Issue link: http://resourceworld.uberflip.com/i/107613
looks like a traditional incandescent bulb, and provides high-power LED illumination. Additional features include: • The ability to assign a unique light group, and room • Fully dimmable with omni-direction light dispersion • 100 brightness levels • The ability to run programs at set dates and times based on scheduling preferences • Alerts that inform users when emails or a social media messages arrive • Power consumption reports NOW YOU CAN FOLD YOUR ELECTRIC CAR Originally called the City Car, the Hiriko, folding two-seat electric car came from the laboratories of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the mid-2000s. In 2009, Basque entrepreneurs interested in the project decided to work with the American university to develop the product. The Hiriko (urban in Basque) has a sliding rear section onto which the front passenger cabin retracts. In its folded position the car measure just 1.5 metres. The car folds up to shoehorn into the tightest of parking spots, and it operates 75 miles between charges. The Hiriko Fold features wheels that are capable of turning sideways. You can slide right in to any small parking space like a library book being put back into the stacks. Hiriko will be available in three models: Hiriko Fold; Alai, a convertible version; and Laga, a mini pickup. The prototype was completed in September 2011 and production is expected in spring 2013, after the Geneva Motor Show. Retail deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2014, and pricing starts at $12,500 (US $16,400) plus battery leasing fees. shrub willow for use as a biofuel crop. Before the willow could become a viable crop for large-scale production, varieties have to be developed that are resistant to beetles and disease while providing a high yield per acre. Harvesting energy from willows is moving out of the experimental stage and into commercial production in New York. "The industry has a lot of potential," said Robert McDonagh, owner of Celtic Energy Farm LLC in Cape Vincent on Lake Ontario, which was formed by a group of investors a few years ago to grow shrub willow in northern New York as a renewable energy source. The farm owns or rents 1,100 acres where it grows willows to supply ReEnergy, a renewable energy producer with power plants in northern New York and several other states. Because of its rapid growth, willow produces eight times as much yield per acre as a typical northeastern forest. Willow grows well on land that's not suitable for other crops. Because it has deep roots and is perennial, it's more tolerant of flooding and drought than annual crops. About 800 acres of shrub willow can yield about 1 megawatt of energy, or enough to supply about 750 average homes for one year. The US Department of Energy estimates that 190 million acres of land in the United States could be used to produce energy crops. Aside from its use as a biofuel crop, shrub willow acreage can also serve as a wildlife habitat while its deep roots help to prevent soil erosion. n WILLOWS PROVIDE RENEWABLE ENERGY Researchers at Cornell University and other institutions have spent years developing pest-resistant, drought-hardy strains of february 2013 www.resourceworld.com 91