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Environ Sci Technol. 2003 Dec 1;37(23):5414-6. Global sustainability and key needs in future automotive design. McAuley JW. Basell USA Inc., 912 Appleton Road, Elkton, Maryland 21921, USA. john.mcauley@basell.com Abstract The number of light vehicle registrations is forecast to increase worldwide by a factor of 3-5 over the next 50 years. This will dramatically increase environmental impacts worldwide of automobiles and light trucks. If light vehicles are to be environmentally sustainable globally, the automotive industry must implement fundamental changes in future automotive design. Important factors in assessing automobile design needs include fuel economy and reduced emissions. Many design parameters can impact vehicle air emissions and energy consumption including alternative fuel or engine technologies, rolling resistance, aerodynamics, drive train design, friction, and vehicle weight. Of these, vehicle weight is key and will translate into reduced energy demand across all energy distribution elements. A new class of vehicles is needed that combines ultra-light design with a likely hybrid or fuel cell engine technology. This could increase efficiency by a factor of 3-5 and reduce air emissions as well. Advanced lightweight materials, such as plastics or composites, will need to overtake the present metal-based infrastructure. Incorporating design features to facilitate end-of-life recycling and recovery is also important. The trend will be towards fewer materials and parts in vehicle design, combined with ease of disassembly. Mono-material construction can create vehicle design with improved recyclability as well as reduced numbers of parts and weight.

Six page article from 2003 provides an in depth discussion on existing and Future Nuclear Systems:  "In Response to the difficulties in achieving sustainability, a sufficiently high degree of safety and a competitive economic basis for nuclear power, the U.S. Department of Energy initiated the Generation IV program in 1999. Generation IV refers to the broad division of nuclear designs into four categories: early prototype reactors (Generation I), the large central station nuclear power plants of today (Generation II), the advanced lightwater reactors and other systems with inherent safety features that have been designed in recent years (Generation III), and the next-generation systems to be designed and built two decades from now (Generation IV) [see box on opposite page]. By 2000 international interest in the Generation IV project had resulted in a nine-country coalition that includes Argentina, Brazil, Canada, France, Japan, South Africa, South Korea, the U.K. and the U.S. Participating states are mapping out and collaborating on the research and development of future nuclear energy systems."

This is a reference hardware design to add wireless capability to 'any' electronic consumer device. This is important because the availability of designs such as this will drive the networking path for smart homes. This is the first I have seen and it is wireless.

Steven Chu at the Department of Energy just opened up $346 million in stimulus funds for boosting the energy efficiency of new and existing buildings - but thinking ahead to new design, he wants the best ideas to be incorporated into structure designs from the beginning. How better tap into the hive mind than with an open-source software platform. He wants the DOE to provide advanced design tools for free or at very low cost so that it will become almost automatic that builders use the tools.

Solar home designs explained. Learn the principles of passive solar home design

FloDesign Wind Turbine, a spin-off from the aerospace company FloDesign has developed a wind turbine that could generate electricity at half the cost of conventional turbines. The design circumvents the Betz limit.

"The Silver State-based company has developed the Faulkner 1, a 49.5 MW geothermal power project at NGP's Blue Mountain site in northwestern Nevada. Currently, the project is planning two new injection wells to enhance the distribution of injected fluids and further augment the plant's power output. As such, the DOE is acting as loan guarantor for up to 80 percent of the $98.5 million loan to NGP for the scheme. As part of the Obama administration's Recovery Act, alternative energy has seen a real increase in investment with projects such as the Cape Wind Farm being finalized. Recent tragedies such as the Gulf of Mexico oil spill have only solidified support for alternative energy. Geothermal projects haven't dominated headlines like solar and wind projects have, but US Senator Harry Reid hopes to see that change. Speaking about the DOE's support, Senator Reid said, "I am glad to see economic recovery funding being used to put Nevadans to work on a project that will help us achieve energy independence" He went on to say, "Northern Nevada is the Saudi Arabia of geothermal energy.""

