World Watch The carbon-fibre plane is equipped with 17,000 fuel cells in the wing, supplying four electric motors with energy. Lithium batteries recharge during the day, allowing unlimited night flight. Solar Impulse founders André Borschberg and Bertrand Piccard, of Switzerland, are trading off pilot duties. PREDICTABLE POWER Swansea Bay in the United Kingdom will be home to the world’s first energy-generating lagoon, which will produce enough power for more than 155,000 homes and last 120 years. An arts and cultural centre is proposed along the 9.5-kilometre-long seawall, which can also be used for activities like cycling and fishing. An added bonus: the lagoon will be a safe harbour for swimming, rowing, and sailing. NICARAGUA'S CANAL WILL BE THREE TIMES AS LONG AS PANAMA’S Work has begun in Nicaragua on a contro- versial 278-kilometre canal which will be three times longer than the 77-kilometre Panama Canal. Scientific American (New York) says that the Nicaraguan Grand
LATITUDE
Canal, being built at a cost of about US $50 billion, will be between 230 to 520 metres wide and 27 metres deep. A large portion of the canal will go through Lake Nicaragua, Central America’s largest tropical lake. There are concerns about the lack of envi- ronmental impact studies for a project that cuts through forests, wetlands, and other ecologically sensitive areas. The contractor is Hong Kong Nica- ragua Canal Development. Construction is expected to take five years, with completion in 2020.
The Hyperloop is the vision of SpaceX and Tesla Motors entrepreneur Elon Musk, who unveiled his idea in 2013. He invited anyone who was interested to develop the concept further. Several entrepreneurs and engineers have taken up that challenge. Two companies have proposed test sites in California, while Mr. Musk himself says he’s also planning one in Texas.
MOSCOW-TO-BEIJING RAIL LINK SLASHES TRAVEL TIMES
Speaking of high-speed transport, it will soon take just 48 hours to travel between Moscow and Beijing on a new high-speed railway, says the Engineering News- Record (New York). An agreement has been signed to construct a 7,000-kilometre rail link between the two cities, at an estimated cost of US $230 billion. Four national agencies, two each from both Russia and China, will lead the project. Currently, the Moscow-Beijing rail trip takes seven days.
HOPPED A HYPERLOOP LATELY?
Test tracks are in development in Cali- fornia and Texas for supersonic Hyper- loop passenger trains that will hurtle travellers along at speeds up to 1,200 kilometres an hour. Fans and magnets would propel elevated passenger pods along the tracks through low-pressure pneumatic tubes, Canadian Consulting Engineer reports.
-artist rendering courtesy Tidal Lagoon Power
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