Inhabitat's Week in Green: photovoltaic trees, a mind-reading Prius bike and solar-powered garb

The summer sun shined a light on several breakthrough solar technologies this week at Inhabitat as Semprius unveiled a powerful micro photovoltaic cell that can fit on a pinhead, and MIT developed a solar power system that can produce energy without sunlight. We also spotted plans for a shape-shifting solar home with a perforated facade, a series of luminous photovoltaic trees that grow real plants, and Nuon unveiled its super aerodynamic Nuna6 solar-powered racer.

Speaking of green transportation, this week President Obama set a goal of 54.5 MPG for all US automakers, BMW unveiled its breakthrough i3 and i8 electric vehicles, and Toyota unveiled a mind-reading Prius bike that can shift gears with just a thought. We also showcased several incredible examples of vehicular architecture - including a prefab house made from recycled Hummers and a shipping container pool set on a barge that purifies water as it floats through france.

As temperatures continued to soar this week we brought you seven solar-powered wearables guaranteed to give you a charge, and we saw Japanese citizens turn to air-conditioned clothing to beat the heat during power shortages. We were also relieved to hear a Swiss study announce that cell phone use is not linked to brain tumors in kids, and we showed you the dizzying view from the world's tallest tennis court, which is set atop the Burj al Arab in Dubai.

Inhabitat's Week in Green: photovoltaic trees, a mind-reading Prius bike and solar-powered garb originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 31 Jul 2011 19:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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