We thought now would be the perfect time to share some of the most beautiful and artistic renewable energy displays in the world. Here are some of our favourites:
1. This community owned wind turbine in Victoria
Hepburn Wind, is Australia’s first community-owned wind farm, just south of Daylesford, Victoria. The turbines are owned by the 1,900 members of the organisation – over half of them locals. The revenue raised by the energy production goes back into other community projects, and is forecast to raise over $1 million in the next 25 years.
But the best thing is that they didn’t build them and move on. The community went on to crowd-fund and artist to paint this beautiful mural!
2. Disney’s plans to build a solar plant in the shape of Mickey Mouse
We’re not joking. Walt Disney World needed some extra juice for their Florida theme park and resort, so Duke Energy are building them a solar plant across the road in the shape of Mickey Mouse. The solar farm will take form as three circles symbolising the famous mouse using 48,000 panels. Incredible!
3. The silent “Wind Tree”
Designed by French engineers who wanted to create a wind-turbine you could have on a suburban street, The Wind Tree is 26-foot tall and can be found in Britanny in northwestern France. Each leaf contains tiny blades that turn inwards, enabling them to turn regardless of the direction the wind is blowing.
4. Dubai’s solar palm trees
Okay, so all palm trees are powered by the sun, but these are a little different. With over 100 of these being installed right now, “Smart Trees” will soon be found throughout Dubai, providing a shaded park bench, WiFi and phone charging stations. The designer even claims that the solar panels will charge your device 2.5 times faster than your wall socket at home.
5. The SolarImpulse plane
Getting ready to break a whole bunch of records, the SolarImpulse is a work of art. The aircraft can hold a single pilot and is able to fly day and night, without a drop of fuel. The wings, which are larger than those of a Boeing 747, contain 17,000 solar cells that power the motors and recharge lithium batteries.
6. BWM’s solar garage
If you’re going to get an electric vehicle, you probably should try to avoid powering it straight from the grid – otherwise your sweet new wheels are still using dirty fossil fuels. BWM found a solution: a solar garage.
7. This solar yacht
Check out the Tûranor PlanetSolar (tûranor means “power of the sun” in Elvish), the world’s largest solar-powered boat. But this epic catamaran isn’t just for looks – it was the first ship to circumnavigate the world on solar power alone. 512 square meters of solar panels are able to charge the two 8.5 ton batteries below.
8. The most colourful wind turbine, ever.
German artist, Horst Glasker, decided that wind turbines were a bit too white for his liking. So he launched an artistic project, Aero Art, to celebrate the existence of renewable energy by painting two turbines in colours impossible to ignore.