Iran to reduce dependence on fossil fuels

Iran, historically a nation highly dependent on crude-based fuels is looking to alter the countries regulations in a bid to attract foreign investment into renewable energies. Recent years have seen Iran really look to renewable energies as the path for a prosperous future but they have no intention of slowing down. According to Elham Aminzadeh, adviser to President Hassan Rouhani, the nation is looking to solar, wind and hydropower, so they can diversify their source of energy.
Currently, the country has stringent laws which are often seen as a repellent to potential investors from overseas. These laws are in the process of being reviewed so they can be altered accordingly and become as attractive to overseas investors as they are for those domestically.

According to Mohammad Reza Rezazadeh, managing director of state-owned Iran Water & Energy Resources Development Co, Iran has the potential to produce 30’000 megawatts of hydroelectric power, for the country to get another 15’000 megawatts, it’s estimated $12 billion of investment will be required. 11,700 megawatts of hydro-power is already operating, and the Ministry of Petroleum is working to add 5,000 megawatts in the next three years, he said in an interview at the conference.

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Elon Musk – how influential is he?

Let’s get the answer out the way quickly; Elon Musk is incredibly influential. Musk is leading the way for clean energy.  He is arguably the most talked about CEO in the world right now and there is a very real chance that the ideas and endeavours of this man are going to dictate the future of you and me. This article is going to briefly identify and give a synopsis of some of probably his 3 most influential investments thus far.
Tesla Motors
It would be foolish to start with anything but Tesla. Founded in 2003, Tesla has gone onto become one of the most talked about and sought after automotive names in the world, due to its commitment to clean energy. From the start Elon Musk has been a key player in the company and is now the CEO, with a 22% share of the company, making him by far the largest shareholder of the corporation. Tesla, led by Elon Musk are revolutionizing the motor industry, paving the way for electric vehicles to one day be the common car and fade out the need for fossil fuel dependent motor vehicles. Believe us when we say this, the shift is happening at a staggering pace, the Model 3 is by far one of the most eagerly anticipated vehicles in history, considering it’s not due for release until mid to late 2017, it’s already received an incredible 400’000 pre-orders. It’s estimated that vehicle orders so far accumulate to approximately $10 billion. The world’s biggest automotive companies have felt the presence of Tesla and are being forced to innovate their own electric cars – as of yet, none have come close to threatening Tesla’s dominance.
SolarCity Corporation 

The leading provider of solar energy in the United States, Californian based SolarCity are on a mission to shift consumers from utility based energy to that of solar. The company was founded in 2006 and at this moment, employs over 13’000 people. Although not a CEO or founder, Elon Musk has still been a major figurehead in the development of the company. He is currently the chairman and it was Musk who suggested to his cousins and current CEO’s about the potential of a solar company and has since provided them with support. However, with the rapid progression of Tesla, Musk now wants an even bigger hold and position within the company, which explains why Tesla Motors and Solar City together announced the former would be purchasing the latter, in a $2.6 billion merger deal. The deal is expected to be finalised and announced in November 2016. The collaboration does make perfect business sense.

Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (Space X)
Okay, so, if Elon Musk’s companies can’t save planet earth, then he is just going to fly us all to Mars instead. Unlike Tesla, Elon Musk has been the CEO of Space X from the very start, so if you asked him which company meant the most to him personally, he would probably point you in the direction of Space X. The business goal of Space X is really quite simple, to make humans a ‘multi-planetary’ species, Elon Musk wants to be the main that pioneered humans capabilities of living on multiple planets. In September 2016, Elon Musk announced Space X through the Interplanetary Transport System would carry at least 100 people to Mars and return more passengers. The company currently employs over 5’000 members of staff to pursue Musk’s ambition of having 1 million people living on Mars by 2035, through the utilization of thousands of rockets. Musk is famously quoted as saying “I’d like to die on Mars, just not on impact’.
Whatever, your opinions of Musk, whether he is just in it for the money or he genuinely wants to be the man to save the human species, there is no denying the innovation and courage of this man is of great benefit to planet earth.

Is Germany cutting back on renewable energies?

