Africa is becoming a renewable energies headquarters!

The West-African country of Senegal has recently begun the construction of a major solar farm in the sub-Saharan desert, it is a 20MW project located in Bokhol and is called ‘Senergy2’. The project is estimated to cost $28 million and is going to be developed by French renewable energy platform – Greenwish Partners, which dedicates much of its work to sub-Saharan projects. Senergy2 was also financially backed by the Senegalese state; with financial support from the UK and Norway through their joint investment vehicle Green Africa Power, according to local news
When completed and operating at full capacity, it’s predicted that 160’000 people will have access to clean power, a move that will drastically increase the countries chances of 20% renewables by 2017. “With no energy, there can be neither growth nor development. With the Bokhol facility, we are now able to take a new step and Senegal comes unreservedly into a new, clean energy period,” said President Macky Sall.

Senegal is eager to attain a position as one of the continent’s leading countries in renewable energy production, as well as positioning itself as the leader in West Africa; currently, South Africa and Morocco are the flagbearers for the continent.

 

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ALUMINIUM – THE BATTERY OF THE FUTURE

Why do we like so much aluminium at Shanghai Metal Corporation? This is a very easy question. Because aluminium is a very versatile material that can be employed for a wide range of purpose. For instance, according to some specialized websites in the near future aluminum may be used in the production of various electronic devices batteries. The researchers of the University of California at Stanford have announced the development of aluminum-based batteries promising better performance and a lower impact on the environment compared to current models made of lithium.

What is more special about the aluminium batteries is that, not only their life would be significantly higher than conventional batteries (7,500 versus 1,000 cycles), but especially we should be able to fully recharge them in just a minute. Moreover, the aluminium batteries could be applied to a high number of devices such as smartphones, electric cars and laptops.

Since aluminum is very less expensive than lithium, a further advantageous feature of the aluminium battery would be its lower cost of production. Furthermore, aluminum guarantees the total absence of any risk of fire. The environmental benefits are obvious. A smartphone battery  that takes only one minute to charge results in a considerable decrease in energy waste.

 

Source: http://techleaks.in/

Do not  forget that Shanghai Metal Corporation provides you with a great selection metals such as aluminum which can be use for various applications. Check out our aluminium sheet/plate, widely used in the production of automobile, building wall and celings. Feel free to contact us for further information. We have English-speaking staff who will be more than glad to help you.

 

Stefano // SMC Editor

The Rooftop Trend and How It Began

When the weather is great and sunny, isn’t it nice to be able to spend your time on a rooftop ? Enjoying the sun, the view and feel that luxury of city living ! The access to a rooftop is very popular and many restaurants, hotels and apartment buildings offer a great place on the rooftop.

Hotel Marina Bay Sands, Singapore

Hotel Banyan Tree (Bangkok)

But this trend hasn’t exist 140 years ago. At that time, rooftop wasn’t viewed as a luxury, it was used by domestic servants to hang out wet laundry and for industrial equipment. The attitude of most residents against rooftop can be said to be awkward and the impulse of most residents was to stay away.

A group of boys play marbles on a New York rooftop as laundry hangs in the background. Date unknown. (Bain News Service/Library of Congress)

This attitude began to change in the 1880s, when Rudolph Aronsin, inspired by European traditional, built a garden on the roof of his Moorish-styled Casino Theatre on Broadway to stage operettas, musicals and concerts. Other theaters took note and roof gardens blossomed in New York. Theater rooftop gardens became a summertime entertainment and offered an exotic and relaxing place for the locales to escape from the din and heat of the city.

A beer garden on top of the Belasco Theatre, ca. the 1880s. (New York Historical Society)

Elevator is an important factor that increase the value of top-floor apartments. It has before lower rents because of the exhaustive climb and proximity to the rooftop service space. Elevator make these quieter, sunnier and with grand views place more easily accessible and therefore more valuable.

Invest in rooftops declined after the war, but we can find some modern architectures that remind us of American’s taste for rooftop garden. With more and more people being aware of sustainability, roof gardens are more and more often built for ecological benefits.

The Chicago City Hall

To help you build your perfect garden roof, Shanghai Metal Corporation can provide you with the necessary materials ! We have rock wool, ideal for growing plants and we accept any challenging construction projects. Please contact us if you need further information, our English speaking staff will be very glad to help you. To be fully updated on our products, follow us on social media.

    

Original article : citylab
Photos : citylab, google image

Ayu P.//SMC editor

The New Building Trend : Green Building

Green building, also known as green construction or sustainable building is a building structure that is “environmentally responsible” and “resource-efficient”. It has the objective to reduce the negative effect of built environment on human health and the natural environment by :

• Efficiently using resources (energy, water, etc.)
• Protecting occupant’s health & improving the employee’s productivity
• Reducing environmental degradation (waste, pollution)

According to a study, green building construction is increasing across the globe as it is more and more viewed as a long-term business opportunity. More and more building owners and developers switch from new building design to a more green building. Green building is hitting the mainstream, therefore, to distinguish themselves, developers focus more and more on designing green building.

