Green
Solar plane makes maiden flight/hop
Dec 4th
The first solar powered plane has made it’s maiden flea hop on December 3, 2009. Solar Impulse plans to fly it around the world. It’s an unmanned plane, that will fly autonomously, powered by four engines, 10HP each. It has a wingspan three times it’s length. With a speed of only on average 75km/h it will take some time for it to cover the distance around the globe. It will gain altitude during the day, while descending at night, optimizing energy use and storage.
We’ve done it! It actually took off! With its immense wingspan and low speed it seemed to just hang in the air without moving for 30 seconds. But that was enough for it to fly 350 metres. The whole team held its breath while test pilot Markus Scherdel stabilised the Solar Impulse with a few tweaks of the ailerons before touching down smoothly. André watched the manoeuvre at the controls of a helicopter with a camera installed while I followed the plane on the runway with the test team.
Solar Impulse – Around The World in a Solar Airplane
San Francisco vs Amsterdam in green city rivalry
Dec 2nd
My two favorite cities duking out on the green front.
San Francisco and Amsterdam set an online stage for an environmental rivalry regarding which city is more nature-friendly. Mayors of the major US and Dutch cities on Tuesday kicked off a green match-up while joining technology titan Cisco in a call for urban centers worldwide to rally to fight global warming and other environmental woes.
San Francisco vs Amsterdam in green city rivalry (Physorg.com)
Green Architecture in Dallas
Nov 25th
The winner of the extremely exciting Re:Vision Dallas competition to create a completely sustainable community on a run-down city block in downtown Dallas was just announced yesterday.