Wind energy
American plans to create a closed highway solar panels
A new U.S. plan to reduce emissions caused by the automotive sector. This is a highway which will be located in Los Angeles, California, with the particularity of being totally covered with solar panels capable of producing up to 115 MW of power for the city.
In recent years, finding ways of producing more environmentally friendly concrete initiatives achieved amazing where renewable become prominent. In order to disseminate a cleaner, Them Mans Swedish proposal is covered with solar panels covering the 24 miles Santa Monica Freeway, one of the busiest in the city.
The project takes into account the abundant sunshine available in the area, thanks to which it could produce large amounts of clean energy to Los Angeles. Furthermore, this would deliver benefits such as shade to the road, less use of air conditioning and noise reduction on the highway. Finally, it is expected to reuse the CO2 produced on the road to implement linear algae farms and generate befouls.
Beyond these tangible benefits, proponents of the proposal believe that it can serve as a great incentive for citizens turning towards cleaner sources and is installing solar panels on their homes, public buildings or parking lots.
The project created a bridge with wind turbines solar panels
Cars that run on biofuels, roads, airplanes and solar boats. Around the globe are increasingly exposed innovative proposals related to the production of renewable energy.
On this occasion, the news comes from southern Italy, near Calabria, with an interesting green project called “Solar Wind.” This is a bridge that was to be destroyed but which required demolition of at least $ 50 million, so the authorities proposed to reuse the structure so friendly to the environment. To do this, it will install 26 turbines in place, granting power to the road of 200 meters of solar panels.
According to Inhabitat, the project was designed by Francesco Colarossi, Giovanna Saracino Saracino and Louise, after winning the “Solar Park South” proposed by the local government.
Thanks to the implementation of wind energy would produce 36 million kilowatt hours annually, while solar panels would do the same with an output of 11 million kilowatts / hour. As a result, the bridge could generate electricity for about 15 thousand Italian households.
In addition, it is intended that the place where this old overpass worked to become a public attraction, with incredible views and the ability to show thousands of citizens the benefits of producing environmentally friendly way.
What at first thought that would be just rubble, today becomes a potential source of energy. This is a proposal can be replicated in different parts of the world thanks to its economic and ecological benefits.
Global wind power continues to increase
The global wind energy grew driven by developments in China, where they settled about half of the new turbines, reported the International Council of wind energy (GWEC, for its acronym in English).
This increase brings the total figure to 194.4 GW, since GW 158.7 a year earlier. GWEC platform, which represents companies in the sector worldwide, estimates that the turbines installed in 2010 represented an investment of 47,300 million euros. The EU and the U.S., so far the main drivers of this technology, were displaced by China in 2010, installed wind energy equivalent to 16.5 GW, nearly half the world total.
“China has 42.3 GW of wind power and has surpassed the U.S. in terms of total installed capacity,” he said in a statement the secretary general of the China Renewable Energy Association (CREIA), Li Junfeng, who said the country which has already become the world’s largest facility, is on track to reach 200 GW by 2020. Other developing nations have also increased its wind capacity, according to GWEC: India (2.1 GW in 2010), Brazil (326 MW), Mexico (316 MW) and Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia (213 MW).
The organization’s general secretary, Steve Sawyer, said that this technology is expanding beyond the traditional markets of rich countries and admitted that its development is expected to continue not only in Asia but also in Latin America, especially Brazil and Mexico, as well as in North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa. GWEC notes that the economic crisis was felt in the wind energy market, which fell in 2010 for the first time in 20 years, up 7% compared to 2009, when it stood at 38.6 GW.
USA, one of the leading markets, declined 50% in annual installation of turbines (5GW in 2010, compared to 10 GW by 2009). In Europe, the installed capacity in 2010 amounted to 9.9 GW, 7.5% less than in 2009, even though offshore wind power grew 50% in countries like Britain, Denmark and Belgium. EFE