More at :
http://inhabitat.com/slumtube-affordable-housing-made-from-shipping-pallets/

‘Typically aeroelastic flutter is a destructive effect. But what the Windbelt does is try to capture it for the purposes of electricity production,’ explains Frayne, the brains behind the Windbelt and the founder of Humdinger Wind Energy.

The Windbelt’s key component is a taut membrane of mylar-coated taffeta, which vibrates as wind flows over it – this movement, triggered by airflow, is what is known as aeroelastic flutter (see the windbelt in action in the video below).

‘That oscillation moves a set of permanet magnets that are on the membrane itself at one of the ends,’ Frayne continues. The motion of these magnets between two copper coil induces an electrical current.

A version of it called the “windcell” measuring about a meter in length may be particularly suited for the developing world..

The Windcell, measuring a metre in length, is particularly suited to providing electricity in isolated areas of the developing world where solar or conventional wind power are too costly or simply inaccessible. Producing around 0.2 kWh (enough to power 10 energy saving lightbulbs), its energy output is not enormous, but it’s enough to make a real difference in some areas, replacing kerosene lighting in Haiti for example.

‘It makes sense for situations when you don’t need a whole lot of power and you’ve got some wind. You could have just a few Windcells that harvest enough energy from the wind to power up lighting or charge some batteries,’ says Frayne. ‘There’s a couple of governments that we’re talking to about rolling out the Windcell to dispersed communities.’

Fully story at http://www.physics.org/featuredetail.asp?id=47
Company behind the technology at http://www.humdingerwindenergy.com/

Because artists can suggest their vision of the world and be a critical vehicle for educating the public, because these major issues are now ubiquitous and are not solely the responsibility of scientists, it is extremely important that a festival such as Planet Nepal exists.

Festival Planet Nepal will come on top of the world, in Kathmandu and Patan on 14, 15 and May 16, 2010, mainly in Lalitpur Durbar Square and Patan Museum.

Who better than Nepal, a small Himalayan country, to host this festival?

Nepal is one of the first witnesses of global warming with the highest peaks in the world. Significant damage to fauna and flora has been found at high altitude. ?Nepal is facing the full brunt of the ignorance of the rich countries. Known for its breathtaking scenery, Nepal is now one of the first global warming victims, like Bangladesh and the Maldives.

It is also urgent to help the Nepalese Environment groups: at 1350 m of altitude, the capital Kathmandu is among the most polluted cities in Asia.

Planet Nepal offers a rich and varied program including visual arts, concerts, film screenings, art performances, panel discussions and scientific conferences. The greatest artists of Nepal will work with French artists invited to this occasion.

and their facebook pages

Planet Nepal is a multidisciplinary festival on Climate Change and the environment that is scheduled to take place here in Kathmandu from the 14th – 16th of May 2010. This project is being organized by Culture France (a French cultural organization) and being managed locally by Alliance Francaise in Kathmandu (AFK).

follow us on twitter @planetnepal

The proliferation of saving, lending, and insurance ideas at the conference left no doubt that this sector is rapidly maturing. It is no coincidence that three out of five winners came from this field. (Having evolved in our thinking from microlending to microfinance, how long before we start extending the concept to microservices other than finance?) I did not see a revolutionary new concept, but there were many small, smart innovations on display.

Winning teams: IFPRI’s team led a field of initiatives influenced by behavioral economics with a rainfall insurance program for Ethiopia. It has been carefully whittled down to the simplest possible structure, and adapted to the local context. The scheme offers insurance tickets in $1 increments, color-coded for growing seasons, and with payout-rules customized to local definitions of big and small rains. The increase in flexibility over standardized parametric insurance seems considerable. Researchers will be excited to hear that the team would like the insurance tickets to be ultimately available to non-farmers – recognizing that drought also affects other businesses.

Another prize was taken by the Grameen Foundation for a ready-to-use business process for MFIs. A third went to a French team that has written code to allow online shoppers to round up every payment they make, and invest the difference in a Kiva-like micro-lending project.

Full article at cgdev.org blog.
Microfinance seemed to have so much promise for nations in the developing world. Nepal, however, seems stagnant, or unwilling to move in that direction. Even kiva.org has zero players in Nepal.

Thoughts?

Trapped lightning could help zap trash and generate electricity

Trash is loaded with the energy trapped in its chemical bonds. Plasma gasification, a technology that has been in development for decades, could finally be ready to extract it.

Excerpt from Scientific American.. part of a series of articles about world changing ideas.

The research could have repercussions on energy production in the developing world where trash is as much a big problem in terms of health..

Full article at http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=world-changing-ideas&page=5

See also

Some thing like this could easily provide power for research stations, outposts, remote schools in Nepal..

The BackPack Power Plant – Type 1 (BPP-1) is a man-portable renewable energy generator only 3 feet in length and weighing less than 30 pounds. Each unit is self-contained with its own integrated power, control, cooling and sensor systems. The unit collapses into a backpack size module with the generator, hub and folded blades stored inside.
The unit produces approximately 500 W/unit high quality continuous power
depending on river current. The BackPack Power Plant can be set up singularly
or in arrays of over 30 kW.

Wired article

Bourne Energy

India has announced intentions to export power reactors to other nations and is developing an advanced design for that purpose..

The reactor design is based on the thorium fuel cycle which supposedly produces less waste..
This probably doesn’t count as a source of alternative/green fuel, but the merits of it as opposed to large-hydro, coal or natural gas need to be explored..

Full article at
http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/NP_Thorium_exports_coming_from_India_1709091.html