CulturalCreative
Kolelinio – more radical ideas for urban transport
Jul 2nd, 2010
Posts Tagged ‘technology’
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Kolelinia project is under creative commons licenses.
Previously on greenz.jp we featured an article on Kolelinia flying bicycle lanes, a prizewinning design by Bulgarian designer Martin Angelov.
The original Kolelinia design received high praise for its bold concept, while also facing a healthy dose of skepticism over feasibility. Now Angelov is back with a new, streamlined idea for flying through the city: Kolelinio.
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The famous English double-decker bus is not changing colour, it is just becoming a bit nicer to the environment. Using the latest hybrid technology means that it will be 15% more fuel efficient than existing hybrid buses and use 40% less fuel than conventional diesel driven double-decker buses.
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Atop the cinema at Roppongi Hills in Tokyo is an idyllic rural Japanese landscape complete with a rice paddy. However, this roof garden not only fulfills environmental regulations, it also mitigates the impact of earthquakes. (more…)
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XO laptop pedal power generator: Copyright (C) 2009 One Laptop Per Child News, All rights reserved.
The One Laptop per Child (OLPC) program, which was developed by the founder of the Institute of Technology’s Media lab, Nicholas Negroponte, is a program to donate low cost laptops to children in developing nations for education. As its name states, the vision of the project is to put a laptop in the hand of every child in the world, but there are many countries in the world with poor electric infrastructure and many are not environments where one could freely use a laptop. Presented with this kind of problem, a newly redesigned “self-sufficiency-style” laptop that children can use regardless of the state of infrastructure has appeared. (more…)
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Dive into Art ~ Cancun’s underwater sculptures are made from special materials that promote growth of new coralWant to learn how to build a house out of six million empty beer bottles or use local materials to simply keep food fresh up to 10 times longer? Then check out eco-ideas.net, a global environmental communication portal supported by Panasonic as part of its commitment to promote the power of ideas and to accelerate the shift to greener lifestyles.
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Solar Microbot: Copyright © 2010 Karisruhe Institute of Technology, All rights reserved.
At 4mm in length, they may be as small as a fly, but don’t judge them by their size alone. These microrobots can not only walk around at will, communicate with each other, and collect and store data, but they run off solar power – a completely sustainable energy source.
These solar micro robots were designed by a team of Swedish, Spanish, German, Italian, and Swiss researchers, and draw inspiration from the behavior of bugs. Data is collected via a circuit board, and the robot walks with three of its four legs. The fourth leg is a sensor, which can sense stimulation from the surroundings. (more…)
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GreenAdvertizing.com just launched the worlds first carbon neutral ad network.
GreenAdvertizing.com is unusal as advertising businesses go as the company is not just about profit. GreenAdvertizing.com is an ethical company and invests in green entrepreneurs and social enterprise. (more…)
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Panasonic's eco navi washing machine and sweat detector
Yes. It’s true. Panasonic has developed cutting edge technology that can tell how much sweat and dirt is in your washing. How is this eco? Basically, the washing machine uses a few minutes to detect the mount of dirty clothes in the machine, then decides time and water amount needed to run at an optimum compared with how dirty it is.
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The world’s largest eco-products event, the Eco-Products Exhibition is in its eleventh year at Tokyo Big Sight and features a wide variety of organizations that in some form or fashion are doing environmental work. The most disappointing thing for me about the 2009 Eco-Product Exhibition is that I was only able to attend for one day. As one of the 180,000 guests for this year trying to see more than 700 booths was, to say the least, a bit tricky. But the time was well worth it, and my calendar for next year is already marked!
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Creative Commons. Some Rights Reserved. Photo by Captain GionaHave you heard of ‘on-demand buses?’
As the name implies, the buses run on demand, rather like a large taxi, but without the high price. Costing on par with regular public transport, the buses can be booked to pick you up where and when you want, and take you to your destination without making unnecessary calls at vacant bus stops. While this may seem like an ideal solution to transport problems in rural communities with declining populations, and also a good step for the environment, there are issues with delays, and high running costs that have yet to be overcome.