I was browsing Greentech Media and learned about a Massachusetts aerospace company called FloDesign that's developed a new wind turbine design around the concept of a jet engine. This could allow for a more efficient wind turbine that produces two to three times more wind power than typical machines.

The European Parliament has voted to extend the range of products bound by efficiency standards under the Eco-design regulations, according to reports from Reuters.

The Schaeffler Group has therefore developed the Generation C range of deep groove ball bearings that not only offer 35 per cent less friction than their predecessors, but also cut noise levels by 50 per cent. This means a more efficient motor, resulting in reduced energy consumption, plus the new design improvements enable the bearings to run faster, while simultaneously increasing the operating life.

The new battery relies on an innovative architecture called a semi-solid flow cell, in which solid particles are suspended in a carrier liquid and pumped through the system. In this design, the battery's active components - the positive and negative electrodes, or cathodes and anodes - are composed of particles suspended in a liquid electrolyte. These two different suspensions are pumped through systems separated by a filter, such as a thin porous membrane.

"Finnish headquartered metallurgical group, Outotec ,has been awarded a contract by Tongling Non-Ferrous Metals Group for the design and delivery of a new copper smelter to be built in Jinchang in Anhui province, China. The contract value is approximately EUR 15 million."

Herzog and de Meuron have been very busy lately designing some amazing new buildings in Europe, like their Project Triangle in Paris. Their newest design for the Spanish banking group BBVA will be built on the outskirts of Madrid as early as 2013. The verdant green headquarters will feature luscious gardens and will create it's own microclimate by using natural ventilation, evapotranspiration, and the shade of the gardens and buildings to create a cool artificial oasis on a desert-like site. The project is meant to function as a small city, encouraging people to walk and meet within the outdoor spaces. The project is essentially a linear series of 3-story buildings seperated by alleyways and irrigated gardens. The smaller buildings are designed to give employees access to natural light and the outdoors, while the tower rises as a skyward-tilted circle, giving BBVA a presence in the Madrid skyline. The courtyard located around the tower is planted with shady trees and features a large basin of water that serves as a resevoir and humidifies the air.

There are a few schemes which  are now experimenting with community based post oil  business models. This model appears to  be designed for 50,000 people.  With this type of experiment , new methods might be learnt for future energy sustainability and existing energy solutions tested.

The latest device to be the subject of the European Union's Eco-design regulations are circulators -small pumps that are mainly used to circulate water in heating systems.

"The team's research yielded a novel solution that combines the strengths of batteries and supercapacitors while also negating the scalability problem. The "electrochemical flow capacitor" (EFC) consists of an electrochemical cell connected to two external electrolyte reservoirs - a design similar to existing redox flow batteries which are used in electrical vehicles. This technology is unique because it uses small carbon particles suspended in the electrolyte liquid to create a slurry of particles that can carry an electric charge."

"Owenite Community Robert Owen 1771-1858 Owen's ideal community was drawn up in 1817 by the architect Stedman Whitwell. A large scale model was built and Owen used it on his lecture tours. The designed village spread Gymnasiums for Exercise attached to the Schools and Infirmary Conservatory in the midst of Gardens Baths, warm and cold Dining Halls with Kitchens beneath them Schools for Infants, Children and Youths, and the Infirmary Library, Detached Reading Rooms, Bookbindery, Printing Office etc Ballroom and Music rooms Theatre for Lectures, Exhibitions, Discussions. Museum with Library of Description and Reference Rooms Brew-houses, Bakehouses, Washhouses, Laundries, Dining halls Suites of adult sitting rooms and chambers Esplanade one hundred feet wide about twelve feet above the natural surface. Paved Footpath The Arcade and its Terracegiving both a covered and an open communication Sub-way leading to the Kitchens. As well as dwelling houses and dormitories for up to 2000 inhabitants. For more information visit Robert Owen's House in New Lanark."