This incredibly ambitious green design project aims to turn the Sahara Desert - one of the most notoriously inhospitable environments on Earth - into a lush green paradise. Concentrated solar power is used to generate energy for the complex and to evaporate seawater to use in greenhouses (as opposed to depleting freshwater sources). However, this is not a self-contained system - extra distilled freshwater and nutrients from the seawater as well as conditioned air will be released to create adjacent exterior micro-climates more conducive to growing even in the outdoors, slowly changing the whole ecosystem back to something it hasn’t resembled for thousands of years and that can provide food, water and power in one of the most environmentally foreboding places on the planet. (Source)
School Powering Solar Shade System
While some solar innovations occur at grandiose scales, many smaller design steps can cumulatively make a gigantic impact as well. These clever solar shades serve multiple purposes at once by providing shade for students as well as power for their school. Moreover, they can be rotated manually throughout the day to provide maximum shade while simultaneously gathering the most energy - a win-win situation for students and administrators alike.
Sassy Solar Powered Bra Design
It is hard to say whether the solar bra concept is more geared toward a male of a female audience. The stomach solar panel is perhaps a little less than sexy but supposedly generates enough energy to power a small mobile device such as an MP3 player or a cellular phone. The idea is interesting but the implementation is dubious. After all, who goes outside in only a bra? And what about the unwashability of such a clothing item?
Creative DIY Solar Cooker Designs
For solar do-it-yourself there is nothing quite like the classic solar cooker, applied in everything from emergency situations and developing nations to good old fashioned backyard barbeques. Best of all, some websites provide detailed user-submitted plans so you can choose one based on style, size and function and create it in the comfort of your own home. (Source)
Floating Solar Collecting Lily Pads
Aesthetic integration is one of the core challenges of introducing alternative energy designs into an urban environment. How do you layer on solar panels, for example, without making them stand out as something foreign, additive and unattractive? One clever solution is the above solar energy ‘lily pads’ that truly keep the design element in mind - creating something visually engaging, a new layer on a lazy city river, while also generating a new source of alternative urban power. (Source)
Floating Energy Collecting Solar Balloons
Sometimes one of the easiest solutions available is also the best. This incredibly simple design powerfully addresses classic problems of solar energy collection. It is very low-impact, using a minimum of materials to harness the energy of the sun. It is spatially liberated, with floating elements that could essentially be added anywhere (urban or rural and in residential or emergency situations) without taking up any real estate or requiring excessive space or time to ship. (Source)
Entirely Solar Powered Canadian Community
One of the catches with adding solar power retroactively to buildings is that the units are often autonomous and individually installed, thus costing more in terms of time and money. Why not, then, build an entire community from the ground up with solar power in mind? This example shows the cost-and-time effectiveness of doing just that and then routing power through central hubs so that it can be stored and distributed easily, effectively and cheaply as needed. (“http://www.inhabitat.com/2008/07/24/a-unique-solar-powered-community-in-canada/”>Source)
Canelievered Solar Power Arc Design
It has been called everything from Noah’s Eco-Arc to a giant stapler and many things in between. Born of a recall this structure was designed with reuse/recycling as well as alternative energy in mind. Following an unfortunate recall of a huge number of photovalic cells that simply could not be ethically resold Sanyo decided to use them themselves and create an amazing company structure at the same time. (Source)
Self Sufficient Energy Autonomous Car
This odd little car takes alternative power to the max as a low-consumption, no-emission, solar, wind and electric energy powered vehicle. The design still has a ways to go but this is still a great little ride that accumulates and stores energy all the time - even when not in use - and is versatile enough to draw power during various weather conditions. (Source)
Tool-Powering Solar Work Vehicle
Retrofitting solar to existing structures is one thing, but vehicles is quite another. This nifty solar innovation is designed to adapt a small work vehicle to be able to power tools out on the go for jobs that are in places normal energy sources can’t easily reach. (Source)
Creative Solar Powered Ferry Design
In a sleek, elegant and ingenious combination of solar and wind style and innovation this solar-powered ferry has fins that automatically adjust not only catch capture maximum rays from the sun but also to get the most out of available wind power possible - a great two-for-one public transit alternative energy solution. (Source)
World’s First Solar Powered Car Desgin
There are plenty of snazzy super-futuristic solar powered vehicles out there but where did the trend start? An Englishman in the late 1970s came up with this homely little hot-rod - supposedly the first truly solar powered vehicle and a DIY job at that - though concept models date back to GM in the 50s. (Source)
Solar Energy Concentrating Power Station
This first commercial solar power station in Europe is a sight to behold, appearing like an alien objectstanding out brightly against the flat surrounding landscape. An array of solar panels around the base are used to reflect the sun direct at the giant tower in the middle where, in turn, that heat energy is used to raise the temperature of water piped through the structure. The panels are an awesome site to behold and rotate to track the sun throughout the year. (Source)
Molten Salt Solor Power Stations
One of the biggest problems, as everyone knows, with solar energy is the difficult off-times when the sun simply won’t shine (at night or during poor weather). To take advantage of even these down times systems like these that use materials (like salt) which store heat for long periods even in the absence of sun seem to be the next stage in solar energy evolution - making the absolute most out of available power and materials. What’s next on the solar horizon? Hard to say but the key elements seem to be: (a) using solar power even without the sun, (b) mixing solar power with other alternative energies and (c) making maximum use of solar power by integrating it with existing structures and vehicles at small and large scales with maximum material, time and cost efficiency. (Source)
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