Inhabitat's Week in Green: The world's skinniest tower, and more!
In other news, Tesla will sell cars in a Los Angeles Nordstrom store, of all places.
Local Motors just unveiled the bus of the future, and it's fully autonomous, made by a 3D printer and controlled by IBM's flagship artificial intelligence system. In other transportation news, a German official declared that all new cars registered in the nation will need to be zero-emission by the year 2030. Tesla announced plans to sell its electric vehicles in a Nordstrom store in Los Angeles. And a solar-powered boat embarked on a historic journey across the Atlantic Ocean.
The world's new tallest tower was just approved for Dubai -- and it'll dwarf the reigning Burj Khalifa by 100 meters. Meanwhile, Brighton, England unveiled the world's skinniest tower: It's topped with a space-age moving observation pod. Kazakhstan broke ground on a futuristic eco city that will host the World Expo 2017, while a gigantic green pyramid popped up in Paris. Elsewhere in the world, researchers used lasers to reveal lost cities hidden by jungle near Angkor Wat, and a gigantic "Gateway to the Underworld" opened up in Serbia -- and it's rapidly growing.
Hydrogen is a clean, renewable energy source that can be easily stored, but it tends to be expensive and difficult to produce. That's why it's exciting that California-based HyperSolar has developed a breakthrough technique for producing hydrogen fuel from water and sunlight. In other energy news, Australia smashed a wind power record last month by generating 1,299 gigawatt-hours of renewable electricity, and Scotland managed to reach its aggressive emissions goal a full six years ahead of schedule. We also spotted a self-sufficient mountain hut that generates all of its own electricity and a chic floating home that's powered by the sun. Finally, we shared 10 classic science experiments sure to inspire kids of all ages.
