10 Incredible Green Technologies That Could

Shape The Future

by ThomasDavie · 3 comments

As consumption of fossil fuels and other, damaging non-renewable energy

materials reaches it’s greatest extent, it’s becoming increasingly obvious that
sustainable power will play a significant part in shaping (and possibly saving) the
future of the planet. Here’s our list of 10 of the most promising new green
technologies – some can be implemented on a small scale, others have grand
hopes attached to them. Whatever the scale, we hope they will feature in our
daily lives soon…

10. Concentrated Solar Power

Image by langalex

A recent survey, co-authored by Greenpeace, found that by 2050 nearly one quarter of the
world’s energy could be generated by Concentrated Solar Power (CSP). CSP uses mirrors to
focus sunlight onto water, producing steam that turns giant turbines, generating energy. Building
these sorts of projects in many countries is simply not a viable option for obvious reasons, but in
those places lucky enough to possess sunny climes, such as Spain, Morocco, Algeria and Egypt,
it’s proved a big hit. Who knows what the future holds but both the US and UK governments
have expressed tentative interest in the idea; a more likely scenario is that the latter two might
begin to purchase energy from these countries, both increasing sustainability and helping
develop their growing economies further.

9. Cross Wind Bridge

Image via New Ecologist, by Tiago Barros and Jorge Pereira

This is one of the coolest ideas you’ll see all year. The Cross Wind Bridge, developed by
designers Tiago Barros and Jorge Pereira, generates energy by harnessing wind power from
passing cars. The natural wind velocity inside the tunnel is amplified by the movement of
passing cars, which helps to rotate 2,188 lightweight panels, generating energy that is then
passed through an electromagnetic band. The resultant energy is then used to light up the bridge
at night, as well as illuminate the local area. We think these fantastic bridges should be
implemented all over the US.

8. The World Community Grid

Image by Miki Roventine

Now let’s have a think… what do most of us use our computers for? Unless you work at NASA,
probably checking Facebook, running word documents, watching DVDs… Imagine how much
power is left unused, sitting unexploited. IBM has come up with a small idea that pertains to
grand designs: what if we hooked up every computer in the world to a single grid and used the
spare power in the background to collaboratively tackle scientific research projects that benefit
humanity? To give an you an example, it would take the Harvard Department of Chemistry and
Molecular Biology 22 years to complete the necessary calculations for the Clean Energy Project,
but using our combined spare computer capacity, this task could be completed in a mere two
years. Nearly half a million people have already signed up, so get involved
(worldcommunitygrid.org) and turn your computer over for the benefit of humanity.

7. Invisible Streetlights
Image via calfinder, courtesy Jongoh Lee

Some of the best green ideas find ways of supplementing and working with nature, rather than
simply exploiting it. These elegant streetlights, created by Jongoh Lee, mimic the earth’s natural
process of photosynthesis to create a sustainable source of lighting that works hand-in-hand with
the environment it illuminates. Modeled after tree branches, they sit inconspicuously amongst the
leaves soaking up sunlight during the day with their solar panels, and emitting light at night.
Easily installed by wrapping their flexible body around a branch, they put out a soft, warm light
and are a fantastic way to both enhance the natural beauty of a public space, as well as make it
safer for the public without damaging the planet.

6. Nanosolar
Image by Fernando Tomas

We all know we should take more responsibility for the environment and building a sustainable
future for the next generation, but putting this into practice is another story. It may be a tad
depressing, but it’s probably true that one of the most powerful ways to encourage the use of
eco-friendly technology is to make it more attractive than regular energy sources… and cheaper.
Nanosolar has gone a long way towards achieving this by reducing the cost of producing the
Power Sheet solar panels from $3 to 30 cents per watt. They’ve achieved this using an innovative
technology which coats metal sheets, as thin as aluminium foil, with a microscopic layer of
printer ink containing minuscule solar cells. Nanosolar also has big plans for how they might
implement this technology in the future, so watch this space.

5. Solar Curtain Walls

Image via archithings, by Konarka

Solar energy developer, Konarka, has come up with an ingenious way of eliminating the often
awkward and unwieldy nature of solar energy panels. Power Plastic are sheets of extremely
flexible, very thin solar panels which can be quickly and easily attached to virtually any surface
– most obviously the roofs and even walls of urban office buildings. The effect is not dramatic,
but as ever it is the more low-key, easily implicated ideas that provide some of the best hopes for
real change in the future. Imagine thousands of miles of urban wall-space draped with
unobtrusive, paper-thin solar paneling and producing thousands of megawatts of sustainable,
eco-friendly energy. Glorious!

4. Blights
Image by Vincent Gerkens

Working along similar lines to the invisible streetlights, this innovative product by Vincent
Gerkens is a combination of a blind and a light that stores light during the day, and illuminates
your interiors at night. Making use of flexible solar panels, fitting over the surface of standard
Venetian blinds, Blights handily function as both regular blinds and lights. Unobtrusive enough
not to call attention to the fact you might be a die-hard eco-crusader, and stylish enough to give
sparkle to any room, blights are a great way to greenify your living/working space.

3. Porous Sidewalks
Image via North Jersey

This may sound crazy, but a 132 home development in Salem, Oregon has already been built
using almost exclusively porous sidewalks and roads. Specially designed porous concrete allows
90% of rainwater to dissipate back into the surrounding soil, dramatically reducing the negative
effect storm-water runoff can have on surrounding water systems. The flexibility and strength of
the porous pavements also minimizes freeze-thaw effects and requires less road salt in winter
conditions. Plans are already in place to increase the proportion of new homes with porous
driveways.

2. Sonic Water Purifier

Image courtesy CSIRO

There are nearly 1.2 billion people around the world without regular access to clean water. The
Sonic Water purifier may sound like something out of the Jetsons, but it is in fact a handy tool
that allows water to quickly and easily be purified. Ultrasound waves are beamed into the liquid,
blowing up the cellular walls and carbon bonds of contaminants, leaving fresh, clean water
suitable for drinking. Water recycling at it’s very best, we say – although the machine isn’t the
most portable of gadgets, it does the job. Scientists are now working on building bigger and more
powerful purifiers that can deal with large tanks of water, or even sewage.

1. Enhanced Geothermal Systems

Image by Wim Malfait

Geothermal power usually requires naturally occurring water and rock porosity to channel heat.
Enhanced Geothermal Systems (ESG) ‘enhance’ or encourage geothermal energy from rock that
is dry and non-porous, creating an energy resource where there was none previously. Whilst
natural cracks and pores do not allow for geothermal flow, ESG injects cold water into the rock
at high pressure, increasing the fluid pressure in the rock and enhancing its permeability. This is
pretty good (and major) news for all of us, particularly when you consider just how much rock
there is inside the planet. There are EGS systems currently being developed and tested in several
developed countries, including France, Australia, Japan, Germany, USA and Switzerland – with
the largest being a monster 25 megawatt facility in Cooper Basin, Australia, which has the
potential to generate 5,000–10,000 MW. As such, ESG looks set to become a massive and
increasingly influential technology in the future.