Bosch Automotive Service Solutions and the Evatran Group are developing a wireless electric vehicle charging system that could become the first commercially available system of its kind in the US. Unlike other EV charging systems, the Plugless Level 2 Electric Vehicle Charging System offers hands-free, automatic EV charging. All EV drivers have to do is park their vehicles on the system’s floor-mounted Parking Pad and their vehicle begins charging.

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Post tags: bosch, electric vehicles, ev, ev wireless charging, Evatran Group, infrastructure, Plugless Level 2 Electric Vehicle Charging System, wireless charging

It has long been theorized that the best way to harness the sun’s energy is to launch solar power systems into orbit. This week, the National Space Society (NSS) announced a new international initiative in which the US, India and other nations will band together to develop space-based solar power. Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, Former President of the Republic of India and Mr. Mark Hopkins, executive committee chairman of the National Space Society said that the initiative has the potential of solving humanity’s energy needs and greatly mitigating climate change.

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Post tags: american, carbon emissions, global energy, greenhouse gas emissions, India, national space society, Solar Power, solar satellite, space solar power, space-based solar power

Graphic designer Nelson Minar has created a stunning map that shows every single river in the United States. All the water channels look like a network of veins and arteries that reach almost every point of the country. Minar has also taken all his data and placed it on GitHub, should anyone wish to make their own infographic. Follow the link below to download a hi-res version of the image.

+ Nelson Minar

via Kottke/Gizmodo

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Post tags: github, graphic designer, Nelson Minar, Nelson Minar river map, river map, rivers, US rivers

A team of scientists from Australia’s University of Wollongong have developed a way to turn sea water into hydrogen in order to produce a virtually unlimited clean energy source. They believe that their system would allow five liters of sea water to produce enough hydrogen to power an average-sized home and an electric car for one day.

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Post tags: "clean energy", australia, catalyst, hydrogen fuel, hydrogen fuel cell, light assisted catalyst, seawater, University of Wollonbong

Rainforest Connection is an online system that was developed to inform park rangers protecting rainforests of illegal deforestation activities. The platform fits discarded smartphones with solar panels and utilizes a custom app to to generate real-time data on deforestation activity. The system has the potential to recycle old smartphones while helping environmentalists in ecologically vulnerable areas combat illegal logging.

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Post tags: android smartphones, deforestation, illegal logging, Rainforest Connection, real time, smartphones, Solar Power, sumatra

Mongolia’s first wind energy project just switched online for the first time! The $100 million Salkhit Wind Farm aims to take advantage of the country’s high winds with 31 turbines, each capable of generating 1.5 MW. It is hoped that the wind farm will reduce dependence on coal fired plants and help the country transition to renewable energy sources.

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Post tags: "wind power", Clean Energy LLC, GE, GE wind turbine, mongolia, Salkhit Wind Farm, SgurrEnergy, wind energy, wind farm

It’s hard to keep track of all the greenhouse gases that are steadily collecting in the atmosphere – from auto emissions and coal plants to methane emissions from cattle and landfills. Fortunately, Ecofys has created an easy-to-understand infographic that breaks down the source and sector of the world’s largest greenhouse gas emitters.

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Post tags: carbon emissions, coal, coal power, deforestation, global emissions, green transportation, greenhouse gases, methane emissions, Waste, waste storage

Welder Scott Parenteau has created a gigantic geodesic dome that walks about on 12 creepy crab-like legs! Parenteau’s spider-like “Walking Pod” is powered by a wind turbine and a roof-mounted solar panel, which help support the 800 watts of power needed to move the machine.

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Post tags: "wind turbine", geodesic robot, maker faire, Maker Faire walker pod, robot, Scott Parenteau, Solar Power, spider robot, Walker Pod

Everyone should recycle their cans – but we never thought we’d see a working roller coaster made entirely from packaged food products! Designed and built by a team called “Thinking Outside of the Can,” the Roller CANster was one of the winners at this year’s Canstruction Madison. All food from the cans will be donated to MOM’s Food Pantry, which in turn invites the public to view the structures and contribute their own donation of canned food to help end hunger.

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Post tags: aluminium, can recycling, Canstruction, Canstruction Madison 2013, recycling, Roller CANster, Thinking Outside of the Can, tin recycling

With ambitious long-term energy goals, US Navy is at the forefront of alternative energy use and energy efficiency. Now, the Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has partnered with Cobalt Technologies, the U.S. Navy and Show Me Energy Cooperative in order to create a sustainable, cost-competitive fuel for jet fighters using biomass feedstock such as switchgrass.

