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Archive for the ‘sustainability’ category: Page 442

Jun 24, 2020

Simulation Shows Tesla Roadster Accelerating With SpaceX Thrusters

Posted by in categories: space travel, sustainability

Musk has teased the idea of adding SpaceX thrusters to Tesla cars before. Here’s what that would be like.

Jun 23, 2020

Solar-powered poultry farm floated for Rotterdam harbor

Posted by in categories: food, sustainability

We’ve reported on several eye-catching floating architecture projects lately, including a “parkipelago” and a greenery-covered office. This solar-powered urban poultry farm is the most off-the-wall idea of the bunch though and, assuming it goes ahead as planned, will host roughly 7,000 egg-laying hens, as well as an area for growing food, in a harbor in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

The building is officially named Floating Farm Poultry and was designed by Goldsmith for a company named Floating Farm Holding BV.

It will be based on a floating platform with three pontoons and will measure 3,500 sq m (roughly 37,670 sq ft), spread over three floors. Its interior layout will consist of a lower level used for farming vegetables, herbs and cresses under LED lighting, while upstairs will be a production factory floor for processing and packaging. The uppermost level is conceived as the poultry area and will contain the egg-laying hens.

Jun 23, 2020

We must become a multi-planet species

Posted by in categories: Elon Musk, existential risks, genetics, space travel, sustainability

Former astronaut Jeffrey Hoffman: For the long-term survival of our species, we have to become a multi-planet being.


With our rising planet’s population competing for space and resources, some people are convinced we need to look beyond Earth to help ensure humanity’s survival. As Elon Musk, the entrepreneur behind space tourism company SpaceX told Aeon’s Ross Andersen: “I think there is a strong argument for making life multi-planetary in order to safeguard the existence of humanity in the event that something catastrophic were to happen.”

Continue reading “We must become a multi-planet species” »

Jun 23, 2020

Elon Musk sends cryptic email to Tesla employees about going ‘all out’

Posted by in categories: Elon Musk, sustainability, transportation

Elon Musk has sent a somewhat cryptic email to Tesla employees about going “all out” for the end of the quarter to have a “good outcome.”

On Monday afternoon, Musk sent a short email to all Tesla employees.

In the email obtained by Electrek, the CEO addressed the importance of the last week of the quarter:

Jun 23, 2020

‘Janus’ nanorods convert light to heat that can destroy pollutants in water

Posted by in categories: chemistry, engineering, health, nanotechnology, particle physics, sustainability

With a new nanoparticle that converts light to heat, a team of researchers has found a promising technology for clearing water of pollutants.

Trace amounts of contaminants such as pesticides, pharmaceuticals and perfluorooctanoic acid in drinking water sources have posed significant health risks to humans in recent years. These micropollutants have eluded conventional treatment processes, but certain chemical processes that typically involve ozone, hydrogen peroxide or UV light have proven effective. These processes, however, can be expensive and energy-intensive.

A new nanoparticle created by Yale University engineers as part of an effort for the Rice-based Nanosystems Engineering Research Center for Nanotechnology-Enabled Water Treatment (NEWT) could lead to technologies that get around those limitations. The particle is described in a study published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Jun 19, 2020

CityQ Car-eBike fully enclosed electric pedal car begins pre-orders

Posted by in categories: sustainability, transportation

:ooooo.


As e-bikes continue to explode in popularity and cause a nationwide shortage of the two-wheeled transports, waves of new riders are discovering the benefits of pedaling their way to work without breaking a sweat. And the ability to distance oneself from other commuters in crowded public transportation certainly sweetens the deal.

But many more are discovering a significant downside to bikes, which is that riders aren’t protected from the weather, be it heavy rain or the glaring sun. That’s a problem that CityQ is hoping to solve with its enclosed electric vehicle known as the CityQ Car-eBike.

Continue reading “CityQ Car-eBike fully enclosed electric pedal car begins pre-orders” »

Jun 19, 2020

This $90,000 egg-shaped tiny home is powered by wind and solar energy and collects and filters its own water supply — see inside

Posted by in categories: food, solar power, sustainability

The Ecocapsule tiny home can accommodate up to two people with its kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, and dining room.

Jun 19, 2020

Tesla Model 3 gets a solar roof thanks to Lightyear

Posted by in categories: energy, engineering, sustainability, transportation

A Tesla Model 3 has been modified with a solar roof as part of Lightyear’s solar car development program.

We have been reporting on Lightyear for a few years now.

The startup first caught our attention because it spun out of Solar Team Eindhoven, a group of engineering students from the Technical University of Eindhoven (Netherlands) who have been competing in the World Solar Challenge with their Stella and Stella Lux, energy positive solar cars — meaning that they can produce more energy than they consume.

Jun 18, 2020

Climate emission killer: construction begins on world’s biggest liquid air battery

Posted by in categories: climatology, sustainability

Exclusive: project will store renewable energy and reduce climate-heating emissions.

Jun 17, 2020

$1bn to save the ocean | The Economist

Posted by in category: sustainability

We asked Sir David Attenborough and four other leading thinkers on ocean conservation how they would invest $1bn to protect the ocean. Some of their answers may surprise you. https://www.woi.economist.com/

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