Graphic from World Green Building Trends

There are different factors that drive the construction of green building and they vary around the world. Australia, USA and European Countries are mostly influenced by business factors (market & client demand). Singapore, UAE and South Africa are more influenced by regulation (government’s policies) and ethical reasons.

Several green building certification has been established and may attract competitors.  One of the most notable are LEED and BREEAM. Below you can discover some buildings that has been awarded with a green building certification.

Taipei 101, Taiwan

This skycrapper is the tallest and largest building of LEED Platinum certification in the world since 2011.

Abad Nucleus Mall, India

This mall is India’s first LEED certified gold-rated green mall.

The University of Texas, USA

This is the first academic building in Texas to receive LEED Platinum certification.

Shearer’s Foods plant, USA

We have here the first food manufacturing plant to receive LEED Platinum status.

David L. Lawrence Convention Center, USA

This is the first convention center in the world to have received the Gold and Platinum LEED rating.

There exists thousand of other construction that has been awarded as green building and the number keeps increasing. We are getting more and more involved in fighting against environmental degradation. Shanghai Metal Corporation cares about the future and participate in reducing energy consumption. We offer solar panel that can be designed according to your projects and drawings. We also have eco-friendly material for buildings and we can help you with many types of construction projects. Please feel free to contact us if you need further information. Also follow us on social media to have a quick update of our products.

    

Credits to : wikipedia, World Green Building Trends, bdcnetwork
Photos : google image

Ayu P.//SMC editor

The Sharing Economy

In today’s society where the pressure of environmental sustainability is growing, the problems of overproduction and overconsumption are becoming more and more important. To answer this problem, a new system of economy begins to appear : “The Sharing Economy”, also called “The Collaborative Economy”.  Just like what it is called, this system is all about sharing goods and services between different people and organisations. In other words, rather than owning a product or service, you give other people access to it and share it. This sharing system has different category of example. Let us take you to discover some of the famous one.

Real Estate

Home Exchange

You’d like to go for vacation but your budget is limited. Fortunately there is new way to find a cheap accommodation ! The Home Exchange system allows you to swap your home for a set period of time, with no monetary exchange ! Plus there is the internet that has made the process of finding a swap easier.

Barter

Barter is a system of exchange by which goods or services are directly exchanged for other goods or services without using a medium of exchange, such as money.

The “Clothing Swap” is THE magical solution for those who love experiencing with new looks ! You can exchange your no-longer used clothing for clothing that you’d love to have.

Transportation

Carsharing

This system is very convenient for those who only need an occasional use of vehicle, as well as others who would love to get a taste of a new and different type of car.

Bicycle Sharing System

This service lets people to borrow a bike from a bicycle station and return it to any other stations located in the city. This system are often inexpensive, which encourages their use as transportation. Many systems have a smartphone mapping apps which shows how how many bikes and how many open parking are available at each station, increasing convenience for users.

Shanghai Metal Corporation has a vast range of bicycle dock. We offer personalized service and can accomodate any number of parking place in one bicycle dock. Every product that we provide is rust resistant, weather resistant, and theft-proof. To learn more, please visit our website or send us your inquiry. Our English speaking staff will guide you to find your wanted product with the best quality and price. Don’t forget to follow us on Social Media.

For more information : Wikipedia
Pictures from : Google Image

    

Ayu P.//SMC editor

 

Green Campus – Steve Jobs’ Last Wish for Apple

Before his death in 2011, Steve Jobs announced that Apple wants to build a massive and green campus in Cupertino City California. The construction project has been put off many times but Apple‘s CEO Tim Cook has told that the complex will be finished in 2016.

The sketches of the space-like building look simply astonishing. The Apple campus has been said to become one of the world’s largest corporate campuses and the world’s greenest building. 100 percent of the facilities will utilize renewable energy and just like Coca-Cola in developing countries, Apple will also use solar power in its construction.

The 260,000 square meter campus will accommodate harshly 14,000 employees who will have the possibility to utilize offices, fitness facilities, auditoriums and cafeterias inside the complex. For enabling such facilities the budget of the project has been raised to over five billion US dollars.

Designed by Foster and Partners, Apple‘s campus will be naturally ventilated meaning that air-conditioning and heating is needed only during 25 percent of a one-year period. The natural appearance will be generated 7000 surrounding trees..

Shanghai Metal Corporation is also specialist in construction projects that are sustainable and environmentally friendly. We also execute prefabricated construction projects and build homes, hotels, villas and offices out of shipping containers. If you are looking for a reliable international construction company and construction material, you should visit our website or just send us an inquiry and our English speaking staff will get back to you. Meanwhile please check our social media platforms Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.

Tuomas P. // SMC Editor

Pictures and original articles: Inhabitat, Apple, The Verge, Bloomberg Business Week