Solar Powered

A couple of years ago, we covered a two-seat electric pedalcycle called the Screecher that rocked a curved solar canopy above the rider to charge its batteries. Now the next generation is going into limited production.

While other truck companies look at fuel cells and electrics, Scania is experimenting with solarized plug-in hybrid trucks. The company believes its solar panel-decorated trailer will be able to deliver fuel savings between 5 and 20 percent.

Known for expanding the boundaries of e-powered ocean navigation, Silent Yachts has turned to vacation resorts. By using its solarized electric catamarans as floating condos, it'd create seaside resorts that are light, flexible and ready to deploy.

On the 400th anniversary of the start of an epic voyage from England to the New World aboard the Mayflower, an autonomous, solar-powered marine research vessel is due to launch on a mission to gather environmental data about the ocean.

Visitors to McDonald's new restaurant in Walt Disney World Resort will find themselves ordering their Big Mac in an impressively green building that generates its own power. It also features green wall areas and natural ventilation.

In August 2018, a section of Genoa's Morandi Bridge collapsed, killing 43 people. Following the disaster, Renzo Piano's firm was chosen to design its replacement and, after 15 months of work, the new bridge is now complete and in use.

An unmanned, solar-powered aircraft designed for high-altitude communications has edged closer to the real-world applications, with the HAPSMobile Sunglider successfully completing another round of flight testing in New Mexico.

Hassell has designed UWA's new Faculty of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences building. The project is defined by a shading screen of metal "petals." It also boasts sustainable technology, such as solar power and an advanced monitoring system.

Evaporation is one of the most enduring methods of purifying water to make it drinkable. Now researchers in China have developed a novel device made of wood that can do just that, by employing bacteria to help build key nanostructures.

What do you get when you cross a camping trailer, a tricycle, and a boat? Well, if you're Latvian design start-up Zeltini, you end up with the Z-Triton, which is currently in the prototype stage and sleeps two people ... and a small dog.

Russia has a long history of experimenting with wing-in-ground-effect (WIG) vehicles, most notably the huge ekranoplans dating back to the 1960s. Now, Russian scientists are developing a smaller unmanned WIG, that's solar-powered.

With its upcoming BRAC University campus in Bangladesh, WOHA has to work with a challenging city plot. The project involves turning what the firm calls a "polluted swamp" into a lush green campus that incorporates significant sustainable design.