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“Windancer” Windmills Have Some Great Features

vistasp — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 09:05:30 +0000

With their windmills starting rotation in breeze as light as 1m/s, Wind Simplicity’s designs would be great for many parts of India that are not on the conventional wind-map. They are built to withstand snow and ice – not problems we face every day in our tropical climate! Now if only some Indian manufacturer would tie up with them to make these in India…

GoTo :: “Windancer” Windmills Have Some Great Features

Discuss Designs Graphically over the Net

vistasp — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 03:25:11 +0000

This could be really useful to architects and has probably been created by a couple of them. Basically, you and any number of collaborators can visually “chat” over the net. It works in your browser and no signup is required for the free version. This short video explains it best:

Go to :: Woobius Eye

GoTo :: Discuss Designs Graphically over the Net

Lightpipes from Skyshade

vistasp — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 04:36:28 +0000

I recently wanted to use solar lightpipes for an interior design project but couldn’t find a supplier. Now, there is at least one company making them in India – in Hyderabad to be exact. I haven’t yet asked what the costs are though…

Go to :: Skyshade
Thanks to :: The Masterbuilder

GoTo :: Lightpipes from Skyshade

Sintex Biodigester for Sewage

vistasp — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 13:39:22 +0000

Found this article at Sustainable Design Update about Sintex Industries making a prefabricated biogas digester which turns waste and garbage into cooking fuel. Nothing new about the technology but constructing a tank has always been the biggest headache. Now, you can just get it ready-made and install it. According to this Fortune magazine article, it costs about Rs. 17,000 for a tank that’s 1m³ in size. This, apparently is enough for a family of 4 and the payback period is 2 years.

Interestingly, most references to Sintex call it a “plastics and textiles manufacturer”. I didn’t know they did textiles. Here in Bombay, Sintex is to tanks what Xerox is to photocopiers. In the meanwhile, not a single Indian newspaper or website had picked up on this. Yet…

The Sintex website makes no mention of this product and it’s still probably a pilot project because only 100 have been installed as of date. They do plan to increase production tenfold but 1000 tanks is still merely a drop in the ocean. If other manufacturers copy this design with as much alacrity as they did the Sintex loft and overhead tanks, then we might get somewhere.

GoTo :: Sintex Biodigester for Sewage

Barebones ArchiCAD

vistasp — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 06:44:07 +0000

Graphiosoft are offering a stripped down version of ArchiCAD 11 for way below their normal price, the target market being small architectural firms. On the face of it, it’s a good move because small firms may be able to get by without features like teamwork, markup tools or even a printed manual. However, if you look at the comparison, there are way too many essentials that have been removed. I mean, how can you do without something as basic as rendering (lightworks & sketch rendering have been knocked out), profile manager for making custom wall/column shapes or the ability to open normal ArchiCAD files?

I think, if they tweak the feature set a bit, they might have a winner but in its present form, they’ll get little response.

ArchiCAD Start Edition 2008 v/s ArchiCAD 11

GoTo :: Barebones ArchiCAD

Innovative Toilets from IIT Kanpur

vistasp — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 10:43:20 +0000

Researchers at IIT Kanpur are working on a toilet design that will reuse water. The design is still under development but, if it works as advertised, it’ll be a good thing because the amount of fresh water flushed down the drain is dramatically reduced. The article at Down To Earth may disappear in the next few days because access to archives requires subscription. From what I understand of the system, a vortex is created to clean the pan and then, further, to separate the solid from the liquid matter. The liquid is then being pumped back for reuse. In places where there is little or no power, hand-pumps can be used a couple of times a day.

What you are left with is dry waste which can be composted and reused liquid which contains a lot of urine. They’ll have to work on the smell angle because… well… have you ever been to a urinal at a train station? The smell is so strong, methinks it would almost be commercially viable to bottle the ammonia!

I’m also left wondering if at least a small amount of electrical power would be required to help with this mini centrifuge work better. Indian Railways have approved the design and they’re going to test it out on one particular route. It remains to be seen if the centrifugal force which is running on gravity is strong enough to override the rock and roll effect of a railway carriage running at high speed.

Finally, even if the system doesn’t work for reusing the water, I still think it’s a good idea to separate the solid and liquid components because dry composting is far more efficient.

Go to :: Down To Earth Magazine

GoTo :: Innovative Toilets from IIT Kanpur

Everlasting Bulb

vistasp — Sat, 23 Jun 2007 14:35:16 +0000

Scientists at a British company, Ceravision, have developed an alternative light bulb which has an energy efficiency of 50% (compared to 5% for incandescents and 15% for fluorescent tubes). As if that’s not enough, this bulb should last for decades and doesn’t contain mercury either. I can’t say I fully understand the technicalities but it involves microwaves being pushed through a hole in a piece of aluminium oxide. In theory this “everlasting bulb” looks like an excellent development but, eventually, it boils down to how many lumens it gives per watt of power consumed.

Go to: Everlasting light via: TreeHugger

GoTo :: Everlasting Bulb

Ye Old Tube-Light – Still Going Strong

vistasp — Tue, 19 Dec 2006 13:18:33 +0000

I’ve always been interested in LED lighting and, while it is making great strides towards becoming a highly efficient artificial light source, the lowly tube-light is still the least power-hungry domestic lighting source you can find; it just beats its newer counterparts – the compact fluorescents.

And if anyone still thinks incandescent lights aren’t all that bad, the table on this page will dispel the darkness.

Full Report :: Treehugger :: What is the Most Energy Efficient Light Source?

GoTo :: Ye Old Tube-Light – Still Going Strong

Piped Solar Light

vistasp — Sat, 25 Nov 2006 08:08:09 +0000

Solar pipes are not new but they usually employ fibre optics which makes them cost more than many people are willing to shell out. This system, on the other hand uses highly reflective pipes instead and, if it is anything like it should, technically, be, it might do a lot to reduce our consumption of electricity.

With light pipes, there is no conversion of energy and, therefore, the losses are minimal. One thing to remember, however, is that such a system will not be kind to less than perfect installation – one end of the pipe starts in the roof and you don’t want your light pipe carrying in water as well.

I was naturally looking for a dealer in India to get an idea of cost but – not surprisingly, there are none. Not yet, at least. Anyone out there who wants to be one? Please?

A British company has also got a product that combines a light-pipe with a vent to make something they call Monovent. Interesting.

:: SolaTube :: via: Treehugger

GoTo :: Piped Solar Light

Turbine on the Roof

vistasp — Tue, 03 Oct 2006 13:40:06 +0000

Oh, this is good! A company that mainly develops unmanned aircraft has turned its skills to making rooftop wind turbines. Small and light (no price yet so I don’t know if it’s cheap) and mounted on the building parapet – to make best use of the structure’s aerodynamic properties – it requires only 3.1m/s of wind-speed to work. That’s a huge drop from the 12m/s average for larger windmills.

Full article :: EcoGeek at Wired NextFest

GoTo :: Turbine on the Roof