It was Nikola Tesla, who first proposed there was unlimited energy that could potentially be tapped and beamed to earth from the ionosphere. In a different twist to a similar concept, there’s an article on Space.com about the potential to build huge solar satellites that orbit the earth and beam energy to us via microwave technology. Of course, billions of dollars would need to be spent on r and d and infrastructure, but as the article points out, we’re already spending billions securing our oil in the Middle East, and the prospective cost of global warming could be even more.

Check out the article here.

[And, in other space related news and insights, be sure to check out Roger von Oech’s post today about the “Thuban Phenomenon.”]

British Greenbottle has developed a patent-pending, biodegradable, plastic packaging, which is made of corn starch.  The biodegradable inner-bladder is protected by fully recycled cardboard, in an innovative two-part system.

Tree Nation, a non-profit based in Barcelona, Spain, is developing a cool web application to plant 8 million trees in Niger. The project is based on the premise that desertification is one of the most threatening ecosystem changes impacting the livelihood of the poor. You can purchase a tree, and select its planting location on a virtual map, and memorialize the tree through tagging and comments. The project will soon assign GPS code to each tree, so your tree can be found and viewed.

One of Jacque Fresco’s future construction concepts is that prefab components will be assembled by robotic cranes, and buildings will have an infinite number of possible design variations. Many perceive prefab construction to have unoriginal, cheap, cookie-cutter designs, but in reality it simply means that components are efficiently manufactured and assembled quickly like Legos. Traditional construction results in a ton of waste, is usually energy and resource inefficient, and less structurally strong than prefab construction.

Check out this incredible tour of a Living Homes prefab home.

Also, a Scoble interview with the founder of Clever Homes.

Finally, check out Perrinepods, an Australian company that will be manufacturing stackable pods that are basically “plug-and-play” like an iPod, with internal wiring and plumbing built-in. [source link]

Much news this week around CES and MacWorld - other sites like engadget and gizmodo have covered it well, but another big event this week is The Detroit Auto Show, which has been somewhat overshadowed. The most exciting vehicle concept introduced, in my opinion, is the Chevy Volt, a boldly designed plug-in hybrid vehicle. It can run 40 miles on electricity alone, and then the gas engine kicks in as a generator and the vehicle can run for an additional 600 miles. The engine itself can be interchanged for different fuel types, including diesel, ethanol, hydrogen etc. Check out these pictures courtesy of treehugger.

[UPDATE: a close 2nd is the Toyota Hybrid sports car concept for $30k.]

I just watched The Secret of Nikola Tesla, which features Orson Welles as J.P. Morgan, and according to IMDB was released in 1980, but it has the look and feel of a movie made in the 1960’s, and could definitely use a remake.

Although I was aware of Tesla’s discovery of alternating current, remote control, and discoveries that led to the development of radio and television transmission, I never knew about Tesla’s bold vision for free, clean and ubiquitous energy tapped from the Ionosphere, and transmitted via a wireless power grid around the world.  100 years later, we still have combustion automobile engines, and much of the world’s energy is derived from burning coal.  How ridiculous.   2006  is the 150th anniversary of Nikola’s birth, btw.

One of the most exciting vehicles presented at this year’s Paris Autoshow, in my view, is the Venturi Electric. Venturi is a Monaco-based company that introduced the world’s first electric sports car in 2004, the Venturi Fetish, a $500k vehicle. The Venturi Electric has a top speed of about 35 MPH and a range of at least 31 miles, depending on the sun, or wind (and it also has an option to plug-in)! I actually really like the looks of it, and it is practical for urban commuting. Only 200 will be built in an initial production sched for June 2007, and it will cost about $30,000. [thanks, Darren Murph]

Boeing is developing a hydrogen fuel cell powered aircraft prototype. The plane will be a light-aircraft and have a top speed around 70 mph. The technology is in its infancy, but has tremendous potential, according to Boeing. Of course, battery disposal and even the production of hydrogen currently have a negative environmental impact. [via Treehugger]

[I will be traveling until Wednesday, September 6, so posting may be slow until then. Thanks, Matt]

An Irish technology firm, Steorn, has placed an advertisement in The Economist seeking a dozen top scientists to examine the firm’s technololgy project, which invalidates one the basic laws of physics, the Principle of the Conservation of Energy, by producing “free” energy via manipulating magnetic fields. The technology potentially eliminates the need to recharge mobile phones, or refuel cars, and offers the potential for zero emission energy production!

[via RTE Business and gizmag]