Green Building : Jetson Green

Positive Energy Elithis Tower in France

Green building certification is an interesting phenomenon.  It’s meant to convey a message about the building’s level of “green” or “sustainability,” but the message is only as strong as the system that creates it.  If you push beyond that message, you might ask: how many of these certified buildings are, say, positive energy?  That’s the goal of Elithis Tower recently opened in Dijon, France.  It has 1,600 sensors that examine energy and emissions.  This information is then displayed on a special public sign in full transparency for everyone to see.  The sign is both dynamic and clear.  

20 Awesome Solar-Powered Homes

Update 10/16/2009: See the completed 20 Solar Decathlon Homes of 2009.

For three weeks in October, the U.S. Department of Energy will host the biennial Solar Decathlon at the National Mall in Washington, D.C.  The Solar Decathlon is a competition of 20 teams of college and university students to design, build, and operate the most attractive, effective, and energy-efficient solar-powered house.  There are 10 subjective and objective contests in these categories: architecture, market viability, engineering, lighting design, communications, comfort zone, hot water, appliances, home entertainment, and net metering. 

A Positive Energy Landscape Hub

Yes, it has a Wilson bi-fold garage door.  Yes, it has translucent photovoltaic panels that also illuminate the interior workspace.  Yes, it's heated and cooled by a geothermal system.  And yes, it's pretty much the most amazing landscape storage shed around.  Designed by Gray Organschi Architecture, this storage barn -- more appropriately a storage rack that doubles as an 800 square-foot building -- is the central hub for a landscape business in Washington, Connecticut. 

How about the Simple Solar in a Box?

The other day, Ready Solar announced the availability of this ground mount accessory for its modular Solar in a Box photovoltaic system.  The ground mount is just one more accessory that fits well with Ready Solar's line of dead simple solar products.  It bolts onto the integrated solar system and the tilt angle is established based on the distance between the front and back legs. 

Austin's Solar SunFlower Electric Garden

Every now and then, you see something just knocks your socks off.  It’s either beautiful or creative or cutting-edge or all three.  And that’s what happened when I read about these solar SunFlowers created by Mags Harries and Lajos Héder for Catellus Development Company in Austin, Texas.  The permanent public art display was switched on in July and features 15 SunFlowers – photovoltaic solar collector panels on welded steel frames and stems. 

Colorful Wavy Solar Transit Shelters

This is a story about an interesting collaboration of five different organizations: San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), Clear Channel Outdoor, Inc., Lundberg Design, 3Form, and Konarka.  San Francisco needed to replace its existing transit locations, and the SFMTA selected Clear Channel for the contract based upon a transit shelter design by Lundberg Design.  So far, the first five of roughly 1,200 new, sustainably designed transit shelters have been installed, and ~400 of the total will be powered by roof integrated photovoltaics.  The shelters have wireless internet, NextMuni, and Push to Talk capabilities. 

Simple DIY Rooftop Solar Clover

Greentech Media broke news today of a prototype rooftop solar system made for simplicity, shipability, and affordability.  The system is being developed by Armageddon Energy and is aptly called a "clover."  The clover includes three hexagonal solar panels, a micro-inverter, and a triangular frame.  It's lightweight (check out the regular folks below doing installation work) and can generate roughly 400 watts.  The company just finished early stage testing and is readying a beta program for further testing. 

Future Now: Solar Plug-in Stations

This is ChargePoint, an electrical plug-in station that’s powered and monitored through a smart network. It was developed by Coulomb Technologies, who recently teamed up with Carbon Day Automotive to add a new little twist. Coulomb and CDA coupled the ChargePoint with a solar photovoltaic array to create one of the nation’s first Solar Plug-in Stations. These pictures show a Solar Plug-in Station provided for the City of Chicago. You may be interested in knowing that this Solar Plug-in Station was designed by Chicago’s own Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture (you know, the Eco-Bridge and Clean Technology Tower).

Babcock Ranch 100% Solar Powered City

We've heard about ecocities in far away lands, but now there's one planned for the Unities States.  Located near Fort Meyers, Florida, Babcock Ranch will be powered entirely by solar power.  It's a bold and progressive plan, and if Kitson & Partners can secure all the necessary regulatory approvals, construction will begin this year.  The city includes a 75-megawatt, on-site, photovoltaic facility constructed by Florida Power & Light for nearly $350 million.  

Project Green: an Innovative Mixed-Use Infrastructure Concept

With all the recent discussion about crumbling infrastructure and stimulus spending, it seems appropriate to talk about a design proposal that is actively addressing many issues that are showing progress across the country.  Project Green, slated for downtown Austin, Texas, represents a comprehensive approach to sustainability in the context of an urban, mixed-use development.  In addition to incorporating the usual features like solar panels and wind turbines, this proposal takes a serious approach to handling the most precious resource on earth.  Water.