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Photo by Millennium CityGlass walls, a large kitchen and dining room inside, and a ladder leading up to a small wooden house…
This is ‘Kurimoto Millennium City’, created by the NPO Millennium City on 1650 m2 of land in Katori, Chiba Prefecture. The facility is multi-layered, with tall deciduous trees, greenhouses, and huts making for energy efficient architecture. The large deciduous trees help control the temperature, blocking the hot sun in summer, and holding the sun’s warmth in winter. The glass greenhouse protects against rain and wind, while the huts provide privacy, and are easily heated thanks to their small size.
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Photo from Honda’s websiteRight now, gasoline prices are steady, but when thinking about the environment, it is obvious that we need to improve gas consumption as much as possible.
Every car company is putting out cars that boast of great gas mileage, but Honda is going at improving fuel consumption from another angle too with a new kind of car. -
SustainableCommunity
Local Street-side Mechanic Pioneers The Future of Transportation: Hydrogen Motorbikes
Nov 23rd, 2009
Recently, ‘eco-cars’ have become all the rage. But the reality is, most of them still run on gasoline. ‘Is there really no other fuel that doesn’t have such an impact on the environment?’ you ask. There is, and that fuel is hydrogen.
Hydrogen, atomic number 1, atomic symbol H. Crude oil, from which gasoline is made, also contains a lot of hydrogen. Even the universe itself in ¾ hydrogen!
And if you burn hydrogen, you end up with… water! So you can envisage an energy cycle that goes something like this: water – hydrogen – water.
Creative Commons. Some Rights Reserved. Photo by vitroidCorporations cannot afford to ignore such an amazing element. Toyota and Honda have already come up with ‘fuel cell vehicles’ that run off electricity made from hydrogen, and Mazda has announced two new hybrid vehicles that use existing engines to run off a combination of gasoline and hydrogen. These work on the same theory as regular gasoline engines, using the explosion from igniting hydrogen to power the engine.
Creative Commons. Some Rights Reserved. Photo by tsukubajinWhile hydrogen is very light, it must be highly compressed in order to be of practical use. Compressing hydrogen requires a lot of energy in itself, and storage tanks must be strong enough to withstand this huge pressure, so it can’t be carried around and used as easily as gasoline. Currently the tanks alone cost upwards of several million yen each.
So, the problem with hydrogen is storage. Even so, there is still an amazing way of using hydrogen to get around in Japan, and it has been developed not by a large corporation, but a local mechanic. That is the hydrogen motorbike.
These bikes are being developed at ‘Inoue Boring’, an engine maintenance garage in small industrial area in Kawagoe, Saitama.
I just bought a tank of hydrogen, and shoved it into the carburetor, and the engine ran
…explains the manager, Sotaro Inoue.
Inoue has long been infatuated with 2-stroke engines. However as they were being phased out due to the dirty exhaust they produce, he started looking for an alternative fuel source. Hydrogen, which when burnt produces water, was an obvious choice. Because 2-stroke engines burn oil with the fuel, if a plant-based oil is used, the environmental impact will be reduced even more, explains Inoue.
Inoue Boring is currently developing a hydrogen motorbike, 2-stroke, of course.
The immediate goal is to have the throttle control the engine speed accordingly. For this to work, the timing of the release of hydrogen, and the spark must be synchronized, something they are just succeeding in doing. This will enable smooth acceleration, and deceleration.When the greenz editors visited Inoue Boring, he gave us a short demonstration, which you can see in the clip below.
To enable easy removal, the bike is designed to accommodate an Iwatani hydrogen tank as is.
Inoue says entering the bike in a race is his long-term dream. The future of transportation is being developed right here on the street corner, with no support from large corporations, the government, or universities.
