The much-anticipated Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System just kicked into action in California's Mojave Desert. The 14.5 million square meters facility is the world's largest solar thermal energy plant, and it has the backing of some major players; Google, NRG Energy, Bright Source Energy and Bechtel have all invested in the project, which is constructed on federally-leased public land. The first of Ivanpah's three towers is now feeding energy into the grid, and once the site is fully operational it will produce 392 megawatts - enough to power 140 thousand homes while reducing carbon emissions by 400 thousand tons per year. Ivanpah is comprised of 300 thousand sun-tracking mirrors (heliostats), which surround three, 140 meters towers. The sunlight concentrated from these mirrors heats up water contained within the towers to create super-heated steam which then drives turbines on the site to produce power. The first successfully operating unit will sell power to California's Pacific Gas and Electric, as will Unit 3 when it comes online in the coming months. Unit 2 is also set to come online shortly, and will provide power to Southern California Edison. Construction began on the facility in 2010. Last year we reported , that the outlines of a massive solar thermal power plant-the largest ever-are starting to appear in the wilderness outside of Las Vegas. In March of this year achieved it's first "flux", a crucial test which proved its readiness to begin commercial operation. Tests on September 23 formed Ivanpah's "first sync" which began feeding power into the grid. As John Upton at Grist points out, the project is not without its critics, noting that some "have questioned why a solar plant that uses water would be built in the desert - instead of one that uses photovoltaic panels," while others have been upset by displacement of local wildlife-notably 100 endangered desert tortoises. But the Ivanpah plant still constitutes a major milestone, both globally as the world's largest solar thermal energy plant, and locally for the significant contribution it will make towards California's renewable energy goal of achieving 3,000 MW of solar generating capacity through public utilities and private ownership.

The historic magnitude 9.0 earthquake that struck eastern Japan back in March of 2011, setting off a cascading chain of events that ultimately resulted in an ongoing nuclear catastrophe, was unfortunately not "the big one" that has been predicted to strike Tokyo for many years. In anticipation of the Tokyo's next major seismic event, developers have been working on ways to reduce the potential damage. Elevated land-based islands are what Keiichiro Sako of Sako Architects is proposing for the Tohoku region of north-east Japan, another Japanese company, Air Danshin Systems Inc., has come up with another solution - they fit out existing houses to levitate in the event of an earthquake and Japan government officials consider building an alternative capital to allay fears of another natural disaster. Now two Japanese companies have unveiled plans to retrofit older skyscrapers with a device that could help to reduce the impact of major quakes on the buildings and potentially save lives in the process. Developed by real estate developer Mitsui Fudosan Co. and general contractor Kajima Corp, the several hundred ton seismic control device could suppress vibrations and counter the effects of a potentially destructive earthquake. The giant steel pendulums work by being hung on a building at rooftop level. In the event of an earthquake, they will apply force in the direction opposite of "long-period seismic motions," halving the amplitude of vibrations. The project will be unveiled on top of Shinjuku Mitsui Building, a 55-story skyscraper in Tokyo, in 2015 at a cost of US$ 51 million. The trial system will feature six pendulums, each weighing 300 tons. The system is also compatible with older buildings, meaning that all of the country's skyscrapers could be retrofitted with protection from seismic damage.

Demolishing tall buildings is typically a loud and messy process that produces a lot of dust and not a lot of building materials that can be salvaged. But Japan's Taisei Corporation is pioneering a new technique that preserves building materials and actually generates energy from the demolition process. The process, known as Ecological Reproduction System (Tecorep), uses huge jacks and an energy-generating crane to dismantle high-rises from the inside. Some of the most common demolition techniques used around the world include the use of wrecking balls, explosives and jackhammers-all of which are very noisy and disruptive, not to mention wasteful. But this new technique employed in Tokyo is much more environmentally-friendly. First, everything in the building that can be removed is taken out. Then, beams and concrete in the floors are dismantled, and they're taken down to the ground by a crane that harvests energy from descending. Giant jacks are used to keep the floors in place as structural elements are dismantled, which are then lowered. The building looks roughly the same from the outside throughout the process-even as the jacks are lowered and the building begins to shrink, it still keeps its roof. The novel demolition technique is believed to reduce dust by 90 percent, while also reducing the noise pollution caused by standard demolition techniques. But best of all, because Tecorep uses renewable energy to power its operations it reduces carbon emissions by about 85 percent.

We have all heard about buildings powered by solar or wind energy, but an algae-powered building? Splitterwerk Architects have designed just such a structure, dubbed BIQ, which will be the very first of its kind. Covered with bio-adaptive facade of microalgae, the distinctive building has been designed for the International Building Exhibition in Hamburg and is slated to open this month! To create the algae facade, the building is covered in bio-reactive louvers that enclose the algae. These louvers allow the algae to survive and grow faster than they would otherwise while also providing shade for the interior of the building. Additionally, the reactors trap the heat energy created by the algae, which can then be harvested and used to power the building. Once the building is completed, it will be evaluated by scientists and engineers to allow for future research and adaptation for future building projects. The project is collaboration between Spitterwerk Architects, Strategic Science Consult of Germany, ARUP and Colt International, who are responsible for the louver design. According to Simon O'Hea, Director at Colt, "It's been a very rewarding scheme to be involved in. We have put a lot of work into meeting the technical challenges and we now have a commercial-scale, effective solution that uses live algae as a smart material to deliver renewable energy. You can't get greener than that".

A mosque set to be built in the western province of Bursa will use solar and wind power to produce electricity. Nilufer Trade Center Mosque, which is set to be completed in 2015, may be the first mosque in Turkey that produces and uses renewable energy. Celik Erengezgin, the architect of the mosque project, believes that the project will be an example for other mosques. Solar panels will be placed on top of the mosque. A wind turbine will be installed on the minaret. Also snow and rain water will be collected for the worshippers' water needs. The mosque will produce its own energy and sell what it does not use. The mosque will produce 120 kilowatt of electricity but consumes only 50 kilowatt. The remaining amount can be sold to the state. Erengezgin said Turkey's Religious Affairs Department had responded positively to his project. He also wanted to produce electricity from the pressure exerted on the floor by the worshippers during prayers. This is not part of the current project but he hopes to implement it also. "We will tell the worshippers, you can charge your cell phones here, because you have produced this energy, while praying on the floor of the mosque".