Fuel cells in Latin America: A possible future?
In the fight against climate change, there is a growing need for developed countries to use transport based on renewable energy. Brazil can be counted in that group, as its rapid economic growth has led it to become an economic powerhouse. As such, Brazil produces 47.3% of its energy from renewable sources, while the world average stands at 13%. However, Brazil’s situation is special and not representative of Latin America in general. Brazil has been...
read moreWind power blows into Venezuela
Venezuela has announced the construction of a 75 Mw wind farm which will be incorporated into the national electricity system. It is designed to combat the electrical shortages suffered by the country between 2009 and 2011. The farm hopes to produce 10,000 Mw by 2030. While this sounds great, the government also announced that the amount of energy the country will need to stay at 2012 levels is 17,000 Mw. The scenario is worse still when compared to the largest wind...
read morePut your hammer up: D-Shape will print your next house
Childhood summers spent crafting sand castles on the beaches of Tuscany near the emerald slopes of Monte Argentario have inspired the next wave of progress in building – one that uses local materials to construct organic, free-form structures that are low on visual impact but high on design. The structures, which include plans for everything from replicas of coral reefs that function as fish sanctuaries to Italian-style villas, are easy on the eyes, but it’s not...
read moreIBM helping Chinese city to transform public transport
IBM and the City of Zhenjiang, China announced its planned partnership to transform the city’s public transportation system. Zhenjiang has existed for 2,500 years and has been an important city throughout the years for it’s unique location between the Yangtze River and the Grand Canal. With a reported population of three million people, it is currently experiencing rapid economic growth and serving as a regional transportation hub as well. In a project entitled...
read moreIntelliGlass: A new way to insulate windows with water
Large windows have become one of the most characteristic elements of 21st century architecture. Without a doubt, their ability to brighten interiors is much greater than just simple windows, but not more beneficial, as large windows are energy wasters. In order to eliminate this problem, which necessitates the need of air conditioners, a group of engineers decided a few years ago to found IntelliGlass, a Spanish start-up that has developed an air conditioning system...
read moreArgentina developing small, modular reactors that promise better safety
When the tsunami in Japan generated the Fukushima nuclear crisis in 2011, Argentina not only confirmed its decision to increase the share of atomic energy from from 6% to 15% of its energy mix, but started building the prototype Central Argentina Modular Element (CAREM) reactor, the first Latin American reactor design, with the aim of becoming by 2020 one of the stars of the next generation of reactors. The CAREM concept was first introduced in 1984 as one of the...
read moreThe ‘Golden Arches’ are going green in South America
McDonald’s has taken the lead in organic restaurants in Latin America with the construction of three “green buildings” on their premises in Brazil, Costa Rica and Argentina. In this sense, it seems difficult to relate fast food restaurants with eco-friendly as they are based on consumer products which are a concept that typically does not agree with the ideas of recycling. However, during the last five years, Arcos Dorados, licensee of McDonald’s...
read moreInterview with Zac Manchester- Creator of chip-sized satellites
Tiny silicon wafers wafting through the void 300 km in orbit. Bits of a rocket gone awry or the next step in affordable space exploration? If you chose the latter, you’d be correct. Zachary Manchester, a graduate aerospace engineering student at Cornell University is developing a satellite-on-a-chip, called Sprite, that promises to enable fleets of low-cost, specialized micro-satellites to explore the cosmos. Opinno had the opportunity to interview Manchester about...
read moreMeat the Future: Would you eat a stem cell steak to save the planet?
Juicy, chargrilled perfection, nestled between saucy layers of ketchup and mustard, half-hidden behind a veil of lettuce, its tomato cap cocked to one side. Ahh, the burger of your dreams….but wait. Like most dreams, this burger isn’t what it seems. Far, far from the fields you imagine your burger once roamed, far, far from the dinner table it ended up on is reality. Your burger was grown in a lab. Yes, “in vitro” – grown in a Petri dish — meat. Sounds...
read moreVermont the Latest to Adopt Smart Grid Tech
Vermont has become one of the latest to adopt a smart electrical grid system in an effort to enhance efficiency and customer service. The Vermont Electric Power Company (VELCO) and IBM have announced a partnership that will bring its grid into the 21st century and also meet federal mandates. “The primary purpose of the fiber project is to improve transmission grid reliability, security and communications,” said VELCO representative Shana Duval. “The completed...
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