This article is translated from the original Japanese post -
GreenBusiness
The Beginners Guide to Renewable Hydrogen! 10 reasons How It Can Change The World (1)
Nov 16th, 2009
There are so many things that can change the world: ‘green jobs will change the world’, ‘change money and change the world’, ‘open source programs will change the world’… what else can you think of that can change the world?
At greenz, we believe that changing the paradigm in the energy industry could be the fundamental solution to many of the problems that the world face today. And so one energy source that has caught our attention is renewable hydrogen (aka. RH2). Several members of the greenz team have set up the NPO Renewable Hydrogen Network to promote RH2 through various projects.
Hydrogen itself has yet to become well know, and if you put an ‘R’ before it, even fewer people will know what you’re talking about. Read on to find out what RH2 is, and why it can change the world.
So, what is hydrogen, and how can it be renewable?
Hydrogen (atomic symbol: H) is the lightest, and most common element in the universe. Many things around us contain hydrogen, including water (H2O), propane (C3H8), and ammonia (NH3). In fact even the sun’s energy is made through the nuclear fusion of hydrogen and helium.
Hydrogen can store energy, and produce it. It’s becoming an ever more popular energy source, and can be used in place of gasoline to power cars. If there was enough hydrogen, we could even heat public baths with it!
Used as a fuel, it produces only energy and water, and a minute amount of nitrogen, making it an environmentally friendly source of energy. But it’s also important not to forget the renewable part too. RH2 must be produced by renewable means such as solar or geothermal, and not nuclear or fossil fuels.
The inconvenient truth about a fossil fuel society
Now for some trivia about fossil fuels. Did you know that natural gas is imported to Tokyo from the Arctic? According to an NHK documentary, a race has begun to exploit natural gas deposits newly accessible as the polar ice cap melts due to global warming. That natural gas is then brought to Yokohama, from where it is used to supply homes in Tokyo.
Second, do you know the real price of gasoline? According to one survey, around 150 trillion yen is spent on reducing the price of gasoline – in other words, to cover hidden costs. That means our tax money is being used to support a fossil fuel dependent society.
Energy is indispensable for life. However, the limited sources of energy, such as nuclear or fossil fuel, can be said to be one major cause of conflicts. If we continue to bring natural gas all the way from the Arctic, and support petroleum companies by subsidizing gasoline, we will keep using more and more energy, thereby increasing climate change on a global scale. Now is the time to move away from fossil fuels.
Continued in part 2: the 10 reasons why RH2 will change the world.
This article is translated from the original Japanese post
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Creative Commons. Some Rights Reserved. Photo by sparktography.While this article may get a little technical, read on to find out about Japan’s abundant eco resource.
Oxidation is a process required for the manufacture of many chemicals used in cosmetic and medical products. The aldehydes, ketones, and esters that comprise these chemicals are made by the oxidization of alcohol. Oxidization of alcohol is not a simple matter of mixing alcohol with oxygen. Peroxides of metals such as manganese, lead, and chrome must be mixed with the alcohol in order for oxidization to take place. The process also requires a catalyst, which, until now, has also been a metal.
However, many of these metal catalysts are poisonous, and require costly refining in order to be used in the manufacture of medicines. Also, depletion of metal resources means costs are expected to rise further.
Prof. Kazuaki Ishihara and Muhammet Uyanik of Nagoya University Graduate School of Engineering have developed a method of oxidization using iodine compounds in place of these metals. A nonmetal, iodine is also safe for humans and the environment. This development is especially relevant to Japan, the second largest exporter of iodine in the world, producing around 40% of the world’s iodine.
Chemical manufacturing is not only a huge global market, but also one that is relevant to us all. Most iodine in Japan is taken from groundwater under the Kanto Plains. The water running under your feet may just help to save the world some day soon!