The world continues to look for more efficient uses of renewable energies, as it becomes a genuine reality that global warming is very much a thing as indeed the fact that we will one day run out of fossil fuels. So, why is it that Germany are doing the opposite and actually looking to curb it’s incredibly successful wind farming sector?
Don’t fear, Germany have not suddenly become a suicidal nation whom are opposed to renewable energies. In fact, their decision to do such just highlights how sensational their fight for renewable energies has been. According to leaked plans from the German federal network agency, published on Tuesday in the Süddeutsche Zeitung, the government has had to halve its original target for expanding its wind farms in the gale-beaten northern flatlands because it cannot extend its power grid quickly enough to the energy-hungry south.
In 2011, German Chancellor, Angela Merkel announced that the country will look to phase out the use of nuclear reactors by 2022 in favour of renewable energies, with many critics saying it highly ambitious and likely to be unattainable due to not being able to expandsolar and wind energies quick enough. However, five years later and renewable energies have given critics a big slap in the face with the capacity of the power grid not being able to handle the vast supply of northern wind farms. Rather humorously, the state is actually being forced to pay energy companies to turn their turbines off in order to prevent the congestion of the power grid.
Lengthy protests about the construction of large pylons led to Germany eventually signing off an agreement to construct the more expensive alternative of underground cabling from North to South, a decision which has caused initial plans for the vast project to be delayed by one and a half years.
As expected, the state’s decision to reduce their renewable energy plans has been met by a number of critics and controversy. Many believe that the state’s decision to take what is deemed by many as a negative step in their renewable energies surge, will hinder the countries standing as a global pioneer for renewable energies.
Whereas, others who agree that it was a responsible decision to tackle power grid congestion claim there were a number of other much more logical decisions that could have been taken and would have been equally effective. “A more forward-looking way to meet the current challenge would have been to shut down old power stations, extend the grid faster or invest more in innovative methods to use excess energy to heat homes,” said Arne Jungjohann, the author ofEnergy Democracy – Germany’s Energiewende to Renewables.

Great work on the renewable energies front Germany, no one can argue your commitment to the cause in recent years. However, perhaps listen to Arne Jungjohann in future, he makes a good point.

 

Costa Rica is setting the benchmark for the rest of the world!

In what is quite a remarkable achievement but has largely gone unnoticed, is Costa Rica’s use of renewable energy. Costa Rica is currently on an 88 day streak of using 100% renewable energy, showing that the world that it is indeed possible to function without fossil fuels. This 88 day streak is however not a sudden emergence, it brings the total days in 2016 to over 150, which although impressive, means they are going to struggle to beat their incredible record of 299 days in 2015.

It is important to point out that Costa Rica does have a considerable smaller size and population than a number of the world’s countries, in addition to their industries being very much agricultural and tourism based, as opposed to many other countries in the world that rely on high energy based industries. However, it cannot be argued that Costa Rica are performing admirably and setting the benchmarks for other countries to target.
It’s a satisfying thought to think that in the not too distant future, it’s likely that Costa Rica will be able to function annually on just the use of renewable energy.

Audi set to compete with Tesla

As with what seems like every car manufacturer in the world, Audi have announced they are aiming to rival Tesla in the electric vehicle industry. Rupert Stadler, the chief executive of the Audi has reportedly given the all clear for an all-electric luxury Sedan to be designed and constructed in a bid to challenge the highly successful Model S of the Tesla brand.

If all the objectives of Audi are met then it would be very reasonable for them to expect to challenge the Model S, reportedly going to be called the ‘A9 e-tron’, it’s expected to be able to travel 300 miles per one full life of battery, will be a level 4 for autonomous driving and is going to consist of three electric motors.

Stadler has stated that Audi intends on having three different electric vehicles in its fleet by 2020 and by 2025, wants 25% of all sales to be accounted for by battery powered vehicles. In January, the Audi group committed to building an all-electric SUV using the concept established from their e-tron Quattro range, it’s expected that production of SUV will begin in 2018.
Anyway, back to the Sedan, Audi have said that the ‘A9 e-tron’ will follow on from the impressive features of the e-tron Quattro and expand further. Arguably the most impressive feature was that of the re-charging plate, where by the vehicle parking over it, it will then charge your car as opposed to having to plug it in. In addition to this, the autonomous setting on the ‘A9 e-tron’ is going to enable the car to drive itself to a parking spot where there is an accessible re-charging plate.
So Tesla, do you have it within you to maintain a mass share of the market, despite big name brands entering the industry?

Reducing Energy Consumption of Buildings

The “Trias Energetica Concept” suggest that we should first find a way to reduce energy consumption before developing alternative energy source, such as renewable energy. It is possible by avoiding waste and implementing energy-saving measures.

Energy efficient buildings are buildings that have the capacity to reduce significantly the energy used for cooling and heating the building (without considering the energy and the equipments that are used to heat or cool the building). Below we are going to show you the important points that help your building to be energy efficient.

1. Bioclimatic Architecture

This approach takes into account the local climate and environmental conditions in order to develop the best possible way to use environmental sources of energy. In order get the most benefit from natural sources, it is necessary to :

• Have an efficient building shape : reduce the surface in contact with the exterior and the building, interior spaces are arrange according to their heating requirements
• Have an appropriate techniques of enveloping the external of the building (use the correct colors and surface) from solar heat in winter as well as in summer and also to collect solar radiation (which acts as a “free” heating and lighting systems).

The graphic below shows  the impact of building shape on annual heating energy for a small building in a cold climate.