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Post tags: biomass, biostock, cobalt technologies, emissions, energy department, jet fighters, jet fuel, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, NREL, show me energy cooperative, sustainable fuel, switchgrass, us military, US Navy

Japan is working on a blazing fast 310 mph maglev “floating” train – and the latest prototype just hit the tracks for testing! This week Central Japan Railway Co. (JR Central) unveiled the top-of-the-line Lo series maglev train, which is currently slated to enter commercial operation between Tokyo and Nagoya in 2027. The new train service will bypass the Tokaido Shinkansen Line, slashing travel time between the two cities from two and a half hours to one hour and seven minutes.

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Post tags: bullet train, Central Japan Railway Co, floating train, high speed rail, lo series, Lo train, Maglev, maglev train, prototype train

South African carpenter Richard van As suffered a woodworking accident and lost four fingers on his right hand. But instead of accepting his new disability he decided to create a set of mechanical fingers to replace his lost digits. After two years of research, he created the prosthetic Robohand – and he has made the blueprints available to download from the Thingiverse 3D-printed design database.

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Post tags: 3D printers, 3d printing materials, indiegogo scheme, plastic, prosthetic hand, prosthetic limbs, prosthetics, Richard Van As, Robohand

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Post tags: adult kick scooters, adult scooters, camila iftakher, Camilla Iftakhar, commuting, eco design, jason Iftakhar, kick scooters, public transport, scooters, swifty scooters, swifty scooters website, swiftyOne, SwiftyOne Chrone, urban mobility, urban scooters

By 2020 Los Angeles could have the second largest subway system in the US, after New York. While this is fantastic news for residents and environmental advocates, one person is not enamoured with the proposed infrastructure plans. World-renowned architect Frank Gehry recently told the Los Angeles Times that performances at the Gehry-designed Walt Disney Concert Hall would be ruined by noise from a proposed subway line.

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Post tags: architect, Frank Gehry, Frank Gehry LEED, gehry controversy, LA subway, LA subway plans, Los Angeles, purple line, subway, walt disney hall

The African Development Bank just announced that private investors have raised enough funds to add a whopping 1.1GW of wind power to Africa’s grid. Currently wind power only makes up one percent of electricity production on the continent, but 76 new projects are set to multiply that figure ten-fold.

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Post tags: "clean energy", "wind power", "wind turbine", Africa, Africa Development Bank, africa power grid, alternative energy, wind energy

This weekend, the sixth installment of the ever-popular Fast and Furious franchise roared into US cinemas with its box office-winning combination of fast cars, big biceps and simmering homo-eroticism. However despite being a film based around gas-guzzling cars, large explosions and globe-trotting antics, the production actually tried to reduce their footprint (despite trashing over 300 cars!) where they could as part of Universal Studios’ ‘Green Is Universal’ policy.

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Post tags: carbon footprint, Fast and Furious, Fast and Furious 6, Fast and Furious 6 carbon footprint, films, Green is Universal, London, movies, Paul Walker, recycling, THe Rock, Universal Studios, Vin Diesel

The National Weather Service just gave the tornado that struck Oklahoma this week its highest rating of EF-5 due to its high wind speed and the breadth and severity of damage. Several meteorologists used real-time measurements to calculate the energy released during the storm’s life span – and they estimated that it released anywhere from 8 to 600 times the power of an atomic bomb.

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Post tags: moore tornado, natural disaster, oklahoma, oklahoma tornado, Red Cross, rescue shelters, tornado

Scanadu, a startup based at the NASA Ames Research Center, has made the science-fiction of Star Trek a reality by creating a non-invasive tricorder that, within 10 seconds, can gather medical information about a person and then relay it to their smartphone. The device, known as the Scanadu Scout, has been in development for over two years and can measure blood pressure, temperature, ECG, oximetry, heart rate and breathing rate.

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Post tags: medical device, medical diagnosis, medical tricorder, NASA Ames Research Center, scanadu, scanadu scout, star trek, tricorder, Yves Béhar

A group of Rice University mechanical engineering students recently created a pair of energy-generating shoes that are able to create and store electricity with every step. The team’s kinetic energy-harvesting PediPower shoes could be used to power portable electronics and medical devices.

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Post tags: battery, energy generating shoes, energy-generating-clothing, engineering students, kinetic, kinetic energy, mechanical engineering, PediPowers, rice university

A team of Norwegian research scientists has unveiled a concept that could store energy on the seabed. Conceived by Subhydro AS, the underwater pumped hydroelectric power plant would use high water pressure to create and store electricity for later use on the shore.

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Post tags: energy storage, renewable energy, SINTEF, subhydro, Subhydro AS, tidal power, water pressure, wave power