Kites to generate electricity?

Building Sustainable Design magazine has reported that high-flying kites with 10m wingspans could one day be used to generate electricity far more efficiently than wind turbines. This is just one of many ideas for renewable energy, from the wacky to the pragmatic, that are in development.

Other ideas in the article include cheaper ways to make solar panels and a staircase that collects energy. To read the full article visit Building Sustainable Design at http://www.bsdlive.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=94&storycode=3140408&c=2

This story was sourced from the Resource Recovery Forum (www.resourcesnotwaste.org)

Use recycled materials for longer lasting roads?

Queensland’s Main Roads department is looking to adjust its specifications for road-base materials, a move which could dramatically increase demand for recycled concrete. It comes as the nation’s largest concrete recycler, Alex Fraser Group, begins publicising the preliminary findings of a report which suggests roads made with a recycled concrete base could last up to 20 times longer than those using virgin rock aggregate.

The tests were carried out by the Australian Road Research Board (ARRB) and involved a falling deflectometer test on two sections of an industrial road in Victoria. The section laid in 2002 using recycled concrete was found to have a future life expectancy of some 440 years, while sections laid 18 years ago using virgin material had, on average, about five years of life left.

Alex Fraser’s business development manager Jon White expects further tests will show an average life expectancy for recycled concrete roads to be less than this impressive 440-year figure, but still significantly better than those built using virgin material. This is partly because crushed concrete involves more even, smoother particles, with a greater spread of fines and binders in the mix.

For more on this story go to: http://www.environmentalmanagementnews.net/StoryView.asp?StoryID=1003003

Some Surprises in World Competitiveness from IMD

International Business School, IMD, has just released its renowned World Competitiveness Yearbook Rankings for 2009.

There are some surprises. See which country is number 1. What has happened to Ireland, Germany, Japan and UK?

For a video summary and links to further information go to: http://www.imd.ch/research/publications/wcy/World-Competitiveness-Yearbook-Results.cfm?mrk_cmpg_source=Em_IMDDb_WCY_Results2009_May09&Wt.mc_id=WCY_09_DME_1409032

Desalination to reduce Adelaide’s reliance on Murray

While a desalination plant in Sydney may be controversial, the South Australian government is forging ahead with its plan to protect Adelaide’s supply of water by doubling the size of its proposed desalination facility.
A Federal budget allocation of $228 million to the desalination plant in Adelaide has been matched dollar-for-dollar by the South Australian Government, enabling the consortium developing the project to double the plant’s capacity. It is expected to begin supplying 50 GL a year following completion in 2010, then double that by 2012 once additional reverse osmosis capacity is added.

Jose Maria Ortega, development director of Acciona Agua Australia, one of the AdelaideAqua consortium partners, said the project presented an opportunity for Spain to share its experiences and knowledge on desalination. The company’s Beckton Desalination Plant located on the Thames in London has won it the Global Water Intelligence Award 2009 for Sustainability.

“We will bring to South Australia our vast knowledge of desalination that has seen us achieve the installation of plants throughout the world built to the highest standards,” Ortega said. “Acciona Agua put sustainability first in both construction and operation and we bring this focus on sustainability to the Adelaide desalination plant project.”
For more on this story go to: http://www.environmentalmanagementnews.net/StoryView.asp?StoryID=1003025

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