Inhabitat’s Week in Green: modernizing the US national grid, not to mention deserts and pyramids

Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week’s most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us — it’s the Week in Green. This week at Inhabitat, we were thankful to be able to witness the long-awaited unveiling of the futuristic solar-powered Masdar Institute in Abu Dhabi, and we also heard the exciting news that scientists are developing a project that could have us using the Sahara desert to supply 50% of the world’s energy by 2050 . We were also dazzled by the dynamic “dancing” facade of the Kiefer Technic showroom and this towering greenery-lined pyramid caught our eye with its modern take on ancient Mayan architecture. The world of green tech had a lot to be grateful for too as the U.S. Department of Energy announced that it would award $19 million to modernize the national grid and green transportation saw the first flight powered by jatropha-based biofuel . On a lighter note, this solar-powered wheelchair and its designer prepared to embark on a 200 mile journey to showcase its capabilities. For those of you on the hunt for Cyber Monday deals, don’t forget to check out our Green Gadget Gift Guide with our picks for the hottest eco-friendly tech out there. We also spotted this ingenious wood speaker system that amplifies music using the properties of the material it’s made of and needs no electricity at all. Inhabitat’s Week in Green: modernizing the US national grid, not to mention deserts and pyramids originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 28 Nov 2010 19:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

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