LEDs magazine has covered our recent deployment in Panama City's brand new Coastal Beltway or Cinta Costera. This new stretch of road was to help decongest the busy road network of Panama City by providing a bypass route past the city.

The 6 lanes road takes approxmately 72,000 vehicles per day!

Read more about it on LEDs Magazine, Traffic Technology Today, roadtraffic-technology.com and more photos here.

Into the New Year and we officially launch the newly improved LR-40, we call it The LR-40: OPTIMUS!  With its modern, futuristic and rugged design, in addition to its top-class and efficient performance; the LR-40: OPTIMUS Series is in a class of its own. Improvements include:

• Enhanced strength and durability
• Longer illumination hours

Datasheet can be downloaded here.

We keep innovating!

The Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, Dr Yaacob Ibrahim launched the Sustainable Manufacturing Centre (SMC) today, spearheaded by the Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology (SIMTech), a research institute of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR).

The SMC aims to showcase and promote the concept of sustainability in manufacturing and create a platform to converge relevant government agencies, industry associations, research community and industry to engage in R&D and implementation of sustainable manufacturing technologies and methodologies. The Centre will work with the manufacturing industry to develop and implement innovative technologies that reduce emissions, wastes and toxicity in manufacturing, promote the recycling and reuse of resources and strengthen the global competitiveness of Singapore’s manufacturing industry in the world where environmental issues have become a major concern.

SMC also showcases exhibits of sustainable manufacturing technologies, best practices, capabilities, success stories and an array of products to inspire innovations in green manufacturing technologies and products.

Solar Research displayed their products at the Centre as well. More photos here.

For press release and GOH speech, please click here.

Coverages: 938 Live | The Straits Times |

Dr Fannon Lim (Standing: 3rd from left), Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, Minister for MEWR (Standing: 8th from left), Ms Yena Lim, MD A*STAR (Standing: 10th from left)

Costing some S$11 million, the BCA has launched a 3 storey Zero Energy Building at Braddell Road. With this showcase, the government hopes to get 80% of all buildings to be certified on Green Mark by 2030.

Read more here with video embedded.

From Darwin to southern Adelaide, 35 cars from more than a dozen countries will compete in 'The Global Green Challenge' in Australia. Their hybrid, electric and low emission vehicles as well as those propelled by the sun, will have to complete 3,000 km.

Read more about it here and live results. 

In Silicon Valley, a man filed charges against his neighbours because their towering redwood trees blocked sunlight to his 10kW solar panels. The neighbours lost the case and were ordered to trim their trees and paid $37,000 in legal fees.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger then signed a new law that if trees were planted before solar panels were installed, then the solar-panel owner cannot force the trees to be trimmed or chopped. So whichever comes first will win!

Read more here.

The recent fatal crash has alerted the government authorities to install Luna solar road markers on the Pacora River Bridge. On 24 August 2009, at least 24 people died and 15 people were injured on the outskirts of Panama City. It is said that high speeds on a poorly lighted segment of road may have been responsible for it. The president of Panama said "I have never in my life seen anything like this".

Luna has given priority for existing markers meant for another project to be installed at this location. Previously markers have also been installed in Cintra Costera.  Stay tuned as we update you when the project is completed. Click here for CNN coverage.

Located in Singapore polytechnic, Singapore's first electric vehicle (EV) charging station is able to generate an average of 3.15kWh/day (enough to charge 4 scooters). Built by Zeco Systems, it expands the currently 4 Greenlots to 5, where the first 4 were tapped into the main power grid. So far Zeco has sold 3 scooters(~$8,000 each), certainly a 'chicken-and-egg' problem for them, because if there are not sufficient or conveniently located charging stations, no one will be buying the scooters. Without the supporting infrastructure, it will be difficult to deploy such vehicles, just like the 4,200 CNG (compressed natural gas) vehicles here supported by 4 re-filling stations, or fuel cell vehicles.

But I feel EV-hybrid vehicles should take off in Singapore, EV charging stations are easier and more economical to build compared to CNG or hydrogen stations. Expect more of these when the new Sentosa opens fully! ;) And probably in time to come, condominium owners will be charging their vehicles overnight at their carpark lots. Towards the Singapore Green Plan 2012!