Eco Factor: Concept scooter designed to run on zero-emission fuel cells. With the recent advancements in fuel-cell technology, inventors and designers have got the freedom to design extraordinary vehicles which are great for the environment as well. Using the technology to perfection, designer Chengli Hung has come with a fuel-cell scooter that with its extraordinary abilities can transform into a motorcycle and has an enlarged floorboard that can be used to store your cargo with ease. Removing all additional gadgetry from the handlebars and shifting it can make it possible for you to convert your ride into a more aerodynamic motorcycle. Lower down the handlebars, attach the extra fuel tank and luggage case and you’re ready for the highway. With a fuel cell engine, the scooter promises an ecofriendly and zero-emission ride, and the high-tech dashboard gives you the luxury of GPS and rear-view cameras. Via: Tuvie

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Eco Vehicles: Transforming Fuel Cell scooter is a two-wheeled SUV

Eco Factor: Massive chandelier made from recycled plastic containers. Designing artwork from junked objects is nothing new for eco-minded artist Katherine Harvey and she has thrilled one and all with the stunning pieces of art that promote recycling and environmental conservation. Like always Katherine is back again and this time with a massive chandelier crafted from thousands of old and trashed plastic bottles and other containers made of plastic. The 21-foot tall and 15-foot wide chandelier is installed in Santiago Calatrava’s Galleria in Toronto. Via: Treehugger / PSFK

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Eco Arts: Plastic bottle chandelier – Recycling on a grand scale

Eco Factor: Geostationary airship for DARPA will get power for onboard solar panels. Researchers have long touted the idea of replacing expensive space based satellites and Aircraft Mounted Airborne Warning And Control Systems (AWACS) with low-cost and much agile platforms that can be located within the atmosphere of the planet. However, none of the plans ever made it to reality until now when DARPA has ordered U.S. Defense contractor Lockheed Martin to develop a geostationary airship which should remain aloft for 10 years without a recharge. DAPRA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) has given a $400 million contract to Lockheed Martin to design, built, test and fly a 1:3 scale model of an airship surveillance and telecommunications platform called the High Altitude Airship (HAA). The un-tethered geostationary airship will be filled with helium to enable it to patrol the skies from the jet stream, which is about 21km from the surface of the Earth. From that height the airship’s scale model should be able to operate for 90 days while surveying a 600-mile diameter area and deliver information to the ground control periodically. If the tests are successful, the company will develop the full scale airship, which will be powered a 15KW solar array mounted on its roof. The solar generators will power all onboard systems and also recharge a 40KWh Li-ion battery pack used to power its 2KW lightweight all-electric propulsion system. Via: Gizmag

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Eco Tech: Lockheed Martin to develop solar-powered geostationary airship for DARPA

Researchers at GE’s Ecoassessment Center of Excellence have been helping the company understand the lifecycle impacts of products, and they’re now working on a systematic approach to assessing overall impacts from products.

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GE Expands Lifecycle Research at Ecoassessment Center