This article is translated from the original Japanese post -
The ‘Power Generating Floor®’: Generating electricity from vibrationSoundpower Corporation has created a business by generating electricity from the sound and vibrations that fill our daily lives. ‘Power Generating Floors®’ that generate electricity from the vibrating floors of busy train station gates, or roads with heavy pedestrian traffic, and ‘Sound Power Generators™’ that turn sounds such as peoples voices into electricity are just two of their unique innovations that have been turning heads.
The idea of utilizing this hitherto ‘wasted energy’ as electricity gives us great hope for the possibility of creating a new infrastructure of renewable energy.
However there appears to be much more to the business than just this. Let’s take a closer look at the social implications and possibilities hidden in the Soundpower business.
A key concept when discussing Soundpower is ‘decentralized power generation’; creating power where it is needed, rather than at a large faraway power plant. This, in a sense, is the electrical version of ‘local production for local consumption’. Decentralizing power means that huge losses in transmitting and transforming electricity are reduced, and cogeneration using waste heat is more viable. It also has an edge over other forms of natural energy that are susceptible to changes in the elements.
‘Power Generating Floors®’ that create energy for reading IC cards from the vibration in train station gate floors, and ‘Sound Power Generators™’ that use ones voice to recharge mobile phone batteries as one speaks are potentially very important developments in enabling greater decentralized power generation.
The concept is not only unique, but also practical. The solar powered mobile phone introduced previously had a drawback in that the user had to make sure the phone was in a suitable environment for charging. In comparison, voice power makes use of a resource that is never is short supply around a telephone. The idea was conceived from the source of energy itself, rather than the telephone, and appears to be a winner.
The ‘Sound Power Generator™’ enables your mobile phone to charge as you talkAnother great potential for decentralized power generation is the use as a ubiquitous energy source. In a ubiquitous society, communication devices exist everywhere, and the challenge of keeping them powered is an ongoing issue. If, for example, a vibration generator was installed in the bottom of ones shoes, the energy could be stored and used to power any manner of small communication devices. As with the aforementioned mobile phone, a future where one can supply their own power needs may be within sight.
Exciting possibilities also exist for use in noise and vibration reduction, and emergency situations. Using sound or vibration to create energy leads to a reduction in the amount of sound or vibration emitted. This would create a win-win situation if used to reduce unwanted noise or vibration. A potential example would be installing ‘Sound Power Generators™’ in sound proofed walls, contributing to insulation, and creating energy to be used in the recording studio. Also, because vibration is caused when people or objects move, there is potential to use this technology in security or other detection systems.
‘Hatsuden Night’: A dance event creating electricity by dancingThe widely publicized Shibuya Hachiko Power Floor® Experiment (December, ’08), Nihombashi Participatory Illumination (December, ’08), and ‘Hatsuden Night’ (‘electricity generating night’) dance event are all examples of how this technology is catching on, not only as a fad, but with real social impact. Plans are currently under way for large-scale generation from roads and train lines.
Soundpower technology can already be seen in action at various events. When this technology becomes commercially viable, the future for renewable, decentralized power generation is sure to light up. Here’s hoping the Soundpower business will lead the way towards a world of new energy.This article is translated from the original Japanese post.
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Creative Commons. Some Rights Reserved. Photo by mayhem
Experiments with hydrogen-powered buses with a view to introducing them on public roads are taking place around Europe, and also in The U.S and Brazil, and in some places are already realities. And finally, buses that run on hydrogen fuel are making their mark in Japan. Introducing hydrogen fuel into buses puts real environmental improvements within reach. Let’s have a look at the come-uppance of hydrogen buses and environmental improvements in Japan.
First and foremost, this Hydrogen-fueled Bus (Hydrogen Automobile) is different from a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle. While the latter uses hydrogen to produce electricity which is then used to power the vehicle, the former directly combusts hydrogen to make the vehicle run. The great thing about it is that rather than developing a completely new system, simply modifying the gasoline engine is enough, coupled with the fact that it doesn’t require the rare metals that batteries need.
