The Gotthardbahn rail line running from Luzern, Switzerland all the way to Chiasso, Italy is one of Europe’s most important and treacherous railways. Climbing up, down, and around some of the continent’s highest summits, the Re 620 electric locomotive has been built to pull freight through just about any circumstance with its over 10,000 horsepower.

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Post tags: electric engine, electric train, electric transportation, Europe, european trains, gotthardbahn, green train, green transportation, re 620, swiss alps

Read the rest of Cube Pavilion: Mod Green Restaurant to Pop Up on Top of European Cliffs and Famous Monuments

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Post tags: "energy efficiency", "sustainable architecture", brussels, eco design, eco restaurant, Electrolux, Europe, green architecture, Green Building, green design, mobile restaurant, modular restaurant, park associati, pop up restaurant, Prefab, prefab restaurant, Sustainable Building, sustainable design, the cube, the cube pavilion

This week the European Commission saw every major producer of mobile phones agree to a memorandum of understanding, that calls for all data-enabled mobile phones to come with standard micro-USB connectors for common charging compatibility. This is a major step for EU standardization when it comes to electronic production, and it is impressive that so many phone manufacturers have embraced the policy. Apple, Nokia, Qualcomm, RIM, LG, Motorola, and Samsung are all on board, and they have said they will all start selling the same basic micro-USB chargers starting next year.

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Post tags: cell phone common charger, cellphone charger, CellphoneCharger, CEN-CENELEC, charger, ETSI, eu commission, Europe, european, European Commission, european union, EuropeanCommission, EuropeanUnion, micro usb, MicroUsb, mobile phone common charger, mobile phone USB charger, phone charger, PhoneCharger, standard, standards

Read the rest of The European Solar Decathlon Kicks Off Today – Exclusive Photos!

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Post tags: eco design, eco-friendly home, energy efficient home, Europe, Green Building, green design, madrid, modular home, net zero home, Prefab, Prefab Housing, prefabricated construction, Solar Decathlon, solar decathlon 2010, solar decathlon europe, Solar Power, solar powered home, solar system, Sustainable Building

Madrid is heating up as university teams from around the world battle their wits against the sun to build net-zero, sustainable homes in this year’s European Solar Decathlon. One of our favorite designs so far is the Armadillo Box by students at École Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture de Grenoble (ENSAG). Inspired by the armored creature’s ability to adapt to hot environments, this stunning prefab home features solar panels, a rainwater recycling system, and an ultra-efficient core all wrapped within an insulating shell.

Read the rest of Armadillo Box Solar-Powered Prefab Gears up For Solar Decathlon

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Post tags: armadillo box, eco design, eco house, ENSAG, Europe, france, green design, madrid, net zero, net zero home, photovoltaics, Prefab, prefab construction, rainwater collection, Solar Decathlon, solar decathlon 2010, solar decathlon europe, solar passive design, Solar Power, Sustainable Building

Good news for European electric vehicle fans–a company called Epyon recently opened Europe’s first commercial fast-charging station in the Netherlands. The system can reportedly pump out 50 kilowatts of power–enough to charge a nine-person taxi van–in just 30 minutes.

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Post tags: Charging Station, epyon, Europe, ev, green design, Netherlands, phev

Read the rest of Rem Koolhaas Redraws Europe To Reduce Carbon Emissions by 80%

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Post tags: "energy efficiency", carbon emissions, Climate Change, climate crisis, eco design, energy policy, EU, Europe, fossil fuels, green design, oma, Policy, power grid, renewable energy, roadmap 2050, transmission

Hundreds of offshore wind turbines in the EU might be in peril. It was announced that a good number of them have a flaw that causes them to shift off of their bases after being installed. The flaw is due to the grout mixture — made of cement, sand and gravel — used to attach them to their bases in the bedrock. It seems the grouting is not holding the turbines firmly and many have shifted several centimeters after installation. The operators and makers of the turbines say it may take as much as six months and $20 million dollars to right the windfarm’s wrongs with new technology – a mighty hefty price tag for Europe’s renewable energy community.

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Post tags: "wind power", EU, Europe, european union, offshore, offshore wind, renewable energy, turbine, UK, wind energy, wind farm

China already has the most advanced and extensive high speed rail line in the world, and soon that network will be connected all the way to Europe and the UK! With initial negotiations and surveys already complete, China is now making plans to connect its high speed rail line through 17 other countries in Asia and Eastern Europe in order to connect to the existing infrastructure in the EU. Additional rail lines will also be built into South East Asia as well as Russia, in what will likely become the largest infrastructure project in history.

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Post tags: china, china's high speed rail lines, eco design, Europe, green transportation, high speed rail, high speed trains, HSR, international travel, rail infrastructure, sustainable design, trains

Read the rest of An Inflatable Building in Barcelona Provides A New Kind of Insulation

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Post tags: "solar energy", Architecture, Barcelona, Design, energy hub, enric ruiz geli, Europe, inflatable facade, inflatable skin, media-tic, Solar Power, solar technology, Spain, sunlight, technology hub, uv rays

A giant step has been made in what will be the world’s largest renewable energy project. While previously just a grand vision for the production of clean energy in the Saharan desert, the project now has a core group of backers and a signed agreement between 12 companies wanting to move forward with the $555 billion renewable energy belt. The 12 collaborators signed articles of association last week for the DESERTEC Industrial Initiative (DII), which will work to bring more companies and groups on board as well as focus on regulations and conditions to get the project successfully completed and generating pure power from the sun.

Read the rest of $555 Billion Sahara Solar Energy Belt Takes Giant Step Forward

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Post tags: Africa, Desertec, Europe, renewable energy, renewable energy belt, renewable energy project, Saharan, Saharan Desert, Saharan Solar Project

Belgium recently took the lead among a set of top university teams vying for “zeroth place” in the Formula Zero European Championship of hydrogen fuel cell cars. This carbon-free Grand Prix injects ingenuity and sustainability back into the races, starring get-up-and-go “karts” with a little H2O in their tailpipes.

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Post tags: AUTO, car, Europe, formula zero one, green design, hydrogen fuel cell, racing, sustainable design

If just 0.3% of the Saharan Desert was used for a concentrating solar plant, it would produce enough power to provide all of Europe with clean renewable energy. That is why 20 blue chip German companies are gathering together next month to discuss plans and investments to create such a massive project. Both the meeting and project are being promoted by the Desertec Foundation, which is proposing to erect 100 GW of concentrating solar power plants throughout Northern Africa.

Read the rest of World’s Largest Solar Project Planned for Saharan Desert

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Post tags: concentrating solar power, Desertec, Europe, North Africa, Saharan Solar Project