Hydroelectric power can be a very efficient way to produce or augment renewable energy. But if you don’t have a nearby river that’s big enough to dam—that’s where pumped storage comes in. Using the power of gravity and a reversible turbine, Toronto’s Northland power wants to convert an old open-pit iron ore mine in Marmora, Ontario, into a waterfall five times the height of Niagara Falls. Water spilling over the new waterfall could generate 400-megawatts of power and allow customers to take advantage of peak-time power prices when demand is high and local wind turbines typically are less active.

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Post tags: "wind power", canada, hydro power, hydroelectric power, Marmora, Northland Power, Ontario, open pit mine, power storage, pumped storage, wind energy

Read the rest of Craig Henritzy’s SunHawk House in Mendocino County is an Off-Grid, Solar-Powered Home

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Post tags: "solar energy", California, Craig Henritzy, Hopland, hydro power, hydro-electric, John Schaeffer, Mendocino County, net-zero energy, off grid homes, photovoltaic, Rastra block, Real Goods Solar, Reclaimed Materials, reclaimed wood, Recycled Materials, self-sufficient buildings, Solar Power, solar thermal, Sunhawk

Here at Inhabitat we love discovering products that generate power from everyday activities – innovations like piezoelectric energy-generating roads and human-powered clothing have the potential to change the world. That’s why were so intrigued by the ES Pipe Waterwheel – it’s a simple system that allows you to generate energy every time you turn on the tap. The Pipe Waterwheel is designed to be installed inline with existing pipes, and it uses the flow of water to turn a set of mini energy-generating turbines.

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Post tags: ES Pipe Waterwheel, hydro power, hydroelectricity, piezoelectricity, Ryan Jongwoo Choi, turbines, water turbines, waterwheels

Read the rest of German Hydroelectric Plant Is A Breathtaking Example Of Organic Industrial Architecture

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", Architecture, becker architekten, eco design, germany, green architecture, Green Building, green design, hydro energy, hydro power, hydroelectric plant, hydroelectric power station, iller river, iller river hydroelectric plant, Industrial architecture, kempten, renewable energy, Sustainable Building, sustainable design

The World Energy Council just named Australia’s southern shores the world’s most promising site for the development of wave power. Australia has a goal of reducing their emissions by 60 percent of year 2000 levels by 2050. The World Energy Council noted that if Aussies developed just 10% of the country’s viable wave power sites they could meet their quota. That means that if just 20% of the possible wave power sites in Australia were developed, the whole country could be run entirely by the sea.

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Post tags: australian alternative energy, australian efficiency, australian wave power, efficient wave power, hydro power, installing wave power, near shore wave power, ocean power, power by wave, sea power, using wave power, water power, wave power

Paris recently announced plans to infuse its grid with renewable energy by installing eight hydroelectric turbines in the waters of the River Seine. An urban ecology study of the French waterways has already been conducted and has identified four potential sites along the river’s path, and the city is currently seeking proposals from companies to provide possible solutions and technologies. The city hopes to have the hydro turbines installed early next year.

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Post tags: eco design, france, green design, hydro power, hydro turbine, Paris, renewable energy, river seine

With a trio of renewable energy generating systems and a space-age transient roof, the Ephemeral Roof Exchange is a futuristic design proposal for a major transport hub in Hong Kong. Designed by Steven Ma Tze Chung, Wendy Fok Wei Yue and Dominik Strzelec, the sleek structure welcomes travelers from three points of entry – by air, by sea and by road.

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Post tags: china, eco design, Ephemeral Roof Exchange, green design, Hong Kong, Hong Kong Boundary Crossing Facility, human powered, hydro power, photovoltaics, piezeoelectric, renewable energy, Solar Power, Sustainable Building, transit hub, transporation hub, transportation center

The mythical god of the sea would be proud of his new clean energy-generating namesake. Danish company Floating Power Plant will be announcing plans for their prototype Poseidon 37 power generator today at the Nordic Green II a conference in Merino Park, California. The 230 meter long commercial plant borrows technology used to keep oil rigs afloat in raging seas and will produce 50 gigawatts of hydro and wind power a year.

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Post tags: "wind power", California, Denmark, floating power plant, hydro power, merino, offshore wind, poseidon, poseidon 37, renewable energy, sri international, wave power