Graphic from www.buildingscience.com

2. Thermal Insulation

This technology has proven to be very efficient as it saves energy and also money. It is suited for cold places, as it keeps the building warm and reduce the energy needed for heating. It is also greatly efficient for hot regions, as it keeps the heat out from the building and reduce the need for air conditioning.

Check this website to see what sort of insulation to use.

Photo from www.homebuilding.co.uk

3. Air Tightness

Air leakages should be reduced at maximum in order to have a comfortable and energy efficiency buildings. During the design and construction stage, great attention must be invest to seal gaps.

Most existing and recently built buildings are far from being airtight and create financial and environmental costs. A “leaky” building needs more energy for heating or cooling and allow humid air to penetrate, degrading the structure of the building and the effectiveness of the insulation.

Image from www.corbwell.ie

4. Ventilation

This is a system controls the penetration of air through the building and allows to deliver fresh air and take out stale air in combination with the designed heating system and humidity control, and the fabric of the building itself.

To learn more of the importance of ventilation, visit this website.

Image from www.completecoolroofsystems.com

Shanghai Metal Corporation is an expert manufacturer and supplier in the production of building material. To help you build energy efficient building, we can provide you with our top quality materials, such as mineral wool for thermal insulation. We also accept any challenging construction projects and will be glad to help you. Visit our website to see more and contact us if you need further information. Also follow us on social media to discover and be updated of our new products.

Source and original article : isover
Featured image from : greenwizard

    

 

Ayu P.//SMC editor

Las Vegas Container Hotels – Virtues in the City of Sins

The Las Vegas design studio M-rad‘s design of the extreme sports park puts recycled containers into reuse and takes a full advantage of them. The 42-acre container complex built near the Las Vegas strip combines accommodation, commercialism and food production.

The sports park has versatile options for recreation. The shallow lake in the middle of the park and its beaches enable people to do surfing or engage in other physical activities. There are also motocross tracks and skate parks among many sports venues.

Visitors of the park can stay at luxurious container hotel towers that offer an 180 degree view on the park site. The container construction site consists of three container towers of which two belong to the hotel. The third one is a production facility for local organic food. Harvesting is done with the help of wind and solar energy that along with natural ventilation meet 80 percent of the parks energy production.

Shipping containers are a sustainable and durable building material whose use is growing more and more mainstream. What’s more, due to their incredibly high availability, they would otherwise become industrial waste. Therefore, in order to prevent environmental disorder, the use of recycled shipping containers in building, say, homes, hotels, offices, schools, hospitals or recreational facilities, is today’s eco-friendly architectural solution.

Besides great vision, ambitious building projects like these  require the building material. In Shanghai Metal Corporation our English speaking staff will help you to find the right containers for your needs. Just send us an inquiry and we’ll get back to you. For more details about our containers, please visit our website. Check also our social media sites Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.

#BuildingValueAcrossTheGlobe

Tuomas P. // SMC Editor

Pictures and original articles: Inhabitat, JRN.com, M-rad

Juice Up Your Phone At Social Solar Charger While In NYC

Solar energy is known as the future in power generation, commonly present in solar-powered roofs as an alternative to conventional electricity or in more sophisticated applications such as solar charging cars through a combination of photovoltaic cells and carbon fiber rods.

Now you can add social solar charger to the list. CityCharger is a social solar charging station located at Bryant Park in New York City, which enables “on-the-go” users to charge their devices. Powered entirely by solar energy, it comes equipped with a solar panel that can be manually rotated to point South, six charging cables and a communal table that encourages social interaction while the users wait for their devices to be charged. Each small round table has an internally illuminated power-icon that indicates when the unit is turned.

CityCharge is the result of two years of product development collaboration between, Bryant Park Corporation, Green Barrel Energy Inc., a New York City based solar company, and Landscapeforms, USA’s leading manufacturer of high quality street furniture. With plans to expand around New York City and other areas in the US, CityCharge is an ideal choice for any public space manager, allowing easy relocation in case of events and maintenance activities, and no need of storage during rain or snow. The carbon steel with an electro-coated and polyester powder-coated finish provides incredible protection against rust and UV degradation and is easy to clean.

CityCharge doesn’t let down when it comes to its anti-scratch experience. The soft blue polycarbonate table takes easy on users’ phone casings, whilst “visually connects the product to the sky and nature, where the power comes from”, says Ignacio Ciocchini, the designer behind CityCharge.

Shanghai Metal Corporation manufactures a wide range of Solar panel aluminum extrusion widely used in solar panels and tin coated/plated copper strip used in solar panel batteries. For our full list of products that we offer check out our website. Be sure to join the conversation in our LinkedIn group, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Or you could try our new mobile app by scanning our QR code. Moreover, we sell directly from Alibaba , EC21 ,Tradekey or directly at sales@shanghaimetal.com.

#BuildingValueAcrossTheGlobe

Source and pictures: yankodesign.com, blog.bryantpark.org, weburbanist.com

Camilla G.//SMC Editor