What is Digg?137 Comments
- eyloni, on 03/16/2008, -1/+77Nice to see that a country with so much oil, still makes a point of using of a more sustainable resource it has in abundance as well.
- MikeSD34, on 03/16/2008, -1/+62Finally, somebody is thinking positive.
- airbug, on 03/16/2008, -3/+41You know the United States is screwed(as in playing catch up with the rest of the world) when the Middle East is already constructing solar energy building
- pimpofpixels, on 03/16/2008, -7/+44It's beautiful. It looks like "the future".
Ethanol and Hydrogen full cells are distractions. Solar Panels work, there're here, and we should start putting them everywhere. - inactive, on 03/16/2008, -5/+34Once their oil cash-cow runs dry, that country is making sure it will be MORE than ready to cope and move right along.
- scrag10, on 03/16/2008, -4/+32The same thing we do everyday Shogi, try to take over the world.
- roadnottaken, on 03/16/2008, -2/+22Absolutely gorgeous!
- monospaced, on 03/16/2008, -1/+18Share it, of course. With a solar panel setup, my parent's house adds electricity to the local grid in Santa Barbara and their electricity provider pays them for it.
- sporg, on 03/16/2008, -2/+17Its amazing what you can build with slave labour these days...
- yingjai, on 03/16/2008, -1/+13The truth is, they know their oil is finite in quantity and the only way they are going to survive is to migrate from an oil based country to a tourist based country before they run out of oil. For them to survive, it also means a future without dependence on oil.
- Seph7, on 03/16/2008, -4/+15Yea if it only it was about cancer, AIDS is just too retro.
- inactive, on 03/16/2008, -1/+12This is going to be built in Abu Dhabi, not Dubai.
- dmadiedo, on 03/16/2008, -2/+11They aren't digging their own graves, they're smart. They are thinking in the future, fully knowing that oil, with all the riches that they receive, isn't going to last forever, so better be ready for that, don't you think? Dugg because as much as they need oil, they aren't blind to reality.
- geehumshriber, on 03/16/2008, -2/+10Finally someone combined practicality with aesthetics. It looks pretty nice and it's incredibly functional. Prepare for the revolution in the sunny countries!
- inactive, on 03/16/2008, -6/+14no we are not progressive. we move around using camels, our toilets are behind trees, and we hunt down our prey whether its on land or sea. We also live in caves. My computer power comes from a petrol powered engine.
- isunktheship, on 03/16/2008, -2/+9Not only does it power the building, but it "will power the construction of the rest of the building." So even before it's complete it will be put to use! Does the construction crew still have to pay for the electricity then?
- chongli, on 03/16/2008, -1/+8Hydrogen is not a fuel source. It takes energy to separate hydrogen from whatever molecule you use. Most energy in the US is produced by burning coal. It would take a lot more coal to produce enough energy to fill everyone's cars with hydrogen. Not exactly a clean solution.
- argort, on 03/16/2008, -2/+9And it took an oil country to do it.
- iChopPryde, on 03/16/2008, -1/+8will do
- shamanlife, on 03/16/2008, -0/+6I predict that people will realize that the idea that producing solar panels will generate more CO2 is just a propaganda tool of deception of the oil producers.
Say I started with a blank area of land say in a desert, and built a large area of solar panels on it. Yes, this first batch would require burning something to produce my football field of solar panels. But the rest, can all be built with the energy supplied by the first batch of panels.... No more need to ever burn anything again. - pandikukka, on 03/16/2008, -4/+10that is so totally brilliant idea.. dugg
- forkthis, on 03/16/2008, -1/+7Somebody ban stoout1971.
- mos6507, on 03/16/2008, -0/+6more outdated statistics that refuse to die.
- noloveIII, on 03/16/2008, -2/+7ethanol may be non-feasable to replace gas, but hydrogen is a very real option for the future of energy. you never know what innovations will come along.
- bowe, on 03/16/2008, -0/+5You're right, it's not a fuel source, in the traditional sense, but it is an energy storage medium. Hydrogen fuel cells will allow electric cars to get the long range and quick "recharge" time that a lot of people need. Hydrogen has been overhyped, but I think it still has a lot of potential as far as energy storage goes. I've heard the argument you just made against hydrogen, applied to all electric cars. The key is working towards more efficient, less polluting, power generation to replace coal.
