'Solar skin' to save 77 tons of CO2 a year 🌇

Plus: SpaceX to build over 1,000 Starships to move 1 million humans to Mars Jun 07, 2022 [Blueprint]( Imagine high-tech buildings of the future donned in “solar skin.” These carbon-neutral structures could be the setting stones for a world without fossil fuels. We might be making our way to that future, with a new office tower in Australia being the first in the country to harvest sunlight from its walls and convert it into electricity. Remarkably, the system will deliver almost enough power to meet the building’s energy needs and save 77 tons of CO2 each year. Before we dive into the solar-fueled structure, watch today’s video to learn how a new enzyme can devour plastics in hours instead of centuries. Good morning. I’m Derya, an editor at IE. This is The Blueprint. Let’s get started. [Play]VIDEO OF THE DAY [A new AI-made enzyme can devour plastics in hours instead of centuries]( [AI-made enzyme.]( Bon appétit. [Must Read]MUST READ [An office tower with 'solar skin' to save 77 tons of CO2 each year]( [A rendering of the building.]( [A rendering of the building.]( Kennon. An eight-story building on Spencer Street in West Melbourne, Australia, will be the [country's first office tower with a "solar skin,"]( marking a watershed moment for the construction industry. The $40-million office tower will be outfitted with a whopping 1,182 solar panels the thickness of a regular glass facade. → How? The technology, Skala, uses a "thin-film PV module" atop a network that transfers the electricity generated into the building's main power supply. It can generate 50 times the energy of a typical rooftop [photovoltaic solar array]( used in residential homes. Once complete, the system will provide nearly enough power to meet the building’s energy needs while saving 77 tons of CO2 each year. This means that the building would pay off its carbon debt without depending on offsets or other accounting measures. And with the addition of roof panels, the building will have nearly no power expenditures and be carbon-neutral in a few years, serving as a shining example of the prospects for decarbonizing the construction industry. [READ MORE [Arrow]]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Linkedin]( [INNOVATION]INNOVATION [Elon Musk: SpaceX will build over 1,000 Starships to move 1 million humans to Mars]( The plan is to "build 1000+ Starships to transport life to Mars. Basically, (very) modern Noah's Arks," Elon Musk wrote on Twitter, reiterating a statement he had made during a recent interview with TED curator Chris Anderson. In that interview, he stated that SpaceX would achieve this goal by 2050. [But is that realistic]( [READ MORE [Arrow]]( And Other Stories in Innovation - NASA’s Artemis I rocket is [heading to the launch pad]( once again. - A hypersonic sled traveling at Mach 5.8 [has been recovered]( for the first time in history. - Toyota’s residential energy storage solution is [based on EV batteries](. [TRANSPORTATION]TRANSPORTATION [The world’s first transoceanic voyage with autonomous navigation is a success]( Avikus, a subsidiary of Hyundai, [has successfully completed]( the first transoceanic voyage of a large merchant ship using autonomous navigation technologies. [READ MORE [Arrow]]( And Other Stories in Transportation - [Here’s how the USS Zumwalt survived]( everything to become a leading U.S. Navy ship. - This Cybertruck camper [has endless features]( but costs a whopping $24,000. - DeLorean is back from the future with a luxury electric vehicle, and it offers [a time travel speed of 4.35 seconds](. [MAIL & MUSINGS]MAIL & MUSINGS Thanks to the dropping solar energy prices and improvements in design, more architects are turning to solar for its aesthetic appeal and cost savings. Do you believe building more of these types of buildings is sustainable for the environment in the long term? [Yes, renewable energy is always a good solution.]( [No, it’s not a perfect solution to our energy needs.]( [Its pros and cons should be better researched.]( [Maybe, but it can’t do good on its own.]( YESTERDAY'S RESULTS We asked you when quantum computers will be commercially available. Half of you think it will happen in the next decade, while 18 percent don’t have high hopes. 50% I’m optimistic: In 10 years or so. 18% Look at flying cars… I don’t have high hopes. 16% Maybe after the 2030s... 15% It’s hard to say anything. [QUOTE OF THE DAY]QUOTE OF THE DAY “Prejudice is the child of ignorance.” William Hazlitt in “On Prejudice” (1830) [THINGS WE LOVE]THINGS WE LOVE [image]( [Poly Plantronics Voyager Legend]( [image]( [Logitech Combo Keyboard Case]( [image]( [Elkay Bottle Filling Station]( [image]( [Lamicall Cable Clips]( [AND ANOTHER THING]AND ANOTHER THING - Roughly 46,000 people have [lost more than a billion dollars]( crypto scams since the start of 2021. - Police tech company Axon is halting a controversial [plan to develop aerial drones]( for schools equipped with stun guns after internal backlash. (Vice) - Here’s what science reveals about [how the U.S. can prevent the next baby formula crisis](. - The surreal case of a C.I.A. hacker’s revenge: A hot-headed coder[is accused of exposing the agency’s hacking arsenal](. (The New Yorker) - [The biggest ever four-day workweek]( trial has kicked off in the U.K. - Using ideas borrowed from graph theory, two mathematicians have shown that [extremely complex surfaces are easy to traverse](. (Quanta Magazine) - A Chinese eVTOL startup revealed [the first footage of its prototype flying taxi](. Prepared by Derya Özdemir and Mert Erdemir Enjoy Reading? Forward this email to a friend. Was this email forwarded to you? [Join Free!]( [About Us]( [Advertise]( [Contact Us]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Youtube]( [Linkedin]( [Instagram]( You are receiving this email because you have subscribed to our newsletter. Manage you e-mail preferences or unsubscribe [here](. © Copyright 2022 | The Blueprint is by Interesting Engineering, Inc. 201 Spear Street, Suite 1100 San Francisco, CA 94105 | All Rights Reserved [Interesting Engineering]