Three good green reads – futuristic cars, solar power from space, and wind power from on high
(Read article summary)Read all about green, futuristic ideas for cars, solar power from space, and high-altitude wind power.
Futurists have been promising Jetson-style cars for America's near future since some of us were kids back in the Dark Ages. They're still doing it -- and Americans are still buying into it, although possibly with less and less hope that these awesome vehicles might actually become reality.
Of the "6 Amazing Cars From the Future" to be introduced at this year's LA Auto Show, most are for drooling over by game players. But two have taken the environment into consideration -- which is probably going to be a necessity in 2030, the year the cars are designed for.
Nissan Design America V2G [pdf] -- an electric car -- is designed to be the "eco-neutral commuter car for 2030."
The Toyota LINK is aimed at students, with the idea that this one-person customizable vehicle could replace mass transit. Its wheels will be "made of an electro-conductive material, convert friction into energy that recharges the batteries."
Currently under wraps is the list of hybrid and alternative fuel vehicles that might be closer to production. But the "green car of the year" will be announced on Dec. 3.
Electricity from a space station?
Also in the realm of science fiction -- at least for the moment -- is the idea of space stations beaming down solar energy to Earth. Both Japan and the United States are working on this idea.