However, it is not without its problems, namely the presence of Nitrous Oxide (NOx) in exhaust fumes, safety issues related to hydrogen fuel, and the production method of the fuel.
The debut of Hydrogen Buses in Japan was not due to a public organization, but Tokyo City University Formed last year in April with the unification of Musashi Technical College and Tokyoko Gakuen, it had for over 30 years in its previous entity as Musashi Technical College been involved with the development of the “Hydrogen Autombile”. This time, in collaboration with Hino Motors,Ltd. their efforts to implement the hydrogen bus have paid off. A number plate was acquired on passing the technical review of the Japan Automobile Research Institute, and the plan is that in the near future hydrogen buses will be used as shuttle buses between campuses.
Experiments with hydrogen buses on public roads are being implemented by public organizations in Germany and Iceland, and there is a good reason why hydrogen fuel is being eagerly introduced into buses. Road buses tend to move along at a slow pace, with a lot of stops and starts. Such a short starting and stopping cycle burns a lot of fuel, and worse yet runs on diesel with its large volume of NOx exhaust fumes. As a result, the impact on the environment has been reduced.
In fact, this new hydrogen bus gives way to massive optimism for environmental improvements given that it reduces the amount of exhaust gases to approx. one 90th of what they were before, with zero carbon dioxide. Added to this is the fact that road buses don’t drive at high speeds and only run on limited routes. As their optimal speed is not very high, the demerit that applies to hydrogen cars whereby they need a hydrogen station to refuel at, does not apply to buses. Furthermore, the fact that hydrogen fuel requires a larger amount of space in the tank than in gasoline engines to ensure safety, is not an issue as it is much easier to get such an amount of space in a bus, in contrast to a private car.
I may be giving the impression that it’s all a bed of roses but there are problems, most notably, the fuel issue. At present hydrogen fuel is generated mainly from natural gases, which results in consuming fossil fuels and the expulsion of greenhouse gases. Also, that it is said to cost 5-6 times as much as diesel. To resolve these issues means finding a completely new method of producing hydrogen, and to this end Tokyo City University is planning to extract hydrogen from waste gases generated by factories.
If this can be achieved then surely the hydrogen bus can stake its claim as a here for the environment. Go for it, Tokyo City Uni!!
This article has been translated from the original Japanese post
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GreenBusiness
Make your own energy with Home Electricity Generating and Non-Exhaust Heat System “ENEFARM”
Jul 24th, 2009
TOKYO GAS Co., Ltd.
“From Houses that Use Energy to Houses that Make It”
“Enefarm” is a home usage fuel battery system that uses hydrogen retrieved from Tokyo municipal gas to create electricity and hot water. So, just how environmentally effective is? Firstly, I will explain the Enefarm set-up, and I’d like you to think about its effect on the environment. (more…)
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GreenBusiness
The new green town ” Yukarigaoka” gains momentum with its new community electric bus
Jul 20th, 2009
The cute illustrations and memorable shape belie a bus that runs on 100% electricity. Trial phase is now taking place bringing it closer to full-scale adoption!
The electric bus experiment began from catch copy “the thinking town”, initiated by Yukarigaoka, aiming to build a sustainable local society. Located in Sakura City of Chiba Prefecture, it is gaining a name for itself as a “new environmental town”, boasting high convenience with access into the centre of town in under an hour, shopping near the station, and a rich natural environment, with a great educational environment for children.
(Green and Plentiful Yukarigaoka)This town also has the Yamaman Yukarigaoka Line, a new transport system with no noxious gases or noise, where all houses are conveniently within a 10-minute walk of the stations. While this forms the bulk of the town’s public transport system, a new plan is being implemented to redesign public transport in line with changing demographic trends, at the head of which is the electric bus which has no noxious gases and reduced CO2 emissions. As a sub-transport system, not only is it convenient but also good for the environment. Could the much vaunted community bus be about to make its full debut?
