Help-to-Buy Scheme Shifts New Homes
The Government’s ‘Help to Buy’ Scheme was extended in the recent budget, and a package of measures designed at allowing young, first time buyers to get on the property ladder if they choose to invest in new homes has certainly been a roaring success. At the moment, first time buyers are able to purchase new homes with as little as a 5% deposit, as government are prepared to loan up to 20% of the value of a house and mortgage lenders...
Tesla’s Next Car: An Electric BMW 3-Series Fighter
by Christopher DeMorro Unlike many other also-rans, Tesla Motors is succeeding where other electric car companies have failed. And by succeeding, we mean Tesla is actually selling cars, with the Model S sedan reportedly receiving over 10,000 $5,000 deposits to date. At $50,000 after tax credits though, the Model S is still well beyond what most people can afford. So what is Tesla planning to build next? From the sounds of it, an...
World’s Largest Wave Energy Project Headed for Australian Coast
by Silvio Marcacci Ocean Power Technologies (OPT) and Lockheed Martin have announced they will team to develop a 19-megawatt (MW) wave energy project off the coast of Victoria, Australia. When complete, the project will be one of the largest wave energy generation projects in the world. OPT’s PowerBuoy generator will be used in the project to capture and convert the potential energy of Australia’s famous surf into clean...
Hospital of the Future Opens in San Diego
The largest construction project in California is the "Hospital of the Future," incoporating best practices in healthcare and green design. It’s one of just two hospitals in the US that bring natural light into operating rooms, for example. Located in San Diego County and designed by CO Architects, the 288-bed Palomar Medical Center opens in August. Some of the design innovations in this 11-story, 740,000-square-foot...
Electric Airplanes Could Fly Forever on Laser Beams
by Tina Casey Lockheed Martin has been collaborating with a Seattle-based company called LaserMotive to “refuel” electric aircraft in flight using laser beams that charge batteries wirelessly, and the latest round of testing not only met but beat expectations. The test took place indoors but if wireless laser battery charging can prove successful in the field, it would lay the groundwork for a new generation of electric...
U.S. Identifies Zones for Solar Development on Public Lands
The Obama administration has identified 17 sites on public lands across six Southwestern states that officials say are most suitable for utility-scale solar projects. In a report, federal officials vowed to expedite applications for solar projects on these sites – located in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah – which were targeted because of access to existing or planned transmission lines, minimal...
