May 3rd, 2013
marizannek
8bitfuture: Energy harvesting pavement powers its own streetlights. London-based startup Pavegen has developed tiling that can harvest kinetic energy from people’s footsteps, turning it into up to 8 watts of electricity per footstep. The tiles are made of 95 percent recycled tyres, and use a proprietary wireless communications technology to transmit data about the number of footfalls and the energy generated via the Internet. A wireless network of the tiles could provide valuable information to city planners and nearby business owners about the number of pedestrians in the area at different times of the day. At the last Summer Olympics in London, the tiles were installed outside a tube station where they generated enough energy to power lights in the area for five hours a night.

8bitfuture:

Energy harvesting pavement powers its own streetlights.

London-based startup Pavegen has developed tiling that can harvest kinetic energy from people’s footsteps, turning it into up to 8 watts of electricity per footstep.

The tiles are made of 95 percent recycled tyres, and use a proprietary wireless communications technology to transmit data about the number of footfalls and the energy generated via the Internet. A wireless network of the tiles could provide valuable information to city planners and nearby business owners about the number of pedestrians in the area at different times of the day.

At the last Summer Olympics in London, the tiles were installed outside a tube station where they generated enough energy to power lights in the area for five hours a night.

Reblogged from 8 Bit Future
431 notes·
futuresagency technology science energy pavegen
April 28th, 2013
marizannek
As the trend toward wireless-enabled personal devices grows worldwide, the biggest energy drain in the wireless cloud will clearly come from mobile 4G LTE and wireless networks in general which are expected to account for 90 percent of energy use by 2015 compared to 9 percent by data centers. All together, the amount of energy used by the wireless cloud could increase by as much as 460 percent between 2012 and 2015. According to the report, that’s the equivalent of putting 4.9 million cars on the road. “Finding solutions to the ‘dirty cloud’ at the very least requires a broader acknowledgment of the cloud computing ecosystem and each components’ energy requirements,” the report says. “There needs to be a focus on making access technologies more efficient and potentially a reworking of how the industry manages data and designs the entire global network.

The hidden energy costs in the wireless cloud | SmartPlanet

image

(via greenfuturist)

Reblogged from A Smarter Planet
60 notes·
futuresagency cloud computing technology energy
April 14th, 2013
marizannek

(Source: saveplanetearth)

Reblogged from A Smarter Planet
335 notes·
futuresagency energy solar energy solar panels future
March 15th, 2013
marizannek

Dutch Airline Fuels Trans-Atlantic Flights Using Cooking Oil

“KLM travelers can now fly on trans-Atlantic commercial flights on a jumbo jet fueled in part by the same oil that was used to cook French fries and catfish.”

futuresagency sustainability oil energy environment innovation
March 5th, 2013
futuristgerd
Large corporations taking the renewable, and solar, energy lead, include Google, Ikea and Walmart. Meanwhile, according to a report released in the U.S. last September by the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and Vote Solar Initiative, “big box” discount retailers, including Walmart and Costco – they have installed 144 systems and 134 solar systems, respectively – are leading the way.
Ernst & Young highlights renewable energy trends: pv-magazine
1 note·
greenfuturist energy sustainability
February 22nd, 2013
greenfuturist
Reiterating its goal of a world powered solely by renewable energy by 2050, and recognizing the need for new policy following the deadline of its 20-20-20 climate targets, the WWF has released a new report outlining ways the EU can both meet, and increase, its energy commitments.

WWF reiterates push for 100% renewable world by 2050: pv-magazine

Just downloaded the report - must-read!!

WWF’s report, “Putting the EU on track for 100% renewable energy”, has been released amid the “increasingly active” debate over what should come after the EU’s 20-20-20 energy targets deadline has passed.

 

(via greenfuturist)

Reblogged from Gerd Leonhard, Green Futurist and Keynote Speaker,
28 notes·
carbon wwf energy renewables
January 29th, 2013
futuristgerd
Recorded Jan 18, 2013, in Mill Valley, CA, this is Part 3 of a conversation between me and Futurist Dr. James Canton. This video is part of the new MeetingsOfTheMind.tv series (launching soon). Topics discussed include general sustainability trends and predictions, ‘green future’ opportunities, the future of capitalism and ‘growth & profit economics’, accountability and social innovation, renewable energy, Jeremy Rifkin’s Intergrid, and much more. Apologies for the low audio output, btw; try the MP3 version via the link below for better sound.

MediaFuturist: Video: a conversation with fellow futurist Dr. James Canton, on Sustainability

(via futuristgerd)

Reblogged from Future of Business & Communications: FuturistGerd
7 notes·
videos dr james canton Futurist Gerd Leonhard sustainability energy
January 13th, 2013
greenfuturist
An interview with Gerd Leonhard, futurist and CEO of The Futures Agency, and Greg Guthridge, global managing director of the Accenture Retail Business Services for Utilities, discussing the latest consumer energy trends, including the concept of the “networked consumer” and a move toward an “ecosystem of value” for energy provision.

Networked Energy Consumer - Utilities Podcast Series - Accenture

Download the podcast. [MP3, 9.45MB]
[Running time 10:19] 
Podcast Help

An interview with Gerd Leonhard, futurist and CEO of The Futures Agency, and Greg Guthridge, global managing director of the Accenture Retail Business Services for Utilities, discussing the latest consumer energy trends, including the concept of the “networked consumer” and a move toward an “ecosystem of value” for energy provision.

Image of PDF cover. For best viewing, click here to download the full article. Utilities Podcast Series: A Perspective on the Networked Energy Consumer. This opens a new window.Download the Full Article [PDF, 428KB]
PDF Help

(via greenfuturist)

Reblogged from Gerd Leonhard, Green Futurist and Keynote Speaker,
2 notes·
green futurist accenture energy utilities
December 25th, 2012
futuristgerd
5 Energy Trends That Will Impact Your Business In 2013 - Forbes

Commercial Buildings Going Green. More buildings, manufacturing plants and office complexes in the U.S. are going “green,” or at least heading that way. December 25, 2012 at 12:37PM

4 notes·
futuresagency futag green sustainability energy 2013 trends business greenfutures futgerd
December 23rd, 2012
futuristgerd
Is nuclear power necessary for solving climate change? | Environment | guardian.co.uk

One thing that’s clear is that decarbonising electric power will be critical for solving climate change. Even assuming big gains in efficiency, the world will need about twice as much electricity in 2050 as it does today. The problem is that, as of today, most of the world’s electricity comes from coal (40%) and gas (20%), with hydroelectric (16%) and nuclear (13%) by far the largest low-carbon sources December 23, 2012 at 07:39AM

2 notes·
futuresagency energy nuclear carbon reduction climate change greenfutures futag futgerd fu
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