing a whole movement.
Energy production with wave energy is more predictable than wind because waves come and go slowly and can be forecast 24 hours ahead. The Wavestar machine could also be installed together with a wind turbine which would further increase efficiency and reduce set-up costs. Wavestar understand that we need many renewable energy solutions, not just one, so it makes sense to harness the power of waves.
This information comes from the website of Wavestar.
Burning fossil fuels and creating nuclear reactions to generate electricity comes at a high cost – politically and environmentally. Alternative methods are limited and come with tradeoffs. The answer to these problems is right under our feet.
Not too far below the surface of the Earth, it’s hot. That heat can create enough clean energy to power the world, and help keep things cool above. Using cables made from graphene, a form of pure carbon 100 times stronger that steel, that heat can be conducted to the surface of the Earth to run turbines and generate electricity – without burning anything.
The village features energy-positive homes, mixed renewable energy sources, energy storage, organic food production, vertical farming, and aquaponics, water management and waste-to-resource systems.
Vision:
Engineering and facilitating the development of integrated and resilient neighborhoods that power and feed self reliant families around the world.
IoT-integrated infrastructure enable thriving communities with surplus energy, water and organic food in the aggregate become asset classes that can amortize and reduce mortgage payments.
Partnering with regional land developers, architects, construction, universities and brand manufacturing firms to maximize cost-benefit efficiency that enable global scaling of development Projects.
This information comes from the website of ReGen Villages.