This experimental phase is a joint venture by Yurigaoka development company Yamaman, Waseda University and Showa Aircraft. In the one month period between April 24 to May 24, 2 buses will run on 5 routes (bus journey distances limited to 5km), and are free for all. The aim is to use a resident’s questionnaire to gauge usage conditions and cost, and eventually turn it into a proper enterprise.
What has been of note in this experiment is that out of the two vehicles, one of them is charged using a “non-contact high speed charger”. It is the first time for such a charger to be used in Japan, and functions to protect the battery from ageing, which is what usually happens with conventional contact-type chargers. This epoch-making system works by placing the vehicle above the charging coil, easily charging the car without attaching onto the battery itself.
Through equipping operating points of the bus with these charging facilities, the bus can actually be charged while passengers are riding it. As charging can be done several times a day, there is no need to install lots of batteries, a major factor in contributing towards a light-weight and cost effective practical solution.
(Shopping by Electric Bus, in our time?)Usually, charging infrastructure is considered to be problematic but as this community bus runs on limited routes, the practical application of this system could be just around the corner.
Thanks to curtailed noise and comfortable ride, the electric bus is already gaining popularity among residents. Could it become a reality? Don’t take your eyes of Yukarigaoka, as it rises to the challenge of being a “new environmental town”.
This article has been translated from the original Japanese post
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Creative Commons, Some Rights Reserved, Photo by tanakawho
A tree covered in moss! Who does it look like? Forget about that for a moment, as today we are going to talk about the amazing wall greenery technological revolution taking place with this moss. We may not be far away from towns whose walls are awash with green!
This amazing technology was pioneered by Pr.Murase of Osaka Prefecture University. He has succeeded in developing “Sunagoke Moss（Rhacomitrium canescens) Panels” for greenery usage which are able to grow in a quarter of the time period required up until now. Sunagoke is ideal for making buildings more verdant as it is easy to get hold of and does not wither in winter. What is more, by putting it in lightweight panel form makes it easy to fix onto steep roofs and wall surfaces.
Similar Sunagoke technology did exist previously but it took 2-3 years to cultivate. This technology that can be cultivated in half a year, approximately a quarter of that time, was created by cultivating Sunagoke in a special nutrient culture containing nitrogen and phosphorous and then placing it inside in a controlled light and temperature environment. What significance does this hold for the spreading of wall greenery?
First of all, let’s look at the degree to which wall-greenery is currently spreading. According to the “Country-Wide Rooftop Greenery Surface Area” (2000-2006) survey conducted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, there has been a 20-30% growth in the total surface area of that is “going green”, meaning continued healthy growth. However, wall-surface greenery is still only 1/15th of rooftop greenery. What could be the reason for this, given that walls have much more surface area than rooftops?
The main problem is the difficulty in setting it up, added to the high cost. Most example of wall greenery involve hanging plants vertically on walls, but this of course requires a large amount of construction, and there are cases where this cannot even take place due to problems in the strength and resilience of walls. Maintenance-wise, taking off damaged portions of the wall is also a big deal, accompanied by cost issues.
Another issue is the long time required for cultivation. Over 80% of greenery cases use hanging plants and ivy like the ones used in the Hanshin Koshien baseball ground, but after installing them, it takes some 3-5 years before a decent amount of plant volume materializes. It is possible to install ivy that has already been cultivated, but this also is a very high-cost option.
(It takes years and months to get a fantastic wall of green like the one at Koshien)
Creative Commons, Some Rights Reserved, Photo by *nikiThese aspects certainly make you think that the development of Sunagoke Moss really is a big departure. At present, the ratio of moss used in wall greenery is only a tiny 3%, but with its low cost and practicability, surely it could become the frontline of wall surface greenery?!
Japan’s strength lies in scientific technology for conserving the planet’s atmosphere. As well as reducing carbon dioxide, towns with walls covered in green is an idea that gets me excited! Let’s hope this technology gets commercialized and becomes a reality!
This article has been translated from the original Japanese post
