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Archive for the ‘sustainability’ category: Page 411

Nov 16, 2020

Green Hydrogen Is Sparking a Revolution in Sustainable Energy

Posted by in categories: energy, sustainability

It seems the rise of hydrogen as the clean fuel for the future is coming closer to reality.


A viable substitute for fossil fuels, hydrogen has been struggling to gain traction for years — but thanks to Europe, that could soon change.

Nov 15, 2020

Harrowing Video Shows Tesla Slam Into Honda Civic At 136 MPH

Posted by in categories: robotics/AI, sustainability, transportation

Article from carbuzz.com. Was this human or AI error?


Semi-autonomous driving systems continue to come under the microscope, and the results are mixed. Tesla’s Autopilot system is one of the more well-known examples, and while some drivers like this Model 3 owner have faith in the technology, we have seen some disturbing instances of the system potentially leading to serious crashes.

Well, yet another Tesla was involved in a nasty crash and is a reminder that humans and driving aids don’t always make a safe combination. The video — recorded by the car’s camera system — was shared by GreenTheOnly on Twitter, a hacker who has previously uncovered some of the shortcomings of Tesla’s in-car tech. It’s not known what Tesla model this was.

Nov 15, 2020

This ingenious machine turns feces into drinking water

Posted by in category: sustainability

Circa 2015


Bill Gates recently got to check out the Omniprocessor, an ingenious machine designed and built by Janicki Bioenergy, which turns human waste into water and electricity.

Nov 15, 2020

An EV Conversion Engineered As A Drop-in Replacement

Posted by in categories: engineering, sustainability, transportation

With electric vehicles such as the Tesla or the Leaf being all the rage and joined by fresh competitors seemingly every week, it seems the world is going crazy for the electric motor over their internal combustion engines. There’s another sector to electric traction that rarely hits the headlines though, that of converting existing IC cars to EVs by retrofitting a motor. The engineering involved can be considerable and differs for every car, so we’re interested to see an offering for the classic Mini from the British company Swindon Powertrain that may be the first of many affordable pre-engineered conversion kits for popular models.

The kit takes their HPD crate EV motor that we covered earlier in the year, and mates it with a Mini front subframe. Brackets and CV joints engineered for the kit to drop straight into the Mini. The differential appears to be offset to the right rather than the central position of the original so we’re curious about the claim of using the Mini’s own driveshafts, but that’s hardly an issue that should tax anyone prepared to take on such a task. They can also supply all the rest of the parts for a turnkey conversion, making for what will probably be one of the most fun-to-drive EVs possible.

The classic Mini is now a sought-after machine long past its days of being dirt-cheap old-wreck motoring for the masses, so the price of the kit should be viewed in the light of a good example now costing more than some new cars. We expect this kit to have most appeal in the professional and semi-professional market rather than the budget end of home conversions, but it’s still noteworthy because it is a likely sign of what is to come. We look forward to pre-engineered subframes becoming a staple of EV conversions at all levels. The same has happened with other popular engine upgrades, and no doubt some conversions featuring them will make their way to the pages of Hackaday.

Nov 14, 2020

The World Needs Nuclear Power, And We Shouldn’t Be Afraid Of It

Posted by in categories: information science, nuclear energy, sustainability

Although many different approaches have been proposed to address this problem, it’s clear that any sustainable, long-term solution will include one important component: a transition to energy sources that don’t result in additional carbon dioxide emissions. While most of the ideas put forth — such as the hypothetical Green New Deal — focus on renewable energy sources like solar and wind power, there’s another option that we should seriously reconsider: nuclear fission power.


As we embrace green solutions, nuclear should absolutely be part of the equation.

Nov 14, 2020

Tesla Taxis Trickle Into NYC — Model 3 Cost Estimates vs. Toyota Camry Hybrid & Ford Fusion Hybrid Cost Estimates

Posted by in categories: sustainability, transportation

It was recently shared that yellow Tesla Model 3 taxis have started rolling out in New York City, a year after they were officially approved for taxi service in the city.

Nov 14, 2020

A Norwegian Startup Is Turning Dry Deserts Into Fertile Cropland

Posted by in categories: climatology, sustainability

The UN population forecast predicts that by 2050 there will be almost 10 billion people on the planet. They’ll live mostly in cities and have an older median age than the current global population. One looming questions is, what will they eat?

The Green Revolution of the 1960s used selective breeding to double crop yields of rice and wheat in some areas of the world, rescuing millions of people from food shortages and even famine. Now, the fast-growing global population combined with the impact of climate change on our ability to produce food—increased droughts and extreme weather events many crops can’t withstand—points to the need for another green revolution.

Luckily there’s already one underway. It’s more decentralized than the last, which makes sense given there are different challenges surfacing in different parts of the world. A Norwegian startup called Desert Control has a running start on solving a problem that’s only likely to get worse with time.

Nov 13, 2020

Las Vegas City Planning Commission approves The Boring Company’s downtown tunnel expansion plans

Posted by in categories: Elon Musk, robotics/AI, sustainability, transportation

Elon Musk founded The Company “to solve the problem of soul-destroying traffic.” He envisions a network of tunnels where Autonomous Electric Vehicles (AEV) can transport passengers at high speeds through an underground transportation system called “Loop”. The Company’s AEVs are made up of modified Tesla Model 3 and Model X. These zero-emission vehicles will shuttle passengers through the tunnels at approximately 150-miles per hour. The first set of underground roads are under construction at Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC). The tunneling project is almost finished. According to city officials it will be operational by January 2021. The Company plans to expand the LVCC Loop transportation system to other parts in Las Vegas. The Company submitted a proposal this year to the Las Vegas City Planning Commission to expand the tunnel to the downtown area.

On Tuesday, the Las Vegas City Planning Commission held a meeting in which the company received approval to connect the LVCC center set of tunnels to a future tunneling system that will lead downtown. The Commission gave the green light during a meeting, video below. The city council plans to review the proposal to cast a final vote in December. The downtown tunnel will begin at the LVCC, run through Las Vegas Boulevard, connect to Ogden, and lead back into Main Street. The City of Las Vegas shared via Twitter the map of where the tunnel will be built, pictured below.

Nov 13, 2020

Space solar power station a step closer thanks to government project

Posted by in categories: government, solar power, space, sustainability

Solar power stations in space that beam ‘emission-free electricity’ down to Earth could soon be a reality thanks to a UK government funded project.

Above the Earth there are no clouds and no day or night that could obstruct the sun’s ray – making a space solar station a constant zero carbon power source.

Continue reading “Space solar power station a step closer thanks to government project” »

Nov 13, 2020

Bird Feeder Accepts Bottle Caps For Food

Posted by in categories: education, food, sustainability

Teaching birds to help us with recycling!

A very interesting approach! 😃


Who knew birds would be absolutely crushing it in the recycling game? If they can do it, so can you!