- HonestAbe, on 03/16/2008, -1/+6Wind power works a hell of a lot better, and that's not saying much.
- Abomonog, on 03/16/2008, -0/+5On the other hand here in Virginia the electrical code doesn't allow home solar electrical setups due to "Lack of facilities in the grid". At least not in Newport News. They insist we use the nuke plant.
- nsanidy, on 03/16/2008, -0/+4It is still an oil rich nation. Not because it's rich in oil, but because many of its inhabitants are rich FROM oil.
- bjornski, on 03/16/2008, -0/+4Sure they would. Why spend money on energy if you don't need to?
- ALyken, on 03/25/2008, -0/+4I instinctively thought that the building was going to be ugly when I read this heading, but it is really quite impressive. Maybe this is good news for all of us, not just for them, as hopefully we'll all follow suit.
- maja742, on 03/16/2008, -0/+4those who live in glass houses shouldnt disrobe to go swimming
- drcreek, on 03/16/2008, -0/+4I don't know, and I can't be arsed to google it. Just like you.
- Phisolo, on 03/16/2008, -0/+4green and sustainable energy.
- WShadow, on 03/16/2008, -2/+6They're.
- inactive, on 03/16/2008, -1/+4The ONLY reason we haven't transitioned to alternative energy is because the evil and greedy Oil Giants are standing in the way.
- lacronicus, on 03/16/2008, -0/+3Yes. In fact, they generate *more* energy when the sun is not shining. Duh. What could possibly give you the idea that solar panels work better when the sun is shining on them? Seriously?
- waydee, on 03/16/2008, -1/+4Hard to say but yes, it will initially have a fairly high environmental cost but a project like this is a long term investment, there will come a time where its savings negate the energy used and pollution created in its construction. The roof is going up first to provide power for building up the internals but you are right in thinking theres a high cost of manufacturing aluminium and solar panels.
- moletimer, on 03/16/2008, -0/+3I think all major buildings should be make like this - eco-friendly, energy-conscious, and innovative
- Evermin7, on 03/16/2008, -0/+3I thought it was freaking hilarious...
- LoveYouSomeEric, on 03/16/2008, -1/+4And you realize that this is being built in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates (one of the largest oil producers in the world), and NOT Dubai... right? I'm not joking, read the article.
- sipsyrup, on 03/16/2008, -0/+3At least it was designed in the U.S...
Either way, kudos to the Middle East - xtrench, on 03/16/2008, -3/+6That's some futuristic ***** right there.
- samssf, on 03/16/2008, -0/+3A lot better than the "San Francisco in 2108" designs.
- TzarAdam, on 03/16/2008, -0/+3It's such a BRIGHT idea.
- CCoe, on 03/16/2008, -0/+3Also, that country is huge on innovation. They're going to be "best in the world" in most structural things by the time the construction slows down. This building is also environmentally friendly, why is that not a good enough reason?
- inactive, on 03/16/2008, -1/+4a whole dollar? sorry my currency doesn't have a denomination small enough to match your bet ;)
- jimlovett, on 03/16/2008, -4/+6this looks great but is it typical of the country's attitude in general? I love the idea and wish the developed world would make this kind of building law. Nice one people.
- senfo, on 03/16/2008, -0/+2You're assuming that advancements will never be achieved to simplify the process and use less energy. That's not to say that they ever will; but, be open minded to the possibilities. Many failures in science lead to unexpected success stories.
- jackyyll, on 03/16/2008, -0/+2I've always wondered... When you take the hydrogen out of H2O, then what? What happens to the water? Is it still "water"? Because i mean, Hydrogen would just be another finite resource.
- bowe, on 03/16/2008, -0/+2When you take the hydrogen out of water, you do so by expending energy. Through a fuel cell, you recombine the hydrogen with oxygen, and get back some of the energy that you used to separate the fuel. The end result of this process is that you just get back water. 2H20 + Energy ->Hydrogen Separation--> 4H2+ O2 -->Fuel Cell--> 2H20+ Energy
With gasoline, and other hydrocarbons the combustion reaction is something like CxH2y + (x+y)02 ---> xC02 + yH20 + Energy
It is in fact possible to recreate gasoline from C02 and water by adding energy (see Syngas). -
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